An Unbelievable, Only-in-Hawaii Travel Experience

January 14, 2016

There are some things that fall under the only-in-Hawaii travel opportunities.

A few examples? How about the amazing cuisine (fresh fruit! fresh fish! SPAM!), beautiful vistas, and of course, a culture that’s rich in tradition.

Most people have attend a luau, learn to hula or stand up on a surf board for at least .3 seconds on their Hawaii travel to-do list. I think these are all great options, but I think you ought to add paddle an outrigger to your list. It’s a very special native Hawaiian adventure.

On a recent trip, I visited the Mauna Lani Bay resort in Kona, where I had the pleasure of helping build a canoe by hand (!). Later, we took out a 100-year-old outrigger on the sea. Perhaps there’s no better way to truly appreciate the native Hawaiian experience than by paddling one of these beautiful boats. It’s on days like this that I especially believe that I have the best job in the entire world.

There are lots of places to do such a thing in the islands, but I loved Mauna Lani for its picturesque setting (not that’s it’s that hard to find in these parts– you’re in Hawaii!), and all sorts of other available watersports. You can kayak, snorkel, stand-up paddle board.. the list goes on and on.