Little Bird Blog
Off The Beaten Path
Sans Souci Beach – a perfect little family beach Waikiki has a lot of excitement to offer, but we always find ourselves drawn to the same little stretch of beach called Sans Souci Beach. It’s a small beach on the outskirts of Waikiki adjacent to the Waikiki Aquarium. In fact, we walked past it many […]
A Beach for Little Adventurers Mila looked at me quizzically as she surveyed the beach. “Why did you take us to a beach with brown water, Mama?” True, the water often has a brown tinge as the rain from Kahana Valley empties into the bay, but it’s perfect for exploring. She quickly forgot about the […]
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Turtle Bay: Where North Shore Beaches Oahu Trade Crowds for Wild Beauty Turtle Bay, tucked away on the North Shore beaches of Oahu, is where you go when you love the idea of Hawaii but don’t want to share it with a thousand sunburned tourists holding oversized piña coladas. It’s a far cry from the […]
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Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area Feeling a bit of nostalgia, we decided to visit one of our favorite Honolulu hiking trails. The fresh scent of pines filled the car as we pulled into the Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area. It was like stepping back into time. As a UH grad student I taught an ecology […]
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An Epic Camping Adventure Fat tears rolled down his cheeks as he wailed, “I miss the campground! Can we go back tomorrow?”A delighted Mila popped into the room. “We’re going camping again tomorrow?!” I think it’s safe to say my children love camping. The weeks following our trip were filled with random outbursts of nostalgia […]
About the Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail The Makapu’u Point lighthouse trail sits in the dramatically beautiful southeastern corner of the island (known as the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline) about a half hour drive from Waikiki. What? You’ve hiked up to the Makapu’u Point lighthouse trail before? Maybe glimpsed humpback whales spouting and breaching as you […]
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The Magic of Kaneohe Sandbar The Kaneohe Sandbar is located in the middle of Kaneohe Bay, in windward Oahu, about a 45-minute drive from Waikiki. As a submerged sandbank, it becomes partially exposed during low tide, taking the form of a shallow, sandy area that stretches out into the bay. At low tide, you can […]
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Family-friendly Oahu Oahu has a lot going for it in the outdoor fun department. It has a diverse array of family-friendly beaches, family-friendly hikes, and outdoor spaces. Sadly, decent playgrounds are not on that list. Oahu playgrounds are typically installed in waves which means you have the same play structure at every park. It also […]
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Want to add a little adventure to the mundane? Want to get your kids to hike without whining? Or maybe you like puzzles or discovering hidden pockets of beauty in the world. If so, check out the secret world of geocaching in Hawaii. Geocaching is basically a giant treasure hunt that reaches across the world. […]
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About the Hike The Aiea Loop trail meanders past tall trees and fallen logs with peeks of the Waianae mountains, Pearl Harbor, and Halawa Valley. At 4.8 miles it’s a bit on the long side for a family hike. Still, it’s worth considering. It lacks crazy drops offs, steep ascents, bouldering, it’s well-marked, mostly shaded, […]
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Looking for things to do in Honolulu with kids? Koko Crater Botanical Garden is a great place for an easy family hike. It is perhaps, my second favorite garden on Oahu after Hoomaluhia which I detail here and here. There is an uneven two-mile dirt trail that loops around the crater floor with plantings grouped […]
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