Hawaii Magazine: 6 Tips For Traveling To Hawaii Right Now

Above, a view of Diamond Head from Waikiki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Planning a trip to Hawaii?

Well, although resorts and hotels are opening up, things are still a bit topsy-turvy. To navigate through the muck of regulations, Hawaii Magazine posted six tip for traveling to Hawaii right now.

They begin with:

 The recent surge in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.—spurred by the highly contagious delta variant—is concerning for travelers, even those flying to the Islands, where daily numbers are at all-time highs. On Tuesday the state reported 389 new confirmed and probable infections statewide. Hawaiʻi has reported triple-digit cases for two weeks, peaking at 622 on Friday.

This spike comes on the heels of a summer that saw near-pre-pandemic levels of visitors. According to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, more than 2.7 million people arrived in the Islands in the first half of 2021, up 27.6% compared to the first half of 2020. In June alone, 791,053 visitors flew to Hawaiʻi from the U.S.

And while that’s great news for the state’s tourism industry, which came to a standstill during the pandemic, the onslaught of visitors to a place still dealing with COVID-19 cases and struggling with striking the right balance between reopening and keeping the community safe has created a unique set of challenges.

There are new procedures for visiting popular attractions, rules about mask-wearing, new protocols at hotels, long waits at busy restaurants and a shortage of rental cars.

Here are some tips for anyone planning to visit the Islands this year. And fair warning: Things change all the time.

To see what the six tips are, go here. 

USS Bowfin At Pearl Harbor Reopened

Above, the USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The following was announced last Wednesday (November 4).

The announcement concerns the USS Bowfin, a World War II era submarine that is docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Hawaii Magazine reported:

More than a month after the Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oʻahu reopened to the public, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park said it is reopening to the public on Friday.

The popular visitor attraction has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

“We’ve taken advantage of the closures this year to make a number of improvements to our campus and we look forward to welcoming the public,” said Chuck Merkel, executive director of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association.

Some of those improvements include new interpretive signs for all of the outside exhibits, an outdoor play area for kids and a big “hull ring” that greets visitors at the campus entrance that compares the diameter of World War II submarines to today’s much larger nuclear subs.

In addition to these new additions, new safety guidelines are in place: All visitors must wear face coverings and practice social distancing and tickets must be purchased online in advance of your visit.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Has Officially Reopened

Above, trees afire from underground lava tubes of Kilauea. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The eruptions and lava flow from Kilauea volcano has stopped or subsided enough to allow visitors back into the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

Hawai'i Magazine has an article on what visitors can expect when they visit the park.

It begins with:

After being closed for 134 days, most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reopened on Sept. 22, marking a miraculous comeback from months of eruptions, seismic activity and lava flows at Kilauea. 

And although the visitor center, which is the first building you see when you enter the park, looks nearly the same as it did before the closure, some of the park’s other attractions have changed in significant ways. First, there is no more active lava in the park. The lava lake in Halemaumau Crater, a popular site for visitors and locals, has completely drained, and its distinctive orange-glow is no more. However, Halemaumau itself is still worth seeing as it has grown dramatically after numerous collapses on its crater walls.

It would be interesting to see the park now. I flew over the Kilauea volcano two years ago with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

To read more, go here. 

USS Arizona Memorial Won't Re-Open Until After October 1

Above, the USS Arizona Memorial in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The USS Arizona Memorial has been closed due to structural problems with the dock.

The National Park Service indicates that it won't re-open until sometime in the fall.

According to Hawaii Magazine:

The National Park Service has recently announced that the USS Arizona Memorial, which has been closed since May 27 due to structural problems, would reopen after Oct. 1, however an exact date is still unknown. According to Jay Blount, spokesman for the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, engineers have begun determining the best way to anchor the dock to the harbor floor.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Magazine's 2018 "Best of the Best"

Above, a sunset at Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hawaii Magazine has released their picks in their 2018 "Best of the Best" in Hawaii.

Their listings include restaurants, beaches, hotels, bars and other categories.

They wrote:

Best of 2018 

Here you'll find an in-depth look at our 2018 HAWAII Magazine Best of the Best winners, including reader's and editor's picks of the best hotels, restaurants, beaches, hikes, spas, shops and activities. 

For a complete list of all the winners, click here.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Magazine's "Destination: Oahu"

Above, Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is planning a vacation stay in Hawaii, Hawaii Magazine's website has much information tourists can glean from.

Case in point is their new article, "Destination: Oahu".

It begins with:

Oahu, the most visited of the Hawaiian Islands, is known as The Gathering Place. Rich with historical sites, outstanding Pacific Rim cuisine and famous surf breaks, it’s easy to see why most Hawaii residents choose Oahu to live, work and play. Home of the world’s largest outdoor shopping mall, the nation’s only royal palace and the state’s biggest city, Oahu is energetic and captivating, offering unspoiled shorelines and jungle landscapes as well as a bustling city center full of art and culture. Expertly combining the flavor of ancient Hawaii with modern decadence, Oahu offers a tasteful blend of old and new.

The article has some places to see and do.

To read more, go here.