Carless in Hawaii- Oahu, Big Island, Kauai Part 2- tourist destinations

 Now that I covered how to get to and from the airport in part 1, I will cover some tourist destinations reachable by public transit in part 2.  I apologize this is a late post based on my trip in 2022, so please check transit websites for the latest updates.

Oahu

Like most tourists, I stayed in Honolulu.  The bus was convenient for traveling around that area.  Per Google Maps I could've gone to the North Shore or much further south via bus to see some waterfall(s) and gardens, but those would've been very time-consuming trips.  Thus I did not try to venture much beyond Honolulu.

With the bus you can get to:

Pearl Harbor

Remember to reserve admission tickets in advance from the national park service website!

Diamond Head

Reserve admission tickets in advance.  Punctuality was of the essence.  When I went, they turned away tourists that were slightly late no matter how much they begged or cried that this was their only opportunity to visit.  They didn't let folks in super early, either.  Thus you need to plan ahead for how long it'll take you to walk from the bus stop.  When I went, the bus stopped outside what looked to be a grassy hill.  It took some figuring out sans Google Maps to decide whether to turn left or right along this hill.  Once we figured out the right direction, it was quite a hike inwards, including through a tunnel, to even get to the official entrance where they have a little kiosk that sells some food and souvenirs as well as some benches for sitting.  I am recalling at least 30-60 minutes or more for this hike from the bus stop depending on how slow you walk.  

Then once I got to the official entrance, the staff would not let super early people in, nor folks who were too late.  I sat on the benches until I gauged they would let folks in my time group in.  After passing this entrance booth, it was a long hike all the way to the top of the crater.  It was very crowded, and some points it was a single file line of people all trudging up this crater.  I was worried about having a time limit to finish this hike due to the crowding and time slot on the ticket, but that turned out not to be any problem.  If you finish and get to the top, there is a photo opportunity at the very tippy top.  Then you can choose to go the same way down or a different path down.

Iolani Palace

The bus goes here, too!  I didn't get to go inside because tickets were sold out for the times I was available.  Get tickets online in advance if you really want to go inside and are traveling during a busy time.

Honolulu Art Museum

The bus goes near here, too!  It's closed certain days of the week, so I didn't get to go inside when I was there.  

Walking distance to the museum is Daiso, known as a 100 Yen or "dollar" store in Japan.  It's found in the US, too.  Items are typically above $1, but they are pretty cheap compared to mainstream stores.

Per Google Maps, Hanauma Bay was reachable via bus plus some walking.  However, it is closed several days of the week for the coral reef to rest and recover, so I didn't get to visit when I was there.

Big Island

The bus goes travels much less often than in Oahu.  I stayed in Hilo.

Richardson Ocean Park

This was my favorite snorkeling experience!  

Volcano National Park

Per the bus website, you could take it between Kona and Hilo.  I stayed in Hilo and paid for a private tour to Volcano National Park.  However, per the bus website I could've saved a lot of money and used public transit to visit this national park.  

Pro of taking the bus to the volcano park: save $.  From where the bus drops you off you could plan some hikes if time permits.  

Con: infrequent bus service, and it drops you off at a particular spot in the park.  With the private tour I was able to be driven to multiple stops within the national park; however, I was unable to do any hikes on my own.

As mentioned in my other post, across from the bus depot is the Farmers' Market.  

Kauai

Poipu Beach

The bus stop takes you near Poipu Beach.  From there, I was able to do a very long walk to the resort area from which you can do a long hike to the Makauwahi cave.

This hike was *long* and *hot*.  I had brought one water bottle, but that was not enough!  Thankfully some good Samaritan had set up a large dispenser of water near the cave.  Otherwise others in my party would've been accusing me of trying to kill them via dehydration and heat stroke.

There were so many smashed dead toads or frogs along the red dirt road.  So sad!

The red Kauai dirt gets all over your shoes and socks.  I ended up throwing away my sneakers after the hike as I wasn't interested in trying to wash away all the dirt.

The views are stunning, though!

On the way back to the bus stop, I detoured along the residential neighborhood to get to Poipu beach.  There was a tortoise and a seal at the beach that day.  

I had researched a very long public transit journey to the north to visit the botanical garden and do a famed hike there; however, due to time limits I spent my time on the south part of Kauai.  Unfortunately, the bus didn't go to the east side nor to the park used to film Jurassic Park.  You can take private tours there if you wish.

Happy island bus hopping!