The Hawaiian Islands Abound with Nature

Seeking Birds and Sea Life

This article is in response to "Hawaiian Ecotours: Something for Everybody. "

My husband and I are traveling to Hawaii on Thursday and except for a planned excursion on the Atlantis Submarine, we’ll be on our own self-arranged Ecotour. Although many Ecotours can take you into the heart of places most people can’t reach, the Hawaiian Islands abounds with natural beauty and wildlife, especially a number of endemic bird species, i.e. ones that are only found in these locations. The last place we expect to find ourselves in is a shopping center, even though the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and Waikiki Shopping Plaza are within walking distance from our hotel. Sure, we’re likely to go shopping at least once a day in order to dine at one of the many fine restaurants, buy useful supplies and send the requisite postcards. But we’ve planned ahead and we will be so busy exploring the ocean, golfing, and birding all over the islands, we’re likely to forget our primary purpose for going, namely to relax and unwind. This visit to the Hawaiian Islands will have us arrive and depart Oahu with a week in between spent on Kauai. Among the less well-known things we’ll do is a trip to the Bishop Museum and Planetarium and the Waikiki aquarium. We’re somewhat limited this trip since we don’t plan to rent a car in Oahu, although we’ll have one on Kauai. Our hotel in Kauai is near the Wailua river, but both of us have already visited the famous Fern Grotto where locals and visitors marry in the beautiful natural setting alongside the waterfall while being serenaded with Hawaiian tunes.