MOPED Rentals in Waikiki

This is probably the easiest and quickest way to see just about everything you can see in Waikiki in one day.

One Saturday morning, I woke up and went into Waikiki with a bunch of friends and we all rented mopeds for a day full of adventure and fun.

We were able to get around very quickly and see a lot of the south side of the island on mopeds. The cost is anywhere from $30-$40 per person on one moped or scooter. Most moped rental places open around 9am and require that you return the moped by 5pm.

I personally rented from "Hawaiian Style Rentals". They were very nice and they gave us a discount because I was with eight of my friends. You'll need to have a current driver's license and a credit or debit card for payment. They will go over the safety instructions with each person, assess damage already done to the moped and log it, so when you return they'll know exactly how much damage was previously there. Usually, they'll give you a full tank of gas, which should last all day, and each rider is required to fill it back to the level it was when they received it. Also, each moped will come with its own lock.

On our adventure, there were, in total, 27 of us riding around town, so safety is very important. There were a few crashes, no one was seriously hurt, just scrapes and bruises. You should always ride close to other riders so, if any problems arise, someone will be there to help.

Overall, this is one of the funnest things that you can do on the island. I would recommend it to anyone. I loved it!

These are some links to websites where you can make reservations to rent a moped:

www.paradisemaui.com/rentals/index.html

www.mopedsdirect.net/rentals.htm

I love...

Banyan Trees

They are so fun to climb on!


and swing from


Or take a rest in

These trees can be found all over Oahu, but be careful, ants love them too!

The tree, the legend:

In Hinduism, the banyan tree is considered sacred and is called "Ashwath Vriksha." God Siva as Dakshinamurthy is nearly always depicted sitting in silence under the banyan with rishis at His feet. It is thought of as perfectly symbolizing eternal life due to its seemingly unending expansion.

Oh, what's in a name?

The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India where early travelers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by banias, or Indian traders. In the Gujarati language, banyan means "merchant", not "tree". The Portuguese picked up the word to refer specifically to Hindu merchants and passed it along to the English as early as 1599 with the same meaning.

By 1634, English writers began to tell of the banyan tree, a tree under which Hindu merchants would conduct their business. The tree provided a shaded place for village meetings or for merchants to sell their goods. Eventually, banyan came to refer to the tree itself.

Ka'ena Point

Ka'ena point is the northwestern point of the island, I went there last weekend with some friends.


Ka'ena apparently means "the heat" in Hawaiian, SO TRUE. If you go, which you should, bring water and be sure to wear your tennis shoes! I wore sandals... big mistake.

The point has been a Natural Area reserve since 1983, and it's beautiful! You can hike around the point to the West side, explore the lava rock, we even saw a monk seal! ( I have also heard that you can rock climb out there... though that's not my area of expertise).





You have to drive pretty far to get here, it's behind Haleiwa. You can't drive your car all the way to the point, although some maps make it seem like you can. It took us about an hour and a half to walk the flat road to the reserve, but if your car has 4 wheel drive you may be able to drive that far. Set aside some time for exploration and REALLY bring water!

Skydiving

So I guess skydiving doesn't really qualify as something to do "On the island" but if you are looking for something absolutely amazing to do, I highly recommend it.


Skydiving is a very dangerous activity but if you are looking for a thrill...
oh, and don't forget to ask to borrow a jumpsuit. I think it really adds to the experience.

For more info go to hawaiiskydiving.com.

The cost is usually 225$ but there is a 100$ discount for students with their id card!