Moanalua Valley Park and Playground

The last time I went to the park in Moanalua Valley (not to be confused with Moanalua Gardens, a completely different place) I didn't have children which means it was more than 5 years ago.  I remembered it as a nice place so I invited a few friends to meet me there today.  The weather cooperated and we enjoyed a picnic lunch, some adult conversation for the moms and lots of running around and playing for the kids - enough that both of mine took a nap when we got home.  If that's not a sign of a successful outing I don't know what is.

The park has a standard playground set and no swings.  The shreds of caution tape on the playground were a little concerning but, although it looked like it had seen better days, I didn't see any major problems with the structure.  The park also has a circuit-training setup and the kids enjoyed playing on that too.

There are beautiful trees in the park, but no shade on the playground itself.  The park has a gentle slope to it and some of the kids had fun running up and down the hill.  At the back of the park is the trailhead for a hike back in the valley, but it has been such a long time since I've been on it that I need to hike it again before I blog about it.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  1857 Ala Aolani Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96819

Directions:  Access to this park is off of the Moanalua Freeway (A.K.A. the 78).  

If you are headed east on the 78, exit at Red Hill.  Go straight at the first stop sign at the top of the offramp (you'll be on Moanalua Rd), then take a left at the second stop sign onto Ala Napunani St. and go under the freeway.  Take a second left at the next stop sign onto Ala Aolani St.  You will pass a golf course on your left and then go through a residential area for about 1.5 miles before the road dead-ends into the park's parking lot.  (When you leave, don't retrace your steps but instead go straight at the intersection of Ala Napunani St. and Ala Aolani St.  This will put you on a frontage road that, if you keep going straight, will get you back on the 78 going east.)

If you are headed west on the 78, take exit 2: Moanalua Valley/Salt Lake/Red Hill.  The road will split and you want to turn right to Moanalua Valley.  You'll then be on Ala Aolani St.  You will pass a golf course on your left and then go through a residential area for about 1.5 miles before the road dead-ends into the park's parking lot.  (When you leave, I believe you make a right turn on Ala Napunani street to go under the freeway and get to an onramp to head west on the 78.)

Parking:  Free parking in the parking lot

Facilities:  There are restrooms which were clean and stocked with TP when we were there.  There is a drinking fountain.  There is a covered lanai type area attached to the restrooms which extends to the edge of the playground.  There are also a couple of nice picnic tables in the park.  Oh, and last but not least there is a basketball court.

On the web:  Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park

Lanikai Park & Playground

Swimming lessons were cancelled today so we had some extra time in our schedule.  I often use unexpected free time to catch up on chores around the house or run errands but today I decided to do something outdoors with the kids.  I thought of walking on the beach but I didn't feel like dealing with all the sand, never mind that it's almost impossible to keep my boy out of the water whether he's in a swimsuit or not.  I thought about walking along the marsh in Kailua but that idea just wasn't quite right.  Then my boy said he wanted to go to a park with a playground and that seemed like a great idea.

Hoping for a shady playground I headed to Lanikai.  I'd seen the playground there numerous times but had never paid close attention to it.  We got there and it was indeed in the shade, hooray!  Both kids had a fun time climbing, sliding and swinging.  I enjoyed the beautiful weather and the time away from my chores and errands.

Do it yourself:

• The playground in Lanikai is on the corner of Aalapapa Drive and Kaiolena Drive in Lanikai.

• There's parking along Kaiolena Drive, though on the weekends parking spots in Lanikai can be few and far between.  Check for parking signs, there are some 'no parking' areas and some 'no parking after a certain time' areas too.  Also, park in the direction of traffic on the side of the road you are on.  I've heard of the police ticketing in Lanikai for people parked on the left with their car facing oncoming traffic.

• Next to the playground there is a workout station, a big grassy field and a basketball court.  A great spot for burning off extra energy!

Aikahi Playground

We finally made it to the new and improved Aikahi Playground. Guess we're not that late in the game actually, I believe it just officially reopened at the end of October. Anyway, I was very impressed! It is so great to have a playground that is not the same as all the others - you know, those plastic and metal sets that cities must order from the 'city playground catalog' or something. This playground has a climbing wall, multiple slides, ropes to climb on, lots of fun balancing type things for kids to walk across - so much variety! Both of my kids had a great time.

And my favorite part? The grass that isn't real! Instead of the usual rubber turf, this playground has fake grass turf to cushion any tumbles that kids take.

Do it yourself:

• Located in Aikahi (next to Kailua), down the street from the fire station.

• Go after school hours since this playground is on school property. They lock the parking lot when the teachers leave, so park on the street if you'll be staying into the evening.

• No restrooms.

Pohakupu Park in Kailua

My kids and I met up with friends at a new (to us) park and a good time was had by all. It was a beautiful day. One of those rare ones when there are absolutely no clouds touching the mountains and they just stand out in all their glory against the backdrop of the blue sky. I don't think I'll ever get over the beauty of this island and I'm glad for that!

We had a nice picnic in the shade and then the kids had fun playing on the playground equipment. They were much more impressed by the dinosaur to climb on, the swings (even a toddler swing - my girl liked that!), and the playground structures than the view of the mountains. My girl impressed/worried me with how high up on the dinosaur's back she was able to climb on her own. Most of the play equipment was in the sun, but there was shade nearby and a nice breeze blowing so it wasn't too hot, even at noon.

Before we left we took a walk around the fountain at the corner of the park. I've seen it countless times from the road, but had never seen it up close and personal. I decided it looks prettier from the road, but the kids liked walking around on its outer wall.

Do it yourself:

• This park is located at Castle Junction in Kailua, catty-corner to Castle Medical Center.

• The official name of this park is Pohakupu Park, but it's also known as Dinosaur Park, Fountain Park, That Park by Castle Junction (what I've always called it) and who knows what else.

• The park and the highway are only separated by a single chain, so be sure to keep a close eye on little ones and their wanderings.

This post is part of the Mom's 30-Minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom.

UPDATE: The next time we went to this park I realized that there are no restroom facilities there, so pee before you go! :)

A Morning in Waikiki

This week we have friends staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and we decided to meet up with them there and enjoy the hotel pool. We went mainly to swim, but that turned out to be only part of the fun.

The grounds of the hotel are like a miniature zoo and my kids enjoyed seeing the koi fish, flamingos, macaw parrots, turtles and even penguins!

Right next to the hotel on the Diamond Head side we found this great little playground that the kids and their friends enjoyed playing on.

After all that fun we headed to the pool, but our morning in Waikiki would have been great even if we had never gotten wet.

Do it yourself:

• There's free parking by the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, and a sidewalk leads from there to Hilton Hawaiian Village. If the free parking is full, the hourly parking is very reasonable.

• The playground is between Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hale Koa

• We had to leave early to head to swimming lessons, but if you want lunch or a snack you can spend big bucks and eat at one of the snack bars at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or walk next door to the Hale Koa and eat at their snack bar which is much cheaper. Walking into the hotel from the beach it will be on your left. The hotel is for military but the snack bar is open to the public.

• If you don't know anyone staying at the hotel and are thinking of sneaking into the pool, they require wristbands be worn so you probably would get caught pretty quickly. Personally, I hate getting "yelled at" for inadvertently being somewhere I'm not supposed to be but if that doesn't bother you then hey, give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Nu'uanu Valley Park

Today we had a late morning class/appointment on the windward side and an early afternoon class/appointment on the leeward side. Rather than try to rush home in between for lunch I decided to pack a picnic and spend our lunchtime at Nu'uanu Valley Park. It's off of the Pali Highway which was our chosen route for the day anyway so it was super convenient.

The park was/is beautiful! The giant trees are amazing to see and provide tons of shade. It was a hot day today but even at high noon it was very comfortable at the park with the shade from the trees and the trade winds that were blowing. It was quiet and peaceful but there were enough people there the whole time that I felt safe. When the mothers and kids vacated the playground (probably to go home for lunch) other people came to eat lunch at the picnic tables in the park.

We had a fun little picnic which thankfully was not interrupted by rain. I was worried for a few minutes when I spotted a huge gray cloud and felt the breeze pick up a little but the cloud went a different way and we stayed dry.

After our picnic we spent some time at the playground. I was surprised to see swings! They don't have any toddler swings for the younger kids, but any type of swing seems to be a rare thing at playgrounds these days.

A little side note here. Do you know how tricky it is to take a picture of your oldest child on a swing (with a slow digital camera) while simultaneously trying to keep your youngest child from walking in the path of said swing? Had a couple close calls but no one was hurt in the taking of this picture. Whew!

This was definitely a successful outing! It was more fun and more relaxing than a stop at home would have been and I think we'll add it into our week any time we have appointments on opposite sides of the island that bracket lunch - which happens more often than you'd think.