Hawaii in Jan/Feb

[Montecfo]

We are planning a trip to Hawaii here in a few weeks. Seems like a great time to go from a weather and cost basis.

Our prior trips which have been years ago were both in the summer. Anyone travelled to Hawaii during this time recently?

Any big differences due to the season, post Covid, etc?

[DrRoy]

Jan and Feb have moderate rain. Not peak months, but wetter than summer.

[pacergal]

We went to Oahu in mid December one year. It was fine and mostly sunny.
My folks had a time share in Kauai and they went for a month every year, mostly in February, occasionally in March. Kauai often has some rain every day, but not bothersome at all if you live in the PNW!

[audreyh1]

Rain in Hawaii usually light or brief, and often seems to generate a rainbow. Very scenic rain!

But I haven’t been there in Jan or Feb.

A major reason people go in Jan or Feb is for whale watching. That is certainly a reason I would go.

[Scuba]

Have a wonderful trip! I was just thinking of whale watching and saw that Audrey already mentioned that.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montecfo We are planning a trip to Hawaii here in a few weeks. Seems like a great time to go from a weather and cost basis. Our prior trips which have been years ago were both in the summer. Anyone travelled to Hawaii during this time recently? Any big differences due to the season, post Covid, etc?

I've lived through "rainy season" on Oahu for 15 years. Most years, it's not too big a deal though there are exceptions. Just before we moved in '07, there was the famous "40 days of rain" (https://www.summitpacific.com/kauai-...-with-mud.html) Where is Noah when you need him?

As we speak, we (on all of Hawaii) are under a flash flood warning. The rain has not begun yet, but it's expected to rain - sometimes heavily - for the next several days. Once or twice a year, we seem to get such a rain.

As a resident, I don't even think about the weather unless a hurricane is brewing and hurricane season ends in a few days. If I miss a couple of days due to rain, it's not a big deal. If you're spending a week or two in the Islands, that could be tragic!

In general, rainy season is Nov though March. Again, it just means it's possible you might miss a couple of days of more typical tourist type activities. Most residents keep an umbrella or light rain covering handy and don't worry about it. By the way, we get the weather channel here, but it never lists Hawaii weather - just the usual background stuff from all over the USA.

To me, the worst thing about Hawaii winter is that the days are shorter. Other than that, I just don't really think about winter (rainy season.) YMMV

[SecondAttempt]

I live on the Big Island of Hawaii. January and February are fine but you will pay a premium for housing. I used to have a vacation rental and it would book solid Jan-Mar every year at high rates. There are lots of tourists here this year (and last) post-covid. Things are otherwise mostly back to normal although, like everywhere, many operations permanently closed during covid.

Just FYI, Mauna Loa volcano started erupting last night for the first time in 38 years. I would not expect this to impact tourist stuff in a major way but it could produce vog across the state. Big Island would be most impacted by vog and Maui next. Unlikely to have much in Oahu or Kauai but possible. Could go on for hours or centuries. If you have sensitive lungs then keep an eye on the situation.

[Montecfo]

We are aware of rain issue here and from. Our Caribbean and PNW travels.. So we will have to just go with that. .

We are looking at two different approaches: Maui with side trips to Lanai and Molokai, OR Kauai and Oahu.

The hotel rates are eye-popping on Maui but staying the course so far.

Yes the abundant whales are part of the attraction. Thanks for everyone's comments.

I checked, we went to Kuaia, Oahu and the Big Island in 1990, and Maui in 2008. So we are due.

I love the Big Island but my wife is less a fan so planning to skip this time.

And we could decide to go to the ABC's instead. Or Mexico. We will be heading off from Dallas this time.

[EastWest Gal]

Maui is the place to whale watch, and it is spectacular. We saw many whales and baby whales breaching when we visited in the end of January in 2017. We went in for two weeks on the big island and Maui and encountered almost no rain. Kauai is rainier (is that a word?) as it is the wettest place on earth, but only on the central mountain.

If you change your mind about the big island, and are reasonably fit, night snorkeling with the manta rays is a unique experience. You basically are hanging on to a raft with handles and lights into the water and rest your legs on pool noodles, watching manta rays filter feed on the krill. It was an amazing experience.

It is prime time to see Hawaii and you will pay through the nose. Hawaii in January/February has been the only value of our timeshare, but we are using up points to dump it soon.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondAttempt I live on the Big Island of Hawaii. January and February are fine but you will pay a premium for housing. I used to have a vacation rental and it would book solid Jan-Mar every year at high rates. There are lots of tourists here this year (and last) post-covid. Things are otherwise mostly back to normal although, like everywhere, many operations permanently closed during covid. Just FYI, Mauna Loa volcano started erupting last night for the first time in 38 years. I would not expect this to impact tourist stuff in a major way but it could produce vog across the state. Big Island would be most impacted by vog and Maui next. Unlikely to have much in Oahu or Kauai but possible. Could go on for hours or centuries. If you have sensitive lungs then keep an eye on the situation.

Does it impact flights?

[nap470]

The increased size of the waves on the north shore of Oahu is quite impressive during the winter months.

[SecondAttempt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Does it impact flights?

The Mauna Loa eruption COULD impact flights but I would not expect it to. The current aviation color code is red which means there is a threat to aviation from volcanic ash. But it is far from any major airport or flight route and so far there is almost no ash. But if ash starts getting produced then the trade winds could carry it toward Maui and Oahu. I would not be too concerned about impacting commercial air service.

ETA: Here is vog prediction site. Looks like they predict vog heading to Oahu in about 24 hrs.
http://mkwc.ifa.hawaii.edu/vmap/new/

[explanade]

I researched visiting Kauai and Oahu a couple of years ago when it looked like they'd be lifting the travel restrictions.

They said the rain gets pretty bad that you can't go from north of Kauai to the south because rain often floods those roads.

But the prices were ridiculous, for really old-looking vacation apartments. Also at the time car rental prices were very sky high, hundreds per day.

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nap470 The increased size of the waves on the north shore of Oahu is quite impressive during the winter months.

We are looking forward to seeing some surfing a la "Ride the Wild Surf" if anyone besides me saw that movie from the 60's (Fabian, Tab Hunter, Barbara Eden...what could be more legit?)

[chicamuxen]

We are going to Oahu in February, staying in the North Shore area. First time for us. We are celebrating our 40th anniversary there. So this thread is timely.

[SecondAttempt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Does it impact flights?

Just to follow up again, I heard today that Southwest has cancelled most flights to Hilo. I'm not sure I understand why because the wind patterns are away from the Hilo airport. I have not heard of any cancellations to Kona related to the eruption even though the wind is blowing that way. So far there is actually very little ash.

[Koolau]

No significant VOG on Oahu so far. It's very much winds dependent. In times past, Kilauea eruptions have led to Oahu VOG. Unpleasant but not a huge deal and lasts a day or two typically. YMMV

[Jerry1]

We went to Hawaii in January. One thing I did not realize is that it’s not the time of year for flowers. That may be good if you have allergies, but if you want to see the spectacular flora that I associate with Hawaii, January is not the time of year for that.

[Venturer]

My DD's 1st husband was a submariner and we went to see them for Christmas in the early 2000's. At that time she was our travel agent so she found the deals on the flights. We/she decided to wait until the second week in Jan. because flights were significantly less than they were in Dec. We stayed with them in their apartment so no cost there. She planned all the touristy stuff for us so all we had to do was not miss our flights. It was beautiful there but for me the best part was seeing my DD and then going to the Memorial. Very humbling and moving for me.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venturer My DD's 1st husband was a submariner and we went to see them for Christmas in the early 2000's. At that time she was our travel agent so she found the deals on the flights. We/she decided to wait until the second week in Jan. because flights were significantly less than they were in Dec. We stayed with them in their apartment so no cost there. She planned all the touristy stuff for us so all we had to do was not miss our flights. It was beautiful there but for me the best part was seeing my DD and then going to the Memorial. Very humbling and moving for me.

We have some friends on Island who got us into a special night-time Navy tour of Pearl Harbor at Christmas - two years in a row. It was free and we rode the same launch that takes tourists to the Arizona Memorial in the day time. We did all 5 locks and saw the decorations that the Navy men and women had put on the buildings and even the docked ships and subs. We could see the lights of Honolulu and all the housing surrounding Pearl. It was magical.