Aloha Brandon, Anini Beach is a great pick for a few nights of camping. The reef out front keeps the water calm and clear, so mornings are perfect for a swim or some easy snorkeling right off the sand. Just be sure your Kauai County camping permit is squared away before you go, and you will have a wonderful stay. If you would like to explore more of the area, you can browse Hanalei Bay activities and tours nearby.

Aloha and thank you for reaching out during this difficult time. Our deepest condolences for your loss.

To answer directly: the Holokai Catamaran Private Ash Scattering at Sea is a private charter, so the $900 is the total cost for your group (up to the vessel’s capacity), not per person. The four of you can sail together at that single price.

If you’d like a more intimate option, we also offer a Waikiki Outrigger Canoe Burial at Sea for smaller parties, or a Manu Kai Catamaran Private Charter ceremony at a similar price point. Please reach out to our customer support team if you’d like help comparing the options or have any other questions. Mahalo.

Aloha! I hope you were able to make your North Shore visit on May 5th. Just so you know for future planning: HawaiiActivities.com doesn’t offer custom point-to-point shuttle service with specific pickup and return times, but we do have several scheduled options that include round-trip transportation from Waikiki to Haleiwa.

The closest match to what you described is the Royal Star Express Shuttle to Haleiwa & Dole Plantation at $100/person, which gives you about 2 hours of free time in Haleiwa town. For a fully customizable schedule, The Surf Bus Private Charter lets you set your own pickup and return times for up to 13 or 25 passengers. For 2 adults, the scheduled option is usually the better value. Mahalo!

Aloha and great question! You’re right that Hawaii state parks generally prohibit drones. Both Makena State Park and Waianapanapa State Park fall under Hawaii’s DLNR rules, which ban unmanned aircraft from state park land. The YouTube footage you’ve seen was likely filmed before stricter enforcement, by operators with a special-use permit, or sometimes flown illegally. Separately, the FAA’s Part 107 rules apply if you’re flying commercially (or for any compensation), and recreational flyers should still register with the FAA and follow Part 101.

Olowalu Beach isn’t a state park, so the formal state-park ban doesn’t apply, but it fronts a small private community and local courtesy matters. You can also look at Polo Beach Park in Wailea (county park, not state) or further north along the Hana coastline (away from state-park boundaries) for similar dramatic mountain-and-water backdrops. Always check the airspace map (B4UFLY app) before flying. If you would like to experience Olowalu from the water rather than the air, you can browse Olowalu Coral Gardens snorkeling tours. Have fun and fly safe!

However, I’ve come across many drone videos of these locations on YouTube, which has left me a bit confused. Are there specific rules, permits, or exceptions that allow this?

If drones aren’t allowed there, I’d really appreciate any recommendations for beaches where I can legally fly and capture a similar view—white sand, clear blue water, and a dramatic mountain backdrop like Makena. can I consider Olowalu Beach as one such attraction?

Thanks again for all the amazing content!

P.S. What does your gripe have to do with anything regarding this article other than to be unpleasant and demeaning? The whole article was basically about being respectful, and you obviously have no respect whatsoever. For someone who clearly has such disdain for this place and its people, why are you even there?

Yeah—I can see you’re one of those entitled, miserable people who’s unhappy everywhere. We’ve been there countless times and have always found everyone warm and filled with the spirit of aloha. Several of my close friends on the mainland here are Hawaiian, and they’re the exact same way. My dad’s BFF was a big Hawaiian guy who was like my uncle and was related to a famous singer on Oahu. He was generous, funny and kindhearted.

We were even invited to a Hawaiian wedding one time when we were on Maui and staying at a condo where one of the people there liked my mom so much, she invited us to her daughter’s wedding.

The whole “savage natives”, “third-world country”view that you have of them and that they should be grateful and kiss your okole just because they depend heavily on tourism says more about you than anything else. Your superior-than-thou attitude towards them is sickening, I’m sure you poopoo their customs as well, because you have no respect for anything other than your own culture. What a pity. I hope you take a couple of pulled pork sandwiches with you the next time you drive the Pali Highway. Better yet, take a trip across the Big Island on the Saddle Road at night sometime and be sure to bring some kalua pig with you—Pele loves that.