What to do in Hawaii when it rains

5 min read

A trip to Oahu usually revolves around outdoor activities, so what do you do when it rains?

When we asked our taxi driver this question, and he replied “Go to my cousin’s house.” Lollll dayum.

Luckily one of our buddies grew up in Hawaii so we did end up going to his parents’ house to make pitchers of lava flows while playing darts and uno.

But assuming you don’t have a cousin to visit, here’s how to enjoy your time in Hawaii.

1) Drive ahead of the clouds.

We had fun driving ahead of the rain clouds, running out of our car for 20-30 mins of sun. It felt like playing a game of tag with nature.

On the East Side

We skipped between Spitting Cave, Halona Beach Cove, Sandy Beach, and Makapuu Beach Park.

One of our favorite memories on this day was stopping at the Adela’s Country Eatery. We loved the Original Moringa Pasta with Lechon (Pork Belly). We were lucky enough to meet Millie, who advised us on what to order, and has such a sweet and uplifting vibe!

We didn’t want to eat in our car, so we drove to the nearby Windward Mall to use their indoor tables and bathrooms. Then hit up the Fun Factory bc why not.

My low squat prob means this game was meant for a very small child. But I can’t resist a button mashing game.

Along the North Shore

We tried dodging the clouds again, except this time we went north. We hit up Stortos for deliciousss sandwiches (that papaya dressing!!!).

Then Ehukai Beack Park / Pipeline Beach to check out a surf competition, followed by Halona Beach Cove.

Ended the drive with Turtle Bay Resort for great views, lava flows, and live music. I always wanted to check out Turtle Bay bc one of my fav movies is Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

This was an awesome opportunity to rest before our trip back down from the North Shore.

At Stortos, we like the Alii (pepperoni, salami, and pastrami). The papaya dressing is AMAZE and you can purchase a bottle to take home!

Lava flows make me feel some type of way, no matter the weather. Taken at the Sunset bar at the Turtle Bay Resort.

2) Check out Aiea Bowl & try their delicious food.

Yes, delicious food at a bowling alley. This place is OG and you see a bunch of people taking out or actually eating at the bowling alley. They were sold out of their Oxtail Soup so we def need to return to try this.

We each ordered different rice plates, and tried each others’ food, as one does. We all loved the Tasty Chicken, which had the crunchy texture of Side Street Inn’s chicken but slightly less sweet. Also, the Loco Moco meat was nicely smoky and gravy was wassup. Finally the crowd pleaser was this freakin Lemon Crunch Cake. Yup, my favorite part of bowling was eating lemon cake. Sounds random AF bahah but I feel what I feel =)

My bad, I took this pic at night. Doesn’t do this cake justice, which was so good and not too sweet! PS. “Not too sweet” is the greatest compliment an Asian person can give a dessert and that’s a whole other topic =)

3) Head to Foodland Farms or Times

If you do have to stay inside, spend time checking out the local grocery stores. We had fun browsing the Kalua pork section of Foodland, and really loved trying Pipikaula from Times.

We got May’s Kalua Brand Shredded Pork from Foodland and enjoyed it. But Reddit says Keokis is better! Will report back.

So, if it rains during your trip in Hawaii, don’t worry you won’t have to stare at this view. Hope you found something here that you’d like to do!

Good morning, check out this sick view.