Summer Excursion: Dole Plantation Pineapple Garden Maze
Today's summer adventure started with a dip in the ocean on the North Shore at one of the six beaches my kids decided were MUST GO TO beaches this year. Our morning started at Three Tables Beach down from Pupukea and Sharks Cove. My boys made a list at the beginning of the summer of all the beaches they wanted to go to. I'm on to them though---this was simply a distraction in hopes that we would go to the beach instead of hiking---but, ha ha, I've been finding ways to do both. Insert evil maniacal laugh here.
After a couple of hours in the sun and the sand between our toes, our tummies were starting to rumble...so we stopped in to The Beet Box Cafe in Hale'iwa for a refreshing Acai Bowl, a fruit smoothie, and a hearty vegetarian burrito. This was our first time stopping into this cafe and we give it three thumbs up. Parking was easy (in the Post Office lot next door), service was friendly and prompt, and the food was fresh and delicious. Now that we had taken a dip in the ocean and found sustenance, we were ready to tackle the real mission of the day---Dole Plantation's Pineapple Garden Maze!
Famed as the worlds largest maze---in 2008---this plant made maze just north of Wahiawa is a great outdoor summer activity for parents and kids of all ages. My boys (13 and 5) were equally entertained. With Kama'aina I.D. we scored a reasonable entry fee and spent about as much as we would for the three of us taking in a matinee movie, grabbing a special treat, or entrance to the zoo---in other words, a trip here won't break the bank. We have been to Dole Plantation several times for Koi feeding, train riding, Dole Whip eating...but I myself had not done the maze before (my older son has done it once before). Since my youngest son Zach is really into mazes right now (this excursion was his idea) we decided to make a trip to Dole for the sole purpose of completing the maze. He makes mazes in the sand at the beach, made me download a maze app on my phone, and for his birthday really wants a big book of mazes to solve. So, in the mid day Hawaiian summer sun, we found ourselves without Dole Whip and inside the worlds largest maze (from nine years ago).
As an added puzzle component to the maze, there are pit stops that you can check off your list that correspond with each of the main Hawaiian Islands. The maze is even up to date with an app you can download that will track your time and how many pit stops you have left as you go through the maze. Zach chose to go the more traditional route and used a pencil and the paper provided to mark off each of the eight stops. Gabe (the 13 year old) enjoyed tracking our progress with my phone---which by the way let us know that we accomplished hitting all 8 stops in 44 minutes. Pretty good!
I would do this maze again, but maybe next time in the early morning and then take a dip in the ocean, instead of the order we did it in today. Also, I think this would make a fun adult only outing, breaking up into teams and seeing who could accomplish getting through the maze the fastest. If you find yourself stopping in to check out the great Dole Maze, be sure to wear a sun hat, bring a bottle of water, and reward yourself with some Kanaka BBQ Corn afterwards or the more traditional reward of Dole Whip!
* Open Daily 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
* 621-8408
* 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa 96786
* Free parking in lot
Tickets:
Adults: $8
Children (4-12): $6
Kama'aina: $7
Military: $7
Hawaii Resident Student: $5
Group Tour (25 or more) $7
Children Under 4: Free
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