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Making it Happen in Hawaii

“Make it Happen” is not just my favorite Mariah Carey song, but also the overall theme of an astounding tag trip that took me across the country and into several states with plenty of detours along the way, which only made it all the sweeter to say I accomplished a big goal…I laser tagged in Hawaii!



Yes, I did of course play in Hawaii the first time I tagged my way through all 50 states, but so much was different five years ago and this was a big deal to tag in Hawaii for a second time, bringing me much closer to completing my second time around tag tour. :)

Back in March I first became aware of a new arena opening up on O’ahu. I called to inquire about iTrampoline Hawaii in Waipahu (just outside of Honolulu) and was excited to learn that they would be operating with Zone Helios Pro. I had hoped to coordinate a trip to visit right then on the heels of the Laser Tag Convention, but as that fell during spring break, I instead had to wait for a better travel window to visit Hawaii again.


I began planning a second attempt and I put together a tentative route once again a few weeks ago…then the Maui fires took place, so I thought it better to wait.


Well, the third time is the charm and when I blocked out a couple of travel days to get to the west coast I figured this could be the right time, so with my eyes on the goal I set out on my journey to laser tag at the only arena in Hawaii.


This journey had its challenges, but I did what was necessary to “make it happen”. A few flight delays when I left New York caused me to arrive in Honolulu later than I had originally planned. I didn’t actually arrive on the island until late afternoon the following day, but still 100% worth it to see the beauty of the islands up close again!




Once on the ground I learned the art of using Hawaii’s public transit system and I took the city bus from Honolulu to Waipahu. In hindsight, this was one more “local” adventure, finding my way to the arena without a car. Well, I made it!



I was greeted by the manager on site, Silo, who gave me a tour of the 3500 square foot, single-level arena, decorated to reflect the region with original day-glow neon painted designs.



I love the wall that features all the Hawaiian islands in silhouette.



And as I tagged around the corners I found other walls painted to give a nod to the island we were on as well as significant locales in the area.





What I love most about this arena is the original build and local tribute wall design. It has personality and uniqueness.




So, now I was ready to play the game and experience this space with a group. The players gathered for briefing before vesting up.



On the topic of briefing, the original briefing video really made me smile. Not only was it a more personalized video featuring the staff members demonstrating the dos and don’ts, but it started out with some quick cuts to set the stage for the Helios Pro laser tag game ahead. But what made me smile the most? Twice I saw Worlds of Wonder (Lazer Tag with a Z) featured with the iconic star helmet! Loved seeing that!


Now, a small hiccup resulted in a different kind of game experience with me playing a couple of 1v1 games instead…again, whatever it takes to “make it happen”. Their tech guy Rich is a rock star. I commend him for what he had to do to get the packs started and trade a couple of tags with me to make it official.



Then I did a private 1v1 game with staff member Alyssa, as you can see during my video recap.



I felt festive playing with a Hawaiian flower attached to dress up my Photon hat!



And I want to thank iTrampoline Hawaii for the hospitality, especially Kristi and Kelsey Jr. for helping me to coordinate my visit.


I left this arena with some very cool memories. I only had a short amount of time on the island before I had to continue on with some other weekend tag adventures, but getting to experience iTrampoline Hawaii was my sole motivation for making this visit to O’ahu. I am so glad there is once again a proper arena for people to enjoy laser tag in Hawaii!



I also enjoy looking back at all the crazy adventures that I have had along the way as I continue my pursuit to tag in all 50 states again. In the last four weeks I have continued my efforts to make it happen by crisscrossing the country, tagging from Alaska to Florida and Rhode Island to Hawaii. I am so grateful to be able to experience the variety of regions and cultures through the lens of my love of laser tag.


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