Oahu, Hawaii

Some people opt to skip Oahu when they visit Hawaii for the first time due to things they’ve heard or read about the traffic and crowds. In our opinion this would be a mistake. Oahu has a lot of things to see and do. Waikiki is known for its shopping, beautiful sandy beach with rolling waves perfect for beginner surfers, wonderful food and an unforgettable view of Diamond Head in the distance. You have to try a mai tai at Duke’s restaurant while watching the surf along Waikiki beach at least once in your lifetime! There is traffic in Waikiki but if you skip the car rental and walk and use the transportation system it’s easy to get around. You can always rent a car for a day when exploring other areas of the island. It’s also easy to get to other islands. So, spend a few days in Oahu checking things out and then hop over to another island or two if you have the time.

As you can see in this static map, we visited a number of diverse locations, each of them are linked so that you can click on any that you would like to view.

1. Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki
2. USS Arizona Memorial
3. USS Missouri Memorial
4. Diamond Head State Park
5. Nuuanu Pali Lookout
6. Haleiwa
7. Polynesian Cultural Center
8. Byodo-in Temple, Kaneohe
9. Bishop Science Museum
10. Punchbowl Cemetery
11. Duke's Waikiki Restaurant
12. Hanauma Bay

The following is a suggested itinerary based upon maximizing your time on Oahu and proximity to these individual destinations;

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is a beautiful resort and village consisting of multiple towers, restaurants, pools, parking, lagoon, and shopping and it has the perfect location on Waikiki beach. It's right on the beach with a view of Diamond Head in the distance. An easy stroll to waikiki restaurants and shopping and the pink line trolley bus stop is right in front of the hotel. Beach chair, scuba, stand up paddle board rentals, or even surfing lessons are available. We've stayed here numerous times and based on how much we like it, we've never stayed anywhere else!

The pink line trolley is only $5 per day - get tickets online here you can not buy tickets directly on the trolley. They must be purchased online or at a Waikiki activity desk. Click here for more info.

Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on Oʻahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi. The Hawaiian name is most likely derived from lae (browridge, promontory) plus ʻahi (tuna) because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin. Its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who named it for the calcite crystals on the adjacent beach.

Diamond Head is part of the Ko'olau Range of volcanoes that began erupting below sea level over 2.6 million years ago. A single eruption around 300,000 years ago created the crater. The crater encompasses 350 acres. The crater is much larger than its rim as it was formed explosively.

Our goal for this visit to Diamond Head was to hike up the trail to the top, where the views of Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean are just stunning. From the parking lot on the crater floor, the trail to the summit is 0.8 mile one way and climbs 560 feet in elevation. There is a paved concrete walkway for a distance of 0.2 miles at the start of the hike, but the trail becomes uneven and steep, requiring caution and appropriate footwear. Portions of the trail involve steep stairways and another portion of the trail goes through a long, narrow tunnel which is lighted.

Reservations are required and can be obtained online here. The fee is partially for entrance and partially to park inside the parking lot. Reservations are for a specific date & time, so that the park does not become over crowded.

NOTE: There is a rest room and a small gift shop adjacent to the parking lot, there are no facilities anywyhere on the trail.

We drove here after completing our Diamond Head hike because it is only 8.4 miles south. There is quite a bit of parking here, however you are required to pay a small fee to use the parking lot. The bay area itself requires reservations, click here to learn more. We did not walk down the hill to the shoreline as my legs were still screaming from the Diamond Head hike.

Hanauma Bay is only 2.3 miles north of Sandy Beach which generally has some interesting surf - but a word of caution as the shore break there can be rugged and has caused a lot of injuries. Enjoy the locals body boarding there but be careful if you go into the water. The Halona Blowhole Lookout is just .5 mile before you reach Sandy Beach, and it too is well worth a look.

We visited the USS Arizona (BB-39) Memorial and then took the bus over to visit the USS Missouri (BB-63). The Missouri is one of the four Iowa class battleships that were built late in WW2 (BB-63 entered service on 11 June 1944). The Navy had originally ordered six ships based upon the Iowa ship class design of which four were completed ( USS Iowa BB-61, USS Missouri BB-63, USS Wisconsin BB-64 and USS New Jersey BB-62), and two were cancelled ( USS Illinois BB-65 and USS Kentucky BB-66) in order to build more aircraft carriers.

The USS Missouri played a significant role in World War II, particularly in the Pacific Theater, and was the site of the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, which marked the end of the war. After World War II, the USS Missouri was decommissioned and then recommissioned several times, serving in the Korean War and the Gulf War, among other conflicts.

The Iowa-class battleships were indeed a remarkable feat of engineering and design, and they were built to be formidable warships capable of engaging in naval battles on a large scale. It's unlikely that we will ever see such large and heavily armed battleships again, as modern naval warfare has shifted toward smaller, more agile ships with advanced technology and weaponry. Nonetheless, the Iowa-class battleships remain a testament to the technological achievements of their time and their significant contributions to naval history.

NOTE 1: The USS Arizona Memorial requires advance purchase day/time tickets/reservations - which can be found here. Note that because the USS Arizona site is maintained as a National Memorial, there is no cost to visit it. If you obtain your access tickets online, there is a one dollar fee for handling.

NOTE 2: The USS Missouri BB-63 tour does not require advance reservations, but it is a per person fee to board the ship. Tickets can be purchased online here.

NOTE 3: The USS Iowa BB-61 can be seen at the Los Angeles World Cruise Port Terminal.

NOTE 4: The USS Wisconsin BB-64 is now a museum ship in Norfolk, VA.

NOTE 5: The USS New Jersey BB-62 Museum and Memorial is located at 62 Battleship Place, Camden, New Jersey.

If you look at a map of Oahu, the "North Shore" is pretty much where you would expect, it is the entire north end of the island. We wanted to traverse Haleiwa, Waimea Bay and then continue on around the north end and then south to Kaneohe so we could come back to Honolulu via the Pali Pass.

The North Shore of Oahu is a beautiful and iconic stretch of coastline that spans approximately 7 miles along the northern coast of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is famous for its big waves, pristine beaches, and lush tropical scenery. The North Shore is also a popular destination for surfers and water sports enthusiasts, as it boasts some of the world's most challenging and rewarding surf breaks.

Getting to the North Shore from the Hotel was straight forward; North on the H-1 to the H-2 and then exit onto route 99 to Haleiwa. We hung out awhile at the beach there, and then drove further north on route 83 (Kamehameha Highway) to Waimea Bay. Route 83 begins to swing south at Kawela Bay and we continued south to Tropical Farms Macadamia Nuts , where we stopped to purchase some nuts and enjoy their coffee. From there we continued south to route 61 that took us back to Honolulu via the Pali Pass.

The Byodo-in Japanese temple can be found on the windward side of Oahu in Kaneohe on route 83. The temple is a scale replica of a temple in Uji, Japan. It was constructed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to the Hawaiian islands. The temple and grounds are picturesque and it’s worth stopping for some photos and to appreciate the temple and grounds on your way to or from that side of the island.

Nuʻuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff of the Koʻolau mountain located at the head of Nuʻuanu Valley on the island of Oʻahu. It has a panoramic view of the windward (northeast) coast of Oʻahu. The Pali Highway (Hawaii State Highway 61) connecting Kailua/Kāneʻohe with downtown Honolulu runs through the Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels bored into the cliffside.

This is always a fun place to visit because of the views, but also because the winds are always strongly blowing! The trade winds blow through the valley between the high mountains on either side, forming a strong wind tunnel of sorts. Wind speeds of up to 74 mph have been recorded here, and it is nearly impossible to walk upright against winds like that! My wife was nearly blown down by the winds that day, after I went forward and we both groped our way to the lookout area - because together we could safely navigate the winds.

NOTE: There are some interesting hikes in this area, click here to visit an "All Trails" Website page that can give you more hiking information about this area.

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (informally known as Punchbowl Cemetery) is a national cemetery located at Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since it is located in the same general direction of the Pali Lookout, we stopped here on the way up to Pali Pass. In addition, one of Celeste's uncles (James Serrenho) has his name inscribed on the memorial wall. Mr. Serrenho was aboard the USS Morrison (DD-560) during the invasion of Okinawa when the ship was sunk after repeated kamikaze attacks on May 4th 1945.

This is a beautiful cemetery with excellent landscaping throughout and it has seriously good views of Honolulu below, and Diamond Head in the distance. When you realize that all of these grave sites are occupied by WW2 heroes, it is a beautiful tribute to the price they paid to our country.

We were searching for some Chinese food and Celeste found this restaurant, and since it is highly rated, we decided to give it a try for lunch. WOW - we sampled several dishes from their dim sum menu and everything we had was excellent! We had to wait a few minutes, as this is a very popular restaurant in Honolulu - have patience because you will enjoy the food here!

The food here is very good, or should I say we found it to be good. Apparently a lot of Honolulu residents like it too, because there was a line of people who were waiting to have a meal. Their menu is varied and extensive and can be found here.

Our goal in visiting the Bishop Museum   was to be able to view their extensive Polynesian artifacts, which is the world's largest collection. Now you might be saying to yourself "hmm, we don't like museums" but this one is unique and it has a huge amount of Polynesian "way of life" exhibits and I promise you that you will find a visit here to be educational and entertaining.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the "Polynesian Mystery", there has been a mystery for some time now about how over ten million square miles of the Pacific Ocean were discovered by voyagers sailing in large double-hulled canoes. Part of the mystery is "how did they navigate" across those huge distances? For example, it is 2,628.72 miles from Tahiti to Hawaii and there is ample evidence that there were numerous voyages between the two islands. Christina Thompson's   book "Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesian" is a very good description of the Polynesian people, who and where they came from, and how they navigated around the Pacific Ocean. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Polynesian history - I've read it and it is an engaging and in depth account of Polynesian history.

The Polynesian Cultural Center   is Hawaii's #1 visitor attraction, has 6 island villages representing the unique island cultures of Hawaii, Fiji, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Samoa, Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands and Tonga. Set on 42 acres along Oahu's North Shore (Laie Oahu), the Polynesian Cultural Center has a lagoon that hosts daily canoe tours.

An iconic establishment in Waikiki, Duke's Waikiki celebrates an atmosphere that encompasses surfing, the spirit of Hawaii, and live music on the beach. They make excellent mixed drinks, we had Mai-Tais and macadamia nut hummus and both were excellent. If you are interested, click here for their menus and drink list.

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