Oahu, The Gathering Place
We’ve made the trip to Oahu twice, in 2014 for just two nights and in 2021 for a week.
With over 4.5 million visitors each year, Oahu is also the most visited of the Hawaiian islands and is primarily defined by the state capital of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and the world-famous Waikiki Beach. However, there is so much more to this island than just those areas. Yes, Honolulu is a big city and is crowded, but you should spend some time here. Views of Diamond Head! Waikiki Beach!!
The North Shore is famous for its surfing, snorkeling, and the 51 beaches that stretch for more than 11 miles along this incredible expanse of the Oahu coastline. Away from the water and beaches, you can explore the charming towns and learn about the history of the North Shore.
The East Shore, also known as Windward Oahu, is located 30 minutes fromWaikiki andHonolulu and is well worth a visit. The drive along the coast is very scenic, and varied as you’ll be right along the ocean but will also see mountains rising 3,000 feet above the sea. There are some towns along this drive that are nice to stop and visit.
The Western shore of Oahu is Leeward Oahu. There seems to be less to do on this part of the island, not as many good beaches and fewer cool coastal towns. We stayed at the Marriott’s Ko’Olina Beach Club. Ko’Olina is a pretty nice resort area, with a few other big resorts, a golf course, some restaurants, and lots of homes.
Where to Stay in Oahu
We certainly aren’t experts in lodging options here. We’ve stayed in Honolulu near Waikiki for a couple of nights and spent a week at Ko’Olina. There is some lodging on the North Shore, but other than that, we aren’t familiar with any other lodging options.
What We Did in Oahu
Pearl Harbor- So much has been written about Pearl Harbor, by people who are much better at writing than we are, that we won't spend a lot of time discussing Pearl Harbor. We’ll just say that Pearl Harbor is a must-visit! If you only do one thing here, visit the Arizona Memorial. You will need to make a reservation in advance. The day we visited, we were lucky there was a Pearl Harbor survivor there giving talks and answering questions. Of course, there aren’t many Pearl Harbor survivors left, so it was an honor to meet him. Jason’s grandpa was stationed at Pearl Harbor, after December 7, 1941. On our visit, we spent half a day there, but there are people that make a full day of it. There are multiple museums here, at least one of which requires a shuttle bus ride. While Pearl Harbor is a National Historic Landmark, it’s also an active military base. There are security measures in place here, including no bags allowed. Leave your bags in the car, or pay a small fee to put them in storage during your visit.
Diamond Head State Monument- The unique profile of Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) sits prominently near the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline. This is Hawaii’s most recognized landmark and is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history. Diamond Head State Monument encompasses over 475 acres, including the interior and outer slopes of the crater.
From the parking lot, this is a round-trip trail of fewer than 2 miles. It was an easy hike, which should take a little over an hour to complete. Diamond Head is a volcanic cone that stands at an elevation of 762 feet above sea level and is the most popular Hawaii State Park. The name comes from British soldiers who visited the area in the 19th century and thought that the sparkling calcite crystals on the neighboring beach were diamonds.
Diamond Head offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu, and Waikiki Beach. In addition to the great views, you can get inside pre-World War II bunkers.
North Shore - Our highlight here was the Banzai Pipeline (Ehukai Beach Park). The winter swells that roll into this part of the North Shore, crash onto an extremely shallow reef, creating some of the best picture-perfect waves that form gorgeous rideable barrels dreamed about by pro surfers. These are some of the deadliest waves in the world and are home to many pro surfing events. The average wave height is 9 feet. We could have stayed here for hours watching the waves, it was mesmerizing. Also, the smell of weed in the air was strong here.
On the way to the North Shore, we stopped at the Dole Plantation. We enjoyed their beautiful gardens, did the fun pineapple maze (so pissed we were about 10 minutes behind the record time), and the Pineapple Express train ride. Oh, and we had Dole Whip. Can't leave out the delicious Dole Whip. If you go to the Dole Plantation, DO NOT SKIP the Dole Whip.
Haleiwa town - The winter months bring large waves to Haleiwa. Surf tourism is a popular attraction in Haleiwa and walking down the charming streets of Haleiwa feels as if you’ve taken a step back in time to a small town in the country. As you walk down the streets of Old Town Haleiwa, you’ll run across a bunch of surf shops lining the small two-lane Kamehameha Highway that runs right through the center of town.
Things to do here include a visit to the Aloha General Store which has a little bit of everything, including shave ice and an ice cream counter. This is a great place to grab a refreshing treat. While here, the Clark Little Gallery is another spot worth checking out. Clark Little grew up surfing some of the biggest waves on the North Shore and is an award-winning shore break photographer.
End your time in Haleiwa at Matsumoto’s, which is arguably the most popular place to get shave ice on the entire island. You’ll often find a line snaking out the door, but it’s worth the wait!
Haleiwa Surf Museum - This small museum opened in 1993 and boasts an impressive collection of surfboards and memorabilia originating from the early 1900s until today. Entrance to the Surf Museum is free.
West of Haleiwa is a gentler spot to try out your water sport skills, Waialua Bay. The waters here are calm even in the winter months, making it a great spot for kids to boogie board or learn to surf. The historic Rainbow Bridge spans across the Anahulu River, which is a great spot to drop in a paddle and head up the river, and is one of the most iconic structures in Haleiwa. It was constructed in 1921 to replace the old wooden bridge and marks the northern entrance of Old Haleiwa Town.
Pua’ena Point Beach Park is just a little farther northeast and is where the more experienced surfers go for bigger waves. There are smaller waves for the beginners closer to shore, while the larger breaks a little further out.
Still further north is Laniakea beach, a beautiful beach that is a resting place for sea turtles. In 1924 a developer renamed it from its original name, Kaʻohao.
Laniakea Beach translates to “wide sky”, which is understandable once you get there and look beyond the sea. However, we were fixated on the turtles on the beach. This beach is more commonly known as Turtle Beach, and for good reason. Walking along this beach, it’s hard not to take a long pause and be mesmerized by the giant green sea turtles that bask in the sun and call this place home.
Our last stop on the North Shore was Waimea Bay, which is known for its big waves in the winter and is a top place to watch some of the world’s best and bravest surfers. During the winter, from November through February, waves reach 30 feet (9 meters) and crash hard into the coral hidden just below the ocean’s surface. We watched expert surfers take on the challenges of winter’s big waves. While watching surfers here, we realized how good they were. This is not the spot for beginner surfers to try their luck. The rough surf, sharp coral, and the powerful undertow in the winter are very dangerous. However, as a spectator, there isn’t any danger. Bring a beach blanket and picnic lunch and watch the surfers out in the dangerous waters and live vicariously through their actions.
Living Ocean Scuba - The Sea Tiger wreck is one of our favorite wreck dives. We’re from Nebraska and when we’re traveling we don’t run into a lot of Nebraskans. One of our Living Ocean divemasters was from Nebraska, and during his time at UNL he lived a couple of miles away from us. One of those interesting small-world things that you run across on a dive boat off the coast of Oahu. Anyway, great dive operation, highly recommend diving with them!
Eastern (Windward) part of the island - We had to take Interstate H1 and H3 to go from the Leeward side to the Windward side, which in the morning took about an hour. While you don’t go through Honolulu, we ran into traffic that was heading to Honolulu for work. Interstate H3 was a cool drive, and yes, there are interstates in Hawaii. We would have liked to have spent more time on the Windward part of the island, as we missed some places that we wanted to visit. Another example of “we need to do this when we go back here”...
Our first Windward stop was the town of Kailua. We found a nice breakfast spot here and parked at Kailua Beach Park. The long stretches of sand on Kailua Bay include Kailua Beach Park, with great swimming, windsurfing, kayaking, and gentle waves at Kalama Beach Park. South of Kailua is Lanikai Beach, which is a destination all unto itself. It is not only described as the "most beautiful" of all Oahu beaches, but Lanikai Beach ranks as one of the best beaches in the world. With endless miles of calm tranquil aqua blue waters, we were mesmerized by the views. The word “Lani Kai” translates to “Heavenly Ocean”. It’s a fitting name for such a beautiful place. Lanikai beach overlooks Moku Nui and Moku Iki (the Mokes). Lanikai is a destination unto itself. Lots of people kayak to, or around, Mokes. The Mokes are a good bird-watching location. Also, high above Lanikai Beach is the Lanikai Pillbox Hike (Ka’iwa Ridge Trail), which leads to old military bunkers. We didn’t have enough time to do this hike but would like to do it the next time we go back to Oahu.
Nu’uano Pali lookout - In addition to having some of the best views on Oahu, this is a historical spot where there was a battle in 1795 won by Kamehameha the Great’s invading warriors. These warriors drove Oahu’s warriors up the hills and forced them to jump to their deaths from these cliffs.
The trade winds here hit the cliff and get directed directly upward which creates crazy winds at the lookout. Hold onto your hats here. Literally, hold on to your hats. I had to chase after my hat for about 50 yards. After leaving this lookout, we took Highway 72 along the Windward coast and then back west to Honolulu. We stopped at Waimanalo beach, Halona blowhole, and Halona Beach cove along the way. These were all great, but there were other spots we wanted to visit (Hanauma Bay, Makapuu Beach Park, and Valley of the Temples) that didn't have available parking or required reservations. Also, if we were staying closer to the Windward coast, there are a bunch of hiking trails. We didn’t have time for these, but next time we’re in Oahu, we’ll hit some of these hiking trails and try to get to the other spots we missed.
On the Leeward side of Oahu, we went snorkeling at Electric Beach (a little bit north of Ko’Olina). Electric Beach has a power plant across the road from the beach. Despite the shadow of the power plant, it's a nice setting, although it's a small beach area. The waves are pretty strong when they hit the shore. After we got in the water and swam out a bit, the incoming tide was easier to handle. We saw many divers in the area and saw a spotted eel swimming to get underneath a nearby rock which was pretty cool. There was lots of fish activity in this area, but no turtles today. Once we got to the end of the power plant's pipe that was underwater, we could feel the extreme warmth of the water and a pretty distinct current.
Where We Ate on Oahu
Duke’s - Waikiki. Duke’s is a top three Hawaiian restaurant for us. At Waikiki, seating inside is ok, but try to sit outside. While sitting outside you can watch the surfers, wind-surfers, kayakers, people in their outrigger canoes, and others enjoying the beautiful waters of Waikiki. You'll have great views of Diamond Head while enjoying the soft sounds of live Hawaiian music. There’s a reason Jimmy Buffett wrote a song called Duke’s on Sunday. While at Duke’s, make sure to leave room for a Hula Pie. Possibly the best dessert I’ve ever had.
MonkeyPod Kitchen - Ko’Olina. MonkeyPod is amazing. The best Mai-Tai’s we’ve ever had are from here. With their different locations, MonkeyPod is a place we go to every time in Hawaii.
Maui Mike’s, North Shore in Wahiawa - A great spot for fire-roasted chicken
FOOD TRUCKS!!! - All types of food are available, from Asian to burgers to ice cream to Malasadas.
Speaking of, most definitely stop at any of the Leonard’s Malasada trucks. You can’t miss the red and white striped bakery serving up Portuguese donuts. The puffy donuts are coated in sugar and can either be plain or filled with different fillings.
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville - Honolulu
Hula Grill - Honolulu
Pizza Corner - Ko’Olina