Part 2: Get Out of Waikiki, Baby!
When planning activities on Oahu, the very first thing to bear in mind is: every American needs to see Pearl Harbor and the Arizona—I’m not an overly “Rah! Rah! Patriot,” but it’s sort of the American Hajj. Plus—it’s free. But this takes half a day, realistically—you have to drive to Pearl, park, get in line for tickets (free, but required) to take the boat to the Arizona, sit through the orientation movie (it’s required and VERY interesting), then boat over and back, find car, drive back to hotel. Your concierge may be able to offer you a tour with pre-booked ticket reservations this also saves the papule of driving in Honolulu traffic and parking at a major National Park plunked down smack in a residential section of town. However, it’ll cost you but it might be worth it. You saw the harbor and Battleship Row from the airplane as you came in to land … did you notice how small it is? So much history in such a little space! So knowing that you will be going to Pearl Harbor makes the rest of the plan fairly easy …
I also recommend a drive around the island. I won’t describe what to see and do, except generally, that’s why you buy a guidebook, but it’s really, really lovely. Now, I don’t care what your map says, the road long the West Coast through Wai’anae does not connect up with the North Shore road…the maps lie and there’s no way to get around the Northwest tip (Ka’ena Point) that doesn’t involve backpacking or paddling. Wai’anae is the most beautiful part of the island, but it’s not terribly tourist-friendly to the west and north of Ko’olina.
So, want my advice? You ought to head East out of Waikiki on Kalakaua, which turns into the Hwy 1 or Hwy 72 (depending on how you do this … don’t worry, keep the shore off your right shoulder and all roads merge) past Diamond Head (if you are on a compressed schedule or are not avid hikers, you probably can skip the not-quite-mandatory climb of Diamond Head) and through Hawai’i Kai. Haunama Bay, next, is the snorkeling mecca of Oahu. It’s crowded and unless it’s sunrise, you’ll never get a park—besides, the water is pretty murky and really, there’s much better elsewhere, especially if you are going on to other islands. From Haunama onward, you’re on the windward (rainy) side (in good weather, this is the most gorgeous place ever; beaches, breaches, beaches) all are parks, all are open to the public. Enjoy.
Depending on your schedule, you might want to get a take-away lunch in Kaneohe to eat at either Kualoa or Kahana Bay Beach Parks. You may also wish to wait for lunch in the funky eateries of the surfing capital of the world, Oahu’s famous North Shore. When you turn the corner at Kahuku and go past the Turtle Bay developments, you’re on the North Shore—although most of the touristy stuff is down at Sunset and Waimea. This is old-timey, ticky-tacky touristy stuff; every store needs paint, many restaurants look poisonous, but it’s all wonderful. You will not get in the water here, Okay? It’s just too violent … some of the biggest surf in the world occurs here but even when it’s flat the currents are monster. Hawai’i is the drowning capital of the world … the ocean is warm and seductive … there are better places for the novice elsewhere, hold your horses.
After North Shore you need to decide how you’re going back south to Honolulu/Waikiki. There’s really only one main road, but there’s lots of more “Old Hawai’i” secondary roads. Up on top of the island are fantastic views of both mountain ranges … lots of hiking, mountain biking, but not much get-out-and-do that doesn’t involve dirt and sweat—if that’s not your family’s kind of thing, head on back to town. The middle of Oahu was, up until a couple years ago, the pineapple-growing capital of the world—god knows what’ll be going on there when you get there, but Dole just walked away from its hundreds of thousands of acres of farms there.
