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Oahu Attractions and things to do, My List

starskyfan

By starskyfan,
in Hawaii

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starskyfan

starskyfan

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Hello to everyone,

I recently composed the following list for a friend that was planning on going to Oahu. She ended up not going, but I thought I'd post it here when I saw someone asking for recommendations on what to do in Oahu. I know a lot of cruisers spend a few days here either before or after their cruise. There is so much to do, and this is by no means an exhaustive list, just sort of what I threw together as a place for her to start and help with her research. If anyone has anything they'd like to add, please do. I haven't been back in quite some time and as you'll see from some of my notes, I've already discovered things I must do on a return trip. I lived here from 1987 to 1993 and only been back once to Oahu and once to Maui. I'm hoping to plan a combo Big Island/Kauai trip within the next 2 years. Anyway, I hope someone will get some benefit from my list. Hopefully all the links are still good. Brenda

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starskyfan

starskyfan

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ACTIVITIES & SIGHTSEEING:

Pearl Harbor Memorials: I think it’s still free for the Arizona memorial, but I think there might be charges to get on some of the other things like the submarine and battleship. Arizona Memorial is a must see.

http://www.nps.gov/usar/ Arizona Memorial

http://www.ussmissouri.com/ USS Missouri

http://www.thisweek.com/oahu/tour/tour-pearlharbor.html Pearl Harbor Memorials

Polynesian Cultural Center: Highly recommend if you have a full day and evening to spend. The night time show is excellent. No alcohol served because it's on Mormon grounds. I'd be there as soon as they open because there is a lot to see. We didn't get the most expensive package, I think we chose the "Ambassador Luau." You can compare packages on line.

http://www.polynesianculturalcenter.com/

Haunama Bay: Must See, even if you don't have time to snorkel. Opens 6am. Closed Tuesday’s. $1 parking, $3.00 per person fee. Call for info/conditions 808-396-4229. You can view Koko Head Crater across the street at a lookout.

http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/facility/hanaumabay/welcome.htm Hanauma Bay

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/koko_crater.html Koko Crater

Famous North Shore Beaches: Typically large waves in the winter. I would definitely stop to see these on a circle island drive, but probably wouldn't recommend them for swimming. Turtle beach is something we never knew about, but it’s on my list for next time.

http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/waimea.html Waimea Bay

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches/sunset_beach_park.htm Sunset Beach

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches/ehukai_beach_park.htm Pipeline Beach

http://www.portaloha.com/SecretsOfHawaii/Laniakea.htm Turtle Beach

Punchbowl National Cemetary: Free, opens 8am-6:30. If you do this you may want to combine it with the Tantalus (Round Top) Drive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punchbowl_Crater Punchbowl Crater

http://gohawaii.about.com/od/oahusights/ss/tantalus.htm Tantalus/Round Top Drive

Dole Plantation: Free, but $5 person for the maze, Train tour $7.50, garden tour, $3.50. 9:00 to 5:30. (From Waikiki, take H1 West to H2 North. Continue to Kamehameha Highway (99). Dole Plantation is located at 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway. Approximately a forty minute drive from Waikiki). Next door is the Helemano Plantation which employs and benefits people with developmental disabilities. A nice bakery and restaurant on site.

http://www.dole-plantation.com/ Dole Plantation

http://www.gooahucard.com/shopping/Helemano-Plantation.html Helemano Plantation

Blowhole:

http://oahu.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/halona+blowhole/

Sea Life Park: Honestly I only recommend this if you want to do the dolphin encounter.

http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/

Rabbit Island: Landmark island off the coast near Sea Life Park.

http://www.hawaiitravelnewsletter.com/oahu/manana-rabbit-island.htm

Pali Lookout: Gorgeous view and a must see.

http://oahu.aloha-hawaii.com/tours/pali+lookout/

Byodoin Temple/Valley of the Temples:

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/sites_to_see/byodo-in_temple.htm

Waimea Falls Park:

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/waimea_valley_adventure_park.html

Chinatown Walking Tour:

http://*****.com/377neh

Museums And Palaces: Downtown Honolulu

http://gohawaii.about.com/cs/oahuactivities/a/oahuattractions_2.htm

Chinaman's Hat: Just a landmark island, something to take a photo of if you drive by. But, you can walk out there during low tide although we've never done it. Next time!

http://www.chinamanshat.com/

Crouching Lion: Another landmark, but can be hard to spot.

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/sites_to_see/crouching_lion.htm

FREE SHOWS:

There are always plenty of free things to do in Hawaii.

http://www.waikikinews.com/06thin/fun.000.html

HIKES/WALKS:

Hike Diamond Head: Go early, bring water and small flashlight. $1.00 fee, $5.00 parking. You can view other hikes from this link as well.

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hiking/diamond_head_trail.html

Ala Wai Canal: Free 1.4 mile paved path.

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hiking/ala_wai_canan_trail.html

Makapu’u Lighthouse Access Road: Moderate hike, but you can’t get to the lighthouse. I saw lots of whales from here in March.

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=141

SHOPPING:

Aloha Flea Market (Hawaiian apparel & souvenirs): Wednesday, Saturdays & Sundays. 7:30 to 3pm. $3 parking fee? It's at the Aloha Stadium. It's also close to the Arizona Memorial if you want to plan them on the same day.

http://www.royalelephant.com/oahu/tours/alohafleamarket.htm

Hilo Hatties: Shopping for Hawaiian Apparel and Souvenirs. Free Hilo Hatties shuttle from downtown.

http://www.hilohattie.com/

Aloha Tower Market Place: Views from tower. Shopping area. Some free entertainment.

http://www.alohatower.com/

Ala Moana Shopping Center: Huge outdoor Mall.

http://www.alamoanacenter.com/

Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center: (Downtown Waikiki)

http://www.shopwaikiki.com/

International Market Place: (Downtown Waikiki)

http://www.internationalmarketplacewaikiki.com/

LUAUS:

http://www.best-luaus.com/?gclid=CPrt4-T75pECFQm0HgodCihQaQ

GOLF COURSES:

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/activity/osrgolf.htm

http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/tips/10_best/golf_courses.html

http://www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/HI/Honolulu,Oahu.htm

RESTAURANTS & HAPPY HOURS:

Buzz’s Steak & Lobster on Saratoga: This was our favorite restaurant in Waikiki. We used to go mostly for the early bird specials because it’s all we could afford at the time. We really enjoyed the salad bar (it didn’t seem quite as good on our return trip in 2001) and the service. I also remember a good happy hour Mai Tai as well.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2823033-buzz_s_steak_lobster_honolulu-i

Moose McGillicuddy’s: A favorite of ours for happy hour drinks and good lunches.

http://www.mooserestaurantgroup.com/Waikiki-Hawaii.html

Top of Waikiki: Pricey of course, but you are paying for the view.

http://www.restauranteur.com/topofwaikiki/

Old Spaghetti Factory: A neat restaurant if you’ve never been to one before. There are others in the US. Located at Ward Center, another big shopping center.

http://www.wardcenters.com/Dining/Merchants/OldSpaghettiFactory.html

Puka Dog: Never been but I saw it on the travel channel and it’s on my list for next time.

http://www.pukadog.com/Waikiki

La Mariana: Another travel channel recommendation that we didn’t know about when we lived there.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/May/09/en/en20a.html

Plate Lunch: Anywhere and everywhere! See link for recommendations. I always enjoyed teriyaki beef or chicken.

http://www.dakine.net/hawaii/guide/oahu/oahu-platelunch.shtml

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

http://www.vthawaii.com/index_oahu.html Great panorama videos of many sights. This may help you decide what to see!

http://www.101thingstodo.com/hawaii/oahu/index.php 101 Things To Do On Oahu

http://www.hawaiiactivityworld.com/oahu/ Oahu Tourist Attractions

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/oahu.asp Spotlight Hawaii

http://www.thisweek.com/oahu/index.html This Week Oahu

http://www.sailingcat.com/hawaii_whale_watching_tours.asp Whale Watching Tours

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starskyfan

starskyfan

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Thank you so much for this list! Leave in 3 weeks and trying to decide what to see and when. This will help tremendously!:)

 

I hope it will be of some help. I must apologize for the messy way it posted though. I used red, blue and black lettering, but it didn't post the way it looks in my Word document and some of the spacing messed up as well. Oh well, I tried. I hope you'll have a fantastic vacation. Actually, I'm quite sure you will!

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inotdown

inotdown

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Good post.

 

If there is one place that I would "avoid" it would be the ABC stores. In waikiki there is one or even more than one on each block, hotel, etc. Things are overpriced and of low quality. If you need things get them from WalMart on Keeamoku, Longs Drugs, or Walgreens.

 

The Stadium Swap meet is a great place to shop and the prices cannot be beat for t-shirts and other Hawaii treats and treasures. Parking is free but it costs a buck to get in. For the best selection go on Sundays (there are more vendors).

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murphysmum

murphysmum

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Hello..

 

I love the list and would like to add a couple of places that rarely get mentioned.

 

Every Sunday there's a really nice art (local art and reasonable) and craft show. The art is shown on the zoo fence...the crafts across the street in a lovely tree shaded park....Kapiolani I think....locals please correct me if I've got the parks mixed up. I usually find something unique and particularly enjoy collecting from "Poor Lydia".....naif paintings of local scenes...charming.

 

I also enjoy, after a walk through China Town, visiting the Quan (Kwan) Yin Temple adjacent to China Town. This small temple to the Goddess of Compassion is a peaceful retreat for those who enjoy visiting Buddist shrines. This is a "working temple" if that's the way to put it and there is no charge for admission. They will accept donations if you choose to do so.

 

Aloha and enjoy the islands...

 

murphysmum;)

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inotdown

inotdown

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Hello..

 

I love the list and would like to add a couple of places that rarely get mentioned.

 

Every Sunday there's a really nice art (local art and reasonable) and craft show. The art is shown on the zoo fence...the crafts across the street in a lovely tree shaded park....Kapiolani I think....locals please correct me if I've got the parks mixed up. I usually find something unique and particularly enjoy collecting from "Poor Lydia".....naif paintings of local scenes...charming.

 

 

You're correct its Kapiolani Park. The sad thing is that it has been proposed that the art sales come down because essentially a business on city property. Some people have nothing better to do than complain to government. There are some true gems among the art displayed and I would hate to see it go.

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starskyfan

starskyfan

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Murphysmom, those are both great additions, thanks! I've seen that art display many times, but never realized it was a weekly Sunday event. Here is a link to what inotdown was talking about:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/24/ln/hawaii711240346.html

I have been to that Kuan Yin Temple a couple of times, and thought it was really beautiful. The first time was on a field trip with my Religion class from college. Then it took a while to find it again when I was looking! Now with the internet, it's easy to find anything! Here is a link for anyone interested:

http://*****.com/525e2x Kuan Yin Temple

Your post also made me think of the zoo and the aquarium. They weren't on my list because I didn't think either one of them are very good. Of course, they may have changed, or others may have a totally different opinion. So in fairness sake, and to have a more complete list, here are those links as well. It's just my opinion, but if time is limited in Hawaii, I think it can be better spent at other attractions.

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/ Honolulu Zoo

http://www.waquarium.org/ Waikiki Aquarium

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  • 2 weeks later...
Exp920

Exp920

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Thank you so much for the list. Our cruise is still out aways but we have been compiling a wish list.

 

The only bad part is now we have even more choices to narrow down. Oh well, guess I'll just have to take another cruise in order to fit it all in.:)

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Nancyquilts

Nancyquilts

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Thank you so much for the list. Our cruise is still out aways but we have been compiling a wish list.

 

The only bad part is now we have even more choices to narrow down. Oh well, guess I'll just have to take another cruise in order to fit it all in.:)

Or more!:D

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