A Week in Oahu, Hawaii
- Lucy and the lens
- Sep 18, 2018
- 4 min read
Oahu might only be the third-largest of the Hawaiian islands, but it's the most accessible thanks to it housing the state capital, Honolulu. We flew in following our road trip around Alaska, and the change in temperature was...a bit of a shock. We went from shivering in the rain at Denali to sweating on the beach in just 24 hours!
Although it takes only a few hours to drive around the island, there's plenty here to keep you busy for a week! Here's how we spent our time!
1. Circumnavigate the island
This was probably one of the most beautiful road trips we've ever taken, sticking to the coastal roads around Oahu. We were staying in a residential area at the southern tip of Oahu, so our road trip took us around the island on the eastern coast, right up to North Beach. Along the way, we saw:
-Sandy Beach, a popular surf spot with enormous waves
-The Halona Blowhole where, when the tide is right, you can sometimes see water being shot several metres up into the air
-The Pali Lookout, a viewpoint that offers stunning views along the coastline, with sea on the right and green-blanketed mountains on the left
2. Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular sights in Oahu, partly because it’s not far from Honolulu but mostly because it is incredibly beautiful! This nature reserve boasts the best coral reefs on the island, and its bright blue water and horseshoe-shaped bay make it super photogenic, too. But with its popularity comes the crowds! Luckily, thanks to a very lucky local tip-off, we had a great time without the crowds!
The answer, unfortunately, is to show up as early as possible - before 7am! Is it worth the early start? Absolutely, and here’s why:
1. Parking is free before 7am. After this, you will have to pay and/or struggle to find a spot.
2. The bay opens at 6am, but the ticket office doesn’t open until 7....which means free entry, or pay $7.50 after 7am.
3. The more people swimming, the poorer visibility gets, as feet and fins kick up sand and other debris from the seabed. When we swam the reef at 7am, there were just a handful of other swimmers, meaning our view of the reef was unobscured! We actually decided to leave around 11am when the sea got too cloudy to see the reef anymore.
4. The queues at the entrance! Once the official ticket office opens, you’re not free to just walk into the bay any more. Instead, you have to queue for tickets, and then queue for an instructional video about how to protect and respect the reef. Although this is of course very important to make sure the reef isn’t damaged, the queues we witnessed when we left were beyond our belief - you’re looking at hours of waiting at peak times, compared to the two minutes it took us before 7am!
So yes, we were a little tired thanks to our early start, but enjoying Hanauma Bay while it was quiet, clear and queue-free was totally worth it!
3. Byodo-in Temple
This temple can be found inland, surrounded by towering green peaks. It is an exact replica of a 900-year-old temple in Japan and was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japanese settling in Oahu. You reach it by crossing a Japanese bridge, and are then free to wander around its peaceful grounds, bamboo groves, carp pond, and the temple itself.
4. Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
To the east of Byodo-in, we spent a few hours wandering a few of this botanical garden’s 200 acres. Set in lush, mountainous surroundings, we discovered some of the most bizarre plant and tree species thanks to the tropical climate, which we’d only ever normally be able to see in temperature-controlled greenhouses back in Europe. And, even more bizarrely, we kept running into a pack of little wild pigs. Just don’t try and follow them into the trees like I did, or you’ll end up stuck in the mud!
5. Waimanolo Beach and Kailua Beach
Both on the east coast, these were our two favourite beaches, both expanses of soft, white sand, with clear, blue sea on one side and shady trees on the other. And far less crowded than we expected them to be; most beaches are so long that there's plenty of space for everyone.
6. A luau at Waikiki Aquarium
There are many, many luaus on offer in Honolulu and beyond, offering a taste of Polynesian culture through food, music, crafts and dance. We chose the one at Waikiki Aquarium because of its seafront setting and the fact that you could explore the aquarium free of charge before the show began! We were given a welcome drink as we entered the aquarium and were able to explore at our leisure before heading out to the luau. Before dinner and the show began, we were able to take part in traditional crafts such as lei making, grass plaiting, and attempting to play musical instruments.
The meal itself was a buffet of local specialties, including sweet potatoes, mahi mahi fish, chicken long rice, and kalua pua'a, a big roasted over a big fire pit. Everything was honestly delicious. The music and dance show was even better than the food, featuring a range of mellow Hula dances as well as terrifying fire dances.
7. Kona Brewing Company
We were lucky to be staying near this famous Hawaiian brewery's harbour-side restaurant. We stopped in twice during our visit for tastings of all of Kona's different beers, as well as some of the best pizza we've ever had - cheeseburger pizza, anyone?
People come to Hawaii to relax, but we got more than that -an insight into a culture that prioritises beauty, tradition, and really, really long names for fish. I'm talking about you, lauwiliwilinukunukuʻoiʻoi!
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