Oʻahu

On the morning of 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the US Pacific Fleet here, drawing the United States into the Second World War. The free visitor centre has two museums that tell the story from both sides, but the heart of a visit is the short boat ride to the white USS Arizona Memorial, which spans the sunken battleship where more than 1,100 of her crew still lie. Oil still rises from the hull in small, shimmering drops. On Ford Island, reached by shuttle bus, the Battleship Missouri, where Japan's surrender was signed in 1945, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are run separately and charge admission; the USS Bowfin submarine sits beside the visitor centre.

TipUSS Arizona Memorial programmes are booked on Recreation.gov, with tickets released at 3pm Hawaiʻi time 8 weeks and again 24 hours ahead ($1 booking fee each). Arrive an hour early. Bags larger than a small wallet are not allowed, apart from clear plastic bags; there is paid bag storage by the entrance.

Founded in 1889 in memory of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last royal heir of the Kamehameha line, the museum holds the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural objects. The three-storey Hawaiian Hall, all dark koa wood galleries, traces Hawaiian life from the gods and the aliʻi (chiefs) to everyday fishing and farming, with feather cloaks of astonishing craft. There are also Pacific voyaging displays, natural history halls and a planetarium.

TipOpen daily from 9am to 5pm. Come here early in a trip; it gives meaning to much of what you'll see elsewhere on the island.

Just west of downtown, Honolulu's Chinatown grew from the labourers who came to work the sugar plantations in the nineteenth century, and was rebuilt in brick after fires in 1886 and 1900. Today, its blocks mix lei stands, herbalists, noodle shops and Vietnamese and Filipino bakeries with art galleries and some of the city's best cocktail bars. The Oʻahu Market and the open-fronted food halls are at their liveliest in the morning.

TipThe neighbourhood is busy by day but some streets feel rough after dark; stick to the main restaurant blocks at night.

Completed in 1882 for King Kalākaua, ʻIolani Palace was the official residence of Hawaiʻi's last two monarchs and had electric lighting and telephones before the White House did. After the kingdom was overthrown in 1893, Queen Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned in an upstairs room for eight months, and the palace became a government building. Decades of restoration have since returned its throne room, koa staircase and royal suites to their former glory. Around it are Aliʻiōlani Hale with its gilded statue of Kamehameha I, the coral-block Kawaiahaʻo Church and the open-sided Hawaiʻi State Capitol.

TipThe palace is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Book a docent-led or audio tour online, as numbers are limited.

Inside Puowaina, an extinct volcanic crater above downtown, rows of flat headstones mark the graves of tens of thousands of US service members, many of them killed in the Pacific during the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. Its memorial has huge mosaic maps of Pacific battles and the Courts of the Missing. It's a quiet, dignified place with a lookout over the city to Diamond Head.

TipThis is an active cemetery. Dress modestly, keep voices low and give way to funeral processions.

At the back of Mānoa Valley, a wet, green cleft behind the University of Hawaiʻi, a trail of roughly 1.3 kilometres each way climbs through bamboo, giant banyans and ginger to a slender waterfall about 45 metres high. The rainforest feels a world away from Waikīkī, which is only 15 minutes' drive away. Nearby, the University of Hawaiʻi's Lyon Arboretum has quieter trails through tropical plant collections.

TipThe path is often muddy and slippery; wear shoes with grip and bring insect repellent. Swimming under the falls is prohibited because of rockfall, and the trail closes now and then for maintenance, so check the DLNR's trail news before you go.

Once a marshland of fishponds and taro patches, and a retreat for Hawaiian royalty, Waikīkī is now the island's main resort strip, with a few kilometres of golden sand backed by towers, shops and restaurants along Kalākaua Avenue. It's still the best place to learn to surf on long, gentle waves, a tradition symbolised by the bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimmer who popularised modern surfing. Look for the historic Moana Surfrider of 1901 and the pink Royal Hawaiian of 1927, and at the eastern end, Kapiʻolani Park, the aquarium and the calmer beaches below Diamond Head.

TipSunset is the time to be on the sand. Beach boys rent boards and give lessons near the Duke statue; lessons first thing in the morning have the lightest winds.

The broad tuff cone that closes the view east of Waikīkī is Oʻahu's best-known landmark. The summit trail, built in 1908 as part of the island's coastal defences, climbs about 1.3 kilometres from the crater floor with a 170-metre gain, through switchbacks, a tunnel and old bunkers to a lookout over the whole south shore, from Koko Head to the Waiʻanae Range. In winter, you may spot whales offshore.

TipOut-of-state visitors need an entry reservation, with a separate parking reservation if driving, booked up to 30 days ahead on the Hawaiʻi State Parks site. Entry costs $5 a person and parking $10 per car, by card only. The park is open 6am to 6pm, with the last entry slot at 4pm. Go early: there is little shade.

A volcanic crater breached by the sea forms this sheltered, reef-fringed bay, which in 1967 became Hawaiʻi's first Marine Life Conservation District. Its calm, shallow waters hold parrotfish, tangs and, often, green sea turtles, which makes it the island's most famous snorkelling spot. Visits are carefully limited to protect the reef, and everyone watches a short conservation video before going down to the beach.

TipThe bay is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. From Wednesday to Sunday, entry runs from 6:45am to 1:30pm. Non-residents aged 13 and over pay $25 plus an online fee; reservations open at 7am Hawaiʻi time two days ahead and go within minutes. Packages with transport from Waikīkī can be booked a month ahead. Parking is $3, in cash.

At the island's eastern tip, a paved former service road of about 3 kilometres round trip climbs steadily to lookouts above a red-roofed lighthouse of 1909. Below, the windward coast unrolls northwards past Mānana (Rabbit) Island. It's one of the best places on Oʻahu to watch for humpback whales between December and April.

TipThere's no shade at all. Walk in the early morning or late afternoon, bring water, and lock nothing of value in the car.

Waimānalo's beach is one of the longest on the island, a pale sweep of sand and turquoise water with the fluted cliffs of the Koʻolau rising behind. The town is a rural, strongly Hawaiian community of farms and nurseries, and the beach is a local place for family barbecues and camping more than a tourist resort.

TipPick up fruit and lunch at the roadside farm stands along Kalanianaʻole Highway.

Lanikai is a narrow strip of fine, white sand in a quiet residential neighbourhood, facing the twin islets of Nā Mokulua across a lagoon of clear water. Kayakers paddle out to the islets, which are a seabird sanctuary with strict rules on where you may land. Above the neighbourhood, the steep Kaʻiwa Ridge trail climbs to old Second World War pillboxes with a view along the coast at sunrise.

TipThere's no car park, and parking on the narrow streets is heavily restricted, especially at weekends and on public holidays. Stay in Kailua and walk or cycle over, and use the public beach paths between houses.

Kailua's long beach of soft sand curves around a broad bay that steady trade winds make ideal for kayaking, windsurfing and kitesurfing. The town behind it has a relaxed, small-town feel, with cafés, shave-ice stands and kayak rental shops, and it makes a calmer base than Waikīkī.

TipThe wind usually picks up by late morning, so swim or paddle out to the islets early.

From Kailua, the Pali Highway climbs through tunnels to a gap in the Koʻolau cliffs, where a lookout gazes down sheer, fluted walls over Kāneʻohe and Kailua. In 1795, Kamehameha I's army drove the defenders of Oʻahu back to these cliffs, and many fell to their deaths in the decisive battle for the island. The trade winds funnel through the gap with startling force.

TipHold on to hats and phones, and bring a layer: it's often cool, windy and misty up here. Visitors pay a parking fee.

In the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, at the foot of the Koʻolau near Kāneʻohe, stands a red-and-white replica of the nine-hundred-year-old Byōdō-in temple in Uji, Japan, built in 1968 to mark a century since the first Japanese immigrants reached Hawaiʻi. A great golden Buddha sits inside, koi fill the pond, and visitors ring the large bronze bell before entering. The setting beneath the green cliffs is remarkable.

TipThere's a small admission charge. The temple stands within a working cemetery, so be quiet and respectful on the way in.

Where the Kamehameha Highway rounds the head of Kāneʻohe Bay, the jagged ridges of Kualoa rise over open pasture. In Hawaiian tradition, this was one of the most sacred places on Oʻahu. The beach park across the road faces the small conical islet of Mokoliʻi. Inland, Kualoa Ranch, a working cattle ranch, runs horseback, ATV and film-location tours of the valleys where dozens of films and TV series, including Jurassic Park, were shot.

TipRanch tours must be booked in advance and sell out on busy days; the beach park is free.

In Lāʻie, on the north-east coast, this large cultural park has re-created villages representing Hawaiʻi, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Tahiti, where many of the hosts are students from the neighbouring Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi. Expect canoe pageants, fire-making, games and crafts by day, then an evening lūʻau and a large-scale show. It's popular with families and well run, though more theatrical than a village visit.

TipThe centre is closed on Sundays and Wednesdays. Book a ticket that matches how long you'll stay, as the drive back to Honolulu takes over an hour.

The North Shore's "seven-mile miracle" is a chain of reef breaks along an otherwise rural coast, and Sunset Beach, one of its most powerful, is the place to watch the big winter swells roll in. From about November to March, waves here and along the coast can be enormous, drawing professional surfers and contests. In summer, the sea often lies flat and blue, and the same beach is good for swimming.

TipThe sea here in winter is for spectators only unless you are a highly experienced surfer. Watch from the sand, well back from the shore break.

Off ʻEhukai Beach Park, the Banzai Pipeline is perhaps the most famous wave in the world, a heavy, hollow barrel that breaks over a shallow lava reef just offshore. On a good winter day, crowds gather on the sand to watch surfers ride inside the tube; on a bad one, wipeouts on the reef cause serious injuries. Major winter contests are held here when the swell allows.

TipParking at ʻEhukai is scarce during contests; take TheBus along the coast or arrive at dawn.

This deep, sand-rimmed bay was where big-wave surfing was born in the 1950s. In winter, it can hold waves as tall as a house; the famous memorial contest in honour of the waterman Eddie Aikau runs only in the rare years when they're truly giant. In summer, Waimea turns calm and clear, and locals leap from the big rock at its southern end.

TipNever swim here when the surf is up or when the lifeguards say no. The car park fills early on calm summer weekends.

Behind the bay, the valley was home to Hawaiian priests and farmers for centuries and has restored sites of houses, terraces and a heiau (temple). Today it's managed as a cultural and botanical park, with a paved path of about 1.2 kilometres through gardens of native and Pacific plants to Waihī Falls.

TipSwimming under the falls is allowed only when conditions are safe, with a life jacket provided; check the board at the entrance.

The North Shore's main town grew up around a sugar mill and a railway. Its wooden plantation-era buildings now house surf shops, galleries, food trucks and shave-ice stands, including Matsumoto, serving since the 1950s. The arched Anahulu bridge crosses the river where paddlers and paddleboarders train, and green sea turtles often haul out on beaches nearby.

TipKeep at least 3 metres from turtles on the sand, and never touch or feed them. The North Shore's single coastal road jams on winter weekends; come midweek.

No road rounds Oʻahu's western tip: instead, an old railway bed, about 4 kilometres each way from the end of the road at Mokulēʻia, leads across dry, rocky coast to a fenced reserve of sand dunes. Laysan albatrosses nest here in winter and spring, and endangered Hawaiian monk seals sometimes rest on the shore. In Hawaiian belief, souls of the dead leapt from this point into the afterlife.

TipTake plenty of water, sun protection and sturdy shoes; there's no shade, water or facilities. Keep at least 45 metres from monk seals and stay on the paths in the dunes.