Oahu — The Gathering Place

Attractions
from Hawaii Travel Experts
 

• Aloha Tower, Honolulu's familiar landmark, is open to visitors and provides an excellent view of the entire harbor area.
• Aquarium on Kalakaua Avenue across from Kapiolani Park at Waikiki, contains a world-famous collection of brilliantly colored tropical fish.
• Beaches of course, wherever you go, for swimming, surfing, fishing, or a picnic.
• Bishop Museum and Planetarium, at 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu. The Museum houses the world's foremost collection of Hawaiiana and Polynesian antiquities.
• Blow Hole near Koko Head. Playful Mother Nature forces the mighty sea through a tiny hole in a lava ledge and blows miniature geysers high into the air.
• Byodo-In Temple is a duplication in exact detail of Japan's 900-year-old architectural treasure, at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, beneath the majestic cliffs of the Koolau Mountains. The beautiful Oriental garden setting also has a carp pool, a massive nine-foot state of Buddha, and a tea house.
• Children's Discovery Center where children and adults discover life experiences through interactive play. Models of learning include the human body, career role-play, and cultural destinations.
• Chinatown — but unlike the Chinatowns in other American cities, this section of downtown Honolulu is an exciting blend of shops, restaurants, and markets displaying not only Chinese goods but wares and foods typical of the countries of origin of Hawaii's early-day immigrants.
• Diamond Head is the world-renowned landmark at the southern end of Waikiki Beach. An extinct volcano, it is said to have once been the home of Pele, the Fire Goddess.
• Foster Botanic Garden's remarkable botanic displays include a lovely orchid section, in a 20-acre setting in downtown Honolulu.
• Hanauma Bay is a delightful sea cove in Koko Head Park. Its rugged grandeur was created 10,000 years ago when Pele made her last attempt to find a home on Oahu, as legend tells. A favorite spot for swimming, picnicking, and snorkeling.
• Hawaii Maritime Center includes a museum, Aloha Tower, plus the square-rigger Falls of Clyde and the Hokulea Polynesian sailing canoe.
• Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park is 25 acres of wild wet fun including: a mega-wave pool, a tube-cruising river, and four- and seven-story waterslide complexes. There are separate pools and activities for adults and children, complete with Jacuzzi pools and animal themed keiki slides.
• Honolulu Academy of Arts is a registered national and state historic place, renowned for its extensive collection of Asian and Western art and the beauty of its grounds and buildings.
• Iolani Palace is the only throne room under the American flag, where Hawaii's last two monarchs lived and ruled. Completed in 1882, the building has been entirely renovated, displaying a magnificent interior.
• Kaneana Cave is near Makua just before the end of Farrington Highway. Kaneana, the sharkman deity, is supposed to have made his home in this cave which is volcanic and coral in formation.
• Kawaiahao Church was dedicated in 1842. This "Westminster Abbey" of Hawaii offers Sunday services in Hawaiian and English.
• King Kamehameha Statue commemorates the ruler who united the Hawaiian Islands.
• Kualoa Ranch and Activity Club is nestled below the majestic Koolau Mountain Range. Outdoor activities abound for the young at heart.
• Manana Island is one of the many interesting islets that border Oahu. It looks like the head of a rabbit and was once overrun by them.
• Mission Houses, the oldest existing buildings erected by the first missionary contingent to Honolulu, are in the civic center area — also the locale of many other historic sites.
• Mormon Temple, built in beautiful Laie in 1920, is the first Mormon Temple to be constructed outside of Salt Lake City.
• National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl or Puowaina — literally translated, Hill of Sacrifice — is the final resting place of thousands of World War II, Korean and Vietnam War veterans.
• Nuuanu Pali is Oahu's scenic masterpiece at the head of Nuuanu Valley. Here Kamehameha the Great defeated Oahu in a bloody battle in 1795, forcing thousands of warriors over the precipice to death on the rocks below — thus adding Oahu to his realm.
• Pearl Harbor is the U.S. Navy base. The USS Arizona Memorial, above the sunken battleship, is a tribute to American fighting men killed during the attack on December 7, 1941. The USS Bowfin, a restored World War II submarine, is on exhibit next to the Arizona Memorial ground facility. The battleship USS Missouri — "Mighty Mo" — retired after its service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Gulf War, is the newly opened museum near Ford Island.
• Polynesian Cultural Center is at Laie on the north shore of Oahu. The center consists of native villages representative of those in Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, Marquesas, and Hawaii.
• Queen Emma Summer Palace is a charming home in Nuuanu Valley. The former summer palace has been restored to its original appearance and houses a fine collection of Hawaiian artifacts.
• Royal Mausoleum is the resting place of Hawaii's former rulers, with a well-informed guide-custodian.
• Senator Fong's Plantation and Gardens have 725 acres of rare and exotic flora in a tropical rainforest.
• Sea Life Park at Makapuu Point features an outstanding display of Hawaii's exotic marine life in a beautiful oceanside setting. The 300,000 gallon Hawaiian Reef Tank houses 2,000 island specimens: sharks, rays, moray eels, turtles, and exotic reef fish.
• Waimea Bay is home of the prestigious Eddie Aikau big surf contest; waves must reach 30 feet or larger before they break in this bay. Surfers from around the world participate in the exhilarating sport of big wave surfing by testing their abilities on these mountainous waves.
• Waimea Falls Park is a narrow canyon extending into the Koolau Mountains. It was once a heavily populated Hawaiian village. Today the 1,800-acre site between Haleiwa and Kahuku is a dwelling for nature's lovely, unspoiled environment of tropical plant life, birds, hiking trails, and a truly beautiful waterfall.