Honolulu Hawaii

The Diamond Head Trail Parking Lot Fills by 8am. Plan Accordingly.

Diamond Head is a 232-metre volcanic tuff cone 4 kilometres east of Waikiki, formed in a single volcanic eruption approximately 300,000 years ago. The summit trail is 1.6 kilometres one way, with 175 steps, a narrow tunnel, and a spiral staircase; the round trip takes about 90 minutes and gives views covering Waikiki, the southeastern Oahu coast, and the Pacific. The trail opens at 6am and the parking lot fills by 8am during peak season. Arriving at 6am means a manageable trail, good light on Waikiki below, and no queue at the concrete bunkers inside the crater that served as a military observation post in World War II.

Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii, on the south shore of Oahu, with a permanent population of approximately 350,000 and around 5 million tourists annually. Waikiki, the hotel district 3 kilometres east of downtown, accounts for most of that tourism. The beach is 2 kilometres of south-facing sand with warm water (around 26 degrees Celsius year-round), gentle surf close to shore for beginners, and bigger waves further out. The hotel strip behind the beach is dense; the view from the water toward Diamond Head in the morning light or the sunset from the sand is why the place became famous.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is 15 kilometres northwest of Waikiki, a 30-minute drive. The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 killed 2,403 Americans, sank or damaged 19 naval vessels, and brought the United States into World War II.

The USS Arizona Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship, still on the harbour floor. Access is by boat from the visitor centre; the memorial is free but requires timed entry tickets reserved in advance at recreation.gov. They book out quickly. Standing above the oil-stained water above the hull, looking down at the rusted metal below and at the names of the 1,177 crew members who died and were never recovered inscribed on the marble wall, is the most affecting experience available on Oahu.

The USS Missouri Memorial on the same harbour is the battleship on whose deck Japan formally surrendered in September 1945 – the beginning and the end of America’s Pacific war, on the same piece of water. Allow a full day.

The North Shore

The North Shore, an hour’s drive from Waikiki, is where competitive surfing in Hawaii is concentrated. Haleiwa is the main town; the beach parks at Sunset Beach, Ehukai (the Banzai Pipeline), and Waimea Bay have some of the most powerful surf in the world during winter swells (October through April), with waves regularly exceeding 6 metres. In summer, the same beaches are calm and swimmable.

Leonard’s Malasadas in Honolulu (Portuguese-style doughnuts, operating since 1952) are a genuine local institution. Matsumoto’s shave ice in Haleiwa has been operating since 1951 – ice shaved to a fine powder and soaked in flavoured syrup, sometimes topped with condensed milk. Worth the line.

Food and Practicalities

Plate lunch (two scoops of rice, macaroni salad, and a protein such as kalua pig or teriyaki chicken) is the local working food format at USD 10 to 15. Poke in Hawaii is fresher and considerably cheaper than the versions sold elsewhere. Ono Seafood on Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu is the standard reference for classic poke.

Renting a car is the practical approach for anything beyond Waikiki. Admission to Diamond Head is USD 5 per person, USD 10 per car. The airport is 15 kilometres from Waikiki, a USD 30 to 40 taxi ride or USD 3 on TheBus.