With the unfortunate setback I explained last week, we ended up doing a whole bunch of other fun things on O’ahu! Here’s the list you can reference if you’re heading to Hawai’i and need some ideas.
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial
- Halekulani Bakery
- Waikīkī Beach
- Halona Blowhole Lookout
- Makapu’u Lighthouse
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
I think everyone’s first visit to O’ahu should include a stop at this National Memorial. It’s not only one of the most visited sites in Hawai’i, but also a place of deep reflection where history is honored and remembered. For me, it was a powerful reminder of a historical event that we should never forget.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Da Seafood Cartel, 3 minutes up the Kamehameha Hwy.
Walk Along Waikiki Beach
The next morning, before taking a walk along Waikīkī Beach, we had a lite breakfast at ALOH Health Bar and Café. Their avocado toast was delish, as was their smoked salmon toast and yogurt bowl. We ate here upon arriving in Honolulu and again on the morning of our departure.
I’d recommend this spot along with a stop at Halekulani Bakery, located right across the street from the Halekulani Hotel on the way down to the beach. My wife couldn’t resist getting her favorite — the buttery French pastry called a kouign-amann (queen ah-MAHN). The name comes from the Breton words for butter (kouign) and cake (amann).
From there, we took a short morning walk along Waikiki Beach.
I wish we could have done the Diamond Head Crater Trail before leaving Waikīkī.
Halona Blowhole Lookout
As we reached the southeastern tip of the island, we stopped at the Halona Blowhole for a quick view. The tide wasn’t right to see much spurting water, but plenty of people were down in Halona Cove.
For reference, this lookout sits very close to the Koko Crater Stairs and Rim Trail.
Makapu’u Lighthouse
Next up, on our way around the island, was a stop at the Makapu’u Lighthouse. I knew I could hobble up this trail from my hiking list for Hawai’i because it’s gradual and paved — no uneven surface to risk rolling my ankle in its weakened state. In fact, my chiropractor told me not to baby it, so up we went — slow and steady.
At 2.5 miles round trip with only 500 feet of elevation gain, this “hike” took us under an hour and a half.
There was a side trail leading to the lighthouse itself, but part of it looked either washed out or intentionally damaged to keep people from going out there.
I couldn’t check it out, and also had to skip two other trails to the ocean — one that led down to the tide pools from up here, and another that branched off near the parking area (both marked on this map).
Our road trip continued around the island to La’ie and the North Shore.
