SOUTHEAST O‘AHU
One of Hawai‘i’s easiest drives yields a big bang, starting with the extinct volcanic crater Diamond Head—one of the most prominent and beloved landmarks in the Pacific. When you get beyond Koko Head you’ll really feel as if you’ve left the big city behind. Along this breathtaking shoreline you’ll encounter extinct volcanoes, daredevil surfers, accessible hikes, a snorkeling bay extraordinaire, a well-sited lighthouse, and the Hollywood of O‘ahu. Kahala, lined with gazillion-dollar manses and home to a fabulous resort, is the wealthiest community on the island.
GETTING AROUND
By car: This tour unfolds in geographic order, presuming you are beginning at the eastern edge of Waikiki and heading counterclockwise around the island. Hwy. 72 is also called the Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. If you don’t stop (which you will), it takes about one and a quarter hours to drive the 35 miles from Waikiki to Makapu‘u Point, up to Kailua, and back to Honolulu via the Pali Hwy.
To See & Do
In geographical order from west to east.
Diamond Head, Diamond Head Rd. One of the most dramatic landmarks in the Pacific, Diamond Head owes its creation to a violent steam explosion that occurred late in O‘ahu’s volcanic history. Ancient Hawaiians named it Leahi because it resembled the brow of the tuna. British whalers of the 19th century got so excited over the crater’s sparkling surface, mistaking embedded calcite crystals for diamonds, that they dubbed it Diamond Head. In the early 1900s the U.S. Army turned the crater into a defense fortress, complete with a network of tunnels and rim-level cannons, bunkers, and lookouts. Today Diamond Head is a state monument with picnic tables, restrooms, and drinking water, but, alas, no shade. Bring a hat, especially if you want to hike to the crater rim for the best views in southern O‘ahu. Up here you take in Waikiki, Koko Head, and the Diamond Head Lighthouse.
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A PERFECT DAY IN SOUTHEAST O‘AHU
Hike to the top of Diamond Head at sunrise (2 hours)
Drive around the posh neighborhood of Kahala (1 hour)
Have lunch at the Kahala Hotel & Resort (2 hours)
Snorkel at Hanauma Bay (3 hours)
Watch bodysurfers at Sandy Beach Park (1 hour)
Black Point, just off Kahala Ave., a quarter mile east of the Diamond Head Rd. junction, is a perfect spot to photograph Diamond Head and the southwest coast. It’s also near the Doris Duke estate of Shangri La (see “Greater Honolulu”).
Kahala, between the H-1 Freeway and Kahala Ave. This very upscale neighborhood of mostly multimillion-dollar homes sits between Diamond Head and the Waialae Country Club. It’s home to the exclusive Kahala Hotel & Resort, as well as the Kahala Mall, where Honoka‘a Street meets the H-1 Freeway.
Hawai‘i Kai, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. About 20 minutes by car east of Diamond Head, this thoroughly suburban neighborhood is home to Kuapa Pond, a rambling waterway of homes and small-boat landings that spreads inland for miles. There are multiple shopping malls here, all good for last-chance shopping before reaching nearby Hanauma Bay.
Koko Head, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. A relic of O‘ahu’s last volcanic activity, Koko Head, at an elevation of 645 feet, is a popular day-hike destination and home to Koko Crater Botanical Garden, a 60-acre dry-land exhibit (free). There are no facilities, but you can take a self-guided tour. From near the crater rim, you can look down to Hanauma Bay and west to Makapu‘u Point.
Hanauma Bay (808-396-4229; friendsofhanaumabay.org or co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/facility/hanaumabay/welcome.htm), 100 Hanauma Bay Rd. Open 6–6 Wed.–Mon. (Apr.–Sep. until 7 PM), Hanauma Bay is a stunning, shallow coral cove of turquoise waters, colorful fish, and white-sand beach. It’s also the most-visited snorkeling spot in the state, so it’s best to arrive early (i.e., before 10 AM). Until a few years ago, Hanauma was overfished and the reef fish were overfed by tourists. Today the entire bay is a marine sanctuary, and visitors are required to view a short film at the impressive Marine Education Center, about its delicate ecology. It’s a small price to pay for helping to preserve this coastal treasure. As a result, the entire cove is gradually returning to a healthier state. The reef is filled with life, from parrotfish and green sea turtles to shorebirds and sunburned tourists. Even if you don’t intend to go in the water, it’s worth a peek from the overlook near the parking lot.
Facilities: Snack bar, gift shop, lifeguards, showers, restrooms, snorkeling concession stand. $5 for adults and children ages 13 and up, $1 per vehicle, 50¢ to take the tram down to the bay.
Sandy Beach Park (aka Ka Iwi). See Beaches.
SANDY BEACH PARK
Halona Blowhole, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. Less than 2 miles east of Hanauma Bay at scenic Halona Point, this blowhole is the unusual creation of a submerged lava tunnel with a spout in the rock ledge at the surface. First you hear a rushing sound, then a great whoosh! as the air is rapidly forced out by the surf crashing against the rocks and flowing into the compressed tunnel. As the pressure increases, a stream of water shoots up, often 30 feet into the air. Try to curb your curiosity; you really don’t want to be looking into the blowhole when that happens.
Makapu‘u Beach Park. See Beaches.
Sea Life Park (808-259-7933; sealifeparkhawaii.com), 41-202 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. Open 10:30–5 daily. Penguins in Hawai‘i? This commercial marine park on a beautiful stretch of Waimanalo Bay features a sprawling 300,000-gallon aquarium of sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, and glittering reef fish. The park has an old-fashioned atmosphere with the usual crowd pleasers, including dancing dolphins. There are kid-friendly interactive displays, such as the chance to swim with graceful stingrays. There’s also information on the park’s continuing rescue efforts on behalf of seal and sea lion pups. It sure is expensive, though, for what they offer: $29 adults, $19 children ages 4–12.
Turtle Island and Rabbit Island, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. Just offshore between Sea Life Park and Makapu‘u Point, Manana (Rabbit) and Kaohikaipu (Turtle) Islands are connected by a submerged coral reef. Rabbit Island is the larger of the pair, home to migratory shearwaters and a permanent population of rabbits. Occasionally they share the same burrows. Imagine.
See Beaches.
Outdoor Activities
GOLF
Hawai‘i Kai Golf Course (808-395-2358; hawaiikaigolf.com), 8902 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy., Honolulu. Greens fees at the Champion Course run $90–100 ($70 at twilight), while at the Executive Course they’re $37–42. The latter course is prime for novices. It’s cheaper to book online than by phone, but either way make advance reservations.
AROUND SOUTHEAST O’AHU
Olomana Golf Links (808-259-7926; olomanagolflinks.com), 41-1801 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy., Waimanalo. Greens fees are $80. This moderately difficult course, subject to frequent but short spurts of rain, has killer views of the Ko‘olau Mountains.
HIKING
Diamond Head, Diamond Head Rd. The Diamond Head Trail is accessible only from inside the crater, a fairly steep climb best done early in the day before the heat hits this shade-free environment. Only 0.75 mile long, the trail is paved and features two sets of stairs, one with 99 steps, the other with 76. There’s also a 200-foot tunnel to navigate; a flashlight is useful but not essential. When you reach the summit’s observation deck, take in the unparalleled views and hold on to your hat; it’s windy up there.
Koko Head Trail, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. Locals often take their daily walks here. The trail follows a rocky ledge, steep in places, and offers great views, especially of Diamond Head in the distance.
Makapu‘u Head Lighthouse Trail, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. The mostly paved 1.5-mile trail to the lighthouse, marking the easternmost point of the island, is closed to vehicles. The lighthouse was built in 1909 and automated in 1974. In winter you can often catch a glimpse of humpback whales off the coast, with Moloka‘i on the distant horizon.
SNORKELING
Snorkel Bob’s (808-735-7944; snorkelbob.com), 700 Kapahulu Ave. Open daily. This statewide franchise rents boogie boards, surfboards, kayaks, and of course snorkeling gear for use at Hanauma Bay and elsewhere.
Beaches
In order of preference.
Hanauma Bay. See To See & Do.
Sandy Beach Park (aka Ka Iwi), Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. One of Hawai‘i’s premier bodysurfing beaches, and one of the few O‘ahu beaches subject to high surf year-round, sits at the base of Koko Crater. Its pounding shorebreak challenges the very best bodysurfers and boogie boarders and is famous for sending people to the hospital. This is definitely not a swimming beach, but it’s great for taking pictures because the surf breaks so close to shore. Sandy Beach is also popular with skim boarders, who run along the beach and drop their thin boards into the receding water, jump on, then shoot across the wet sand for a few brief moments. Facilities: Lifeguard, restrooms, showers, picnic and kite-flying area, weekend catering truck.
Makapu‘u Beach Park, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. Located just below Makapu‘u Point, Makapu‘u Beach is a curved pocket of white sand with a pounding shorebreak that attracts only experienced bodysurfers and boogie boarders. When the surf is high, the waves break near the middle of the bay, yielding long rides for surfers and vicarious thrills for the spectators, who often fill the lookout above the beach. Facilities: Lifeguards, picnic areas with barbecues, showers, restrooms.
MAKAPU’U BEACH
Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Kalaniana‘ole Hwy. There are three beach parks along 3-mile-long Waimanalo Bay, each blessed with fine white sand, ironwood trees, and (usually) great swimming conditions. Close to Honolulu, this popular family beach provides a small, consistent shorebreak for novice wave riders. It’s also famous for its stinging man-of-war jellyfish. Check with lifeguards or inspect the tide line, where seaweedlike debris accumulates. Facilities: Lifeguards, showers, restrooms, picnic areas, free parking. Camping is also available with a permit.
Lodging
Although there’s only one choice over here, a mere 4 miles from Waikiki, it’s a doozy. I recall staying here once, majorly jet-lagged and exhausted, and finally realizing the value of a $700 room. If you had told me, after 48 hours at the Kahala Hotel & Resort, that I had to return to the mainland, I would have done so perfectly rested and completely sated.
Kahala Hotel & Resort (808-739-8888 or 1-800-367-2525; kahalaresort.com), 5000 Kahala Ave. This exclusive and secluded property would rise head and shoulders above her competitors, if she actually had any. In a class by herself, she’s my favorite place to stay on O‘ahu. This legendary refuge has attracted more international celebrities and royals than any other hotel in Hawai‘i, and her style reflects this patronage: courtly and dignified, blissfully removed from the bustle. Since a mammoth renovation in the early 1990s, and a more modest one in 2008 when she and Mandarin Oriental management parted ways, the patrician refinement has been extended to all of the Kahala’s rooms and suites. Décor includes parquet floors, four-poster beds, and rich fabrics. Even the smallest rooms are exceptionally spacious, with sitting areas and bathrooms boasting vintage fixtures. The best of the least-expensive rooms are lagoon-view quarters in the low-rise wing. These overlook fish, turtles, and dolphins that are trained several times a day before delighted guests. The beach offers rental kayaks, rafts, and sailboats, along with swimming and snorkeling. This is Hawai‘i’s finest metropolitan destination resort, and when you are feeling more regal than Polynesian, the hotel will pamper you graciously. Rates: $$$$; children free in parent’s room. Facilities and amenities: 343 rooms and suites, large pool, great beach, 4 restaurants (see Hoku’s and Cabanas Seaside Grill under Dining Out), nearby golf course, fitness center with steam rooms and dry sauna, water sport rentals, concierge, shops, Kahala Keiki Club children’s programs, parking (fee).
KAHALA HOTEL & RESORT
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF A VAGABOND POET: DON BLANDING (1894–1957)
To read Don Blanding’s poetry is to see a complexity that is not all at once apparent. Masked within the perfect rhymes and jolly cadence is the story of a man who was deeply conflicted. The poet, who glorified traveling and seeing the world and was lauded for living “the vagabond life,” was constantly searching for where he belonged.
Born in Oklahoma at the turn of the 20th century, Don Blanding spent the first years of his life in the sleepy Midwest, but directly after high school he began to wander. Always curious about what lay around the next corner, he traveled from town to town making his living in various ways. Because of this, Blanding is hard to define, and this is one of his most appealing traits. At different times in his life he was an actor, a director, a newspaper columnist and cartoonist, a designer, and a poet. He traveled to many places in the world and made his home in Hollywood, Carmel, Los Angeles, and Taos.
He loved the Hawaiian Islands and returned repeatedly, living for several years in Honolulu. He first began to publish his poems daily in the Honolulu Star, and with the encouragement of his editor, Blanding paid for the first printing of his book Leaves from a Grass-House. Many of the poems in this book were republished several years later in The Vagabond House, one of Blanding’s most famous titles. The Vagabond House was greeted with immediate success; by 1948 it was in its 48th printing and had sold more than 150,000 copies.
Hawai‘i so lauded the poet that he was made the state laureate. After he died of natural causes in his home in Los Angeles, Blanding’s ashes were scattered at sea in Honolulu. Blanding’s words continue to touch many people with their haunting ability to describe the possibilities for the future and the places yet to see, all the while mourning and treasuring the past.
Camping is permitted at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park (808-768-3440; honoluluparks.com). No fee, but a permit is required; gates locked 6:45 PM–7 AM.
Where to Eat
Home to one of O‘ahu’s best restaurants, this little region is proof that quality of choice reigns over quantity of choice.
DINING OUT
Hoku’s (808-739-8780; kahalaresort.com), Kahala Hotel & Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. Open for dinner nightly, Sunday brunch. Here’s what elegant Hoku’s has going for it: panoramic ocean view, a beautifully appointed dining room (which received a $750,000 overhaul in 2006), bamboo flooring, “A-plus” servers, and Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi’s scrumptious Euro-island cuisine. Signature items include warm lobster and hearts of palm salad; anything from the kiawe grill; crisped whole island fish (for two); and wood-fired Australian rack of lamb. Don’t even think about skipping dessert or Sunday brunch. Reservations recommended; children’s menu; collared shirts with slacks or evening wear required. Entrées $$$$.
Roy’s (808-396-7697; roysrestaurant.com), 6600 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy., Hawai‘i Kai. Open for dinner nightly. This is where the movement began. Whatever you call it—East meets West, Pacific Rim, Hawai‘i regional cuisine—Roy Yamaguchi calls it Eurasian. Diners call it magnificent. And they’ve responded resoundingly. Roy now has over 30 restaurants in his empire. Along with beautiful views, you’ll find Roy’s signature ribs, ahi, a warm chocolate cake with liquid chocolate center, and a great wine list. This style of cuisine wraps everything you could possibly want on a dinner plate. Reservations recommended; children’s menu. Entrées $$$$.
Cabanas Seaside Grill (808-739-8770; kahalaresort.com), Kahala Hotel & Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. Open for lunch daily. When you tire of formal service but still have a hankering for fine food served family style, Cabanas fits the bill beautifully. The relaxing beachfront location is alluring, romantic, and quiet. Lunch $$–$$$.
EATING OUT
Olive Tree Café (808-737-0303), 4614 Kilauea Ave., behind Kahala Mall. Open for dinner nightly. At this small, self-serve restaurant, the menu’s building blocks include tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, pita bread, eggplant, sesame, lamb, lots of earthy herbs, and citrus. While it may sound strictly Mediterranean or Greek, it’s not. You’re in Hawai‘i, after all, so you’ll always find plenty of fish dishes. Service can be a bit slow, and it may take a while to snag a table, but the flavors and reasonable prices make up for any inconvenience. Entrées $–$$; no credit cards.
Selective Shopping
Barnes & Noble (808-737-3323; barnesandnoble.com), Kahala Mall, 4211 Waialae Ave. Open 9 AM–10 PM daily.
Island Treasures (808-396-8827; kokomarinacenter.com), Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy., just before Hanauma Bay. Open daily. For the perfect gifts for almost every budget, from art to home accessories, shop where the residents do.
Kahala Mall (808-732-7736; kahalamallcenter.com), 4211 Waialae Ave. This refined and quiet mall has many of the same stores as Ala Moana Center without the crowds. It also has the Kahala eight-plex movie theater (808-593-3000), open 10–9 daily, Sun. until 5.