Natural Features
1. Punchbowl
The 150,000 year old cone above the city of Honolulu has three identities. Its Hawaiian name, Pūowaina, means “hill of sacrifice” – it was an ancient place of ritual and royal burial. Punchbowl, its English name, refers to its shape. Today it is also the final resting place for more than 35,000 veterans of American wars in Asia and the Pacific.
Cemetery8am–6:30pm daily • American Legion tours (fee) • 532 3720
2. Diamond Head
Arguably the most recognizable landmark in all of Hawai’i, this gracefully aging volcanic remnant was named by the Hawaiians Le’ahi, “brow of the yellow fin tuna,” for its shape. Its English name refers to the glinting calcite minerals, which were mistaken for diamonds. The interior has housed military operations and hosted rock concerts. A trail offers sweeping views.6am–6pm daily (last entrance 4:30pm) • Adm • Walking tour9am Sat (free) • 948 3299
3. Koko Head
Not the most impressive peak on O’ahu, but its homely bulk is a landmark. Nearby, Koko Crater rises to 1,200 ft. A panoramic two mile hike is reached through a botanical park – the trail is wind-swept, narrow, and crumbly.
4. Hanauma Bay
This keyhole-shaped Nature Preserve is so beautiful and popular that the state has had to restrict access to protect it. You enter through a $13 million Marine Education Center and view a video before descending to the bay via tram for snorkeling and sunning.396 4229 • 6am–7pm Wed–Mon • Adm • Access denied when lot is full; go early or after 2pm
5. Hālona Blow Hole
A lava tube that funnels geysers of sea water high into the air, this dramatic feature is one to observe with care, preferably from the scenic pullout above it. Many who have hazarded too near have been injured or killed. From November through March, watch for spouting whales out to sea, as well as spouting water.
6. Ko’olau Mountain Range
The wind and water-cut Ko’olaus are the subject of countless Hawaiian chants and songs. This Windward side mountain range (the name means “windward”), so green and dramatic, forms O’ahu’s spine from southeast to northwest.
7. Wai’anae Mountain Range
Composed of the remnants of the Wai’anae volcano, said to have grown quiescent 2.5 million years ago, this range is the higher of the two on O’ahu, reaching above 4,000 ft. The mountains here have a distinct wet (east) and dry side (west).
8. Mount Ka’ala
This, the tallest peak on O’ahu at 4,020 ft, is a preserve where indigenous birds and boggy plants prosper in the mist. On its slopes and at its feet, sandalwood once prospered, before the forests were decimated by Hawaiian royalty greedy for Chinese silks and other trade goods.
9. Sacred Falls, Kaliuwa’a
Unfortunately, one of the most beautiful and beloved landmarks on O’ahu, located in Punalu’u, is off limits for the foreseeable future. A tragic landslide in 1999 that killed eight people forced closure of the park. The state has found no practical way to assure safety in this narrow, cliff-lined defile.
10. Banzai Pipeline
Just off the beach once known as Paumalū, the Banzai Pipeline is the name given to a spectacular winter surf break, the result of a shallow coral reef that serves as a sudden stopping point for deep water currents sweeping inland. The name Banzai comes from the battle cry of Japanese warriors, and was first applied to the waves here during the narration of the late 1950s film Surf Safari.
