DISTANCE: 35 miles (56km) roundtrip
TIME: A half day
START: Kapiolani Park
END: Pali Highway, Honolulu
POINTS TO NOTE: This itinerary is ideal for families – adventures without long hours in a car. A short, paved “hike” leads up to a lookout and is great for active people of all ages – pack the stroller for little ones, and bring your snorkeling gear, suit and towel. Note: Don’t start this excursion in late afternoon, as rush hour traffic goes in the same direction.
East O’ahu
East O’ahu, Honolulu’s affluent suburban area is also home to some of its most pristine beaches. Even the locals love Waimanalo and a climb up to Makapu’u Lighthouse to whale watch. From Kapiolani Park 1 [map] in Waikiki follow Kalakaua Avenue to Diamond Head Road, continuing around Diamond Head, where the road becomes Kahala Avenue, past oceanfront mansions to Hunakai Street. Turn right onto Kilauea Avenue, past tKahala Mall, and turn right onto Waialae Ave, beneath the H-1, which turns into Kalanianaole Highway east here. After several sleepy neighborhoods, the road climbs up and to the left.
Hanauma Bay
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Hanauma Bay, Blowhole and Sandy Beach
At the crest on the right is the road to Hanauma Bay 2 [map] (Wed−Mon dawn to dusk; free for children under 12). As many as 10,000 people visit the bay daily. The snorkeling is still the best on the island if you don’t mind the crowds. The information center and required video prior to entry are educational and fun. Go early to beat the tour buses.
O’ahu
The coast beyond Hanauma Bay is rugged, sculpted, and dramatic − testimony to the ocean’s powerful erosive effect on the islands. Halona Blowhole 3 [map] – where water is forced up geyser-like through a hole in the basalt – is a popular stop. The blowhole is best viewed from above, as many tourists, and locals too, are swept from the cliffs each year when they venture for a closer look. Just beyond, the road flattens out. The big beach is Sandy Beach 4 [map], one of O’ahu’s most popular beaches. However, the unique conditions that make it a superb bodysurfing place also make it very dangerous. Before going in the water, check with the lifeguards. Swimming is not recommended.
Makapu’u Lighthouse
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To the lighthouse
The next stop is at the top of the Makapu’u Lookout 5 [map]. It’s easy to zip right past the overlook when cresting the top, but it’s worth stopping for the view up O’ahu’s windward coast, which is one of Hawai‘i’s best. Makapu’u Lighthouse 6 [map] stands tall on the top of the point. The 1-mile (1.6km) climb up Lighthouse Road leads to panoramic views of mountains and sea, turtles and whales, and islands and beaches. There are no restrooms or services, and often not that many people. It’s fairly gentle terrain, so any shoes will do.
Shoreline near Halona Blowhole
Tim Thompson/Apa Publications
Sea Life Park
Across from Makapu’u is Sea Life Park 7 [map], whose attractions include the world’s only wolphin (half whale, half dolphin), porpoise shows, hammerhead sharks, touch pools for children, and a 300,000-gallon (1.1-million-liter) simulated reef tank. There are penguins too!
Three miles (5km) north is the town of Waimanalo, a touch of rural Hawai‘i on an increasingly urban island. As you enter Waimanalo, you might recognize a house on the ocean side – Magnum P.I.’s place (well, Robin’s really). Park at Kaiona Beach Park 8 [map] and walk back along the coast to see the house and ocean pool. You’re now at the east end of Waimanalo Beach 9 [map], recently named the best in the world by American beach expert Dr. Beach (www.drbeach.org). It is one of the longest and nicest white sand beaches anywhere. It’s nearly empty on weekdays, but break-ins are frequent, so lock the car and don’t leave valuables visible.
Waimanolo Beach
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
Waimanalo to Kailua
Depending on the season, you’ll see vendors selling everything from fresh fish to corn, mangoes and papayas along the highway. Look for the red and white building on your right as you come into town – Keneke’s, see 1, is the spot for plate lunch and shave ice. Try the local favorite chicken katsu plate, and rainbow shave ice for dessert.
Continue past the needle-like peak of Olomana, the remnants of a volcanic dike from the old Koolau caldera located here over two million years ago. On the left is the intersection with Route 61, Pali Highway, and the way back to Honolulu and Waikiki. Right leads to the beach town Kailua ) [map], a haven for windsurfers and kite boarders, and where President Obama spends holiday vacations with his family. Just before it starts climbing to Nu’uanu Pali, a junction to Route 83 connects you with Route 2 (for more information, click here), continuing north along the coast.
Wind surfer at Kailua Beach Park
Tim Thompson/Apa Publications
Food and Drink
1 Keneke’s
41-857 Kalanianaole Highway; tel: 808-259 9800; www.kenekes.net; daily 9am–8pm; $
This is where the locals and tourists alike go for plate lunch – Hawai‘i’s lunch of choice that includes a meat, rice and macaroni salad. The katsu, while not the best for you, is worth the splurge. Wash it all down with local delight shave ice – it’s meant to be eaten while soaking up the sun.