Most populated Hawaiian island hosting Honolulu, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor
Hawaii Five-O, the newest state in the US, the most southerly but not the smallest or the least populated. Nearly one million people live on the island of O’ahu itself, more than the whole state of Alaska in a space smaller than Spain’s Tenerife or Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Hawaii is the crossroads of the Pacific and has acted as a stepping stone for centuries. The state has diverse geography and ethnography, with significant Japanese and Polynesian populations, and climate zones ranging from arid to alpine to jungle.
Hawaii is easily accessible from Alaska with regular direct flights, and as a resident of the 49th state it behoved me to go with the flow and go. My first trip in late 2014 was to O’ahu, staying for a week in Honolulu and on the north shore of the island. My second visit was just a long stopover between flights on the way to Samoa, but I still went into the city for dinner and walk along the beach.
The Royal Hawaiian was my hotel of choice in Honolulu. Right in the centre of the action of Waikiki, it is a calm haven of tranquillity and colonial splendour, known as “The Pink Palace of the Pacific“. It opened in 1927 and has been consistently one of the best and most famous hotels in the state. I only stayed here for my last two nights, and I wish I’d stayed for longer.
Diamond Head dominates Waikiki Beach and Honolulu in general, the giant crater rim is an icon of Hawaii. It turned out to be printed on the Hawaiian shirt I was wearing and I’d never known what it was, in the 14 years since buying it in Florida.
Waikiki Beach fronts the tourist area of Honolulu, and is about as busy as it gets. The pink Royal Hawaiian is somewhat dominated by the 1970s Sheraton building, but the whole of Waikiki is incredibly densely developed.
Surfing and Hawaii are practically synonymous, but it’s a much older sport than I’d reckoned, having originated in stand-up form around 400 AD. This is Makua and Kila, the boy and the seal, based on a children’s book.
Supreme Court of Hawaii, with golden statue of King Kamehameha the Great standing outside in greeting. This is in the centre of Honolulu itself, away from the tourist crowds of Waikiki.
I hiked up to the summit of Diamond Head Crater where there is an interesting old wartime battery, and spectacular views back over Honolulu. The density is very apparent from up here, but the Royal Hawaiian still shines in pink in the middle.
Another hike took me up towards Manoa Falls, along which I encountered an interesting little tree arch over the path.
Hawaii is a strategic location for control of the Pacific, hence colonisation and eventual statehood by the United States. Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese in 1941 to thwart US intervention with their naval plans, drawing America into the war. This is the memorial to the USS Arizona which has lain beneath the water since that day.
USS Arizona was built in Brooklyn, New York in 1915 and happened to be at Pearl Harbor in 1941 for repairs but was otherwise in active service. Several direct hits and an explosion in the magazine led to the loss of 1,177 lives, around half of the total of that day.
Oil still leaks from the sunken hulk of USS Arizona, over seventy years later. Much of the hull is visible from the memorial structure, just a few feet below the surface. The gun turrets were removed with one being repurposed for USS Nevada, and fittingly used against the Japanese later in the war.
Another veteran of Pearl Harbor is the USS Missouri, still afloat and now operating as a museum ship. It was on this vessel that the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed in Tokyo Bay in 1945, but perhaps more importantly where Cher sang “Turn Back Time” in 1989, and Steven Seagal was “Under Siege” in 1992. An illustrious career indeed!
Crossing over to the north side of Oahu, the old surface road can be hiked above the new highway tunnels at Nu’uana Pali viewpoint. Overgrown and with occasional rockfalls, I have been on similar old roads in Madeira.
With its year-round springtime climate, Hawaii is the perfect place for golfing, such as here at the Mid-Pacific Country Club.
Looking up the north shore, with the characteristic deeply eroded volcanic slopes in the distance.
Kailua Beach on the north shore, one of O’ahu’s many public beaches that fringe the island. The spine of mountains in the distance divides the island and was a formidable barrier until roads were cut and blasted through in the 20th century.
Lanikai Beach is a more secluded area (for O’ahu) and has a great little hike up the Pillbox Trail over the ridge from which I took this photo. I could see people kayaking and paddle-boarding out to the islands in the distance.
Heading up the Lanikai Pillbox trail on Ka’iwa Ridge was a highly satisfying short hike, with spectacular views and interesting wartime defences to look at.
My hotel on the north shore was the Paradise Bay Resort at Kahalu’u, chosen less for its location than for its existence, as it turns out there are very few hotels on the north shore. It was good for a few days, and the hula dinner shows were a nice touch.
The view from my hotel as I had breakfast before heading out for a day of exploring. The mountains catch moisture and have a significant effect on the windward and leeward climates of the island.
The further north I headed, the rougher the sea got – great for surfing but not so much for swimming! I went all the way up to the Turtle Bay Resort where I had dinner.
Hanauma Bay is another volcanic cone, partially inundated by the waters of the Pacific. It offers excellent snorkelling, so I gleefully splashed off into the azure warm waters for a morning inspecting fish and crustaceans.
Another view of Hanauma Bay, I could have stayed here all day and will certainly be back whenever I return to Hawaii.
Back in Waikiki and the surf dudes were setting up to catch some waves. Many hundreds of boards were stacked around the beach near the Royal Hawaiian.
Duke Kahanamoku was one of Hawaii’s most famous surfing pioneers, and is immortalised in bronze on Waikiki Beach. After winning five Olympic swimming medals from 1912 to 1924, he introduced the Hawaiian sport of surfing to the rest of the world.
Night time view at the Sheraton pool next door to my hotel. As the Royal Hawaiian is part of the same chain (now owned by Marriott), I was able to lounge by the pools here too.
Created 2015 | Updated 2023
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