My grown kids and I went to Oahu in 2003 in July and it was our best vacation. My tips:
- Take a video-cam and tape as much as you can. Your family should really enjoy re- living Your vacation.
- Don’t lock valuables in your car, and be respectful to any locals you meet.
- Get a good map of Oahu. A good topographical map with main roads was found at an Outrigger hotel.
- If you’re staying in Waikiki, go out and walk around in the early evening around the touristy shops. Lots of people to watch, a few street performers, etc.
- If you like sweet, doughy treats, go to Leonard’s Bakery and try the malasadas.
- Spend some time on the Waikiki beach, obviously.
When we did “the drive“, we started out East on H1 / 72 and hit these spots:
* Hanauma Bay for a scenic protected shallow bay snorkel experience. When I was There, I saw a moray eel in 2 feet of water ! I went out further, and my son and I nearly got pulled out into deeper water: as someone else has pointed out, the power of the waves and currents are deceptive !!
* Sandy Beach: check out Sandy Beach on Youtube to see how dangerous these waves can be. I recommend this spot just to watch others get thrashed. Keep young kids out of the water. There is some blow-hole action you can watch from the beach just to the south.
* Kept driving, 72 to 61 to 83 / Kamehameha all along the mid-north coast. You’ll be able to stop many places along the way to enjoy the scenery and some beaches.
* If your family is into that kind of thing, the Polynesian Cultural Center can be fun. It’s along the way in Laie.
* As you pass the northern-most point, you get into the long string of famous surfing beaches. Too many places to mention, that we stopped at to lay on the beach, wade in the water (it was summer, NO waves), see the actual famous surfing spots, check out sea-life in the tide-pools, snorkel. It would seem there would be good diving here IF the waves were flat enough.
* We stopped at Waimea Beach because of the wide, clean sand, the clear snorkeling water, and my kids liked to jump off the Waimea rock. THIS WAS ANOTHER PLACE where the water was deceptively friendly in the shallows near the rocks, where I got swept around by a current and started panicking as I was snorkeling about 7 feet down.
* We stopped in Haleiwa to see the shops (it’s kinda country-ish up there) and have a shrimp plate at one of the lunch wagons. If you don’t like LOTS of garlic, beware.
* South on 83 to 930 to 803 to H2, west on H1, and we’re driving back towards Honolulu.
Other trips we took out from Waikiki:
* There are a couple of roads north out of Honolulu that will take you up to Manoa Falls, and some other hiking trails.
* West on H1 will take you towards the whole Pearl Harbor thing.
* Be sure you drive on the Pali Highway north out of Honolulu sometime, and check Out the scenery over the mountains. Stop at the Pali Lookout. You can chase wild chickens in the bushes.
* For a less touristy experience, if you are adventurous, you could check out the west-side of Oahu, although I’ve heard some reports of resistance to tourists. WE stopped at The Ko Olina Hotel (?) and snorkeled in the protected bay.
You can prepare to notice some of the real Oahu by watching episodes of Dog The Bounty Hunter. There appears to be a lot of the culture ravaged by ice / meth and crime.
Never go up to a native and say "Haole want beef".
Anyway, have a good time.
Sorry about the formatting.
And bad perms.
