Things to do
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Diamond Head
Lēʻahi, the tuff cone closing the Waikiki shore, is hollow inside, and a path climbs from the crater floor to a summit two hundred and thirty-two metres above the sea. Switchbacks, two flights of steep steps and a lit tunnel lead to a lookout built for coastal guns. There is no shade at all. Non-residents must reserve a slot, and the early walk is the cool one.
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Pearl Harbor National Memorial
White concrete spans the sunken hull of the Arizona, where more than a thousand of her crew remain and oil still rises in beads to the surface. Navy boats run out from the visitor centre on timed tickets that are released online in advance and go quickly. Bags are barred at the gate. The battleship Missouri and a submarine sit across on Ford Island under separate tickets.
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Waikiki Beach
Hotel towers back a shallow crescent of imported sand about three kilometres long, with Diamond Head closing the eastern end. The reef breaks offshore are slow and forgiving, which is why the surf schools and outrigger canoes work here, and why a first stand-up lesson usually succeeds. A bronze Duke Kahanamoku faces the street. Sunset draws a crowd to the wall at Kuhio Beach.
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Hanauma Bay
Cliffs ring a flooded crater on the southeast shore, open to the sea at one side and protected as a marine reserve, where reef fish shoal in shallow water near the sand. Entry means a conservation film at the rim, then a steep descent and a stiffer climb back. Slots are booked online days ahead and go within minutes. Reef-safe sunscreen only.
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Iolani Palace
Kalākaua raised this palace in the eighteen eighties, the only royal residence on American soil, and wired it for electric light and telephones before the White House had either. After the overthrow of the kingdom, Queen Liliʻuokalani was held under guard in an upstairs room, where she worked a quilt that is still shown. Tours are guided or by audio, and shoe covers are required.