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Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park
Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park (formerly Kahana Valley State Park) is in an incredibly rainy and unspoiled valley. You can walk through the valley on either of two hiking trails. The orientation center provides a trail map, but it isn't always open to visitors; trails tend to be poorly maintained and conditions slippery.
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beach
The beach fronting Bellows Air Force Base is a long beach with fine sand and a natural setting backed by ironwood trees. The small shorebreak waves are good for beginner bodysurfers and board surfers.
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Crouching Lion
The legend goes like so: the rock is a demigod from Tahiti who was cemented to the mountain during a jealous struggle between the volcano goddess Pele and her sister Hiiaka. When he tried to free himself by crouching, he was turned to stone. To find him, stand at the restaurant sign just north of the 27-mile marker with your back to the ocean and look straight up to the left of the coconut tree and the cliff above.
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Diamond Head State Monument
The massive backdrop to Waikiki, Diamond Head rises 763ft to its fish-shaped summit. The bare and scalloped land mass is a tuff cone and crater formed by a violent steam explosion deep beneath the earth's surface long after most of O'ahu's volcanic activity had stopped. Diamond Head State Monument is popular for its hiking trail to the crater rim with panoramic views. Plenty of people of all ages make the three-quarters of a mile hike.
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Dole Plantation
About halfway between Wahiawa and Hale'iwa on the North Shore, the food empire behind the Dole Plantation is almost synonymous with Hawaii. What started out as a fruit stand in the heart of O'ahu's pineapple country is now a bustling gift shop with various kid-friendly activities. Miles of pineapple fields surround the complex and Dole's processing plant sits across the street.
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Haiku Gardens
A more meditative place is hard to imagine than Haiku Gardens, a little valley containing a lily pond, an abundance of fragrant tropical flowers and lots of birdsong. The gardens, cradled by the Ko'olau Range, are picture perfect. The path starts at the side of Hale'iwa Joe's restaurant and takes only about 15 minutes down and back.
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Halona Blowhole
Heading east from Hanauma Bay, the road skirts past several lookouts and the geographical oddity of the Halona Blowhole. Here the water surges through a submerged tunnel in the rock and spouts up through a hole in the ledge. It's preceded by a gushing sound, created by the air that's being forced out by the rushing water. The action depends on water conditions - sometimes it's barely discernible, while at other times it's a showstopper.
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Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
A stunning ensemble of sapphire and turquoise hues mix together in modern-art abstractions in Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, the remnants of an eroded crater. Just below the sparkling surface are coral reefs, some of which are 7000 years old. Schools of glittering silver fish, bright blue flashes of parrotfish and perhaps a sea turtle are just a few of the regulars who are so used to snorkelers that many will go eyeball to face mask with you.
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Hawaii's Plantation Village
The lives of the people who came to Hawaii to work on the sugarcane plantations are showcased by Hawaii's Plantation Village. The setting is particularly evocative, as Waipahu was one of O'ahu's last plantation towns, and its rusty sugar mill, which operated until 1995, still looms on a knoll directly above this site.
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He'eia State Park
He'eia State Park on Kealohi Point, just off Kamehameha Hwy, has a good view of He'eia Fishpond on the right and He'eia-Kea Harbor on the left. The fishpond, an impressive survivor from the days when stone walled ponds of fish raised for royalty were common on Hawaiian shores, remains largely intact despite the invasive mangroves.
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Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden
A lush and lovely vantage point for admiring the land and sea of the Windward Coast, Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden occupies a 400-acre corner at the foot of the Ko'oalu Range. It is planted with trees and shrubs from the world's tropical regions and was originally designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as flood protection for the valley.
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James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
Four miles beyond Kahuku, heading towards Turtle Bay Resort, James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a rare freshwater wetland that provides habitat for Hawaii's four endangered waterbirds - the Hawaiian coot, the Hawaiian stilt, the Hawaiian duck and the Hawaiian moor hen. During stilt nesting season, normally mid-February to October, the refuge is off-limits to visitors. The rest of the year, it can only be visited on a guided tour.
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Kailua Bay
A wide arc of sand drapes around the jewel-colored waters of Kailua Bay with formidable volcanic headlands pinning either side. Above the tender waves, sea turtles poke their heads; along the beach, residents swap chit-chat during early morning dog walks. Tucked back behind the dunes are long yards and modest one-story homes, belying their present-day multimillion dollar price tags.
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Kane'aki Heiau
Set within the Makaha Valley, this is one of the best restored sacred sites on the island. According to legend the rain goddess was impressed with the fishing prowess of a local chief. His generous offering to her was reciprocated with generous rainfall to the parched valley and in turn a heiau was built in her honor. The site was later used as a luakini , a temple to the war god Ku and a place for human sacrifices. Kamehameha worshipped here.
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Kawainui Marsh
Kawainui Marsh is one of Hawaii's largest freshwater marshes and provides flood protection for the town of Kailua. The inland water catchment is also one of the largest remaining fishponds used by ancient Hawaiians. Legend says the edible mud of the ancient fishpond was home to a mo'o (lizard spirit).
Downstream from Kawainui is the smaller Hamakua Marsh, which provides habitat for rare Hawaiian birds in their natural habitat.
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Koko Crater
One of the tallest and best-preserved tuff cones, Koko Crater now supports a small county botanical garden planted with plumeria, oleander and cacti and other dryland species. According to Hawaiian legend, Koko Crater is the imprint left by the vagina of Pele's sister Kapo, which was sent here from the Big Island to lure the pig-god Kamapua'a away from Pele (the volcano goddess).
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Kualoa Ranch
Rarely is such a touristy attraction located in such a stunning location. Kualoa Ranch has a range of activities, from horseback riding to narrated nature tours, on its scenic property. Tour groups, especially Japanese, make up the bulk of visitors. Part of the prehistoric-looking landscape was used as a backdrop for the TV show Lost, and movies such as Jurassic Park, and George of the Jungle.
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Kualoa Regional Park
The 153-acre Kualoa Regional Park on Kualoa Point provides an expansive vista of offshore islands and inland mountains. In ancient times Kualoa was once one of the most sacred places on O'ahu. When a chief stood on Kualoa Point, passing canoes lowered their sails in respect. There are picnic tables, rest rooms, showers and a lifeguard. Camping is allowed from Friday through Sunday. The children of chiefs were brought here to be raised.
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Kukaniloko
Just north of Wahiawa is the area known as Kukaniloko, which marks a group of royal birthstones where Hawaiian queens gave birth to generations of royalty. The stones date from the 12th century. Legend held that if a woman lay properly against the stones while giving birth, her child would be blessed by the gods, and indeed, many of O'ahu's great chiefs were born at this site.
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La'ie Hawaii Temple
In 1919 the Mormons constructed La'ie Hawaii Temple, a mini-version of the great Salt Lake temple, at the end of a wide promenade. It is formal and stately, like nothing else on this end of the Windward Coast. There is a visitor center where enthusiastic guides will show you pictures of the interior of the temple (off-limits to non-Mormons) and talk to you extensively about the wonders of their faith.
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Lili'uokalani Church
Although the current building was constructed in 1961, the Lili'uokalani Church congregation dates from 1832. A Protestant church, it's named for Queen Lili'uokalani, who spent summers on Anahulu River and attended services here, held entirely in Hawaiian until the 1940s.The church is open whenever the minister is in, usually mornings.
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Makapu'u Point
Makapu'u Point has a precipitous view of the ocean from its 647ft pedestal. The coastal lighthouse at its tip marks the easternmost point of O'ahu. The gate to the mile-long service road is locked to keep out private vehicles, but hikers can park off the highway just beyond and walk in. Although not difficult, it's an uphill walk, and conditions can be hot and windy. The path and the lighthouse lookout give fine coastal views and, during winter, whales are sometimes visible offshore.
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Makua Beach
It is difficult to award such a presumptuous title as most beautiful beach, but few would be faulted if they preferred Makua Beach, an undeveloped stretch of coast where scenery and cultural significance intermingle. A perfect arc of white sand is backed by the pyramid-shaped mountains of the Wai'anae Range. This is the site of many traditional Hawaiian burials at sea, including that of beloved musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, aka Braddah Iz.
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Malaekahana State Recreation Area
Swimming is generally good year-round here, although there are occasionally strong currents in winter. This popular family beach is also good for many other water activities, including bodysurfing, board surfing and windsurfing. Kalanai Point, the main section of the park, is less than a mile north of La'ie and has picnic tables, barbecue grills, camping, rest rooms and showers.
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Moku O Lo'e
Moku O Lo'e (Coconut Island), once a royal playground, was named for the coconut trees planted there by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. In the 1930s it was the estate of Christian Holmes, heir to the Fleischmann fortune, who dredged the island, doubling its size to 25 acres. During WWII it was also used as an R&R facility. In the 1960s the island was used in the filming of the popular Gilligan's Island TV series.
