A long weekend on Oahu, mainly in Honolulu, in November 2023.

Itinerary

Eats

• Marugame Udon
• Leonard’s Bakery
• Kona Cafe and B patisserie
• Dole Whip at the Plantation

Pow Wow Street Art

My friend tipped me off to a neighborhood where there is a lot of street art in Honolulu, so I checked it out with some iced coffee. There are some really cool pieces, and it was fun to see some new artists. The art is mostly in the area of Mother Waldron Park.

Waikiki Beach

Tourism. Shopping. Beaches outside the hotel front door. If you like swimming at a friendly calm water beach, Waikiki beach is great. I walked from my hotel into the ocean in 2 minutes. 

Pearl Harbor

I visited the Pearl Harbor site including the USS Arizona memorial. It was impactful. Compared to all of the World War II memorials I have visited in Russia, visitors here were not great at respecting the somber respectful tone of visiting the grave of fallen soldiers.

Dole Pineapple Plantation

A friend recommended the pineapple plantation, so I hoped in the car and drove a bit outside of Honolulu until I got there. It is a celebration of all things pineapple. I decided to go for the combo ticket that included the Pineapple Express and Garden Maze. At the advice of the ticket vendor I went to wait in line for the train first (the busiest part), but not before I stopped inside to grab a Dole whip cone to enjoy while I waited. It was a great decision, and I highly recommend this plan.

The train has a pre-recorded tour narrator and ambles along the tracks around the plantation. Then I decided to check out the maze which has a punch card for different checkpoints you have to find. Both were just good clean corny tourist activities. I even stopped in just for another Dole whip the next day on my way to the North Shore.

North Shore

I took a drive up to North Shore for the day, and decided to check out the Ka’ena Point Trail. It’s a Jeep dirt road / trail along the coast headed toward Ka’ena point. The beaches we much more rugged, rocky, and free of people. I didn’t got for a swim, but saw fishermen, kids playing in the surf, and even a snoozing seal.

East

One day I ventured east around the southeast point of the island and up to Kaneohe, stopping along the way at a Leonard’s truck. I grabbed some Malasadas, found a spot on the beach to enjoy them, and moved along. I ended up at Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden, a beautiful misty tropical oasis with lots of paths to explore. I could have spent much longer there but had to head back to town. It was interesting seeing the major climate differences on either side of the mountains.

Luau

Later that day I went to a luau with my friend at Nutridge, a beautiful spot in the mountains overlooking Honolulu. Hawaiian music, dancing, storytelling, and food. It was great. Also my philodendron and pothos wish they lived here.