• In the summer months, you can surfboard on the North Shore at one of the three big surf spots when waves are calmer. Only world class surfers go in the water between November and February when waves reach 20 feet at Waimea Bay, 30 feet at Sunset Beach and break over shallow reefs at the Banzai Pipeline.

• Hike to the top of Diamond Head, a 760-foot extinct volcano, in early morning. At the peak you’ll have a dramatic panoramic view that includes half the island of Oahu.

• Continue your hike beyond the Diamond Head Lighthouse down to Diamond Head Seacliff and see spectacular seaside views, magnificent estates, and surfers and windsurfers enjoying the windward section of the island.

• Sign up for a glider ride at Dillingham Airfield on the North Shore (www.honolulusoaring.com) and see Oahu from a bird’s-eye perspective. Flights can be easy or aerobatic, your choice, and you can even get a flight lesson. First timers should consider limiting time aloft to no longer than 30 minutes.

• Even more venturous? Try skydiving in tandem with an instructor (www.skydiving.com). The company offers warnings about the risks.

• Scuba diving opportunities are varied and plentiful throughout the island. You can look for exotic fish or go after larger quarry. Equipment rentals are available, but many experienced divers bring their own gear.

• Ride horseback at the Kualoa Ranch and see a part of Hawaii you probably didn’t expect.

• Sticking to your Honolulu base, rent a car and explore the island with no destination in mind. You’ll be surprised at the island’s diversity of topography, lifestyles and scenic views. Carry a camera and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at one of many beautiful public parks.

• Honolulu’s several ethnic districts offer interesting contrasts. Chinatown is worth a visit as it wakes up in early morning to the smells of traditional Chinese meals including Chinese dumplings and ribbons of fresh noodles. Shops offer jade, leis, medicinal herbs, incense and more. In the evening, restaurants vary from traditional Chinese to exotic. It’s a good place to pub hop, too.
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• Go to Haunama Bay, a short drive from Waikiki, to snorkel in clear waters among tropical fish that will give you a nudge to get food.

• For great shopping, go to the huge open-air Ala Moana Center with its more than 260 stores and outdoor koi ponds, and take a leisurely walk along Kalakaua Avenue which also has many fine restaurants and entertainment.

• Another great shopping area is Kapahulu Avenue, just minutes from Waikiki. It features a broad array of things to buy, restaurants and examples of Hawaii’s cultural diversity.

• Watch world class surfers challenge the 20- to 30-foot waves daily on the North Shore beaches of Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay and the Banzai Pipeline from November through February.

• Helicopter tours offer a good way to see much of the island from the air, and you’ll hear an interesting presentation from the experienced pilots. The flights are available in several places.

• Even more involving are kayaking tours, shark excursions (you stay in the boat) or renting an ATV to explore places on your own.

• Pay respects to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor where 1,777 crewmen lost their lives. The public area is built atop its sunken hull. Don’t be surprised when you see many Japanese visitors also participating in the tours.

• While you’re in Pearl Harbor, experience the cramped claustrophobic quarters in which sailors had to live and work together for months, by visiting the USS Bowfin, one of 288 submarines built in World War II.

• Spend time at the Bishop Museum, the largest museum in the state and the premier natural history and culture center. It houses Hawaiian artifacts, royal family heirlooms of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, an extensive art collection, official documents and historic photos.
See the new Science Adventure Center.
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• Visit the King’s Village, a collection of busy, eclectic shops. But, as you do, walk with a feeling of reverence. It was once the site of King Kalakaua’s summer residence, where he lived and ruled from 1874 to 1891.

• In ‘Iolani Palace, tour the beautifully restored state apartments, the State Dining Room, the Throne Room and the private living quarters from 1882 to 1893 of King Kalakaua and later Queen Lili’uokalani.

• Throw a fresh lei on the 17-foot bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku in Waikiki and have your picture taken with him. It is the most photographed attraction in Hawaii. The Duke popularized modern surfing, won two Olympic gold free-style swimming medals (1912 and 1920) and became a motion picture star.

• Take an escorted historical walking tour of the Mission Houses Museum. The museum includes the three original frame homes that were built in New England and shipped to Hawaii to house missionaries. Nearby is the island’s original schoolhouse and a printing house where the first Hawaiian alphabet book and hymnals were produced.

• See the “Mighty Mo” (the USS Missouri), which is anchored as an interactive museum in Pearl Harbor’s battleship row. Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese on its decks on Sept. 2, 1945.

• Pearl Harbor’s Ford Island has a recently opened Pacific Aviation Museum housed in World War II hangers with interactive simulators and restored aircraft from that era.

• The Polynesian Cultural Center in La’ie, about an hour’s drive from Honolulu on the Kahekili Highway, offers a look at authentic Hawaiian cultural life, and it has seven re-created Hawaiian islands.

• Enjoy lunch or dinner at Hawaii’s oldest hotel, the still-elegant Moana Hotel (Moana Surfrider), built in 1901 in the Hawaiian Renaissance style.

• Play golf. Honolulu and surrounding areas offer many choices, from reasonable to expensive — all with great playing conditions and views. Unless you choose famous designer courses, you can call for reservations after you arrive.
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For more information, consult the Oahu Visitors Bureau at www.visit-oahu.com and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau at www.gohawaii.com. Order a free Hawaii visitors guide at the www.gohawaii.com home page, and that sets you in motion to find a travel agent who is a Hawaii Specialist.

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