The Oahu Blog - Everything I Missed

Here is my blog on all of the other things I did while on the island of Oahu. Oahu is the most populous Hawaiian island and is the busiest island, mostly due to the capital of Honolulu being on this island. There were so many more things to do on Oahu than in Maui, and the city of Honolulu (and in particular, the area of Waikiki Beach) felt more lively with commotion and entertainment. I enjoyed my stay right beside the ocean in Waikiki Beach and there were a number of things I want to showcase during my stay in Oahu.

The Maui "Everything Else" Blog

I talked about all of the significant attractions on my trip to Hawaii, so now I want to spend this blog and the next blog talking about all of the other things while I was in Maui and Oahu. This blog will focus on Maui, but I want to talk about an observation I had visiting Hawaii in general.

It was no surprise to me that Hawaii is an expensive place to live, but I did not realize how expensive buying food was. In one grocery store, a standard loaf of bread can cost as much as $10 USD, which is crazy to me. You have to remember that Hawaii does not have industrialized food production to feed its citizens and the millions of tourists that visit. Most food has to be imported from elsewhere, which explains its high cost.

Pearl Harbor Media Gallery

One morning in Oahu, I went to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Park. This was the site of the terrible 1941 attack on the US military by Japanese armed forces which brought the involvement of the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was also the setting of the equally terrible 2001 movie of the same name. Admission into the park itself is free, and you can visit the USS Arizona Memorial for free as well, but you need a reservation (which I did not have). There are other things you can experience on the Memorial grounds as well, for an admission fee.

The Road To Hana - A Scenic Drive Unlike Any Other

There is one attraction that tourists recommend to do when staying on the island of Maui. This attraction is the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is a scenic drive along the north, east, and south coasts of Maui, with many winding curves, one-lane roads, and cliffside driving. There are many parks and other areas to stop and see all the waterfalls and the other numerous sights on this drive. Tourists recommend spending two days (with a night in the town of Hana) to see all the different attractions on the road, but you can do the drive and plan out the most important attractions you want to see in one full day. Tourists also recommend getting up early and hitting the highway by around 7am to avoid the morning rush.

Haleakala National Park: Above The Clouds

I am going to shift gears from what I did in Oahu and instead talk about what I did in Maui while on my Hawaii trip. This blog post and the next one will highlight the two major attractions on the island of Maui, and the first one I will talk about is Haleakala National Park. Haleakala National Park is a national park that consists of the dormant volcano of Haleakala and the surrounding wilderness area. This area is best known for watching sunrises and/or sunsets (though you must book a reservation to see the sunrise from the top of Haleakala National Park). I was not able to obtain one of the very few reservations available on the morning that we were going up, but this was not going to stop me from going after the reservation time.

Diamond Head: Breathtaking Views of Honolulu

While in Oahu, I spent a morning at Diamond Head State Monument, which is a crater formed by volcanic activity hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the island of Oahu and in the State of Hawaii. These days, most people go to this state park to hike up to the top of the crater lip to catch a glimpse of the views of Honolulu and the surrounding area.

Dole Plantation: A Hawaii Tourist Trap

Here is the first of my Hawaii blog posts, and I guess I will start off with the worst attraction of the trip, which was the Dole Plantation in Oahu. I did not have a bad time at the Dole Plantation, but I was surprised of the overall tackiness of the attraction. Going to the Dole Plantation was like going to one of the overpriced, tacky shops in Niagara Falls.