the globe and mail: Why Oahu works as Hawaii’s hub
CAITLIN AGNEW
OAHU, HAWAII
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHEDNOVEMBER 5, 2018UPDATEDNOVEMBER 7, 2018
The allure of Hawaii is hard to resist. The backdrop to countless movies, honeymoons and iconic images, it’s easy to see why we’re all infatuated with the vision that is Hawaii. According to the state’s tourism authority, last year Hawaii received 9.3 million visitors. More than half of those, nearly 5.7 million, went to Oahu. Yes, this island is a mega tourist attraction, and with good reason. It’s a tropical paradise with all the conveniences you’d expect of the United States, such as familiar restaurants, friendly Uber drivers and a safe environment. There’s something for everyone here.
The SurfJack Hotel & Swim Club in Honolulu.MARIKO REED/SURFJACK HOTEL
For an urban metropolis that’s home to some 400,000 residents, Honolulu is decidedly laid-back. On the streets of the city’s Waikiki neighbourhood, the vibe is a PG-13 version of the Las Vegas strip, with shopping, restaurants and an endless array of hotels. The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, for instance, is a playful boutique hotel housed in a 1960s-era concrete building. With a focus on design, it’s been refreshed with reclaimed wood and work by local artists. Its restaurant, Mahina & Sun’s, serves field-to-table local dishes such as Sweet Land Farm chèvre beignets and moonfish to live music. The Modern Honolulu, meanwhile, is a stylishly designed property where a wall of books in the lobby swings aside to reveal a secret bar called The Study. There are also classic accommodations like the iconic Royal Hawaiian, a 1927 Spanish-Moorish-style building known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific.
It may come as a surprise to history buffs that Honolulu is also home to a proper royal palace. Built in 1882, Iolani Palace was the official royal residence for the Kingdom of Hawaii until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. Iolani has been restored and was registered as a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1962. Visitors, via self-guided audio tour, can learn about Hawaii’s royal heritage, including the story of Queen Liliuokalani, who was imprisoned for nearly eight months in an upstairs bedroom.
There’s a lot to learn about Hawaiian culture on Oahu, such as the fact that the tiki bar is actually a fanciful creation of the mainland. But the island is by no means devoid of well-mixed drinks. Tucked away on the mezzanine level of the Topa Financial Center in downtown Honolulu, Bar Leather Apron is an intimate cocktail spot that takes a farm-to-glass approach. The E Ho’o Pau Mai Tai, by co-founder and head bartender Justin Park, is an award-winner and comes laced with absinthe and flavoured with kiawe wood smoke, to dramatic effect.
Visitors walk the stairs to the top of Leahi, also known as the Diamond Head State Monument.HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY
Equally dramatic is the view from the top of Diamond Head State Monument. For an entrance fee of US$1, more than one million visitors make the two-hour hike up this volcanic crater each year. The summit rewards them with views of Oahu’s southern shoreline, from Koko Head to Waianae. A 14-kilometre drive down the coast, Hanauma Bay State Park is a popular destination for snorkelling. Declared a protected marine conservation area and underwater park in 1967, this bay and its reef are home to hundreds of tropical fish and other marine life, as well as the 3,000 or so tourists who visit daily.
The renowned beaches of Oahu's North Shore are an easy drive from Honolulu.HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY
And no visit to Oahu would be complete without a road trip to its North Shore. Famous for its surf, the North Shore is an easy hour or so drive from Honolulu. In addition to its renowned beaches, the area’s Waimea Valley is a must-visit. Once home to Hawaiian kings, chiefs and high priests, today it is a botanical garden that represents about 5,000 different types of plants from around the world. On the walk to the park’s swimmable waterfall, you’ll encounter an ancient Hawaiian residential site, peacocks, and artisans working on musical instruments or paintings.
Surfers walk at sunset along Waikiki.HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY
Before heading back to Honolulu, the Haleiwa Store Lots is a worthy stop. This open-air retail destination is home to a curated selection of shops, galleries, cafés and restaurants, each with roots in the local North Shore community. The anchor of this charming complex is Matsumoto Shave Ice, which has been here since 1951, first as a grocery store before diversifying into shave ice, a cool, sweet treat with flavours such sa coconut, lilikoi and Japanese peach. Owner Stan Matsumoto recalls a quieter time before the area became known as a destination for visiting surfers. “Haleiwa’s changed a lot. Back in the sixties, the surfers came out here and they surfed and then they went back. It started to become a surfing town,” he says. Now, Matsumoto’s sells more than 1,200 servings of shave ice every day. Fifty years later, that pull to Oahu is stronger than ever.