The back story
Reading Oʻahu: a palace, a crater and a harbour of memory
ʻIolani Palace, the only official royal residence in the United States, Diamond Head’s crater, the memorials of Pearl Harbor, the Bishop Museum and Hanauma Bay: how to read Oʻahu’s great sights.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOʻahu holds the story of the islands in a day’s drive. In downtown Honolulu stands ʻIolani Palace, built in 1882 for the last reigning monarchs of Hawaiʻi; above Waikīkī rises Diamond Head, the crater whose summit trail looks back over the city; to the west lies Pearl Harbor, where the memorials recall 7 December 1941.
The palace
ʻIolani Palace was built in 1882 by King Kalākaua and was the home of Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarchs; a National Historic Landmark since 1962, it is the only official royal residence in the United States (the palace’s site).
The crater
Diamond Head State Monument opens daily from 6am to 6pm, and non-residents must reserve entry and parking ahead (Hawaiʻi State Parks).
The harbour
Pearl Harbor National Memorial’s museums and grounds have no entry charge; programmes, including the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial, are booked through recreation.gov, with a standby line (National Park Service). The Battleship Missouri, the USS Bowfin submarine and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum stand nearby.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe museum
The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum keeps the great collections of Hawaiian and Pacific natural and cultural history, with its Hawaiian Hall and a planetarium.
Book Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay before you fly; all three need reservations.
Our advice: give Pearl Harbor a full morning and arrive early; bags are not allowed in the memorial, so leave them at your hotel.
Why it's on our list
- The palace
- The crater
- The harbour
- The museum
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyHula, opera and Islamic art: Hawaiʻi’s artsThe Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art and Doris Duke’s Shangri La, Capitol Modern, the Hawaii Theatre of 1922, the opera, the symphony, the Merrie Monarch hula festival and the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival: Hawaiʻi’s arts.
The back storyWild Hawaiʻi: Monk Seals, Green Turtles, Humpback Whales and the Sea Birds of KaʻenaHawaiian monk seals on the beaches, green turtles in the shallows, humpback whales from November to April and the sea birds of Kaʻena Point: the wild side of Hawaiʻi, and how to watch it well.