Hawaii (State of) Things to Do Tips by sargentjeff

Germaine's Luau.
That's my honey having a good time in 2000.
This is a great luau and you will have a fun time meeting new people and laughing at the performances. All the ladies can participate in the Hula lesson and every man will get a kiss from every lady. Not Bad huh. There's more. Cool tropical drinks and a real roast pig from the 'emu' or underground oven. Hot rocks are used to cook the pig all day. The animal is wrapped in palm leaves and it is delicious.
Be warned: Poi (made from Taro) is not that good. Actually I found it pretty nasty.

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Directions: Take the H-1 Freeway West. Follow signs to Waianae. Leave Freeway on Exit #1 (Campbell Industrial Park), which loops over the freeway and proceed towards ocean on Kalaeloa Blvd. to the very end.


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Other Contact: Reservations (800) 367-5655 or (

Great atmosphere, good shopping and dining.

There is a Wyland Gallery there as well. He paints excellent Hawaiian art and you can see some of it around town on buildings. He's painted 85 buildings

Also here is the Gordon Biersch Brewery and a Hooters Restaurant. You came for the chicken wings right? ;-) Well, t least Mariangela was a good sport, and we had a good time here. Also, there is a fragrance shop at ATM, which has some great sales on different colognes. I forgot the name of the place though.
The funniest thing happend once while eating at the Rodeo Cantina with some people from work. They have different hot sauces here, and one of my buddies thought he could handle anything. So, he pours the HOT HOT HOT stuff on his food. This bottle comes with a yellow CAUTION streamer on it, and with good reason. It was so hot it brought tears to his eyes, and he couldn't even eat his food.

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Directions: On the water near downtown, west of Ala Moana Mall/Beach on Ala Moana blvd
Website: www.alohatower.com

You get a spectacular view of the city and coastline

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Directions: Can't miss it. Right by Waikiki and Kapiolani park

Year round great weather make this a golfers paradise

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Directions: all over the place. Photo is on the 13th hole at Kaneohe's Marine Corps Base golf course
Other Contact: http://islandgolf.com/ign_oahu.h

'Iolani Palace is the only true royal palace in the United States and the last official residence of the kings and queens who ruled Hawaii. King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani completed the palace in 1882. The design of the palace was influenced by King Kalakaua's world travels and was the first to be equipped with telephones and electric lights. It served as the monarch residence until the dethronement of Queen Lili'uokalani in 1893 by American businessmen.

The Queen surrendered to the United States to prevent the bloodshed of her people and hence, Hawaii became a territory of the U.S. The building then served as the Capitol, first for the Territory and then the State. The new State Capitol was built in 1969 and the palace was restored to its royal grandeur.

It also includes a stairway made of 100% Koa wood, which if you know anything about koa know how much this must have cost.

You are not allowed to wear shoes in the palace, as the floors are all wood and it is done to preserve the beauty. The tour guides will give you little cloth covers for your feet.

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Address: 364 South King Street
808-538-1471

The waves are legendary. If you are lucky enough to be there during a big wave surfing competition...GO see it. Waimea Bay will be the spot and get there early to be able to park.

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Directions: North Shore. Take the H2 north and get back on the Kamehameha Highway. continue north to Haleiwa, then head east to the Beach. You'll see signs for the beach

Hanauma Bay is absolutely gorgeous. You can snorkle or swim in crystal clear water and see literally thousands on interesting fish. The bay is full of coral, most of it dead due to humans, but it's still beautful.

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Directions: South side of Oahu, east past Hawaii Kai. Parking is tough in the heavy tourist season and some prefer to park in Hawaii Kai and walk up the hill.
Other Contact: You can rent snorkle gear here o

This is the place it started for the US in WWII. It is humbling to be on the memorial and gaze into the water at the sunken battleship. Oil still leaks from within, and is easily visible on the surface.

The center and USS Arizona Memorial are free of charge to the public and there are no reservations. Surely another reason to go, as most everything tourists do in Hawaii costs plenty. Everyone visiting the USS Arizona is encouraged to view a 20 minute film documenting the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film is presented by the Park Service, prior to the short U.S. Navy shuttle boat trip to the memorial itself. Be prepared to wait however. The memorial is a very popular site in Honolulu and the crowds at all hours of the day can be overwhelming. Visitors are issued free tickets for the film and the shuttle to the Arizona upon arrival at the center on a first come, first served basis, but waits of one hour or more are commonplace. For this reason, go early!

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Directions: Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
1 Arizona Memorial Place
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818

From the Honolulu/Waikiki area take either Ala Moana/Nimitz Highway or H-1 freeway West. While on H-1 look for the USS Ariz
Other Contact: The center is open from 7:30 a.m

Polynesian Culture Center or PCC as it's known to locals
Get a taste of various Polynesian cultures and learn that the traditional Hula dance most are familiar with, you know grass skirts, bikini tops, and wild hip moving, is not Hawaiian, but Tahitian!

You will also see the best night show on the island. The fire knife dancers are incredible and the costumes are beautiful.

Most all of the people who work there are actually BYU Hawaii students, as the Mormon church runs the center.

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Directions: Laie, Oahu. It's on the extreme north east side of the island. Plan on an hour drive from Honolulu.
55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, HI 96762
Other Contact: http://www.polynesia.com/

This highway was a very controversial issue for Hawaiians, and the only state highway to require a Federal Environmental Impact Statement. It took 37 years to complete due to legal battles. Seems the government had the nerve to build a highway over ancient burial grounds. I'm pretty sure that most of the island is an ancient burial ground however.
Anyway, it's one of the most sophisticated tunnels in the world, has several cameras, and is able to track each vehicle's movement through the tunnel and send and automatic message to the control room when a vehicle stops, changes lanes or explodes :0)

The views on this highway are also very beautiful.

It will take your from central Oahu around Pearl Harbor/Aloha Stadium, to the Windward side (Kailua/Kaneohe)

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Other Contact: http://www.state.hi.us/dot/publi