Oahu Things to Do Tips by bryINpoland Top 5 Page for this destination

Melts In Your Mouth... North Shore Review

If you are on the North Shore of Oahu and visiting Haliewa town, then you need to pay a visit to M. Matsumoto Grocery Store/Shave ice.

Here u will find the home of the best shave ice in the World. Dont believe me, you have to try it. They sell over 1000 snow cones on a avcerage day. The line is always out the door and its been that way for about 54 years.

It only cost u on average $2 for a large cone. You can also buy dozens of different M. Matsumoto shave ice shirts. Thats right, shirts! They sell more shirts then gap.

The next time you are up the North Shore of Oahu, pay a visit to Matsumotos...

Address: 66-087 Kamehameha Hwy. Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712

Directions: From Downtown, take H1 West to H2 North, and it takes u directly into Haliewa town. Or take Pali Highway or Likelike Hwy and both takes u to Kam Highway, and that takes u directly there as well. Or visit their webpage for further information.

Phone: (808) 637-4827

Makapuu Beach and Rabbit Island Beaches / Coastlines Review

Today we took a drive around the South/East side of Oahu and pulled over to take a photo at Makapuu Beach. In the picture you can see famous Rabbit Island behind me. If you look at it, it resembles a Rabbits head, with its ears floating behind him. Not to hard to see.

Makapuu beach is located right infront of Sea Life Park. The beach we are at here is a great spot for long boarding. Mostly the locals will surf here. If you continue down the beach towards the Makapuu Light House, you will find the more popular spot of Makapuu Beach. Known to most people for its great as a great swimming and body boarding beach. Its a beautiful beach but be careful because the surf can make it dangerous. There are always life guards there during the day.

Directions: Located along Kalanianeole Highway (72) right infront of Sea Life Park. If u are coming from Honolulu, head East on H1 Highway which turns into Kalanianeole Highway.

Aloha Tower Honolulu Review

Aloha Tower is one of Oahu's most famous landmarks. The tower sits within the Honolulu Harbor, standing over 184 ft tall (ten storys) and was was the tallest building in Hawaii until 1960.

The Tower was built in 1929 and has two clocks located just below the upper dome. One facing the harbor, and the second facing the city.

Many do not know that it is free to visit the top floor of the tower, which allows you a birds eye view from all 4 sides of the tower. It is never crowded, and a great place to get some shots of the Honolulu Harbor.

Aloha Tower is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Address: 1 Aloha Tower Drive • Honolulu, HI 96814

Phone: (808) 528-5700

Website: http://www.alohatower.com

Halona Blow Hole Beaches / Coastlines Review

Halona Blow Hole is located on the eastern shore of Oahu, about 30 minutes from downtown Waikiki.

The Halona Blow Hole was formed millions of years ago, when lava poured into the ocean from an under water tunnel. When the lava stopped, you were left with a hollow tube.

When waves surge into the tube, and the water gets pushed into the narrow portions of the tunnel. It causes the water preasure to build, and forces water out of a hole in the tubes ceiling. On days when the waves are big, the water can be shot as high as 30 to 40 feet into the air.

Directions: The Halona Blow Hole scenic look out located off Kalanianaole Highway, between Haunama Bay, and Sandys Beach.

Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona, Battle Ship Row Pearl Harbour Review

The USS Arizona was moored off of Ford Island on Battle Ship Row, along with six other battle ships, California, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennesse, Weste Virginia, and the Nevada.

Normally the ships wouldnt be moored so close together, but it was decided that they would group them up, to make them easier to protect from sabotage, since this was considered their greatest threat.

Because of their formation, they were sitting ducks for the Japanese when they attacked shortly before 8am. Within minutes the first wave of torpedo planes were able to get succesful hits on the California, West Virginia, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

Minutes after, the horizontal bombers with armer piercing bombs came in scoring hits on California, Tennesse, West Virginia, Maryland, and the Arizona. The Arizona suffered its finishing blow at 810am, when one of the armer piercing bombs made its way through it decks, and exploded in the forward magazines room. The Arizona sank within minutes.

Out of the seven ships on battle ship row, 5 of them would be repaired and see battle again, but the Oklahoma, and Arizona had found their final resting place.

Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona Memorial Flag Pearl Harbour Review

Every day, seven days a week, the American flag is raised above the wreck of the USS Arizona.

Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona , Barbette No. 3 Pearl Harbour Review

Barbette No. 3 is the most visible piece of the USS Arizona wreckage. A barbette is a protective cylinder that surrounds a revolving gun turret on a warship.

Barbette No. 3 can be seen on the North facing side of the memorial, towards the mountains. Between the Barbette and the memorial, is also where you can spot one of the oil leaks still coming from the ship. For more on the oil leak, check out my Oil Leak tip.

Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona Oil Leak Pearl Harbour Review

When the USS Arizona sunk, it was carrying over 500,000 gallons of oil. Since the ship sank, corrosion has eatin away at the ships fuel bunkers, causing a small amount of oil to leak each day. Bubbling droplets of oil measuring 2cm wide account for an estimated 1 quart of oil a day.

You can witness the leak yourself at the memorial by walking to the center of the memorial and facing the stern of the ship towards the mountains. Directly infront of you, you will see Barbette No. 3 sticking out of the water. Between the Barbette and the memorial is where you will find the leak. Sometimes you will have to wait a few minutes until the oil slick appears.

There has been heavy debate on if the leak should be stopped. Many argue that it will cause harmful damage to the enviroment if the leak gets any bigger. While others say it is a link to the past, and the wreck should not be touched.

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbour Review

The Pearl Harbor Memorial was opened on Memorial day 1962, as a reminder of what took place on Dec 7th 1941, when the Japanese military launched a suprise attach on Americas pacific fleet.

Within 2 hours, 2,403 lifes were lost, 21 ships sunk or damaged, including all 8 of our battle ships, and 1,177 killed on the Arizona alone. This was a huge success for the Japanese, only losing 10% of their attacking force.

Today Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial is one of Americas most visited National Parks, with an average of 4,500 visitors a day, and 1.5 million visitors a year.

Memorial Info
Entry is FREE
Open 7 days a week
730am - 500pm

Upon entrance, you will be given a ticket with your tour time. The wait can be up to a few hours which leaves you with a couple options. Many people spend their time waiting by walking the grounds, or exploring the museum. You are also free to leave and re-enter, so if you have a car, you can always go and come back before your tour. I recommend being back atleast 30 minutes before your tour time.

Parking is free, but the lots get pretty crowded come noon time. For shorter waiting times, the earlier the better.

Address: 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honlulu Hawaii 96818

Phone: 808 422 0561

Website: http://www.nps.gov/usar/index.htm

Valley of the Temples / Giant Budhha Palaces / Temples Review

Within the center of the Temple, is this giant wood carved buddha. You must remove your shoes when entering this section of the temple.