Oahu/Waikiki
Oahu draws people from around the globe for its world-renowned Waikiki Beach and monster waves that pound the North Shore in the winter. That's why it's known as the "Gathering Place." Oahu is not the largest of the Hawaiian Islands, but it is home to Honolulu International Airport and the state capitol. We like to describe Oahu as the "sweet-hot" of Hawaii; a pinch of this and a smidgeon of that. Urban, yet organic. Bustling, yet laid back. Slick, but still natural.
Arts & Local Culture
From contemporary art to Hawaiian traditional arts, the restoration of ancient fish ponds and building-size murals of whales.
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Beaches
You'll start with Waikiki Beach. Probably hit the North Shore, home to surfing's iconic beaches. But don't stop there.
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Food & Drink
Spam musubi. Ahi poke. Shave ice. Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Plate lunch specials. Restaurants, festivals and farmers markets.
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Hiking & Land Activities
Hiking Diamond Head. Golfing. ATV adventures. Horseback riding. Birdwatching. A zoo. Plenty to do around Oahu.
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Music & Entertainment
See how an ukulele is made. Attend a slack key guitar festival. Try a luau. Hit a nightclub. No end to entertainment here.
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Romance & Honeymoons
A wedding in paradise. Hawaii honeymoon. Special anniversary. Vow renewal. Romance abounds.
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Sightseeing & Shopping
Scenic vistas, historic sites, pineapple plantation, Pearl Harbor. Shopping, too--from swap meets and crafts fairs to high fashion.
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Snorkeling & Water Adventures
Take a surf lesson. Then, go snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, and the latest craze--stand up paddling.
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Spa & Massage
Experience massage the Hawaiian way--with lomilomi. Schedule a spa treatment. Unwind from the day's activities with a yoga session.
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The Be-All, End-All Guide to Where to Do What on Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach contains a world of beach adventures to keep you exploring for days and weeks on end. So here's what you need: the be-all, end-all, grandaddy list of all lists for the best spot along Waikiki Beach to do just about whatever it is you could imagine doing.
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Come. Join Donna Kahakui.
When you ask Donna Kahakui where she comes from, she answers, the ocean. “I come from a family of fishermen. To me, the ocean is my best friend,” she says. “I am more coordinated in the ocean than I am on land.”
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Diamond Head State Monument and Park
Panoramas from this 760-foot extinct volcanic peak extend from Waikiki and Honolulu in one direction and out to Koko Head in the other. This 360-degree perspective is a great orientation for first-time visitors. On a clear day, look to your left past Koko Head to glimpse the outlines of the islands of Maui and Molokai.
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Diversity in Islamic Art at Shangri La
“Islamic art dates from the 8th century to present day and pretty much encompasses the countries from southern Spain all the way to India, so Islamic art is very diverse,” said Barbara Buchman, taking cover from the bright sun in the shade of an 80-year-old banyan tree. “If you take away anything from my tour, that’s it. That Islamic art is very diverse.”
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The Music Men: The Ohana Pahinui
Like bulls in the musical china shop, the Pahinuis have, in turn, defined, thrilled and confounded the Hawaiian music scene with their raw talent, blue-collar approach, and legendary antics. Headed by patriarch Charles Phillip Kunia "Gabby" Pahinui, this family's knowledge and practice of music was fostered in classic "kanikapila" (freeform, backyard jam) environment. Gabby himself began his career as a self-taught guitarist sitting in with other bands in the rough environs of 1920s Kaka'ako. This was Hawaii music finding itself, fusing decades of backyard luau rifs and South Sea classics with the new Big Band sounds of Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey.
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Lomi Pohaku Massage Melts Stress
I walk away from some massages feeling light and lively, like I’ve finally dropped a super-size suitcase, one that any airlines would slap me with an overweight baggage charge. Other times, massages leave me in a deep slumber, and when I do come to my senses, I slink off the table and speak gibberish for the remainder of the day. I left the Lomi Pohaku at Serenity Spa at Outrigger Reef on the Beach feeling like an ice cube that had just melted.
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Learning to Surf
Growing up, Oregon native Neil Kopp swore to all of his surfer buddies that riding the waves was one thing he'd never do. But then he visited Hawaii and guess what happened?
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From Catching Fish to Providing Electricity
But there is another kind of marine debris, one that hasn’t received quite the attention that plastic has but one that is just as harmful to our oceans, coastal ecosystems and the animals that live in them: Ghost nets. Also called derelict fishing nets. They are like giant balls of spaghetti swirling through out oceans and washing ashore, and endangered Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and humpback whales, among a variety of other marine animals big and small, can and do get trapped in them and die.
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Indigenous Soap Can Change Your Life
Love Chance was a sophomore at the University of Hawaii when she got into soap. Really got into it. She says she was going through her hippie phase at the time, studying lomilomi massage and Hawaiian medicinal plants. She wasn’t looking to start up a business. Soap would be fun to make soap, she thought, and mixed up her first batch with a friend on top of a washing machine in her home. They named their soap Aina. That was almost 10 years ago.
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Not Your Grandmother's Muumuu
When you think of a muumuu, you probably think of a heavy cotton dress with puffy sleeves and a shapeless tunic that falls to the floor, maybe with a ruffle around the bottom. You probably think of Hawaii and big, colorful floral prints. And you definitely think of your grandmother. Am I right? Well, Deb Mascia is here to show how wrong we both are. Because I’m pretty sure Cameron Diaz, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Obama and Susan Sarandon wouldn’t be caught dead wearing their grandmother’s muumuu.
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