Hawaii > Honolulu

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Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is the capital and largest city of the state of Hawaii. It is the government, transportation, and commercial center for the state, and home to its best known tourist destination, Waikiki Beach.

The last thing you'd expect to find in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a thriving world-class city, with a beach that rivals any in the world. But Honolulu, the capital and commercial center of the Hawaiian Islands, is all of this and more.

The name Honolulu means "sheltered bay" in Hawaiian, and it is this natural harbor that launched this humble village on the southern shore of the island of Oahu to importance when, in 1809, King Kamehameha I moved his royal court from the island of Hawaii to Oahu. Its ideally located port made Honolulu a perfect stop for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia.

Eventually, in 1845, Kamehameha III officially moved the kingdom's capital from Lahaina on Maui to Honolulu. At the same time, descendants of missionaries who arrived in the early 1800s established their headquarters in Honolulu, making it the center of business. The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, annexation by the United States, and an attack by the Japanese on nearby Pearl Harbor, but Honolulu's stature had never wavered.

Today, with nearly one million people in its metropolitan area (80% of the state's population), Honolulu is the cultural, industrial, commercial, and governmental center of Hawaii, with Waikiki Beach the epicenter of the tourist industry. This is definitely not the place to go for a "get-away-from-it-all" Hawaiian vacation. It is as fast-paced and dynamic as any city, with all its problems such as heavy traffic, drugs, crime, and homelessness. But Honolulu has not entirely lost the charm of the Islands' laid-back atmosphere and culture. The island people are often polite, and as often as not, you'll be waved through at freeway entrances, although you'll probably be cut off again by someone in the next few seconds.

Simply put, Honolulu is in the middle of it all.

Districts

Honolulu extends inland from the southeast shore of Oahu, east of Pearl Harbor to Makapuu Point, and incorporates many neighborhoods and districts. You'll most often hear people refer to these districts by name - Waikiki, Manoa, Kahala, Hawaii Kai and so on - as though they're not part of the same city. Technically, they are. In fact, the city government of Honolulu covers the entire island of Oahu, including its outlying suburbs.

Get in

Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. with Interstate Highways that don't connect to another state. They are H-1, H-2, and the newest one H-3, all located on the island of Oahu.

By plane

Honolulu International Airport is the main aviation gateway for the Hawaiian Islands. The main terminal is served by most major American airlines from the mainland U.S., and by many international airlines from other countries around the Pacific Rim. Its Inter-island Terminal is the home of Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines, both of which offer frequent local service to the other Hawaiian islands.

The Airport Waikiki Express provides shuttle service to hotels in Waikiki every half hour for $9/ person. City buses #19 and #20 ($2 Adult, no change given, bills and coins accepted) also come to the airport once every half-hour, going through Aala Park downtown and on to Waikiki. You can catch them on the outside second level of the international and domestic departure terminals.

The best way to get to Waikiki by rental car (where your hotel is most likely to be) is to follow signs for H-1 east, then follow H-1 east about 2 miles to exit 18A (Waikiki/Nimitz Highway). Follow Nimitz Highway (which turns into Ala Moana Boulevard past downtown Honolulu) straight into Waikiki. You will pass through Honolulu's industrial district, along Honolulu Harbor, and past downtown Honolulu and the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Get around

Navigating

Unlike other cities on the U.S. Mainland, Honolulu is not laid out in a strict compass-point grid. Its street system conforms in large part to the shorelines, valleys, and ridges, with lots of twists and turns. It can be confusing for people used to straight grid systems. However, at the same time, it is not that difficult to navigate in, as long as you are familiar with the major arterials and terminology below.

Because it is difficult to differentiate north and south on an island, directions are normally given in terms of local landmarks. The most common terms that you will run into are mauka (MOW-kah) meaning "toward the mountain" and makai (mah-KIE) meaning "toward the sea". In the case of Honolulu, "mauka" is a rough north, and "makai" roughly south. You will also hear Ewa (EH-vah) and Diamond Head used a lot...the former roughly means "west" (toward the town of Ewa on the southwest shore of Oahu) and the latter roughly means "east" (toward the famous landmark crater on the southeast shore).

It is a very good idea to invest in a good map of Honolulu before doing extensive driving.

By bus

The local bus service in Honolulu is called, with remarkable succinctness, TheBus. Fares are $2 for adults, $1 for children and seniors (no change given - dollar bills accepted). TheBus runs intercity services to other parts of Oahu as well. Ask for a free transfer ticket if you are continuing on another bus. Most buses in the 500+ fleet are equipped with bike racks that can hold two bikes. Buses are also wheelchair accessible.

See

Beaches

Waikiki Beach.

Military Memorials

Battleship Missouri Memorial. On Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. A perfect companion to the USS Arizona Memorial, this battleship is best known the site where World War II ended when the Japanese military surrendered to the Allied forces. Tickets may be purchased at the nearby U.S.S. Bowfin Museum; visitors board buses to the USS Missouri itself. No private non-military vehicles can cross the Clarey Bridge to Ford Island without a pass. Adults $16, children under 12 $8.
USS Arizona Memorial. 1 Arizona Memorial Place. This memorial, built over the hull of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, commemorates the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the U.S. into World War II. Visitors view an interpretive film, then board ferry boats which run from the visitor center to the memorial. Free admission; tickets are given out on a first-come-first-served basis and are limited; tickets may run out by noon on busy days. Expect wait times of about one hour.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. 2177 Puowaina Drive (within Punchbowl Crater mauka of downtown). The final resting place of over 45,000 Americans who served their country in the military, the crater's rim also provides a panoramic view of Honolulu. The Courts of the Missing, a large marble shrine inscribed with the names of over 28,000 soldiers missing in action in World War II, serves as the centerpiece. Free admission.

Museums and Galleries

Bishop Museum. 1525 Bernice St. Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop, the husband of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last direct descendant of Kamehameha I, who founded the Kamehameha Schools, this non-profit institution seeks to "...record, preserve and tell the stories of Hawai`i and the Pacific, inspiring our guests to embrace and experience our natural and cultural world." They have an excellent permanent collection of Hawaiian artifacts, as well as a number of science-based exhibits. The new Science Adventure Center is centered around vulcanology, with a large simulated volcano in the center that "erupts" regularly. The museum also features a planetarium. The museum is the leading repository of natural and cultural history in the Pacific, recognized throughout the world for its cultural collections, research projects, consulting services and public educational programs. It also maintains one of the largest natural history specimen collections in the world. The museum's J.L. Gressit Center for Research in Entomology houses some 14 million prepared specimens of insects and related arthropods, including over 16,500 primary types, making it the third largest entomology collection in the United States and the eighth largest in the world. Adults $14.95, seniors (65+) $11.95, children 4-12 $11.95, children under 3 free.
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. 2411 Makiki Heights Dr. This museum, occupying an old estate overlooking Honolulu, is devoted exclusively to contemporary art. In addition to the galleries, including a permanent installation by David Hockney, visitors are encouraged to spend time outside in the museum's garden area.
Hawaii State Art Museum. 250 South Hotel St.. Occupies the second floor of a beautifully restored historic building near Iolani Palace and the state capitol. Funded by the Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.