DK Travel : Honolulu & O’ahu : Outdoor

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Kualoa Regional Park

This flat, windy park, with its narrow sandy beach and shallow inshore ponds, is fantastic for kite-flying, snorkeling, launching watercraft, picnicking, and camping (by permit). The clearly visible peak sitting on the ocean (sometimes known as the China-man’s Hat) is the island of Mokoli’i (see Mokoli’i (Chinaman’s Hat)).

Kualoa Regional Park

The beach at Kualoa Regional Park
Kuli’ou’ou Beach Park

This family-friendly park on Maunalua Bay offers perfect picnic sites, restrooms, views and, at low tide, the opportunity for novice kayakers to take to the water. From Kalaniana’ole, turn right on Kuli’ou’ou Road, left on Summer Street and right again on Bay, which comes to a dead end in a parking lot.
Lanikai

Developed as a beach retreat in the 1920s, Lanikai (reached by a beach road south of Kailua) is one of the most sought-after addresses on O’ahu. The neighborhood remains tight-knit, hosting community plays and an exceptional pre-Christmas craft fair.
Lanikai Beach

Frequently voted one of the world’s best beaches, Lanikai is reached through beach access trails in the ritzy Lanikai neighborhood along Mokulua Drive. It’s flat and sandy, quite narrow in spots, and popular for swimming, boating, diving, and snorkeling.
Lili’uokalani Botanical Gardens

Bequeathed to her people by the last monarch of Hawai’i, the garden focuses on native plants. The site includes portions of Nu’uanu Valley.

Lili’uokalani Botanical Gardens
Lyon Arboretum

Named for Harold L. Lyon, longtime director of botanical gardens in Honolulu, this University facility is both a field station and a public garden of tropical plants, native plants, conservation biology, and Hawaiian ethnobotany. Classes, workshops and outings are offered.
Mākaha

Site of the Mākaha International Surfing Contest, the beach here is steep-sloped and wide, with lots of golden sand and deep waters close to shore. The well-formed waves range from medium in the off-season to VERY large in the winter. Stray boards can be a hazard to swimmers.
Mākaha Resort Golf Club

This course in a historic valley overlooked by the island’s highest point, Mt. Ka’ala, is worth the drive. Eight water hazards, 107 bunkers and a treacherous wind call for strategic thinking. An easier sister course is next door.
Makapu’u

The slow rolling shoulders of the waves and the lack of a reef below make this spot ideal for bodysurfing, plus board surfing is prohibited to prevent collisions. But watch out during high winter surf, and take heed of flag warnings from the lifeguards.
Makapu’u Beach Park

This park contains some of O’ahu’s beloved landmarks – the beach (a bodysurfer’s mecca), the nearby lighthouse, and the shore trail. Just over the rocks is “baby beach,” where pools are safe for children’s play. Manana – better known as Rabbit Island – is a dramatic landmark offshore.