DK Travel : Honolulu & O’ahu : Places of interest

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Nu’uanu Pali Lookout

Famous as much for its hair-flying winds as for its blood-soaked history, this vantage point is where Kamehameha the Conqueror did final battle with O’ahu warriors (see King Kamehameha I Unites the Islands). The latter either jumped to their deaths or fought until they were pushed over the cliff edge rather than give in. This atmospheric site is sometimes cold and misty, but always spectacular and spooky.
O’ahu Cemetery

The gravestones of this hillside resting place founded in 1844 read like a who’s who of Hawai’i history, from the humble to the high-class. Nanette Napoleon, “the cemetery lady,” has written a guidebook and leads periodic tours – both are worth seeking out.
Paikō Lagoon State Reserve

Its name deriving from a Portuguese former resident called Pico, the virtually unknown Paikō Peninsula offers birdwatching, fishing, snorkeling, and unprecedented seclusion. From Kalaniana’ole, turn right onto narrow Paikō Drive, park on the street and take the beach access trail to the water. Turn left (east) and find your spot past the second to last house. You’ll need to bring food and water with you, as it’s a remote area.
Pōka’i Bay

Beautiful, tranquil Pōka’i Beach County Park is the most welcoming swimming and snorkeling beach along the Wai’anae Coast. It’s safe year round because of the protection of a long breakwater. The bay’s name, “night of the great one,” is rooted in the story of a voyager from the south, Pōka’i, who is said to have planted the first coconut grove on the island on this site.
Punchbowl Cemetery

Among O’ahu’s most visited sites, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, spectacularly situated inside a volcanic crater, offers extraordinary views and a humbling sense of the human sacrifice brought about by various Pacific wars.
Pūpūkea Beach Park

The 80 narrow acres of Pūpūkea Beach Park include two very popular snorkeling and skin diving areas. Shark’s Cove is a rocky inlet, often used by scuba diving operators for training. Three Tables is a network of shallow coral reefs and ponds. The Pūpūkea Foodland store, across the highway, is an excellent stop for provisions, and the Sunset Beach Fire Station offers aid and information.
Pu’uomahuka Heiau

This luakini heiau (sacrificial temple), honoring the war god Kū, is the largest on the island. It encompasses an expansive network of three enclosures that command panoramic views of Waimea Bay and the surrounding countryside. An altar has been restored at which you may see (but not touch) personal offerings.
Queen Emma Summer Palace

Hānaiakamalama, a modest white, wood-frame house with high ceilings and deep porches, was the perfect warm-weather retreat, just far enough up the Nu’uanu Heights from Honolulu to catch chilly breezes. Queen Emma (née Rooke), who married King Kamehameha IV in 1856, inherited the home from her uncle. It was slated for destruction in the early 1900s, but saved by the Daughters of Hawai’i organization, who now operate it as a historical museum.
Queen Lili’uokalani Protestant Church

Queen Lili’uokalani was part of this congregation when she visited her summer home in Hale’iwa. Though the present structure dates only from 1961, a century-old moon-phase clock she gave to the church is proudly displayed. The church is famed for its annual fundraising lū’au feast each August.
Royal Mausoleum

The mausoleum is overseen by Hawai’i’s only hereditary state office because the sacred duty to look after the graves is based on genealogy. It contains the bones of post-contact Hawaiian royalty, except for Kamehameha Nui, who was interred in an unknown Hawai’i Island location in accordance with custom, and Liholiho, whose grave is at Kawaiaha’o. A koa -lined coral block chapel dating to 1865 forms the cemetery’s centerpiece, surrounded by the graves and vaults of the various family groups.