Oahu itinerary 6 days: Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and North Shore

Twenty minutes, free. After check in, start at the statue of the 1912 Olympic swimming champion who spread surfing around the world. It is almost always draped in flower leis left by locals and surfers.

Two and a half hours. The waves at Kuhio Beach, right by the statue, are the gentlest on the island for a first surf lesson, sold at the stands on the sand. In the late afternoon, walk west along the shore and watch the sun set behind the catamarans.

Ninety minutes, 5 dollars per person and 10 per car, by reservation only on the state parks site, up to 30 days ahead. The park opens at 6 am and last entry is 4 pm; take the first slot, before the sun gets strong. The trail takes 60 to 90 minutes round trip, with stairs and a tunnel, up to an old artillery post overlooking Waikiki.

Three hours, 25 dollars for non residents, with online reservations released two days ahead. The bay is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and everyone watches a short reef video before heading down. Bring your own mask or rent one on the beach, and use reef safe sunscreen without oxybenzone, which is banned in Hawaii. Check the City and County of Honolulu site in case entry is sold as a package with transport.

Twenty minutes, free, five minutes by car past Hanauma. When the swell is up, water rushes into a lava tube and blasts out in jets several metres high. The same lookout shows the little cove from the beach scene in From Here to Eternity.

Ninety minutes, free. The paved trail is about 3 km round trip with no shade at all: bring water and a hat. From the top you look down on the 1909 lighthouse and, from December to April, humpback whales passing offshore.

Ninety minutes. Ten minutes north of the lighthouse, this miles long strip of white sand backed by the Koʻolau mountains is where locals go to escape Waikiki. Drive back to Honolulu over the Pali Highway, which crosses the range in 35 minutes.

Three hours, free, with a 1 dollar booking fee on Recreation.gov. USS Arizona program tickets are released eight weeks ahead and again the day before, at 3 pm Hawaii time. Bags and backpacks are not allowed: leave everything in the car or at the paid bag storage by the entrance.

A Navy boat takes you to the memorial built over the battleship’s hull, where more than 900 sailors have remained entombed since the attack of December 7, 1941.

Forty five minutes, free, 20 minutes by car from Pearl Harbor. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific fills Punchbowl crater above downtown, with the Courts of the Missing staircase and mosaic maps of the Pacific battles. Walk up to the rim lookout for a view over all of Honolulu.

Ninety minutes, 32.95 dollars for the guided tour, with tickets sold online only and no same day walk up sales; check the site for guided tour and audio tour days. King Kalākaua’s palace of 1882 had electric light before the White House, and it is where Queen Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned after the 1893 overthrow.

Fifteen minutes. Cross King Street to the gilded statue of the king who unified the islands in 1810. On June 11, Kamehameha Day, it is draped in flower leis several metres long.

One hour, free. Cross the range on the Pali Highway and arrive at opening time in Kāneʻohe, while mist still clings to the fluted Koʻolau cliffs. You can drive the garden roads and stop by the lake.

Forty five minutes, with a ticket of a few dollars at the gate. Ten minutes from the garden, this 1968 replica of the temple in Uji, Japan, has a koi pond and a bronze bell visitors can ring.

Two hours, about 60 dollars for the movie sites tour, booked on the official site; the gate price is higher. Kaʻaʻawa Valley was a set for Jurassic Park, Jumanji and Lost, and the bus stops at the filming spots. For more adrenaline, swap it for the ATV tour.

Forty five minutes, free, next to the ranch. The seaside lawn faces Mokoliʻi, the cone shaped islet nicknamed Chinaman’s Hat. Drive back to Waikiki on the Kahekili Highway in about 50 minutes.

Forty five minutes. The surf town is an hour from Waikiki on the H2, past old pineapple fields. The line at Matsumoto, open since 1951, moves fast: order shaved ice with three syrups and vanilla ice cream at the bottom. Walk the main street of surf shops and galleries.

Forty five minutes, free, five minutes north of Haleʻiwa. Green sea turtles haul out on the sand in the late morning. Stay at least 3 metres away, never touch, and follow the volunteers’ ropes. Parking is across the highway: cross carefully and leave nothing in the car.

Two hours. In summer the bay is a calm pool, and the jumping rock on the left point draws a local crowd. From November to February the giant waves arrive that give their name to the contest in memory of Eddie Aikau, and the sea is for watching only. The car park fills early; have lunch at one of the food trucks on the highway.

One hour fifteen, free, in front of Ehukai Beach Park. In winter the wave barrels over a shallow reef a few metres from the sand, and the world’s best surfers compete at the Pipe Masters. In summer the sea goes flat; walk on to Sunset Beach for sunset and drive back on the H2.

Ninety minutes, 15 minutes from Waikiki. The roughly 2.5 km round trip trail runs through bamboo and banyans to a drop of about 45 metres. It will be muddy: wear shoes you can get dirty and bring insect repellent.

Thirty minutes, free. Tantalus Drive climbs the mountain to the lookout, with a view from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor. From the top to the airport is about 25 minutes.