North America,  Travel Stories,  USA

Exploring Honolulu and surrounds (Oahu Part 1)

Next stop on my trip through Hawaii was Oahu. I call it the main island, because most international flights fly to Honolulu and Waikiki is one if not the most touristy place in all Hawaii. I was a little skeptical about Oahu before my arrival. I thought Oahu might not be the best place to go. All you hear is how touristy it is, but personally I quite enjoyed my 2-week stay in Oahu. Yes Waikiki is a main tourist hub, but the island has some amazing beaches and many activities and places to look at.

I arrived on the 30th December, so there were people/tourists everywhere and accommodation was stupidly expensive, but in early January a lot of tourists went back home and Waikiki became more enjoyable.

If you are on a tight budget Hawaii is probably not the best place to go. In Waikiki the hotel rooms start above US$100 a night and for a room in a less than average hostel you have to pay $45. It’s crazy. I ended up staying a week in a hostel and the rest of the time I stayed with couchsurfing hosts.

As much as I disliked the hostel it was a great place for meeting people. I met some lovely girls, which I ended up spending a lot of time with during my stay in Honolulu. It’s pretty fascinating the people you can meet in hostels. They are from all walks of life and everyone has an interesting story. So when I stay in a hostel it is always a trade off between lack of privacy, bunk beds, shared bathrooms and making friends to enjoy your time wherever you are.

On the other hand, couchsurfing has also been a great source for meeting a range of people. I still can’t believe the generosity of the hosts. The hosts I stayed with often took me and other couchsurfers sightseeing. They offer you their couch/a bed for free and when go out of their way to show you their town. It’s so amazing.

But back to Oahu. Once I got over the initial shock of Waikiki and all it’s people I settled in quite nicely. The public transport system is great and makes getting around Honolulu super easy. That was a great relief after my experience on the big island. Oahu is a great place for so many reasons. The first week I spent exploring Honolulu and surrounds. There are so many great hikes and beaches around. I also got to play beach volleyball a few times during my stay.

The first thing on my itinerary was Diamond Head, which is an iconic attraction. It’s an old crater visible from Waikiki. You can walk up to the top of the rim where you get some stunning views of Waikiki and the beaches to the northeast. Warning! There are a lot of tourists but I do think it’s a must-do hike.

Check out the photos and videos below. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge images.

Next up was Manoa Falls. Again there were a lot of people, but if you go early you can avoid most of the crowds. Manoa Falls is a track that ends at a waterfall, but the most stunning part for me was actually the entrance area. It’s a magical place, a big lush green jungle with big trees. It is one of those places that you need to experience yourself because pictures can’t quite show the beauty of it. On the way back it started raining and the raindrops sparkled in the sun with the bright green vegetation in the background, so beautiful. The waterfall itself was great too. Some people took the plunge into the ice-cold water. Everyone that knows me would guess it. I was too chicken to jump in.

Check out the photos and videos below. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge images.

Next up was Coconut Trail. Situated north-east of Waikiki, this trail is a steep path along old train tracks up a mountain. It is just over 1000 steps/stairs. It starts off quite easy but the higher you climb the stepper the track gets. Towards the top rest stops become more frequent. The heart rate goes up and the sweat starts flowing. At the top you get rewarded with some beautiful views and a nice cooling breeze.

Check out the photos and videos below. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge images.

After the climb, we rewarded ourselves with a swim at Waimea Bay, probably one of my favourite beaches on Oahu. It’s a long wide beach with warm water and few people. It looks quite unique with the trees lining the edge of the beach and we had so much fun jumping into the water and bodysurfing the waves.

Other noteworthy destination is Sandy Beach. I spotted so many whales from this beach. I didn’t go swimming here because the nickname of this beach is “broken bones” beach. The surf is quite strong and the waves crash so hard into the sand that tourists often get caught in the waves and get hurt in the process. So we decided to admire the surf and surfers from afar and spent our time watching for whales and listing to the reggae music the locals played loudly in their cars. Until next time, Sabine xxx

Check out the photos and videos below. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge images.

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