Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [62]
Most major car-rental agencies have multiple branch locations in Waikiki, usually in the lobbies of larger hotels. The best rental rates are usually offered at the airport, however. Independent car-rental agencies in Waikiki may offer even lower rates, though, especially for one-day rentals and 4WD vehicles like Jeeps. They are also more likely to rent to drivers under 25. Many independent agencies also rent mopeds and motorcycles, but these two-wheeled rides can be more expensive than renting a car.
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DRIVING DISTANCES & TIMES
Although actual times vary depending upon traffic conditions, here are some average driving times and distances from Waikiki to points of interest around O‘ahu:
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Taxi
Taxis are readily available at the airport and at larger hotels and shopping centers, but otherwise you’ll probably have to call for one. Taxis have meters and charge a flag-down fee of $3, plus another $3 per mile and 50¢ for each suitcase or backpack. Because island taxis are often station wagons or minivans, they’re good for groups.
Tours
For do-it-yourself circle-island tours by public bus, Click here.
Mauka Makai Excursions (Map; 734-8414, 866-896-0596; www.hawaiianecotours.net; Suite 106, 350 Ward Ave, Honolulu; adult/child from $52/42) Hawaiian-owned and operated cultural ecotour company offers a few bus and hiking trips around the island; rates include Waikiki hotel pick-ups.
Polynesian Adventure Tours (833-3000, 800-622-3011; www.polyad.com) Conventional bus and van sightseeing tours of O′ahu, including exhausting full-day ‘Circle Island’ trips (adult/child from $71/42) and eclectic options like a half-day ‘President Obama’ tour (adult/child $39/22) or evening ‘Ali′i Ghost’ tour (adult/child $49/39).
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HONOLULU
pop 375,570
Three out of every four O′ahuans lives in Honolulu, so you can’t claim to have really gotten to know the island if you never even leave Waikiki. Ever since Kamehameha the Great conquered O′ahu and the first foreign trading ships arrived, Honolulu has been the nerve center of the island and in truth, the entire archipelago. It’s a laid-back Polynesian island capital, where Victorian-era buildings stand in the shadow of sleek modern high-rises.
Venture downtown not just for its unmatched collection of historic sites, museums and gardens, but also to eat your way through O′ahu’s intoxicating blend of ethnic cultures, from the pan-Asian alleyways of Chinatown where 19th-century whalers once brawled, to hole-in-the-wall diners where local kids slurp saimin (local-style noodle soup), to haute cafés dishing up the freshest bounty from land and sea.
Then escape the concrete jungle for a hike up into the lush valleys nestled beneath the jagged Ko′olau Mountains, especially in the forest preserves encircling Mt Tantalus, traditionally known as Pu′u ′Ohi′a. Around sunset, cool off with a breezy walk along Honolulu’s historic harborfront or splash into the Pacific at Ala Moana Beach Park, a rare beauty. After dark, hit Chinatown’s edgy nightlife scene. You won’t even miss Waikiki, we promise.
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HISTORY
In 1793 the English frigate Butterworth became the first foreign ship to sail into what is now Honolulu Harbor. In the 1820s, Honolulu’s first bars and brothels opened to international whaling crews. Protestant missionaries began arriving around the same time. Today, Hawaii’s first church is just a stone’s throw from ′Iolani Palace.
In 1843, ancient Hawai′i’s only formal military ‘invasion’ by a foreign power occurred when George Paulet, an upstart British commander upset about a petty land deal involving a British national, sailed into Honolulu and seized O′ahu for six months. He proceeded to anglicize street names, seize property and collect taxes. Upon hearing of his actions, Queen Victoria quickly dispatched Admiral Richard Thomas to restore the kingdom’s independence.
Honolulu replaced Lahaina as the capital of the kingdom in 1845. Increasingly, Western