Honolulu: Beyond Waikiki

Hawaii became the 50th US state in 1959, 66 years after American business interests staged a coup against Queen Liliuokalani with the support of US Marines and annexed the islands against her explicit protest. The US government formally apologised for this in 1993 through the Apology Resolution, which acknowledges that the overthrow was illegal and that it deprived Native Hawaiians of their right to self-determination. The consequences include the modern Hawaiian sovereignty movement, the politics around land use and development, and the tension between tourism-dependent economic interests and indigenous Hawaiian cultural rights. Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu, where Liliuokalani was imprisoned, is the most direct physical site for this history.

Honolulu is easy to misjudge. Most first-time visitors spend three days in Waikiki, see Diamond Head, and leave thinking they’ve done Hawaii. They’ve done a very sanitised version of it. The city is bigger, older, and stranger than the resort strip suggests.

Waikiki: Go, But Know What It Is

Waikiki Beach is real. The sand is good, the surf is learnable, and the backdrop of Diamond Head is genuinely striking. The beach strip itself is 3 km of hotel towers, shopping malls, and restaurants aimed squarely at mainland Americans and Japanese tourists. That’s fine - just know what you’re signing up for.

The best time on Waikiki is early morning (06:00-08:00) before the beach chairs appear. The outrigger canoe clubs launch at dawn and the water has a different quality before the parasailing boats start running.

Surf lessons: The instructors on the beach (around $60-80 for a group lesson) are genuinely competent. Waikiki’s long, slow rollers are the reason surfing was taught to outsiders here.

Diamond Head

The hike up the rim of this 300,000-year-old volcanic crater takes 90 minutes return. There are stairs cut into the caldera wall, one narrow tunnel through the crater rim, and a fire control station at the top from the Second World War. The 360-degree view from the summit takes in the full Honolulu coastline. Entry is $5 per person ($10 per car). The parking lot fills by 08:00 on weekends - either arrive by 07:30, use TheBus from Waikiki (Route 23, around $3), or book a timed entry online.

Iolani Palace

The only royal palace in the United States sits in downtown Honolulu, 10 minutes by bus from Waikiki. Built in 1882 for King Kalakaua, it had electric lighting and a telephone before the White House. Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch, was imprisoned here in 1895 after the American-backed coup that eventually led to annexation. The palace was used as the Hawaii state capitol until 1969 and was subsequently restored.

Guided tours run $27 per adult; audio tours $21. Mandatory reservation. The tour covers the ground floor throne room, state dining room, and the former imprisonment quarters. It is genuinely moving and gives you context for modern Hawaiian sovereignty discussions that you won’t get anywhere in Waikiki.

Pearl Harbor

The USS Arizona Memorial is free but requires a timed entry pass reserved through the National Park Service website (recreation.gov). The passes go quickly - book 30-60 days ahead during peak season. The boat ride out to the memorial (the USS Arizona remains submerged with 900 crew still aboard) takes about 10 minutes each way, and the structure above the wreck allows you to look down into the water where the oil still seeps up, as it has since December 7, 1941.

The adjacent Battleship Missouri Museum ($35 adults) is where the Japanese surrender was signed in 1945. The combined visit takes 3-4 hours.

Getting there: TheBus Route 42 from Waikiki takes about 75 minutes and costs $3. Parking is limited and a dedicated shuttle from Waikiki ($7 round trip) is easier.

A Neighbourhood Worth Your Time: Chinatown

Honolulu’s Chinatown sits one mile from downtown and most tourists never reach it. It is genuinely occupied by working businesses: lei shops (flower garlands cost $5-10 here, a quarter of the Waikiki price), Vietnamese pho restaurants, produce markets, and art galleries that have moved in around the older tenants. It is not particularly clean or polished. It is more interesting than most of what Waikiki offers.

To Chau (1007 River Street): best pho in Honolulu, open for breakfast and lunch, cash only, around $10 for a large bowl. Expect a line.

Maunakea Marketplace food court (1120 Maunakea Street): 20 different stalls serving everything from Filipino adobo to dim sum. Lunch for $8.

Eating

Helena’s Hawaiian Food (1240 N School Street): in operation since 1946, James Beard Award winner, serves traditional Hawaiian plate lunches. Lomi salmon, poi, kalua pork, haupia. Open Tuesday through Friday, lunch only. Cash, or card with a minimum. The pipikaula ribs are the sleeper dish.

The Pig and the Lady (83 N King Street): the best restaurant in Honolulu that isn’t a hotel dining room. Vietnamese-influenced, creative menu that changes seasonally, genuinely original. Lunch is cheaper than dinner and just as good.

Alan Wong’s Honolulu (1857 S King Street): Hawaii’s most awarded chef, technically flawless, expensive. Worth one dinner if you’re on the island for a week; not the first reservation to make.

Rainbow Drive-In (3308 Kanaina Avenue): the honest version of Hawaiian plate lunch, no pretension, mixed plate (two scoops rice, macaroni salad, protein) for around $12. Has been here since 1961.

Getting Around

TheBus covers the whole island and costs $3 per ride with no transfers included. For Waikiki and downtown it is genuinely convenient.

Car rental: essential if you want to reach the North Shore (60 km), Manoa Falls, Kailua Beach, or anywhere beyond the tourist corridor. Book in advance; rates go up sharply in peak season.

Where to Stay

Royal Hawaiian Hotel (2259 Kalakaua Ave): the pink palace. Has been on the beach since 1927. Rates from $500-700 per night. The Sunday brunch at their restaurant is worth knowing about even if you’re not staying.

Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger: solid mid-range, excellent Waikiki location, around $200-280 per night.

Hostelling International Honolulu (2323A Seaview Ave, Manoa): basic but central and genuinely cheap at $35-50 per night in a dorm. Ten minutes by bus from Waikiki.

Kai Aloha Apartment Hotel (235 Saratoga Road): small, older property, studios with kitchen, Waikiki location, around $120-170 per night. The kitchen pays off quickly at Honolulu food prices.

Timing

December through April is whale season: humpbacks can be spotted offshore from any beach or headland. The Merrie Monarch hula festival in Hilo on the Big Island (not Honolulu, but worth the inter-island flight) happens in late March/April. June through August is peak tourist season and school holidays: prices are highest and beaches are fullest.