Land of Liberty Explorers

Oahu is known as “the gathering place.” It is the third largest Hawaiian Island and home to the state capitol – Honolulu. We were excited to visit Pearl Harbor on our trip to Oahu. Here is information about visiting Pearl Harbor, as well as, our other favorite spots around the island.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor in 1899. By 1941, the base was home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the United States stayed out of the war. Tensions with Japan grew as the Japanese ruthlessly seized islands across the Pacific. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service launched a surprise attack on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor. 2,335 American servicemen were killed and 1,143 more were wounded. Four battleships docked on Battleship Row were sunk and four more were damaged. The U.S. declared war on Japan. Germany declared war on the United States, and the U.S. was officially involved in the war in the Pacific and in Europe. Today, Battleship Row is part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument administered by the National Park Service – the monument includes the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, the U.S.S. Utah Memorial, and the U.S.S. Oklahoma Memorial. The U.S.S. Missouri, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and U.S.S. Bowfin, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are also open to visitors. We started our day at Pearl Harbor by visiting the National Parks Service’s museum, which nicely tells the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Parks Service recommends reserving tickets for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in advance. Before boarding the boat for the Memorial, visitors watch a short film on the history of the attack. After the film, U.S. Navy personnel escort visitors by boat to the Memorial. The Memorial floats above the U.S.S. Arizona. Unfortunately right before our visit, a storm damaged the Memorial’s dock, so we could only pass by the Memorial at that time.

After cruising by the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, we took a self-guided tour of the U.S.S. Missouri. The U.S.S. Missouri is an Iowa-class Battleship commissioned in 1944. It served in the Pacific Fleet in World War II at the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Japanese surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur on the deck of the Missouri on September 2, 1945. The Missouri later participated in the Korean War, then was decommissioned. President Ronald Reagan re-commissioned the ship in 1986. The Missouri fired some of the first cruise missiles into Iraq in the Gulf War in 1991. The ship was decommissioned for good in 1992 and became a museum. We enjoyed our tour of the U.S.S. Missouri.

Dole Plantation

We didn’t spend much time here. It is probably a great location to visit with kids! There is a train that runs through the pineapple fields, a maze, and gardens. Our primary purpose was to get the world’s freshest Dole Whip. Mission accomplished!

Dole Whip topped with fresh cut pineapple

North Shore

After savoring our Dole Whips, we headed north to explore the famous North Shore. Our favorite stops were checking out the surfers on the Banzai Pipeline at Ehukai Beach Park and the La’ie Sea Arch. The large waves were impressive at both locations.

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden

Interestingly, this garden was designed and built by the Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding in 1982. It is neatly organized with distinctive collections from Hawaii and Polynesia, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the New World. The view of the nearby mountains was breathtaking as well.

Kailua Beach Park

Kailua Beach Park was our favorite beach on the island. This crescent shaped beach is very family friendly. During high winds, wind and kite surfers put on a fabulous show.

Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach is located just south of Kailua Beach Park. It is consistently ranked as one of the top beaches in the world despite having no parking lot and no lifeguards on duty. Access to the beach is by public beach access paths. Two small islands known as the “mokes” make the beach popular with photographers. We enjoyed walking along the beach early in the morning.

Lanikai Pillbox Hike

This 2 mile hike is one of the best on Oahu! It is rated as moderate because of some steep sections, especially the initial climb. The pillboxes are observation stations built by the military in 1943. It is fun to see these World War II era sites, and they provide a great vantage point to look down at Lanikai Beach

Makapu’u Point

We enjoyed watching the sunrise at Makapu’u Point and then exploring its tidepools before hiking to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse. The out and back trail is 2.5 miles round trip. It has some steep sections but is mostly paved. The lighthouse was built in 1909. The trail does not actually lead to the lighthouse, but to a view point above it.