Dan, Mum and Lucy, all three the whole time. Lands 8:25am on 28 Aug off the overnight Auckland flight; flies out to San Francisco early Thu 3 Sep. Prices in USD with NZD in brackets, 1 NZD = 0.587 USD (verified 5 Aug 2026).
Waikiki is a narrow strip of beach, hotels and shops on Honolulu's southeast coast, hemmed in by the Ala Wai Canal on one side and the ocean on the other — walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. Castle Ilikai Tower sits at the quieter western end, by the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. TheBus reaches almost the whole island for a few dollars a ride; you only need a rental car for one day, ideally to cover the windward coast and the North Shore in the same loop. The single biggest rookie mistake: treating Waikiki as "doing Hawaii." It's a resort strip. The real island — reefs, valleys, cliffs, small towns — is a bus ride or short drive away, and that's where this trip actually happens.
| # | Thing | Type | Why it's worth my time | Cost | Hours | Book ahead? | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve | Experience | An actual volcanic crater flooded by the sea, with reef right off the sand — parrotfish and eels within a few metres, no boat needed | $25pp 13+ (~$43 NZD) + $3/vehicle | 3–4 hrs incl. travel | Days: exactly 2 days ahead, 7:00am HST, hanaumabaystatepark.com | Morning; closed Mon & Tue |
| 2 | Diamond Head Crater Trailhead Booked | Walk | 6–7am Sun 30 Aug, Dan and Lucy only. Climbing inside an extinct volcanic crater for a 360° view over Waikiki before the heat and crowds arrive | $5pp entry-only (~$8.50 NZD) | 2–2.5 hrs door to door | Weeks (already booked), gostateparks.hawaii.gov | Sunrise slot, booked 6:00–7:00am |
| 3 | Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona Memorial | Experience | The actual sunken battleship is visible beneath the memorial platform, still leaking small amounts of oil 85 years on | Free + $1pp fee (~$1.70 NZD) | Half day, 3+ hrs incl. security and ferry | Days: 24-hr-ahead release, 3:00pm HST the day before, recreation.gov | Morning slot; arrive 30 min early |
| 4 | Lanikai Beach | Sight | Consistently ranked among the best beaches in the US: fine white sand, calm turquoise water, the two Mokulua islets offshore | Free | 1–2 hrs | No | Early morning, before street parking fills |
| 5 | Lanikai Pillbox Trail | Walk | Short climb up Kaʻiwa Ridge to WWII-era pillbox bunkers, with a view down over Lanikai, Kailua Bay and the Mokulua islets | Free | 1–1.5 hrs | No | Sunrise or late afternoon |
| 6 | Kailua Beach | Sight | Softer sand and calmer water than Waikiki, and the put-in point to paddle out to the Mokulua islets | Free; kayak ~$69–82pp (~$118–140 NZD) | 2–3 hrs | No (kayak: a few days ahead in peak season) | Morning |
| 7 | Kaimana Beach | Sight | The quiet end of Waikiki, past the Aquarium — green sea turtles feed close to shore daily | Free | 1–2 hrs | No | Morning; keep 10ft from any turtle |
| 8 | Makapuʻu Lookout | Walk | Paved trail out to a lighthouse on Oahu's easternmost point, sea cliffs and a natural blowhole below | Free | 1.5–2 hrs return | No | Morning; no whales this early, season is Dec–May |
| 9 | Kualoa Ranch | Day-trip | A private valley used as the actual filming location for Jurassic Park, Jumanji, Lost and Godzilla | From $55pp (~$94 NZD); combo from ~$157pp (verify) | Half day, 2.5–4 hrs | Weeks, kualoa.com | Morning tour; book weeks out for peak dates |
| 10 | North Shore run (Haleiwa, Waimea Bay, Kahuku) | Day-trip | The real surf towns behind every Hawaii surf photo. Waimea Bay is calm enough to swim in September, winter swells haven't arrived | Free to visit; food extra | Half to full day | No | Late morning through afternoon |
| 11 | Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden | Sight | 400-acre flood-control park backed by the sheer green Koʻolau cliffs, and almost nobody visits it | Free, incl. parking | 1.5–2 hrs | No | Morning; closed Thursdays |
| 12 | Mānoa Falls Trail | Walk | Easy rainforest walk under a bamboo canopy to a 150ft waterfall, same jungle used for Jurassic Park and Lost | Free hike + $7/vehicle parking | 1.5–2 hrs | No | Morning, after a dry stretch — gets muddy |
| 13 | Foster Botanical Garden | Sight | A downtown pocket of trees planted in the 1850s, including some of the oldest specimen trees in Hawaii | $5pp (~$8.50 NZD) | 1–1.5 hrs | No | Any time; closed only Christmas & New Year's Day |
| 14 | Aloha Stadium Swap Meet | Experience | 400+ open-air stalls of local crafts, produce and cheap aloha wear — cheaper and more local than any Waikiki gift shop | $2pp 12+ (~$3.40 NZD) | 1.5–2.5 hrs | No | Sun 6:30am–3pm (also Wed/Sat 8am–3pm); pair with Pearl Harbor |
| 15 | Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (Kahuku) | Food | The original North Shore shrimp truck, running since 1993 — the garlic shrimp plate everyone else copies | ~$18–20pp (~$31–34 NZD), cash only | 30–45 min | No | Lunch, on the way through Kahuku |
| 16 | Leonard's Bakery + Waiola Shave Ice | Food | Two Honolulu institutions a block apart: malasadas since 1952, and shave ice with ice cream hidden at the bottom | Malasadas $1.85–4; shave ice ~$5–7 | 30–45 min | No | Mid-morning, before the queue builds |
| 17 | Ono Seafood | Food | A cash-shop institution on Kapahulu Ave doing build-your-own poke bowls with genuinely fresh fish | ~$17 per bowl (~$29 NZD) | 30–45 min | No | Lunch; closed Sun & Mon |
| 18 | Luau — Germaine's or Polynesian Cultural Center | Experience | The only large-scale traditional feast and fire-dance show left, since Paradise Cove closed for good end of 2025 | Germaine's from ~$130pp; PCC from ~$160pp+ full day | Evening or full day | Weeks, germainesluau.com or polynesia.com | Book early; Fri/Sat sell out first |
| Thing | Why skip it | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Dole Plantation | A gift shop and a hedge maze dressed up as a plantation tour — 1.5hrs round trip for what's really a mall stop | Kualoa Ranch or the North Shore run: similar drive time, actually memorable |
| Watching for surf at Pipeline/Banzai in early Sep | Big-wave season is Nov–Mar. September is mostly flat — nothing to see | Swim at Waimea Bay itself, or come back Dec–Feb for the real thing |
| Beach photographers / luau photo packages | $40–80+ for printed photos you could take yourself in 10 seconds | Use your own phone, or ask a friendly local to snap one |
| International Market Place / Ala Moana as sightseeing | A shopping mall with the same brands as home — can eat half a day | Spend that half day on the windward coast or North Shore instead |