Oahu was never on my bucket list and now here I am feigning to go back as I write this ultimate traveler’s guide to Hawaii. There is SO much to do and you really don’t have a bad view anywhere you turn. I stayed on Oahu but visited Maui for 2 days so this is my ultimate traveler’s guide to Hawaii, the Oahu and Maui edition.
Sunset at Sunset
Sunset beach is located on the North Shore and is your typical Hawaiian beach packed with surfers, sun, and huge waves. The waves on this particular day were 13 feet! You can’t beat a sunset along the North Shore… definitely a must see.
Kokohead
You will become a supermodel if you hike these steps every day. I huffed and puffed my way to the top and the view was amazing. The tracks you see are old train tracks that the military used to store supplies, which has now been turned into a workout for locals. Your legs will be jello after so you should be in moderate shape before attempting the hike.
Makapuu Lighthouse & tide pools
This hike is definitely scary. There’s really no path so you’re just kind of wingin’ it, but that makes it more fun. Once you finally do reach the tide pools it’s like the gates of Heaven open up. You can just strip down and pop right in one of the pools after a sweaty hike. There’s all kinds of ocean life in the pools, which are refilled when the waves come up. It was neat/freaky to swim in such tight quarters with fish and coral.
Manoa Falls
Manoa Falls was my favorite waterfall. It’s huge and a stereotypical Hawaiian waterfall. You can’t ask for anything better.
Lanikai beach
Hands down the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to. The Mokulua islands in the background make for the perfect photo shoot which I clearly took advantage of.
Waimanalo beach
This beach is pretty isolated and well known to the locals. It was so quiet and peaceful.
Eternity beach
I don’t know where the name comes from but its rugged terrain makes for a really beautiful beach photo. You can hike the rocks and go swimming after… pretty convenient.
Duke’s Hula Pie
Duke’s Hula Pie is definitely a tourist attraction but it’s out of this world, topped with macadamia nut ice cream – worth every calorie.
Kaneohe Bay sandbar
I’m almost positive you have to be with a member of the military in order to get in here but it is SO worth it. The sandbar can only be reached by boat which is pretty cool, too. The water is knee high for miles and on weekends the military grill and chill all day.
Haleakala Crater
You have to wake up at 4am to catch the sunrise at 5:30. It’s worth the agony of sleep deprivation. No pictures can capture the beauty you witness as you’re at 10,000 elevation watching the sun rise.
Hana Highway
If I could do it all over again, I’d start the trek around 7-8am. You have 64 miles of pure beauty with a ton of stops along the way so you really want to maximize your time. The Hana Highway leads to one of the island’s attractions: Seven Sacred Pools. By the time we got to the pools the sun was almost down so the lighting wasn’t the best for pictures.
Seven Sacred Pools
I’m not sure why it’s called the Seven Sacred Pools because I only saw one really big pool, but it’s still awesome and the waterfalls were beautiful. Again, get here earlier rather than later so you can snag good pictures.
Black sand beach
The black sand beaches in Maui are pretty amazing. The sand is black because of the volcanos and when the sun hits it it gets very hot so be careful. We only saw a black sand beach from the Hana Highway, next time I’d like to go down and touch it.
Have you ever been to Hawaii? What were your favorite spots?
xx
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