This was published 15 years ago
Waikiki? Indeed, try Oahu
There's more to the Hawaiian island of Oahu than Waikiki, writes Kay O'Sullivan.
By Kay O'Sullivan
In terms of brag value, Waikiki ranks right up there as a holiday destination with Aspendale.
It wasn't always so. Sometime last century Waikiki was deemed sophisticated, but back then our most chi chi beach holiday destination, Hayman Island, had a toy train dragging guests around.
These days most of us want to escape cities, not holiday at them and it takes a beach without footprints to evoke envy from the folks at home, not one ringed by towering buildings.
Honolulu was my first taste of the world outside our shores so I retain a fondness for it. First experiences, or at least satisfying first experiences, tend to have that effect. At the time, Honolulu seemed so foreign and glamorous, as did Americans. Back then I thought they really were concerned that I have a nice day.
Conventional wisdom has it that you shouldn't backtrack in life, that you can't recreate the good times. Thirty years on, and there's been a lot of changes, (in both of us) but what is still so appealing about Honolulu is that instantly on arrival you are in holiday mode. And there's no mistaking where you are. The music from the 1970s television show Hawaii Five-O drums through the airport, while the familiar faces of Jack Lord, he of "Book 'em, Danno" fame and the mustachioed Tom Selleck, star of Magnum PI , are on constant loop on television in the terminal; a welcome distraction from the tedious process of arrival. Honolulu is a particular type of holiday, a loud, noisy, crowded holiday, but if that is what you crave, then you'll get in spades and bucketloads at Honolulu and especially at Waikiki, which, despite Sydneysiders claims , is the world's most famous beach.
More than five million people visit Hawaii each year, 90 per cent of them don't venture any further than the hotels that crowd out Waikiki. It might have an enormous profile but Waikiki is tiny, just four kilometres of sand, which was imported from the neighbouring island of Molokai.
In 1853, that infinitely skilful wordsmith Robert Louis Stevenson spent time in Waikiki and wrote approvingly of "the lovely scenery, the quiet pure air, the clean water, good surf and heavenly sunsets". Which largely holds true today. The exception being the pure air. Bumper to bumper traffic along Kalakaua, the avenue that runs behind the skyscrapers that line Waikiki, puts paid to that.
But the water that laps up onto Waikiki's white, albeit imported, sand is the colour of the Whitsundays - my benchmark of beauty - and there is the added bonus of waves. Good waves at that, even and consistent waves of more than a metre.
Surfing was invented in the Hawaiian Islands. The sport nearly died out here during the 19th century when those well-known spoilsports, the missionary men, deemed it too much fun to be decent. The tourist literature is full of reports of the god-like local hero Duke Kahanamoku who rescued the sport from obscurity and in doing so helped put Hawaii on the world map. The tales of his deeds - including one story that has him riding two kilometres into Waikiki on the crest of a 15-metre wave - are tightly woven into the rich, cultural history of America's 50th state.
While reports vary on both the height and length of the wave the Duke rode - proving that surfers the world over are the same - what is fact is that the Duke broke the record for 100 metres freestyle at the 1912 Olympics and also introduced surfing into Australia. There were no sign of monster waves when I was in Honolulu but the consistent swells had the surfers in position at first light. They were still competing for space and waves as the last twinges of colour vanished from still-heavenly sunsets. I managed to get down to Waikiki in the pearl grey of the pre-dawn a couple of times and had the sand, if not the sea to myself. Unfortunately a lone fisherman had the honour of creating the first tracks of the day. But within the 30 minutes it took for a quick stroll and swim, the empty beach started to fill as Waikiki opened up for business.
A cast of thousands finds its way to Waikiki daily. Anything goes, but not in the way you might expect. I didn't spot too many g-strings, thankfully, because I didn't spot too many bodies that could wear them. (Your correspondent most definitely includes herself in that number).
The bold, if not the beautiful, tend to gather on the end of the beach nearest to the iconic Diamond Head. Waikiki or "spouting water beach" is divided into four areas - San Souci, Kuhio, Grey's Beach and one named for the famous Duke. Each has a different feel and appeal. San Souci is best described as attracting a clientele similar to that which drapes itself on the terraces at Prahran Pool.
The entire beach is well-planned and maintained. At regular intervals there are lookout towers, excellent change and shower facilities, and if you leave anything at home you can buy it from a vendor or a stall.
The action is non-stop with runners, joggers, swimmers and surfers doing what they do when the sun is shining. There are yachts going out, outriggers coming in, goods being handed over, money changing hands, and everywhere people eating from noon to night and then beyond.
In just one hour on one morning in one tiny patch of the world's most famous beach, I came across a bride and groom - she in a wedding dress, he in a cream linen suit with cuffs rolled up - jumping incoming waves. Beside them, a religious group of more than 100 people was reverentially laying hands on each other and out beyond the break, a group of kids were being taught to lay 10 toes down on a board.
All this took place in front of a podium festooned with Quiksilver banners that later in the day would be the judging platform for a major surf carnival. Phew.
You can't come to Honolulu without talking about the shopping. It's like ignoring the surf. The massive shopping centre Ala Moana, with 240 shops, is just a short bus ride away. The International Market Place is still going strong on in the prime position on Kalakaua and still selling the same junk when I was there 30 years ago. One shop actually boasting it had a full range of Playboy logo gear.
It gladdens the Aussie heart to see how our big surf brands have invaded this island outpost of American capitalism. Each time I passed there were more people in the Billabong shop than any of the posh places such as Prada, Rolex, Hermes and Chanel.
Waikiki is many things to many different types of pleasure seekers. Commercial? Most definitely. Crass? Perhaps. Fun? I think so. But it must be said if you are seeking blessed solitude, then it is not for you. But don't discount Oahu out of hand. As far as beaches go, Oahu's rate right up there with the best in the world, far outshining those on more fashionable Hawaiian islands.
And there's plenty of choice. The third largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, Oahu, has around 200 kilometres of beach. Beyond the urban jungle, Oahu is surprising rural, slow and sleepy. Once the suburbs thin out, and they do quickly, there is little development to mar the view. It helps that billboards are banned, allowing clear and sweeping views of glorious beaches, rich pastures and verdant volcanic jungle.
Many of the towns scattered along the coast and through the island's volcanic centre are forgettable hotchpotches of shops, houses and fast food outlets. Haileiwa, which marks the beginning of the North Shore, is the exception. It is an appealing mix of hippy and surfie culture. In certain circles, the North Shore has more brag value than any other location, being the home of surfing's Holy Grail, the infamous Pipeline.
When I was there early in the northern summer, the Pipeline was a flat line, and looked about as intimidating as the milk pond that is Mother's Beach on the Mornington foreshore. The only danger coming from a group of out-of-control toddlers trailing plastic floaties in the rippling shallows.
The big surf is seasonal, it takes the combined power of the North Pacific swell whipped up by trade winds to bring it into being. But from late November through to April the Pipeline roars in to the shore, breaking about 100 metres out, and beckoning both the skilful and foolhardy to accept the challenge. Pipeline might have the profile yet the two adjacent beaches Sunset and Waimea Bay - it of Beach Boys' Surfin' U.S.A fame - regularly deliver bigger waves.
Getting twice as much rainfall as Honolulu, the north shore is lush and tropical. If you can drag your eyes away from the beaches - the road hugs the coast for most of the island - the steep, jungle-clad canyons of the Koolau Mountains, which sweep down right down to the coast, are exquisitely beautiful and wreathed in mystery. Not surprisingly the area was chosen as the set for Jurassic Park. Godzilla and Pearl Harbour were also filmed here.
Hawaii Five-O and Magnum PI, the 1970s television series of which the islanders are so proud, were shot round the coast on the eastern tip of the island at Makapuu Beach. These days its profile has more to do with bodysurfing than bad acting and big moustaches.
One beach you will have to fight for space at is Hanauma Bay, which is about 19 kilometres east of Waikiki. The Bay, in a submerged volcanic crater, has some of the best snorkelling outside the Great Barrier Reef with 400 exotic fish calling it home.
Outside of Waikiki, the accommodation choice is less than glamorous; more what we expect when we go down the Victorian coast. There are only a couple of resorts but plenty of well-equipped camping grounds (often with prime beachfront positions), and varying levels of shacks, fibro houses and B&Bs for rent. This being America you are never too far away from food. But out on the road, away from the crowds and malls, it's the Hawaiian speciality, the plate lunch, that has the holidaymakers queueing rather than any of the big name brands The plate lunch takes many forms but it is usually some kind of stir fry, served with a salad and soda and always presented in a white plastic tray. It's good value for $US5 and is sold from diners, cafes, even the back of trucks. Shaved ice - ice with either sweet or sour flavouring - is the dessert of choice.
It takes little more than four hours to drive round the island but doing it so quickly would not do it justice. Take your time and you never know what you will discover, perhaps even a beach without footprints.
FAST FACTS
Getting there: Qantas Airways, China Airlines, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, Hawaiian and Continental Airlines all fly to Honolulu.
Visa: Hawaii shares the same visa requirements as the United States. Most Australian passport holders qualify under the visa waiver system and can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Currency: $A1 will buy $US0.72.
Quote, Unquote: "Hawaii is the most beautiful fleet of islands anchored anywhere in any ocean." -- Mark Twain
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.