Honolulu

Day 1 · ~3.8 km

1. 

   1

   Waikīkī Aquarium

   2777 Kalākaua Ave; reef aquarium of 1904, open daily during renovations

   Morning · 60 min · $

   See the living coral displays, the giant clams and the chambered nautilus, which this aquarium was the first in the country to keep and breed. It is small, so an hour is enough.

2. 

   2

   Kapiʻolani Park

   Kalākaua Ave east of Kūhiō Beach; 1877 park dedicated by Kalākaua, Queen Kapiʻolani statue and bandstand

   Morning · 45 min · free

   Walk the open lawns under Diamond Head, past the bandstand and the statue of Queen Kapiʻolani, and watch local cricket, rugby or joggers on a weekend morning. The aquarium and the Natatorium are on the ocean side.

3. 

   3

   Kūhiō Beach Park

   Kalākaua Ave at Uluniu Ave; sheltered beach with the hula mound and Prince Kūhiō statue

   Any time · 90 min · free

   Swim in the sheltered water, then walk the promenade past the Duke Kahanamoku statue and the Kapaemahu stones. Stay for sunset, when the beach turns gold and Diamond Head glows to the east.

4. 

   4

   Duke Kahanamoku Statue

   2424 Kalākaua Ave; 1990 bronze of the father of modern surfing at Kūhiō Beach

   Any time · 10 min · free

   Join the line for a photo with Duke, arms outstretched in welcome. Notice that he faces the street, not the ocean.

5. 

   5

   Kapaemahu

   west end of Kūhiō Beach Park; four healer stones honoring legendary māhū from Tahiti

   Morning · 10 min · free

   Read the signs beside the stone platform, which tell the story of Kapaemahu and three other healers, māhū, people of a third gender in Hawaiian tradition, who came from Tahiti. Keep to the outside of the enclosure.

6. 

   6

   Moana Surfrider

   2365 Kalākaua Ave; Waikīkī's first hotel, 1901, with a banyan courtyard planted in 1904

   Any time · 30 min · free

   Walk through to the courtyard and stand under the banyan, 75 feet high and 150 feet across. Then look out at the beach where Waikīkī tourism began.

7. 

   7

   Royal Hawaiian Hotel

   2259 Kalākaua Ave; 1927 Pink Palace of the Pacific by Warren and Wetmore

   Any time · 30 min · free

   Walk up to the pink Spanish-Moorish facade, then out to the beach side for the classic view of the hotel against the sand and Diamond Head.

8. 

   8

   King David Kalakaua Statue

   Kalākaua Ave at Kūhiō Ave; 1991 bronze of King Kalākaua at the west gateway to Waikīkī

   Morning · 10 min · free

   Stop at the small Waikīkī Gateway Park where Kalākaua and Kūhiō Avenues meet, and read the plaque about the king and Japanese immigration.