Five Ways to Play on O’AHU
Oahu’s North Shore can wait. Instead, visit the Tokyo-style gourmet alleys of Yokocho Waikiki, swim with tropical fish at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and more.
Like all of Hawaii’s islands, O’ahu offers something for everyone. There’s the Pearl Harbor Memorial for history buffs, the North Shore’s beaches for skilled surfers and Honolulu’s glitzy restaurants for foodies. But on a recent trip, we discovered five new (and we believe best) ways to eat, drink and play on O’ahu, from the world’s largest agricultural maze to the yummiest Hawaiian ice you’ll ever taste.
EAT: Yokocho Gourmet Alley, Honolulu
Tokyo’s yokocho trend has hit Waikiki Beach, and you’ve got to walk through this massive gourmet alley under the Waikiki Shopping Plaza to believe it. The 26,000-square-foot space is devoted to 15 tiny Japanese restaurants, each with its own personality and culinary specialty, and all organized in three sections.
The Noren Street eateries offer traditional savory fare, from sushi and tempura to okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pancake) and yakiniku (beef grill). Engawa Terrace is where you’ll find cafes, bars and other ways to cap off your meal, including Nana’s Green Tea, a modern Japanese tea house that serves green tea soft serve.
But it was the cluster of four shops on Ramen Road that stole our taste buds. Stop into the 28seat Tsujita and see why guests at its Los Angeles location (the first in the U.S.) wait in long lines to slurp the thick pork and seafood based broths. There’s a ritual to it: Noodles are served cold and separate from the broth. You’re encouraged to squeeze lime on them and dip them into the hot, saucelike broth. Irashaimase!
Details: Open daily from 11 a.m. on. 2250 Kalakaua Avenue, Lower Level 100, Honolulu; www. waikiki-yokocho.com
PLAY: Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
This stunning, U-shaped, white sand coral beach is tucked into a breached volcano on the southeastern tip of Oahu. This absolutely gorgeous expanse was deemed Dr. Beach’s “best beach in America” in 2016. Why? It offers the island’s most accessible snorkeling: shallow and safe for novices and kids attempting their first swim with the thousands of colorful tropical fish that call this state-protected Marine Life Conservation District home.
One million people visit the bay every year. As part of the preservation efforts, first-time visitors are shown a video about the bay’s history, marine life and safety rules (no touching or walking on coral and absolutely no smoking). Oh, and the nature preserve is closed on Tuesdays, so the fish can have a full day of undisturbed rest.
Details: Open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. daily except Tuesdays. $7.50 plus $1 shuttle; 7455 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu; hanaumabaystatepark.com
DRINK: The Brewseum, Honolulu
Tucked into the commercial warehouse district of Kaka’apo is Honolulu’s best kept secret: a World War II museum that doubles as a microbrewery, beer pub and secret speakeasy called Wiki Waki Woo. We know, it’s too awesome to believe, but it’s true. The Tomlinson family, keepers of the largest war memorabilia collection in the Pacific, has operated its Home of the Brave Museum since 1995. You could spend hours here, taking in treasures and rare collectibles donated by thousands of veterans and their families. Be sure to snap a selfie in the 1945 Ford Jeep (used in the movie “Pearl Harbor”), then make your way to the pub next door. The Tomlinsons opened it in 2014 with the hopes of enticing younger fans. It worked.
The back of the bar is framed by what was once the entry to a Quonset hut barracks. The walls are papered with old wartime photographs, and 1940s style telephones pump real archival radio transmissions through the receivers. There are six microbrews on tap, including their Home of the Brave Brewing Company’s flagship Pilot Pale Ale and 442 Go for Broke. But the party doesn’t really start until you enter the speakeasy. Ask for the secret password, then head upstairs, rap on the door, and a soldier from the Greatest Generation will salute you and welcome you into his 1940s tiki bar.
Details: Open from 5 p.m. on Tuesdays-Saturdays; 901 and 909 Waimanu St., Honolulu; www.brewseums.com
EAT: Island Vintage Shave Ice, Honolulu
The owners of Honolulu’s Island Vintage Coffee Co. have gotten into the shave ice business, and we are very
thankful. Island Vintage Shave Ice currently has two kiosks — one at the Royal Hawaiian Center and the other at the Ala Moana Center — but we suspect more lie ahead. The quality of the ingredients (fresh, local, organic) and flavor combinations are like no other. Servings are large, and prices are high (adults, $7; keiki, $4) but once you slurp the powder-soft ice and housemade syrups with real bits of fruit, you’ll never go back to the neon blue stuff. Go for the Green Island, with matcha green tea, yuzu, organic frozen yogurt, mochi and azuki bean — or the Pink Island, with lychee, mint, organic ice cream, fresh strawberries, mochi and boba.
Details: Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. 2201 Kalakaua Ave., Kiosk B-1, and 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Level 2, Ewa Wing, both in Honolulu; www.islandvintagecoffee.com
PLAY: World’s Largest Maze
There’s no doubt about it. The Dole Plantation is unabashedly commercial, with a giant grocery store selling pineapple-flavored candies and other edibles containing more high-fructose corn syrup than actual pineapple. But there’s one thing adults and kids can get jazzed — and competitive — about: weaving their way through the giant Garden Pineapple Maze, which was recognized as the World’s Largest Maze by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008. The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and a half miles of paths framed by 14,000 Hawaiian plants.
Your mission: Seek out eight secret stations and mark your ticket with the accompanying stencil to get closer to completing this botanical labyrinth. First person to finish wins a prize and his or her name recorded on a sign at the maze’s entrance. A great family activity indeed.
Details: Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for kids. Open 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa; www.doleplantation.com.