Hawaii’s Oahu island is the kind of place where it seems you never meet a visitor who’s been there just once. People visit, then they visit again. Pretty soon Oahu has baked itself into your travel routines.
In the process, those of us who end up loving it — a big number, considering total air arrivals at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu reached 5.6 million people in 2023 — have each become familiar with a slightly different version of the island. There are people for whom the North Shore and its big surf lunches from food trucks is the draw. Or Waikiki for the shopping. Or Pearl Harbor for sober reflections. Or something else entirely.
What my family and I return for repeatedly are the hikes and the stellar eats, for which Honolulu is one of the finest cities on earth.
Here are my four favorite pairings.
Ka‘iwa Ridge and Bozu Japanese Restaurant
The Ka‘iwa Ridge trail, on the east coast of Oahu. The average hiker might make it to the top and back down in about an hour.
Hikers climbing up to the first pillbox on the Ka’iwa Ridge trail. The pillboxes were used as observation structures during World War II.
The elevation change on the trail is mostly moderate, and the view is expansive.
The Ka‘iwa Ridge rises above the Wailea neighborhood of Kailua, on the east coast of Oahu. You’ll find the trailhead on Kaelepulu Drive opposite the Mid-Pacific Country Club. It’s not a long hike. You should make it to the top and back down in about an hour. And the elevation change is moderate. But it is steep and slippery in spots, so you may find yourself using the provided ropes.
