Oahu Activity Recommendations

Oahu is an island filled with many tourists and many activities. Here are a few that I enjoyed:

Pearl Harbor

Of course visiting Pearl Harbor was an important must do activity while on that island.  When I arrived, I was surprised to find that the famous USS Arizona memorial was free! 

First they show everybody a video which explains a lot of history and has actual footage of Pearl Harbor during that time.

I was surprised how much I didn't know before that video. I didn't truly understand how tragic it was.  People swam through burning oil and many drowned with their sinking ships.
For example, The USS Oklahoma, a submarine that turned over with hundreds of sailors inside; they were trapped and never got out. 
There's a lot I could say about that video but it would be better for people to watch it themselves than for me to describe everything here.

After the video, We all got on a ferry which took us to the sunken USS Arizona.
Parts of the top of the ship were sticking up out of the water.

I also noticed rainbow spots on the water. "Is that from oil?!" I asked someone who worked at the memorial. She told me that it was indeed from oil that is still slowly leaking up from the sunken ship. I was shocked to hear that it was even after all those years! It was a reminder how big an impact that event made.

Luau

I got a deal to a Luau from Groupon.com,  It was $50,  which included pickup

from Waikiki and transportation back, the buffet dinner, 3 alcoholic drinks and a show.  
The sun was setting when we arrived and we watched Hawaiian men pull lift up the big pig that was cooked in a hole in the ground. After that we ate, drank, and watched the show. 
One thing I noticed during the show was that the women were ALWAYS smiling
I mean to a point that it was creepy. Their face was constantly in a smiling position and I never saw it leave. I don't actually believe they are that happy. They are probably not allowed to not smile. Even when I'm happy, I'm not smiling Constantly.
Anyway, the luau was a great experience. here are a few pics..

                           

Shark Cage

The Shark Cage was awesome! It cost $100 and the boat departed from a town called Haleiwa.  The company has been operating for years and with a perfect safety record. so relax. They also told us that these type of sharks did not see humans as prey and that the cage was more just for us to feel more comfortable about it. 

under my foot

They could have gotten his foot if they really wanted to

Vine trees

 One of the first things I noticed when I arrived were these large amount of... vine trees?  I'm not sure what else to call them but I enjoyed climbing and swinging on them so much that I didn't want to leave them off the list! 
And It's free! 
                             



                             

           

Dole Plantation

Yes, this the location of Dole. They had a free How to grow a pineapple demonstration inside and also free samples of pineapple.  

What wasn't free but really delicious was pineapple juice! It was so fresh.

They have tours of their massive gardens of fruit and a Giant maze. In 2008 it was the largest maze in the world.

Pineapple gum!

Stairway to Heaven

There are several hiking trails in Oahu. The one pictured above is Diamond Head. It's near Waikiki, and cost $1. It was alright but my most memorial hike on that island was the Stairway to Heaven, Also called Haʻikū Stairs. It's a bit less on the legal side. It's technically not allowed but many people do it and many people know that many people do it. There's over 100 hikers a week.

The stairway is a long metal staircase going up into the mountains. 3,922 steps. Most start this hike in the middle of the night, like at 2 a.m. or so to get past the guard (whose shift doesn't start till later) and to watch the sunrise from the top. The stairway is near a city called Kaneohe and you will have to walk through a residential area to get to the main gate.

 However, I have heard there is a legal way to access the stairs from the other side of the mountain and that also makes it  longer and harder.

So If you do decide to trespass (which I'm not necessarily recommending)   keep quiet and a low profile. 

Also, be careful. When I hiked it, it was in good condition even after years of being closed of thousands of hikers later but since it is closed to the public, there might not be anyone maintaining it if it does ever get damaged. It also got really slippery when it started raining on the way down.

highway from above

Nearby the start of the stairway is a building that was used in the T.V. show Lost. Since the filming, It had gotten a lot of graffiti. Also, it was completely empty inside.

Thanks for reading