| You can use your Oahu vacation homes base | | | | United States went to war. Now you can stand |
| camp to explore Oahu's magical rainforests. | | | | on the deck of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl |
| Myriads of colorful birds flit in the misty sunbeams | | | | Harbor, with the ship underneath, and relive this |
| among giant ferns and hanging vines, while | | | | experience with your family. |
| enormous tropical trees form a thick canopy that | | | | If you like to shop, look for bargains at the Aloha |
| shelters all creatures below in cool shadows. This | | | | Flea Market. Just 50¢ admission will get you |
| emerald world is a true Garden of Eden. For an | | | | into this all-day show, which is held at the Aloha |
| unforgettable experience, try Manoa Falls Trail; | | | | Stadium parking lot Wednesday, Saturday, and |
| you a walk less than a mile to arrive at a | | | | Sunday from 6am to 3pm.. More than 1,000 |
| freshwater pool and waterfall. | | | | vendors sell everything from junk to jewels. |
| Another fun hike takes you to the top of | | | | Another great shopping trip is visiting the lei sellers |
| Diamond Head Crater. Almost everyone can take | | | | in Chinatown. There's a host of cultural sights and |
| this easy hike to the very top of Hawaii's most | | | | experiences to be had in Honolulu's Chinatown. |
| famous landmark. The 1.4-mile round-trip hike | | | | Wander through this several-square-block area |
| goes up to the top of the 750-foot volcanic cone, | | | | with its jumble of exotic shops offering herbs, |
| and there you have a 360° view of Oahu. | | | | Chinese groceries, and acupuncture services. |
| Another great adventure not to be missed is | | | | Be sure to check out the lei sellers on Maunakea |
| snorkeling the azure waters of Hanauma Bay. This | | | | Street. You should also try Oahu's famous shave |
| underwater park was once a volcanic crater. | | | | ice in a tropical flavor you can hardly even |
| Now, it is teems with rainbows of tropical fish. | | | | pronounce. In Haleiwa, definitely stop at |
| The bay's shallow water (10 feet deep in places is | | | | Matsumoto Shave Ice, 66-087 Kamehameha |
| bordered by a 2,000-foot gold-sand beach. When | | | | Highway. for a snow cone with an exotic flavor |
| the surf´s up you can head to Waimea | | | | poured over the top, for example the local |
| Bay. From November through March monstrous | | | | favorite, li hing mui (lee hing moo-ee), or with |
| waves, some 30 feet tall, roll into Waimea. The | | | | sweet Japanese adzuki beans hidden inside. |
| ground actually shakes when they break on the | | | | At the end of the day you can watch the sun |
| shore, and everyone on the beach is covered | | | | sink into the Pacific from your Oahu beach house. |
| with salt spray mist. The world's best surfers | | | | Or the more adventurous can climb the |
| paddle out to challenge these monster waves, and | | | | 1,048-foot hill named after a Sweet Potato. |
| it's amazing to see how small they appear in the | | | | Actually, it's far more romantic than it sounds. Puu |
| curl of the giant waves. | | | | Ualakaa State Park, at the end of Round Hill Drive, |
| Your Oahu vacation rental is also your doorway | | | | translates as "rolling sweet potato hill" (which was |
| to history. On December 7, 1941 the 608-foot | | | | how the ancient Hawaiians harvested the crop). |
| Arizona sank in just 9 minutes after having been | | | | This majestic view of the sunset is not to be |
| bombed during the Japanese air raid. The 1,177 | | | | missed. |
| men on board plunged to a fiery death -- and the | | | | |