10 best things to do in Oahu, Hawaii (it’s not just Waikiki)

AUSSIES can’t get enough of Waikiki’s bustling beaches, but it’s like coming to Australia and only visiting Sydney Harbour. You’re seriously missing out.

Water fun on Waikiki beach. Picture: iStock

Yes, there’s surf, sand and shopping, but Aussies’ love affair with their favourite Hawaiian island goes beyond that.

Here are 10 reasons to love it ... and to make sure you see more than Waikiki.

THE ONE THING YOU WON’T FIND IN HAWAII

THE FOODS YOU MUST EAT IN HAWAII

WAIKIKI’S TOP SHOPPING HOT SPOTS

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST BEACHES IN HAWAII

SURF’S UP

Why should Australians (who, let’s be honest, can lay claim to some of the best beaches in the world) head halfway across the world to go surfing? Because this is where the sport originated. During winter, Oahu’s North Shore is home to the world’s championship surfing competitions, but novices can still get in on the action by putting in the hard yards at Hans Hedemann Surf School (hhsurf.com), which boasts serious A-grade celebrity credentials (Cameron Diaz learnt to surf here), or by booking in for one-on-one instruction with “Uncle Bryan” at Sunset Suratt Surf Academy.

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Alan Wong's Honolulu.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Island cuisine can often be lacklustre and uninspiring (another serving of papaya anyone?), but you can eat your way around Oahu for weeks and not taste the same flavour twice, so varied is the ethnicity of the population. The island is famous for its plate meats and the best place to tuck in is at Rainbow Drive-In.

For fine dining, Alan Wong’s Restaurant is often listed as one of America’s top 50 restaurants. And if you’re hankering for a slice of home, Bill Granger’s famous Bills in downtown Waikiki is just the ticket.

Mea’ai Maika’i! (bon appetit).

SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP

Australians are known for arriving in Oahu with little more than the clothes on their back in the hope that they’ll pick up a whole new wardrobe during their stay. Join them by heading straight to Ross Dress for Less in Waikiki where you can pick up a couple of large suitcases and armfuls of designer clothes for next to nix before visiting Ala Moana Center, the world’s largest open-air shopping centre (it has more than 290 stores) and Ward Centers (home to Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx). Waikele Premium Outlets is a distance away but well worth the trip for big-name threads at rock-bottom prices.

RumFire bar at Sheraton Waikiki, Hawaii.

DRINK UP

Waikiki is always buzzing, but it’s after the sun goes down that the streets really come alive. The best place to get in on the action is by positioning yourself around a private fire pit at RumFire at the Sheraton Waikiki, or by enjoying a Mai Tai at the place where it originated, the Mai Tai Bar in The Royal Hawaiian. More of a dancer? Head immediately to one of Waikiki’s hottest clubs, Addiction, in The Modern Honolulu.

LUAU

You can’t leave Oahu without experiencing the delights of a traditional luau (and it’s probably the one time that loud Hawaiian shirt you have in the back of your wardrobe is OK to wear in public). Check out Waikiki Starlight Luau, held in the rooftop garden of The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, or The Polynesian Cultural Center’s Ali’i Luau in La’ie on Oahu’s North Shore.

WAIKIKI BEACH

With its honey-coloured sand and high surfing waves, it’s no wonder this famous beach is so popular with the scores of Aussie tourists who visit every year. But what does this stretch of coastline have that is so different from what we have? An impressive line-up of beachfront stores such as H&M and Sephora, endless bars and some of the best dining options to be had on the island. Check out Waikiki Beach Walk to map out your day.

Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach. Picture: moana-surfrider.com

SPA LIFE

If you only get one chance to visit a day spa, make it Moana Surfrider’s spectacular Moana Lani Spa. The 1600sq m space is oceanfront so you can bliss out as you gaze into the big blue (the couples treatment suites are well worth your pretty pennies).

If you make it two, celebrity magnet, The Kahala Resort has converted guest rooms into individual spas, each complete with infinity-edge, deep-soaking jacuzzi tub. Warning: you’ll cry when your time is up.

USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL

It’s one of Hawaii’s top tourist destinations, but a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial is a sobering experience. More than 2000 men died during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor – 1177 of them alone were on the USS Arizona and, as most of the bodies were never recovered, it doesn’t escape your attention that you are standing on a mass gravesite (the memorial is built over the sunken wreckage).

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The USS Arizona memorial, Pearl Harbor.

BANZAI PIPELINE

You know that look of awe tourists get on their faces when they see the waves on our beaches for the first time? Now you too can have your moment by driving up to Ehukai Beach on the North Shore and checking out the waves at Banzai Pipeline.

You’re not here to go into the water – oh no, the 4m waves have claimed the lives of many top surfers in recent years. You’re here to look, have a Keanu Reeves “woah” moment on the sand and then come back home to tell everyone you have been there and it was glorious.

NORTH SHORE

Many Australians come to Oahu and park themselves in Waikiki. It’s a travesty because the North Shore is home to some of the most beautiful places on the island.

Hire a car in Honolulu (don’t worry, the traffic eases once you get out of town) and head in eastwards until you reach the town of Haleiwa, the gateway to the North.

From there, it’s a matter of stopping off at Kahuku (famous for its shrimp trucks), Turtle Bay, Waimea Valley, Mokule’ia and Kaena.