Honolulu, Hawaii

Visitors usually have an initial shock when they arrive in Honolulu. This is not a quiet resort town. Instead you are greeted by a thriving world-class city, with a beach that rivals any in the world. As a matter of fact this natural harbor was once home to the Hawaiian royal court. The capital of Honolulu is the cultural, industrial, commercial, and governmental center of Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the heart Honolulu. Along the beach, there are many shops with lots of neat things to buy as souvenirs, as well as fine restaurants to try as well. Sports enthusiasts can go canoing, snorkeling, surfing or horse-back riding along the beach.

Climate

The tropical Hawaiian climate is moderated by its mid-ocean location and by the California Current. The average daily low and high temperatures in January are 18° C and 27°C and in July are 23°C and 31°C.

Attractions

With Honolulu being such a modern and developed city, there is simply no shortage of attractions or sites to see. Here is a run down of must-sees:

• Completed in September 1926, the Aloha Tower and Marketplace was for a long time the tallest building in Honolulu. Today it serves as the control center for Honolulu Harbor and a public observation deck.
• The Hawaii State Capitol Building has a modern, open-air design, with pillars reminiscent of palm tree trunks, and two conical structures symbolizing volcanoes containing the House and Senate chambers, all surrounded by a moat of water representing the ocean.
• Washington Place, private home of Hawaii’s last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, and presently the governor’s mansion.
• Iolani Palace was the historic seat of the Hawaiian monarchy, and the Iolani Barracks. – Churches: Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, the historic Kawaiahao Church of Hawaiian royalty, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
• The Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium.
• Bishop Street is home to most of Honolulu’s skyscrapers, including the First Hawaiian Center, the tallest building in the Hawaiian Islands.
• Kapiolani Park is a large public park at the east end of Waikiki, home to the Waikiki Shell amphitheatre.
• Pali Lookout provides a panoramic view of Oahu. There are several fantastic museums to explore.
• The Bishop Museum, funded in 1889 by the last direct descendant of Kamehameha I, records, preserves and tells the stories of Hawaii and the Pacific. On display are Hawaiian artifacts, science-based exhibits, a large simulated volcano in the center that erupts regularly, the third largest entomology collection in the US, and a planetarium.
• Also the Contemporary Museum, Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii Maritime Center, and the Workspace. War history buffs will rejoice with the many military memorials found on the island.
• The Battleship Missouri Memorial is the battleship best known as the site where World War II ended when the Japanese military surrendered to the Allied forces. The USS Arizona Memorial commemorates the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the US into World War II. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is the final resting place of over 45,000 Americans who served their country.