All about Oahu

Oahu may be number three in size among its fellow islands in the Hawaiian chain, but it is first in population. Nearly 900,000 people share Oahu’s 600 square miles of mountains and beaches – that’s three-quarters of the state’s population. Almost half inhabit the bustling city of Honolulu and nearby resort town of Waikiki.

Oahu, also known as “the gathering place,” is made up of two separate but overlapping volcanoes, known as a volcanic doublet. Its asymmetrical butterfly shape is formed by two mountain ranges: the Waianae Range in the west and the Ko’olau Range in the east. Slicing through the center is the flat Leilehua Plateau. Recent, geologically speaking, volcanic eruptions in the southeastern portion of the island which formed the Diamond Head, Koko Head and Punchbowl craters can be blamed for Oahu’s uneven shape.

Chances are if you are staying on Oahu you will book a room in Waikiki or Honolulu. Nearly all of the island’s resorts are crammed into this small area. About half of all the visitors to the state stay on Oahu. Over five million people, predominantly from the mainland U.S. and Japan, make the trek to Oahu every year. Honolulu is the state’s capital and major financial center. It is also home to the main campus of the University of Hawaii. Honolulu wasn’t always the main seat. Until 1845 the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom was Kahului on the island of Maui. King Kamehameha III ordered the move and the Iolani Palace was built later.

Central Oahu boasts one of the island’s largest attractions Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. More than one million people a year pay their respects to the many military personnel who lost their lives during the Japanese attack. Many of these men and women and veterans of many wars are laid to rest in Punchbowl National Cemetery on Diamond Head.

Beyond the sky scrapers and decidedly urban nature of the southern tip of the island is an Oahu of great natural beauty and old-time charm. One of the island’s other claims to fame is the monster waves and laid-back atmosphere of the North Shore. Each winter professional surfers flock to Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay to ride some of the most killer waves in the Pacific.

Not to be discounted are the lovely beaches wedged between Waikiki and the North Shore on the East coast. The jaw-dropping Ka'a'awa Valley is also located on this side of the island. It is easily recognizable as the backdrop for the hit television series “Lost.” In fact, Oahu has played host to a slew of films, from “Mighty Joe Young” to the surfing flick “Blue Crush, and television shows like “Magnum P.I.” and the reality show “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”

The leeward or west side of Oahu is called Wai’anae and is filled with pineapple fields. Although there are many lovely coastal stops on this drier and poorer side of the island, it has received a somewhat unwarranted bad reputation. In decades past, violent crimes against tourists did occur but mostly now the only threat is petty theft.

For the traveler looking to experience a modern paradise, Oahu has it all - the excitement and culture of a large metropolitan city, the unspoiled beauty of tropical coastlines and verdant mountains plus everything in between.