Hemispheres Magazine

DAY TWO / Brace yourself for a hearty meal at Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab. Go for the fisherman’s platter—the morning’s fresh catch with eggs and fried rice. If you’re really brave (your cardiologist is far, far away), dare the local breakfast of champions: loco moco—a hamburger patty topped with fried sweet onions and an egg, and smothered in brown gravy. There’s actually a root-beer float on the breakfast menu—and latté and mocha.

Sam’s is on Nimitz Highway, halfway to Pearl Harbor. Follow the signs to the Arizona Memorial and its huge parking area. Go right to the central desk and get a tour number. Tours are free, first come, first served. When your number is called, proceed to the theater for a documentary film of December 7, 1941, and the Japanese attack. The haunting footage is hard to reconcile with the sunny serenity of O‘ahu today. You’ll then be escorted aboard a Navy launch and motor across the harbor to the Arizona Memorial. Oil still seeps up from the sunken vessel, a tomb for the 1,102 men whose names are engraved on the monument.

Back on shore, explore the USS Bowfin submarine and take the jitney over to Ford Island to tour the new Air Force Museum and board the battleship USS Missouri. A brass plaque on the deck marks the spot where the Japanese surrender ended World War II.

From Pearl Harbor, drive west on Interstate H-1. Peel off at Hawai‘i Route 99 North, heading for the capital of surfdom, little Hale‘iwa town. Your lunch is at Haleiwa Joe’s, overlooking the boat harbor. If you can eat a whole fish, go for the moi. If not, there’s the crab and avocado salad.

Browse Hale‘iwa’s fashionista/retro-hippy shops and art galleries. Best boutique: Silver Moon Emporium in the North Shore Marketplace. In the same small mall see whether the Hale‘iwa Surf Museum is open or the “Gone surfin’” sign is stuck in the door. There are dozens of vintage boards inside, each with a story.

Surf legends Buffalo Keaulana, Rabbit Kekai, and George Downing appear in ’50s photos as skinny kids. Before leaving Hale‘iwa, it’s mandatory to stop at Matsumoto’s for “shave ice” (snow cone). Try “The Rainbow” with vanilla ice cream and adzuki beans.

A mile and a half north from Hale‘iwa, on Kamehameha Highway, pull to the side of the road and climb down the small embankment to Lani‘akea Beach for a swim with rare honu, Hawaiian green sea turtles. These gentle giants bask on shore and feed on nearby reefs. When you swim or snorkel, give these ancient animals some room—they can nip.

Back on the highway, at Kahuku town, stop at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. Even if you’re not really hungry, order a plate of garlic shrimp and share the bounty. The shrimp come from the nearby aqua ponds, and they don’t get any fresher.

The last stop of the day is a big one, the Polynesian Cultural Center. Brake for the huge wooden tiki announcing the entry at Laie. Within the thatched portals, authentic villages representing the islands of Polynesia are tucked into lush vegetation and along sleepy lagoons. Pack your camera’s memory card with colorful images from the Pageant of the Canoes, and then cruise the lagoons, stop at the villages, learn new crafts, try poi, and dance the tamurae. Stay for the lu‘au and the evening revue, complete with erupting volcano. You’ll drive back to Waikiki late, tired and happy, perhaps wearing a funny hat you wove yourself.

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