It turns out you can see a lot on an island in just one day, especially with a local driver and knowledgable tour guide. In our case, the local driver and knowledgable tour guide was one the same. His name was Gonzo and he was a jolly Hawaiian native. The night before, from the hotel room, I booked a day-long bus tour with a company called E Noa Tours and they had a “Circle Island Tour” with a jam-packed itinerary that was just my style. E Noa Tours Website.

Pearl Harbor

Our day tour started with an early morning visit to Pearl Harbor, the must-see, historic U.S. Naval Base just 20 minutes away from most Wakiki Beach hotels. Pearl Harbor is a great experience in itself, and should not be missed if you are making the trip out to Hawaii. Please read about my short Pearl Harbor experience here.

Dole Plantation

Yep – the fruit company. After our visit to Pearl Harbor we started to drive away from the city of Honolulu and the scenery outside of the bus windows changed to rolling farm hills where I had my first glimpse of pineapple fields. Pineapples grow on dull green, spiky bushes that somewhat resemble the top of a pineapple. It surprised me how large each bush was considering it only grows one pineapple and can take up to two years to produce it. Each pineapple is then harvested by hand and workers have to wear protective clothing in the Hawaiian heat to shield themselves from the sharp bushes. No wonder pineapples are expensive in the stores! 

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I was not too excited about our stop at the Dole Plantation because everything that I read indicated it was a tourist trap but, when in Rome, er, when in Hawaii, you may as well try Dole Whip at the place it originated. Upon arrival the place was more grand than I had anticipated with beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees out front, well maintained landscaping, and a vibrant building sporting the bright Dole logo. The building turned out to be a big gift shop that sold anything you can think of that is pineapple related. We went right for the Dole Whip which was served from a cafe in back. I enjoyed my Dole Whip outside in a small garden that grew many different varieties of pineapples. 

Learning about the agricultural process and tasting the Dole Whip is, in my opinion, the best part of visiting the Dole Plantation. The Aloha Express Train and Garden Maze are great on-site family activities and cost a low dollar amount per person but would certainly add up if you plan to bring the whole family. Dole Plantation Website.

My recommendation, if you are passing by on your way to the North Shore, the Dole Plantation is a just a quick stop to try Dole Whip and see some unique agriculture. Oh – what does Dole Whip taste like? It is pretty accurately described as pineapple sherbet, extruded into a cute cup. 

North Shore

The North Shore of Oahu has some epic beaches and we were there during some of the best surfing tide of the year, which meant the water was absolutely wild. Every beach was posted with red “Danger, Do Not Swim” signs and several were even taped off with caution tape to get the point across. The view of the powerful water surging far up the beach was enough to make me feel absolutely powerless in this big bad world. Further along the coast, heading clockwise, we came up to the famous Sunset Beach where the Van’s World Cup of Surfing was currently underway.

Gonzo pulled over and we got out to take a peek at the televised event complete with beach commentators, big cameras, and onlooking crowds. And it WAS a sight to see! The waves were enormous and the surfers looked like tiny specs floating on the water, lifeguard jet skis at the ready. We watched a few surfers ride their waves for an impressive amount of time and each ride was accompanied by the commentator, talking in a sports language I did not understand, exclaiming about each surfer’s performance. We also watched one surfer clamber back to shore and the effort it took him to get to the beach took minutes of hard work and skill. No tour company could have planned this stop but we were thankful Gonzo pulled over so we could get a glimpse of the exciting surfing world that we knew very little about.

Cliffs and Lookouts

Heading clockwise around the island from the North Shore back towards Honolulu is some of Oahu’s most epic coastline with a meandering road that follows close along its edge. Gonzo’s knowledge of this area was greatly appreciated as we passed by island rock formations; like the rabbit and the China man’s hat; iconic cliffs; like those featured in movies like the Hunger Games, Jurassic World, and Hawaii 5-0; and tropical vegetation; like the fan palm, soda palm, tourist pineapple, macadamia nut, and coffee trees. Gonzo also stopped at three different lookout locations along the way and each one offered vastly different and beautiful views. 

The first stop, the Nu’uana Pali Lookout, takes you uphill to one of the best view’s of the island’s Ko’olau mountain range. This view is all about the mountains and valley that are sprawled out below with the ocean coastline in the distance, becoming part of the horizon. 

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The second stop, the Halona Blow Hole Lookout, features a clifftop view of a steep rim of rocky coast where, when the ocean surge pushes in, the water shoots straight up into the air like a whale’s blowhole. Sitting in this lookout area was a Hawaiian who was less transfixed in the phenomenon taking pace in front of him than with his craft, transforming palm leaves into weaved bowls.

The third stop, Hanauma Bay, was my favorite. It was an aerial view overlooking a huge keyhole shaped bay with vivid blue water and a great rim of white beach sand. We could see beachgoers snorkeling atop the clear water and we marveled at how vacant this beautiful beach was compared to Waikiki. We stood there for a while, taking in the view while Gonzo pointed out the baboon who protects this bay, it’s face distinguishable in the rock formation at the end of the cliff.

In review, our last minute tour booking was a great way to see as much of Oahu as we could. It was fun to get out and learn about different part of the island from a local guide and, like most organized tour experiences, the guide truly does make or break the trip. Tour guides are a special type of person and I have been fortunate to run across good ones, including our Gonzo.