Kawika Smith arrives to pick me up at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Blvd. I peer into the van expecting to find other sunburnt tourists, but it’s empty. “All our tours are exclusive and private,” Kawika explains with a smile.
One of Oahu’s most popular tours is the Circle Island Tour. Most operators pack tourists into a bus and whiz around Oahu, stopping at designated halts along the way. Kawika’s Done Tours Hawaii is different because there are no fixed stops or even a set duration. He stops wherever I fancy along the Circle Island Tour, lets me take my time for a swim or a walk and also recommends places that I might find interesting.
We drive towards the North Shore. Since its 9.30 a.m., Honolulu is reeling under rush hour, which is thankfully mostly in the opposite direction. Kawika explains that not all of Oahu is high-rise concrete like Honolulu. In fact even the four-laning soon ends and I soon get the distinct feeling of being on a little tropical island. Kawika offers interesting information about the history and culture of the land.
He tells me is that the huge banyan trees with their vast canopies and roots dripping to the ground are not native to Hawaii — they were brought from India. The first banyan tree in Hawaii — a gift to the sheriff of Maui from missionaries — was planted on Maui in April, 1873. Today this gift from India has grown to cover two thirds of an acre. Another banyan in Oahu carries more historical weight. This tree at Lolani Palace — again a gift from our country — presented to King Kalakaua by an Indian king. Legend has it that it was planted on the palace grounds by Queen Lili’oukalani, who would ironically be overthrown and imprisoned at the same palace. Completing the trio of famous banyans is the one near Kawela Bay on the North Shore. It features in the popular TV series Lost .
As we drive along, Kawika tells me that Hawaii is quite the Hollywood hottie when it comes to filming locations. We stop at the beginning of the Ka’a’awa Valley on the Kamehameha Highway, where the stampede scene from Jurassic Park was shot. In fact, the giant tree under which palaeontologist Alan Grant and the kids Tim and Lex Murphy take shelter to escape the Gallimimus stampede is still there in the Kualoa Ranch and is a great photo opportunity.
Steven Spielberg who directed Jurassic Park is no stranger to Hawaii. The ‘opening of the Ark’ scene from his love child with George Lucas, Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed on the Na Pali coast on the island of Kauai.
On the way we stop for something that tourists go absolutely ga-ga over — Matsumoto Shave Ice at Haleiwa on the North Shore. It’s basically crushed ice in a cup with flavoured syrups poured over it. Now it is my turn to tell Kawika something. I tell him that the banyan tree is not the only Indian import. We’ve been eating ‘shaved ice’ for centuries. But Matsumoto has elevated it to cult status and at his outlet you can get Shave Ice t-shirts, fridge magnets and other souvenirs.
We continue to drive the North Shore, which has beaches stretching for more than seven miles and are very popular with expert surfers. During the ‘big wave’ season from November through March, huge glassy waves attract surfers from all over the world. The North Shore hosts the world’s elite surfing competitions during this time. Kawaika tells me that I am welcome to hire a board and surf for as long as I want; there is no time restriction.
The penultimate stop is Kailua Beach. If you have just one sunny day in Oahu, spend it at Kailua Beach, not Waikiki. From all the places that I’ve seen the Pacific around the world (Northern and Southern hemispheres), I have never seen it prettier than it is at Kailua Beach!
We complete our circle and the last stop is the Halona Blow Hole. You need to be a bit of a goat to climb down to the blow hole. Right next to it is another famous film location. The passionate scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr from the 1953 movie Here to Eternity was shot at the beach here and it is hailed as one of the greatest love scenes ever. But be warned that it’s so popular that you really can’t come here looking for privacy to re-enact the scene.
Slideshow : >A visit to Hawaii
