honolulu on a Shoestring

Even those on a budget can soak up the charms of this Hawaiian paradise – if you know where to look

WORDS SARAH PREBBLE

You can hang ten with a rented surfboard at Waikiki Beach
Photo: Photolibrary/ Chad Ehlers

Mention the name “Honolulu” and glamour – with its glittering price tag – springs to mind. Honolulu does have a serious glitz factor, of course, but there are many wonderful sights to see that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. All it takes to find this thrifty version of the Hawaiian dream is a spirit of adventure and a determination to see, rather than be seen.

For example, all beaches in Hawaii are publicly owned and therefore free! At Koa Board Sports you can rent a surfboard for US$25 per day (AU$28), and boogie boards and fins for US$10 per day (AU$11.50). Once you’re done sunning and surfing on Waikiki Beach (the best and most famous beach of them all), take in a movie on the sand. Sunset on the Beach Movies screens recent films on a giant nine-metre screen for free every Saturday and Sunday night – just sit back on the sand and enjoy. There’s even yummy food!

Make sure you catch Waikiki Aquarium Honolulu has a small but excellent aquarium, Waikiki Aquarium, open 9am to 4.30pm daily. For just US$9 (AU$10.50) entry, this gem offers an extensive collection of beautifully displayed sea life – sharks, seals and corals from the tropical Pacific Ocean and Hawaii. Another animal attraction well worth visiting is the nearby Honolulu Zoo, also open 9am to
4.30pm daily. Although relatively small, it houses a good selection of wild animals in authentic thematic environments, and charges just a US$8 entry fee (AU$9).

Few sounds epitomise Hawaii more than the gentle lilt of the ukulele. Find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about this stringed instrument at the Kamaka Hawaii ukulele factory, a family-owned business since 1916. Learn about the history of the ukulele’s introduction to Hawaii, watch ukuleles being handcrafted, and be charmed by Fred or Samuel Kamaka’s personal tours, peppered with humour and information. Don’t be surprised if you’re tempted to order your very own souvenir! Free, guided tours are given Monday to Friday at 10.30am.

Enjoy the buzz and cheap eats in
Chinatown With some of the best courses in the world, Hawaii is well known as a golfer’s paradise. Best of all, it has several public golf courses, so tourists can sample some of these beauties. Try your swing at Ala Wai Municipal Golf Course, a flat course which enjoys a scenic location beside the Ala Wai Canal. Green fees are US$42 (AU$47.50) for 18 holes.

Honolulu has been a cultural melting pot for many centuries. To plunge yourself into its vibrant heart, take a walking tour of Chinatown and admire its two-storey, period façade. Here, on the first Friday of every month, art galleries and shops stay open until 9pm, transforming the area into a hive of exciting cultural events, street performers, music and delicious, very cheap, eats. Free walking maps and guide books can be picked up at any of the participating shops at any time, or contact FirstFridayHawaii.com for more information about events. And don’t miss Maunakea Marketplace, a new Chinese market bazaar with old-fashioned style. This well-known gathering place attracts mahjong players to its inner courtyard, and snacks and tea can be found at the exotic food stalls surrounding them.

Take Diamond Head’s stairway to
heaven Photos: Oahu Visitors Bureau For an extra dose of culture, visit Hawaii Theatre Center, known as “The Pride of the Pacific”. From 1922, the Center housed vaudeville plays, musicals and silent films.

In 1996, it was restored to its previous period grandeur and is now a multi-purpose performance centre. Every Tuesday at 11am there is a one-hour guided tour of the theatre for US$5 (AU$6). Reservations are essential. While you’re in the mood, you shouldn’t miss the Honolulu Academy of Arts, founded in 1927. It houses over 50,000 treasures from around the world and is dedicated to entertaining and informing audiences about multi-cultural Hawaiian and Eastern arts. Entry is free on the first Wednesday of the month, while Tuesday to Sunday it’s US$10 per person (AU$11.50).

Enjoy a night of art deco cool at
the theatre Of course you can’t visit Honolulu without taking a hike up Diamond Head, an extinct volcanic crater that sits majestically to the east of Waikiki Beach. Some say it got its name from the calcite crystals on it that sailors found in the 19th century, which resembled diamonds. Others say it’s called Diamond Head because at certain angles the peak looks like an uncut diamond. Whichever is true, hikers who reach the 232m summit are rewarded with unsurpassed views over the island of Oahu. The 90-minute hike has lots of steps, but it’s classified as easy to moderate and is paved all the way.

USS Arizona Memorial marks the
place World War II began for the US To ensure you get the full Hawaiian experience, it’s worth investing in a VISITicket Power Pass, which gives you entry to 40 of Oahu’s most outstanding attractions, including historic Pearl Harbour/USS Arizona Memorial City, USS Missouri Battleship, Dole Plantation Maze and Sea Life Park. The pass also entitles you to discounts and special offers at numerous restaurants, bars and retailers.

A one-day pass is US$45 (AU$51) for adults, US$35 (AU$40) for children. Multi-day passes are also available.

Behind the hills of Waikiki is the verdant valley neighbourhood of Manoa. Here, far from Honolulu’s bustling downtown, you can enjoy a leisurely one-hour hike to Manoa Falls. A well signposted trail leads you through lush tropical vegetation all the way to the dramatic view of a 46m waterfall cascading into a deep pool. Drinking water, good footwear and insect repellent are all you need to enjoy this wonderful site, but swimming is not permitted. Entry is free.

Discover paradise at
Manoa Falls
Photo: Ray Baker While you’re in Manoa, stop off at the magnificent cultivated rainforest of the Lyon Arboretum. This University of Hawaii research facility has free maps that guide you among 5,000 specimens of rare and native trees and flora, while friendly staff are available to answer your queries. The arboretum is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, and entry is free.

Getting about Honolulu is easy thanks to its excellent bus service (known as The Bus). For US$2 per person (AU$2.50), you can travel as far or as near as you need. This price allows you to transfer to other bus routes, and services are numerous and frequent. You can also check out the Honolulu Trolley, at US$25 (AU$28) a day for all four city routes.

It often rains rainbows in Manoa,
home of the Lyon Arboretum
Photo: Ray Baker

Come Friday night, make a date with the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Every Friday at 6pm they stage a spectacular free performance by hula dancers and fire-eaters, followed by a fireworks display. Or take advantage of Happy Hour at Honolulu’s bars where, from about 5 to 7pm, drinks are half price. At the Chart House, for instance, you can watch the sun set over Ala Wai Yacht Harbor and whet your appetite on a selection of pupus (Hawaiian tapas) while listening to local crooners. Then just sit back and “talk story” with a local… it costs you nothing and is pure entertainment.

Paul Peralta, Director of Rooms at the Sheraton Hotel Waikiki, gives us his favourite shoestring tips:
The quietest beaches where the locals go are Magic Island (across from Ala Moana Center) and Kailua Beach, Kailua.
The most beautiful beach is Lanikai near Kailua.
The best waterfall hike is Maunawili Falls off the Pali Highway.
Your best bets for cheap food are L&L Drive Inn, Rainbow Drive-in and Restaurant Row at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Get the free Honolulu Magazine and take advantage of the meal coupons inside.
Find the best shopping at Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center.
The best bars by far are Bar 35, thirtyninehotel and Indigo, all in Chinatown.
And finally, the best nightclub is Pearls in the Ala Moana Center.

FIND IT:

Koa Board Sports
2420 Koa Ave, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 923 0189
Sunset on the Beach Movies
Queen’s Beach, Honolulu, opposite the Waikiki Aquarium
Waikiki Aquarium
2777 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 923 9741
Honolulu Zoo
151 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 971 7171
Kamaka Hawaii ukulele factory
550 South St, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 531 3165
Ala Wai Municipal Golf Course
404 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 733 7387
Chinatown
Centred around North Hotel St, Honolulu
FirstFridayHawaii.com
1750 Kalakaua Ave, Suite 103 #3234, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 739 9797
Maunakea Marketplace
1120 Maunakea St, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 524 3409
Hawaii Theatre Center
1130 Bethel St, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 528 0506
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 South Beretania St, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 532 8734
VISITicket: Honolulu Power Pass
tel: +1 (808) 924 2473
Lyon Arboretum
University of Hawaii, 3860 Manoa Rd, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 988 0456
Hilton Hawaiian Village
2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 949 4321
Chart House
1765 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 941 6660

Sarah Prebble says:
My introduction to the Lyon Arboretum was a novel experience. Having volunteered for one of their special gardening days, I found myself kitted out in mosquito repellent from head to foot, machete in hand, with a party of younger and fitter companions, clearing tropical jungle on a steep escarpment. For hours we laboured in the dense undergrowth in stifling heat.

I broke two toenails but it was enormously satisfying, although not quite the gentile gardening I’m so fond of!