Oahu Circle Island Tour Guide – Top Hawaii Travel Tips

Overview of Oahu – Circle Island

Oahu is the main island of Hawaii; however, the largest island is actually the Big Island, also known simply as Hawaii. There is only one international airport in the state, located on Oahu. If you wish to travel to the Big Island, you will need to take an additional domestic flight. Costs on the Big Island are generally lower compared to Oahu, but we opted to fly directly to Oahu instead of another island because the flight from New Zealand to Hawaii already took about nine hours — and we were completely exhausted. The thought of flying back to Vietnam from New Zealand, which takes around eleven hours on a direct flight, made the idea of “home” feel incredibly far away.

Nội dung chính

Oahu Circle Island Tour Guide – Top Hawaii Travel Tips

Oahu offers a wide range of activities, from surfing and swimming with marine life to scenic helicopter tours. For those who prefer a more leisurely experience, a sightseeing trip around the island is a great choice. Although Oahu may appear small, it actually takes more than a day to explore it in full. Public buses don’t allow enough time to return in a single day, trolleys cover only limited routes, and driving can be challenging for visitors from New Zealand since traffic flows on the opposite side. For travellers from Vietnam, however, renting a car is much easier as they drive on the same side of the road, allowing for greater flexibility and freedom.

Oahu – Circle Island Trip with Friends

That day, we joined a group of five others — three from the UK and two from Australia — making it a comfortable 10-passenger trip where we could plan our stops more freely. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side. The sky was overcast, rain came and went, and thick grey clouds dulled the scenery, making it less ideal for photography.

Once we left the city, the surroundings reminded me of the countryside back home. Towering trees shaded the roadside, traffic was light, and now and then, we passed small fruit stalls by the highway. Our route took us past Diamond Head, famously called the “gateway to heaven.” Sadly, we didn’t have time to hike up to the summit for the panoramic views. Instead, we headed straight to Halona Blowhole and nearby Halona Beach. The beach was pristine and beautiful, but the waves were too strong for swimming that day. Across from the shore, a Hollywood film set was under construction, prompting me to joke with my friends, “You all go ahead — I’ll stay here and audition.” The whole van burst into laughter, and they teased me, saying I should star in an adult film because I was the smallest in size and had a tanned, “sexy” look in their eyes.

On the way back, we stopped at Dole Plantation, Hawaii’s historic pineapple-growing hub. Nowadays, production is focused solely on meeting local demand rather than exporting. Here, you can find everything pineapple-themed — from soft-serve ice cream and soaps to shower gels, shampoos, cakes, and candies. I recommend trying the pineapple ice cream, but go for the small size, as portions here are twice as large as in New Zealand. A single pineapple soft-serve at Dole costs around USD 6.