Hawaii's 18 ‘O'S

With A Cheeky Dig At The TV Series, Two Friends Hit The Land Of White, Sandy Beaches And The Pina Colada For Some 18 ‘O’s Golf

- Benny Teo

I am standing on the shore in front of the biggest waves I have ever seen in my life, waves that tower like a huge moving, shimmering translucent wall. Breaking dangerously close to the beach, no power on Earth could move me to get into the water; anyone who goes in would be swept out to sea and drown.

“Let’s go! The water’s perfect!” I yell as I plunge into the churning, foaming water. For a traveller used to seeing the calm, almost dead waters around Singapore, Hawaii is a real eye opener. But it is not just the waves of the North Shore on Oahu Island that makes Hawaii different, it is truly one special place.

This is an island of activity. Whether you’re learning to surf along the crowded bikini-clad beaches of Waikiki, hiking through the rich rainforests of Waimea Valley, or watching the brilliant pastels of dusk fade off of Sunset Beach, you’ll find variety at every turn on Oahu.

Pearl Harbor and Waikiki

On the day we visited Pearl Harbour, the rain was a sober reminder to the site of the Japanese attack on the naval warships stationed in Hawaii, the act that triggered the United States official entry into World War Two. The memorial sits on top the battleship USS Arizona, still visible in the shallows where Japanese warplanes attacked and sank it on December 7, 1941.

With a bit of creative planning, we scheduled our trip to cover a weekend in Honolulu with the sole intention of experiencing what the great state of Hawaii can offer in terms of nightlife.

The boutique hotel we are staying at, the Aqua Surf and Spa, is within the main tourist strip that is downtown Waikiki and the gorgeous beach a little farther down.