Manoa & Makiki

Manoa and Makiki are two prominent neighborhoods of Honolulu situated in the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains north of Downtown Honolulu. Along with Nu'uanu, these neighborhoods sit within valleys which extend into the Ko'olau Range, varying in character from unpretentious bungalows, 1960s cinderblock walkup apartments and small businesses in the lower reaches of the neighborhoods to upscale apartment and condo complexes on the hillsides above. Manoa is best known as the home of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, the main branch of the largest university in the Hawaiian Islands. Makiki sits beneath the Punchbowl crater, home to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and gained fame as the birthplace and childhood home of former President Barack Obama.

Get in

Manoa and Makiki are bisected by the H-1 freeway, and are easily accessible heading East (from Downtown) via the Punahou or University exits and heading West (from Hawaii Kai) via the University or Wilder exits. You can also follow surface streets into the area, namely King Street (one way heading east) or Beretania Street (one way heading west), which run through the southern end of the Manoa and Makiki area and continue west straight into Downtown. Nu'uanu is located along the Pali Highway (State Road 61), which can be accessed from the freeway or, if coming from Downtown, by heading straight inland on surface streets.

If you're coming from Waikiki it's a 15 minute drive. Get on Kalakaua Avenue and head west, towards Downtown. For Manoa, turn right onto Kapiolani Blvd immediately after crossing the canal and continue for about half a mile before turning left onto University Avenue, which will take you straight to the UH campus. For Makiki, stay on Kalakaua Avenue until it ends at Beretania Street, where you make a left, then make a right onto either Keeaumoku Street or Ward Avenue, both of which will cross the freeway and take you into Makiki.

If taking TheBus, both the #2/#13 and #4 routes connect Makiki with Waikiki to the east and Downtown to the west, with the #2/#13 running along King and Beretania Streets and the #4 heading past the UH campus and along Wilder Avenue. The #4 also travels north of Downtown into Nu'uana.

See

• 1 Liliuokalani Botanical Garden, 123 N Kuakini St (just north of Foster Botanical Garden). 7AM-5PM. A 7.5 acre public city park, portions of which were a garden that belonged to Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning Monarch of Hawaii. This is the only one of the five botanical gardens that contain only plants native to Hawaii. Free. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA), 900 S Beretania St (corner of Beretania St and Ward Ave), ☏ +1 808 532-8700. Th 10AM-6PM, F-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 10AM-6PM. This museum, founded in 1927 by Anna Rice Cooke, encompasses 32 galleries surrounding six courtyard gardens and houses one of the largest collections of Asian art in the United States, with an impressive Western collection to boot, including Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, Cezanne, Monet, Modigliani and other masters. In partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the Museum also conduct tours of Shangri La, Doris Duke's architecturally significant Honolulu estate that contains the country's largest private collection of Islamic decorative art, including more than 3,500 items, many of which--elaborate ceilings, doorways, and tiles--are part of the house itself. Parking is $5 for up to 5hrs. $20/adult, $10/resident, children free. (updated Oct 2021)

The Court of Honor, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

• 3 The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, 2177 Puowaina Dr, ☏ +1 808 532-3720. Situated in the middle of Punchbowl, an extinct crater, this is the final resting place for over 38,000 personnel from WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. A shrine also commemorates the missing-in-action. It's also the resting place of Stan Dunham, Barack Obama's grandfather. The rim of the crater offers panoramic views of Honolulu. The memorial contains a series of time-line and map-based wall paintings that tell the story of Japanese advances at the beginning of WWII followed by retreat in the face of Allied advances and, ultimately, victory in the Pacific. The cemetery is open year-round (and is closed only on federal holidays other than Memorial Day).  
• 4 Queen Emma Summer Palace (Hānaiakamalama), 2913 Pali Highway, ☏ +1 808 595-3167. 9:30AM-4PM. In the Nu'uanu valley is this restored historic building, built in 1847 as the summer retreat of Queen Emma, wife of King Kamehameha IV. Self-guided and docent-led tours of the palace are available and offer a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Hawaiian monarchy. self guided: $14/adults, $12/military, $10/senior/residents, $3/youth, $1/child. (updated Nov 2021)
• Walking Tour of Obama's former neighborhood. This is one of the newest attractions in Honolulu; so new that there are no historical markers or signs erected by the city. In the thirty years since "Barry" Obama, as he was known as a youth, attended high school, the neighborhood hasn't changed all that much. Major landmarks along the walking tour, which takes about an hour to complete, include his grandmother's former apartment at the 5 Punahou Circle Apartments, 6 Punahou School (which he attended from 1971-1979), 7 Kapiolani Hospital (where Obama was born on August 4, 1961), the 8 Central Union Church (the site of Obama's baccalaureate), the 9 Baskin Robbins ice cream store where he worked after school, the 10 Washington Middle School Playground (where he learned to play basketball), and his mother's old apartment at 11 1839 Poki Street. For a route and detailed description of the walking tour check out the maps available on the website.

Scenic

Lyon Arboretum

• 12 Lyon Arboretum, 3860 Manoa Rd, ☏ +1 808 988-0456. M-F 8AM-4PM, Sa 9AM-3PM. A massive botanical garden at the top of Manoa that's run by the University of Hawai'i with a wide variety of tropical plants as well as scenic waterfalls and views of Manoa. Free; suggested donation $5-10. (updated Nov 2020)
• 13 Manoa Falls, 3860 Manoa Road (trailhead at end of Manoa Road, at the entrance to Lyon Arboretum). A 1.5 miles hike to a very tall waterfall. Parking is available a little bit before the trailhead.  
• 14 Nu'uanu Pali Lookout (6 miles NE of downtown Honolulu on Hawaii 61 (Pali Highway), right at the Pali Lookout exit). Apr 1-Labor Day: Daily 7AM-7:45PM; Labor Day-Apr 1: Daily 7AM-6:45PM. One of the more popular scenic vistas on O'ahu and the site of one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, the Pali Lookout provides a panoramic view of Windward O'ahu. Also interesting at this site is the Old Pali Road, formerly the highway connecting Windward O'ahu to downtown Honolulu. A note of caution: due to its location between two high cliffs, the Pali Lookout is often buffeted by high winds. Free. 
• 15 Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park. Above Makiki, this park provides a stunning view of southern O'ahu which includes Diamond Head, Waikiki, downtown Honolulu, Punch Bowl Crater and the airport. There are also hiking trails which allow you to completely forget that you are in a city, taking you into a lush rainforest. Tantalus/Round Top Drive is winding mountain road which takes you about 2,000 above sea level to various viewpoints providing panoramic views, including the Pu'u Ualaka'a State Wayside. From Makiki, take Makiki Street from Nehoa Street and make a left on Round Top Drive. 

Do

• Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wāhine. The southern end of the UH campus is home to most of the university's sports facilities. The baseball team plays at 1 Les Murakami Stadium, while the men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams play at 2 Stan Sheriff Center. With the football team's former home of Aloha Stadium in Western Honolulu having been permanently closed in 2020 due to structural issues and set for demolition, the team was forced to move to the university's far smaller on-campus track and field stadium, the 3 Ching Athletics Complex. (A new football stadium is planned for the Aloha Stadium site.) Adjacent to these three facilities are the university's swimming pool, tennis courts, and softball and soccer fields. Note that UH is one of a dwindling number of schools with separate nicknames for men's and women's teams—men are Rainbow Warriors and women are Rainbow Wāhine (the second word translates to "women" in the Hawaiian language).

Buy

• 1 Manoa Marketplace, 2851 E Manoa Rd (between East Manoa Road and Woodlawn Drive). A strip mall with about twenty shops including a Safeway grocery store, Long's drugstore (operated by CVS/pharmacy), McDonald's restaurant, a bank and a post office. 

Eat

• Bangkok Chef. As good and as cheap that an amazing delicious Thai meal can get. The place started as a Thai market, but has grown as a local favorite. The high quality of the food, associated with fresh ingredients and low prices make this spot a must try while in Honolulu. 
  • 1 Bangkok Chef Manoa, 2955 E Manoa Rd, ☏ +1 808 988-0212. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 2 Bangkok Chef Nuuana, 1627 Nuuanu Ave, ☏ +1 808 585-8839. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant, 2239 S King St, ☏ +1 808 941-1151. While there are many Thai restaurants on Oahu, this is one of the best and most reasonably priced. The Panang Curry is especially good. You have to drive or take a cab if you're staying in Waikiki, but it's well worth it! 
• 4 Eastern Paradise Restaurant, 1403 South King St, ☏ +1 808 941-5858. Basic, decent Korean food at a budget price. 
• 5 Honolulu Museum of Art Cafe, Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 South Beretania St, ☏ +1 808 532-8734. Situated in an indoor/outdoor setting, it's usually packed with locals. It's the place to go for imaginative salads and sandwiches at a reasonable price. The art isn't bad either. 
• 6 Sushi Company, 1111 McCully St, ☏ +1 808 947-5411. Owned and operated by a Japanese couple. They offer high grade take-out sushi at budget prices. You can enjoy lunch or dinner here for well under $10. 
• 7 Waiola Shave Ice, 2135 Waiola Ave, ☏ +1 808 949-2269. 7:30AM-6:30PM. One of the best places to get shave ice (local equivalent to snow cones). Popular with both locals and visitors. Very long lines during the summer heat, extremely limited parking, but still worth it. 
• Zippy's. The island equivalent of Denny's, though far more popular with the locals. There's a wide variety of food, including plate lunches at reasonable prices; their signature dish is their chili, which they prepare in many different ways: served over rice, over a burrito, or over french fries, to name a few. 
  • 8 Zippy's Makiki, 1222 South King Street, ☏ +1 808 594-3720. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 9 Zippy's McCully, 1725 South King St, ☏ +1 808 973-0877. (updated Jan 2016)

Sleep

• 1 Manoa Valley Inn, 2001 Vancouver Dr, ☏ +1 808 947-6019, fax: +1 808 946-6168. 8 B&B rooms in a large cottage. There are no hotels or motels in Manoa, because it is primarily a neighborhood of single-family residences. 
• 2 The Plumeria Hostel, 1111 Piikoi St (corner Piikoi and Young Streets), ☏ +1 808 596-2080. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. More of a long term stay, they do have a couple 2 bed dorms (no bunkbeds) but mostly have private rooms with varying amenities. Some have bathrooms and kitchens. Each shared bathrooms has a 5 person limit. $60+/room. (updated Nov 2021)

Connect

Manoa

Makiki