november2011

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

OAHU

Oahu is the only island in the

Hawaiian archipelago likely to be

mentioned in the same breath as the

word “cosmopolitan.” More than

900,000 of the state’s 1.3 million

residents live here, and the stretch

of coastline running from Waikiki

to downtown Honolulu makes for

an impressive city skyline. It’s a

view that sometimes leads the

casual visitor to conclude that Oahu

is all city. This couldn’t be further

from the truth, as a drive along the

island’s lush windward coast

quickly demonstrates.

Thirty minutes from Waikiki,

across the mountains, and up the

coast, you’ll find Kualoa Ranch, a fun

and friendly spot to explore a few of

the other facets of Oahu life. This

4,000-acre, privately-owned ranch

offers a range of tours on horseback,

ATV, or in a funky Swiss-made

military vehicle called a Pinzgauer,

which carries visitors bumpily

through the deep jungle to

staggeringly beautiful valley vistas

stretching all the way to the ocean.

Some of the scenery will be

immediately recognizable from

Jurassic Park and the TV show Lost,

which filmed here extensively. In

fact, Hollywood has spent so much

time at Kualoa Ranch that an

entire tour is devoted to movie

sites, including a spooky World

War II bunker built deep into the

mountainside.

Kualoa is a working ranch, with

dairy and beef cattle grazing prettily

on the grassy hillsides, and a spectrum

of diversified agriculture tucked into

its three valleys. At the coastline,

Kualoa features an ancient Hawaiian

fishpond, the ingeniously simple

workings of which can be seen

up-close on a flat-bottom boat tour.

WHAT’S THAT

POINTY THING?

The striking little island visible from just about

everywhere on Kualoa Ranch (Oahu) is Mokolii

island, more commonly known by its less P.C.

name, Chinaman’s Hat. It stands just 200 feet

high, and lies just 1,500 feet offshore, but its Dr.

Seussian shape draws the eye. And if you don’t

mind getting wet, you can get up-close and

personal with the islet by wading over to it at

low tide. Repeat: LOW tide. Once there, you’ll

fi nd plenty to explore, including a pleasant little

beach on the back side of the island, which you’ll

likely have all to yourself.

HAWAII

GE TAWAY

OAHU TROPICAL TIDBIT:

In terms of its borders, Honolulu

is the largest city in the world,

thanks to a quirk in the state constitution

that grants the city jurisdiction over

uninhabited islands 1,500 miles away.

Kualoa Ranch

64 SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011