At once historic and contemporary, serene and active, the east end of Oahu holds within its relatively small area remarkable variety and picture-perfect scenery of windswept cliffs and wave-dashed shores.

Driving southeast from Waikiki on busy four-lane Kalanianaole Highway, you'll pass a dozen bedroom communities tucked into the valleys at the foot of the Koolau Range, with just fleeting glimpses of the ocean from a couple of pocket parks. Suddenly, civilization falls away, the road narrows to two lanes, and you enter the rugged coastline of Kokohead and Ka Iwi.

This is a cruel coastline: dry, wind-swept, and rocky shores, with untamed waves that are notoriously treacherous. While walking its beaches and clambering over its tumbled stones, do not turn your back on the ocean, don't venture close to wet areas where high waves occasionally reach, and heed warning signs.

At this point, you're passing through Koko Head Regional Park. On your right is the bulging remnant of a pair of volcanic craters that the Hawaiians called Kawaihoa, known today as Kokohead. To the left is Koko Crater and the area of the park that includes a hiking trail, a dryland botanical garden, a firing range, and a riding stable.

Ahead is a sinuous shoreline with scenic pull-outs and beaches to explore. Named the Ka Iwi Coast (iwi, "ee-vee", are bones -- sacred to Hawaiians and full of symbolism) for the channel just offshore, this area was once home to a ranch and small fishing enclave that were destroyed by a tidal wave in the 1940s. If you attempt to swim or boogie board along this coast -- particularly in winter -- you may feel as though you've encountered a tidal wave yourself.