My wife and I will be coming back from a trip to Japan (September) and our Northwest flight stops in Honolulu for about six hours.
Can we do anything in the area for this amount of time? Are there any tours there
for this short period or do we have to ask a cab driver for help?
Any comments will be appreciated by some of
you Hawaii experts.
LARRY

Larry, you can take a cab to the Arizona Memorial if you haven't been before. Sobering but definitely a must-see.

I would head over to china town have lunch or dinner and buy some incredible leis. Don't know another area on any island that sells so many varieties so cheap. You get an older Hawaii feeling here. Also would consider a tour at Iolani Palace. I think it is about 45 minutes long nowhere near the wait you would have a pearl harbor and it is near chinatown,nestled in Honolulu historical district. I am giving it this district name older buildings here. Get a sense of early 19century Hawaii.

I'm not a Hawaii expert but Susan's suggestion is valid. We had a 7-hour layover and used the time to go see the Missouri (had already been to Arizona). You could easily do both in 7 hours.

Susan's idea was good.
I'd also suggest renting a car and driving to the top of the Pali's (the mountains dividing the windward and leeward sides of the island). The drive is short, and the view is beautiful.

You could spend an hour bangin' your gal on a black sand beach on the north side of Oahu.

I second the trip to Iolani Palace but be prepared it can be a real tear jerker. Missed the leis stands last year and regret it. Don't know if I would squeeze in lunch and Iolani Palace would probably go for Iolani Palace. Probably one of the more historical places you can see on any of the islands and people always skip it.

Been to both Pearl and Iolani Palace a number of times. The park rangers do a good job at Pearl. But the guides at Iolani are also sharp and will give you historical information you are not likely to hear again in your life, even though this is our 50th State. Will enhance the rest of your trip. Give you a different understanding of Hawaii's relationship with the U.S.

see the rest of your trip entails the journey home and not an interisland stay. I guess pearl is easy unless you want to see some of the incredible landscape on Oahu but that would entail driving time and you will most likely be exhausted by that. DO A STAY OVER.

If you do not have time for a layover of a few days than I would rent a car and head for the North Shore. Take a dip come back.

Are you getting tired thinking of this do Pearl although I would hate for this to be someone's only impression of Hawaii, a culture that dates back 1000 years. Even on the drive to the North Shore you can see the alii birthing grounds, you can go up to huge heau that overlooks the pacific (30 minutes or less form airport), watch locals jump from a 40 ft. rock in Waimea. Take a swim yourself really beautiful.

If everything is on schedule, you have six hours less time to clear customs less time to clear security when re-boarding ? I would say that a bar in the airport is your best bet !!

The suggestions above sound lovely but From my experience driving in Hawaii, I wouldn't bother to rent a car for that short of time....Traffic in Honolulu can be a nightmare depending on the time of day and you will most likely be tired from your flight. If you can't extend your stay over, pick one thing to do (perhaps lunch in china town, palace, or the memorial) and then get your butt back to the airport cause you wouldn't want to miss your flight!!!

6 hours from arrival time to departure? That's really not much time, considering you must clear customs first, then checkin/reboard again when you depart. Security lines at the main HNL terminal can be very long since overseas flights are concentrated over the late afternoon/evening hours. With money to burn, you can still take a cab to Waikiki or downtown to get a good meal and perhaps do a little sightseeing on foot. But I would not rent a car, nor would I venture going across the island with such short time on your hands. As the previous poster mentioned, severe Oahu traffic can ruin your day!

Also remember you won't be able to leave your luggage anywhere at the airport so if you have substantial amounts of the stuff after a long holiday you'll have to take it with you.
This happened to us last October in Honolulu and we spent 10 hours sitting and lying and reading on plastic seats waiting for our airline to open its business class lounge - then more than 2 hours before we left.

You must see Pearl Harbor and experience this part of American history. What a beautiful tribute to many brave young men and women.

Def rent a car and hit Duke's Canoe Club or House Without a Key restaurants! Hit Aloha Tower Marketplace and buy your honey a Tahitian black pearl! ALOHA!