If you’re taking an Oahu vacation, you may be interested in learning about some incredible Oahu travel facts and trivia.
Oahu is famed for its surfing, the sands of Waikiki Beach, shopping, and wonderful waterfalls, and sees millions of tourists visit its shores year after year.
Known as the “gathering place,” the island first opened its doors to tourists back in 1901 when The Moana Surfrider hotel opened in Waikiki Beach, and it has been a thriving vacation destination ever since.
To give you a greater insight into the popular Hawaiian island before you start planning your trip, we have put together some fascinating Oahu travel facts and trivia:
Oahu is home to the only Royal Palace in the USA
The incredible Royal Palace in Oahu is a glimpse at the historic past of Hawaii and old Hawaiian Kingdom.
Hawaii was once its own country and Honolulu became the capital in 1845, when this incredible palace was built for its kings. It has had a number of names, been left in disrepair and has been home to one of the world’s most sophisticated monarchies.
Oahu has more people than six US states
Despite its size, Oahu actually has 983,429 people living on the island.
That means it has more people than Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Delaware.
Oahu is home to the most dangerous beach in Hawaii
Sandy Beach Park may sound lovely, but unless you are an exceptional swimmer or experienced surfer it is very dangerous.
Located on the southeastern shore, Sandy Beach Park is one of Oahu’s 125 beaches that is famous for its surf. However due to the shore break it is also known for having more injuries than any other beach in Hawaii.
Choose to stay out of the water and watch the pros instead.
You can surf 85-feet-high waves
The North Shore of Oahu is one of the most famous spots in the world for surfing.
It’s so famous here that some people event say that the sport of surfing was actually invented in Oahu.
One of its crowning moments was when surfer Ken Bradshaw created history by riding a 85-foot-high wave at Oahu’s North Shore. It was so large that he had to take a jet ski out to the wave to ride it. While it’s no longer the world record, this is still one of the biggest waves and most famous surfing events in history.
Oahu sees the most tourists in Hawaii
Oahu has more visitors to its shores than all of the other islands in Hawaii combined.
While the other islands still see millions of tourists every year, the figures never match up to Oahu, which saw over five million tourists in 2013 alone.
Don’t take pork over the pali
You are probably a little bit confused right now, so we’ll start with the pali.
The pali is a road that stretches across the Ko’olau mountain range, that lies between Kailua and Honolulu. In Hawaiian the word ‘pali’ means cliffs.
And according to Hawaiian legend it’s bad luck to take raw pork on this road. This is because the pork will remind the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele, of the Hawaiian pig god she once dated.
Take pork over this road and she will make your journey very difficult indeed.
For more Oahu facts, Oahu tips, or to book some exciting activities and adventure tours on the island visit HawaiiDiscount.com today.
Please remember that popular activities sell out frequently. We recommend making reservations well in advance of your trip.
To book an affordable Hawaii tour or activity, call 1-866-482-9775 today.
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