There comes a time in even the most staunch Honolulu lover's stay in the city when an escape from the skyscrapers and concrete, and particularly the density of Waikiki, beckons.
Conveniently, Kualoa Ranch, a one-stop shop for a range of outdoor activities, is a short, pleasant drive northeast of the city on Oahu's windward coast. Offering relaxing, secluded beaches, scenic catamaran tours, nature hikes, movie site expeditions and a zipline, Kualoa Ranch serves up activities for everyone from film buffs to adrenaline junkies.
Kualoa is a private nature preserve on Kaneohe Bay covering 4,000 acres, including a working cattle ranch, dense rain forest, verdant valleys, and white-sand beaches. The ranch is roughly divided into two areas, Kaaawa Valley (nicknamed Jurassic Valley) where many of the movies were shot, and Hakipuu Valley, an area around an ancient Hawaiian fishing pond that includes a secluded beach dubbed "Secret Island."
Numerous feature films and TV shows have been shot there, including "Jurassic Park," "Pearl Harbor," "50 First Dates," "Hawaii Five-O" (old and new), "Magnum P.I." and "Lost." The ranch offers movie site tours, stopping at a mock World War II Army bunker and other spots made famous by Hollywood.
As our group of journalists sponsored by the Oahu Visitors Bureau crossed the pond by boat to Secret Island, we learned from our guide about one notable scene. In the beginning of "Jurassic World" a crowd watches a mosasaurus, a prehistoric sea creature, leap out of a lake and eat a shark hanging as bait. The crowd and amphitheater were computer-generated, while the lake and jungle-covered mountain backdrop were shot at the fishing pond which dates back at least 800 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A fishpond and tropical garden tour is available where guests learn more about the early Hawaiian aquaculture and how they practiced fish farming in the 153-acre pond that still has much of the original stonewall structure in place. The tour also covers the surrounding fruit and flower gardens, and guides provide information on early life on the island.
Secret Island, which boasts a serene strip of white-sand beach complete with hammocks strung between the trees, is a nice place for a relaxing day in the sun. A two-and-a-half -hour visit can be organized through Kualoa Ranch. Once there, guests can kayak, canoe, stand-up paddle board or play beach volleyball, table tennis and horseshoes. Showers and changing rooms are available, and visitors can bring their own snacks.
A boat sails past Mokolii, the island also known as Chinaman's Hat, during a Kualoa Ranch catamaran boat. Photo Credit: Tovin Lapan
From Secret Island, our group boarded the Kualoa Ranch 49-passenger catamaran for a 90-minute tour of Kaneohe Bay. On the way out, the catamaran bounced over some breakers, sending a blast of water up at those in the front, who had been warned they were in the splash zone. Once past the surf, we rocked gently in the turquoise waters and snapped pictures of Oahu's northeastern coast and Koolau mountains behind us, and Mokolii, the island also known as Chinaman's Hat. We also spotted a few green sea turtles swimming by the catamaran.
Back on land, Kualoa Ranch also offers horseback and ATV tours, taking visitors to remote, scenic valleys and covering some of the movie locations. For those looking for less adventure and more information, the Jurassic jungle tour takes guests out in a safari vehicle for a 90-minute tour on jungle trails, across stream beds and familiar "Jurassic Park" vistas.
Finally, for those who would rather be in the action rather than see where it was filmed, Kualoa Ranch offers a zipline tour over Kaaawa Valley including seven tandem sections, two suspension bridges, and three mini nature trails thrown in between. The lines, which use an automatic braking system, range in length from 200-feet to a quarter mile.