A nice reader from Texas recently wrote me to asking if I knew where she could get a good driving map of Oahu with attractions noted. She’s planning a trip for 2010 and wanted to start getting familiar with the geography and streets of the island. That was such a good question, which got me thinking, I bet there are many more readers wondering the same thing. So, I wanted to share my answer and additional advice for navigating Oahu. Here are six resources to help you find your way around Oahu.
1. Download or order your free Oahu vacation planner from the Oahu Visitors Bureau. From this link you’ll be able to access and order Oahu brochures that are loaded with useful maps. These guides are very useful to help you start understanding the lay of the land.
2. Purchase a driving map of Oahu through Amazon.com or at your local book store. I recommend Nelles Map Hawaii: Honolulu – Oahu. It’s the map that I’ve used for multiple trips to Oahu and it’s not fallen apart yet. Here’s a link to the Amazon.com page of this map so that you can see what it looks like.
3. When you arrive at the Honolulu Airport, stop at one of the information desks and politely ask for a map of Oahu. The free maps that they provide are really the best Oahu vacation maps that I’ve found. Most of the major scenic points are well labeled. The only downside to the maps is that there isn’t a great deal of street detail.
4. If you have AAA, stop into one of their offices near your hometown and request free driving maps. They offer a very detailed map of Honolulu.
5. Of course you can always use sites like Google Maps, Bing Maps, etc. to print driving directions.
6. If you have a portable GPS navigation system, do bring it with you to Oahu. Andy and I first brought ours last year and it saved us lots of aggravation and time. I am convinced that we were able to see more of Oahu because we brought the navigation system. (See my post on using a GPS navigation system in Hawaii.)
Now, having listed all those resources for maps and navigating Oahu, guess which ones I use. Would you believe that I use a combination of all of them? I really do. How about you? What map and navigation resources do you recommend for sightseeing on Oahu?
GPS is the only way to go. Hawaii is so confusing, no road signs, especially in the more rural areas and makes you just want to rip your hair out! A map would be necessary just in case the GPS wants to send you out in the ocean or something weird. :>) First trip we didn’t have GPS and spent most of the time lost and confused. Second trip we had GPS and it was so much better. We did drive back and forth on H3 three times because the GPS was confused about how to get us off…. but hey, H3 is one beautiful drive so we didn’t mind!
For driving on Oahu, we’ve used a combination GPS, AAA map and the free guide maps. The GPS is really helpful in Honolulu because the street names look so similar (Kapahulu vs Kapiolani) when you’re trying to read the signs while driving. Plus, their pronounciation is a hoot sometimes!
The AAA street map is good, but it’s hard to read the detail due to the small print. The free guide maps are good for a big picture view.
Sites with Oahu maps:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29222-c120226/Oahu:Hawaii:Maps.html
thank God i brought my laptop and just used google map. you just have to plan ahead where you are going for that day. then remember the landmarks. i surely agree with you the streets are confusing not only that the street names are so small. but take it as an adventure. we got lost so many times. as long as the tank of gas is full we are fine.