The island of Oahu is filled with a vast array of historical sites and fascinating destinations. While the entirety of the state of Hawaii hosts a considerable and impressive selection of ancient sites, Oahu is particularly convenient for tourists and visitors alike because of its status as the social and cultural center of the Aloha State. Since there are so many historic sites on the island of Oahu, it seems natural to break them up by geographic areas. These sites are the North Shore, the South Shore, Central Oahu, Leeward Oahu, and Windward Oahu. There are also some interesting offshore sites, including memorials, ships, and islets.

Waimea Valley is the center of the ancient sites found on the North Shore of the island of Oahu. Waimea Valley is a beautiful, lush, and scenic region situated between two verdant mountain tops that are marvels in their own right. The largest heiau in the entire island is found on one of the ridges above Waimea Valley – Puu o Mahuka Heiau was operational until the year eighteen nineteen, and encompasses about two acres. Hale o Lono Heiau is also found in the region, and is at least three hundred years old. The South Shore of Oahu is home to several fascinating ancient sites of its own – this is the place to find Keaiwa Heiau, the “healing” or “wizard” stones of Na Pohaku Ola Kapaemahu a Kapuni, petroglyphs along Nuuanu Stream, and a throne-shaped lava formation found near the Hawaii Kai Golf Club.

Central Oahu is home to the first officially recognized protected ancient site on the entire island. This site is the state monument to the Kukaniloko Birthstones, which was used by the royal families or “ali’i” of Hawaii during birth, due to the supposed palliative properties of the area. Leeward Oahu was home to Kaneaki Heiau, which dates back more than five hundred years and is considered the most interesting heiau on the island. Windward Oahu is the place to find Kapaeleele Koa, a shrine intended to improve fishermen’s catches as well as the legendary Ulupo Heiau, which according to myth was constructed by the menehune or little people of Hawaii.

One of the most interesting ancient sites on the island of Oahu is the Pali Lookout. The Nuuanu Pali Lookout, also known as the Cool Height Cliff is located between Central and Leeward Oahu, along the Koolau Mountain Range at an altitude of roughly one thousand feet. At this site in the year seventeen ninety five, King Kamehameha and his armed forces finally defeated the armies of Oahu, finishing a long and grueling campaign to unite the islands of Hawaii under a single monarch. The significance of the Nuuanu Pali Lookout does not come from the location or beauty of the ancient battle, but rather from the manner in which the victory was one. Kamehameha’s warriors literally drove the armies of Oahu over the cliffs to their deaths nearly one thousand feet below. When taken together, all of the ancient sites of Oahu paint a fascinating picture of a rich, highly traditional, and ritualistic culture.