Southern O'ahu, Honolulu, Hawaii

Aloha Tower in Honolulu Harbor Shot from Sand Island which gives you a nice view of the Honolulu coastline from the harbor to Diamond Head and is a place to view Oahu's stunning sunsets. Located at the entrance to Honolulu Harbor, Sand Island is a 140 acre, coastal park nearby Downtown Honolulu. While prospective park-goers are sometimes wary by the industrial area of the harbor that they are required to drive through to reach Sand Island, keep going, and the park will provide a welcome oasis from the coastal docks. This is a large waterfront park directly on the ocean, and has over 100 acres of spacious grass lawns, partially shared by medium-sized iron-woods and sea grape. Palm trees line the long, uncrowded sandy beach. The sand here is coarser than at other Oahu beaches, and the offshore bottom is rocky and uneven. This park caters to mostly locals but the occasional tourists will also drop by, sometimes to experience the history. Sand Island was extensively used by the military during WWII for coastal defense. As you're taking a jog or checking out the local surfers, you'll be standing among several bunkers and lookout towers that stand deserted and appear totally out of place among acres of grassy park land. Sand Island was once known as Quarantine Island during the nineteenth century when it was used to quarantine ships believed to hold contagious diseases. During World War II, Sand Island was used to camp Japanese-American citizens and foreign nationals from Germany, Italy, and other countries as part of the wartime effort.