Hawaii Five-0 is an iconic show on CBS about special detectives fighting crime in Hawaii. The show is celebrating 50 years since it’s first episode aired and the reboot is on it’s 9th season. Hawaii Five-0 is based on an elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the island of Oahu’s sun-drenched beaches. Each episode highlights Hawaii’s beauty from the shores of Waikiki to famous Diamond Head Crater that over looks Honolulu. The theme song for Hawaii Five-O is unforgettable and the opening credits showcase many stops along the Waikiki Trolley Line. To see all the locations for the Hawaii Five-0 Oahu Trolley tour we suggest getting a 4, or 7 day pass. Here is a break down of the opening credits and how to visit each spot along the Waikiki Trolley.
Diamond Head Crater
Diamond Head or Leahi in Hawaiian is the establishing shot in the opening credits for Hawaii Five-0. This giant landmark stands 761 feet tall above the famous Waikiki Beach and has a breathtaking 360 degree view. Diamond Head got its name from the calcite crystals (it looks like diamonds) scattered across the beach at the base of the crater. The extinct volcano is estimated to be about 500,000 – 400,000 years old and it’s views are worth the short hike to the top.
The Waikiki Trolly Green Line, Scenic Diamond Head Sightseeing Tour has several stops along Diamond Head. The first Diamond Head stop is the Diamond Head Surf Lookout; here you can spot surfers, paddle boarders and occasionally whales. The second Diamond Head stop is Diamond Head Lookout. The Lookout is right outside the crater and quite a ways up for a lovely view. The third Diamond Head stop is the Diamond Head Crater Hike. At this stop you can get out and hike the crater to the very peak of the giant landmark. The hike takes about an hour and a half to get up and down. The Waikiki Trolley stops every 35 minutes for your convenience.
To learn more about great adventures on the Waikiki Trolley Green Line and Honolulu food tours try our blog “Green Line: Food on Monsarrat.”
Pearl Harbor
The shot of Pearl Harbor during the opening credits of Hawaii Five-0 shows two very famous memorials at Pearl Harbor; USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri. These two memorials along with the Pacific Aviation Museum and USS Bowfin Submarine make up the World War II Valor in the Pacific Monument. Every year 1.5 million people visit Pearl Harbor to pay their respects for the lives lost on December 7, 1941 and to learn about an important piece of world history.
Depending on how interested you are, you can visit just one of the four museums, or if you are a history buff you can visit all four. Just visiting one will likely take you 2 hours. If you see all four museums at Pearl Harbor it can take around 5 hours. We suggest buying your tickets online before going out to Pearl Harbor because tickets to the USS Arizona Mem. There are many rules about bags and items that you can take out to the Pearl Harbor World War II Valor in the Pacific Monument, check out our blog “10 Tips on Visiting Pearl Harbor.”
Hop on the Purple Line Pearl Harbor Sightseeing Tour. The trip from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor is about 35 minutes and stops at Aloha Stadium, Bishop Museum, and Pier 38 Fishing Village. The Waikiki Trolley comes by every 1 hour and 10 minutes.
King Kamehameha Statue
Known as the Great King that united the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha lived from 1736 to 1819. The statue of King Kamehameha is located in front of the Aliʻiolani Hale, known as the police station the fictional world of Hawaii Five-0. The police station is a popular filming location and you have a good chance to see them filming if you visit during the summer. In real life Aliʻiolani Hale is the much more boring home of the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court. According to historians King Kamehameha was over seven feet tall, base on his war spears and his feather cape, which measure more than seven feet in length.
The King Kamehameha Statue is located downtown Honolulu along the Waikiki Trolley’s Red Line. The Red Line is where history and culture come alive. See the Honolulu Museum of Art, Iolani Palace, and Izumo Taishakyo Shrine. The Waikiki Trolley stops every hour for your convenience.
Punchbowl Memorial
The last shot in the opening credits is the statue of Lady Columbia, also known as Lady Liberty. This amazing statue is located inside an extinct volcanic tuff cone in the middle of Honolulu called simply Punchbowl. Punchbowl Crater serves as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, established in 1949. You can explore the cemetery and view the over 70 memorials that have been donated by various organizations and foreign governments to honor America’s veterans.
Punchbowl Crater’s original Hawaiian name is Puowaina, or the Hill of Sacrifice. Ancient Hawaiians would sacrifice anyone determined kapu to the gods. The kapu system was the religious law system that ruled over almost every act of Hawaiian life. These laws included thousands of rules which identified what people could and could not do. In 1890, a committee recommended that the Punchbowl become the site for a cemetery to accommodate the growing population of Honolulu. The idea was rejected for fear of polluting the water supply and the emotional aversion to creating a city of the dead above a city of the living.
Ride the Red Line, the Downtown Honolulu Sightseeing Tour, to explore our new stop at Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery. Other interesting stops along the Red Line are Foster Botanical Garden, Chinatown and Salt at Our Kaka’ako. You can check the Honolulu Map to find all the great stops along the Waikiki Trolley Red Line.
