My husband and I are travelling to Oahu, Hawaii for a week in November; this will be our first trip there. Other than the obvious things, ie. Pearl Harbor, luau etc., what are some must see sights and activities or tips for first-timers, we should be aware of? Any info is appreciated

Drive the north shore. Sea turtles food trucks etc

Take a wander through Haleiwa.

Hawaii Kai's Boston Pizza

I second this.
Highly recommended pizza.
Dare I say, best on Oahu.

Best in the pacific?

Jesse hard to tell. But I bet it's up there

Kailua Beach

Kawela Bay

Hike up Diamond Dead, rent a car or take city bus around the island to Hanauma Bay for amazing snorkeling and also go to Lanikai Beach for one day, it is extremely beautiful and calm. You can also rent sea kayaks there and paddle over to the 2 islands at the horizon (if you’ve paddled before - not a beginners trip)

Hanauma Bay is amazing!! Best snorkelling of my life. Diamond Head hike (pack lots of water! They only have a fountain at the very bottom so bring more than one per person, you'll need it!) You can get a lot of places by taking the bus also. North beach

Rock escarpment just past Hanauma Bay. Beautiful. Found it by accident

Polynesian cultural centre is really cool! And the North Shore

Barbara Neistat

following! we will be in Oahu Dec 8 - 19th

Do Pearl Harbor in the morning. If it gets too windy they stop the boats to the Arizona

Agreed, I went an hour before they open and stood in line (yes theres a line then),did not prebuy a ticket. Just go straight to the first come first serve desk on the left and they'll give you whatever the earliest ticket is that's available. I was on the very first boat...and happened to be the first person onto the memorial that day. It was something I'll never forget. The silence and feel of the memorial...the sun shining...

Shirokiya Japan Village Walk in the Ala Moana Centre is amazing if you like authentic Japanese street food! We returned there a few times. ATV Tours in Kuoloa Ranch was a major highlight too.

Teds bakery on the north shore, and the dole plantation for some dole whip!!

The Arizona memorial is closed until March I believe. You can still sail out but no getting off due to repairs.

Point taken and very appreciated however, there will be no 'opportunities' as our home will be occupied the entire time and our neighbors are also aware as well. We also have two very large dogs that are very territorial

Tami I’d like to see the silly fool that tries to get into your house! Lol

Following.

If you're into hiking, definitely recommend the following:
Haiku Stairs (Stairway to heaven) - very intense, but absolutely stunning.
Pali Notches - when I went, I had
Twu Yong Tan as a guide, he takes awesome photos and does pickups and dropoffs!

We rented a car for the whole time being . Drive around the island and explore as much as you can . We stay away from Honolulu as I found the beach overcrowded touristy and with the view of skyscrapers . In Honolulu Waikiki and diamond head . Maybe dole plantation if it’s on your way, Pali lookout . I personally loved the beach on very west end of the island . Few ppl big mountains and big waives .

Also Oahu was the only island that our car was about to be robbed not one but twice . Both times on the parking lot at the lookout area where you just grab camera and leave everything in the car . Don’t leave purses wallets camera gear in the car

We've been to Oahu and loved it! We stayed in the heart of Waikiki, and although touristy, we enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk to many attractions and having amenities galore all around. Having a car in Waikiki can be a headache, so we rented only for a few days and planned our out-of-town day trips for those days, The island is small enough that you can go to the farthest point you want to visit and still come back to "base" on the same day. Here's our trip guide and itinerary www.vivahappy.com/Hawaii with a lot more info/details
VIVAHAPPY.COM
Hawaii – Oahu | Travel Guide, Tips and Itinerary

Great blog, lots of good information

Tami, thanks! Feel free to msg me if you have any questions.

Rent a car. Drive the entire island. Every corner is a new postcard. There is a ton of things to do for free and on the cheap, luau isn’t one of them. Be prepared to pay. You can drive from the tip of the North shore (make sure you check the waves at the banzai pipeline) to Honolulu in about an hour. Touring the island doesn’t take long at all. Royal Hawaiian pineapples are a meal in itself.

Following

Limited rental cars....book ahead....also the price to park overnight cost more than the daily rental fee in some cases. We took the bus, handy and inexpensive and did day tours---circle Island tour and Pearl Harbour were two good ones. Our hotel was nicely located so we could walk to a lot of places for dinners and the beach....loved the busy beach, people watching and fun!!

I took a city bus to Pearl Harbour - the ticket (couple of $) was good for the return journey too (think the time limit was 4 hours). Make a reservation as soon as you arrive.

Kualoa Ranch!! Great day trip!! They do a wide variety of tours through their properties..

The North shore is beautiful and well worth the visit

Northern shore of the island is stunning. Stayed at a cottage right on the ocean.

If you are planning to check out Waikiki you may as well stop at Leonard's Bakery for their famous malasadas (Portuguese donuts). Lots of tourists taking selfies with their donuts.

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions! So much to see and so little time

North Shore for less crowded beaches and way cheaper to rent surfboards. Couple amazing food trucks on that side of the island (Giovanni’s). Much quieter and less tourists. Check out Chinamens Hat. You can walk across to the island when the tide is low. Check out Turtle Bay Resort.

Also I suggest renting apartment vrbo or airbnb . Better prices $$$ , usually it is equipped with beach chairs, beach towels , coolers beach umbrellas etc . Spacious with kitchen and free parking

Walk up Diamond Head.

World famous Hula Pie at Dukes!!

As some have mentioned, parking can be very expensive so when we were there we rented a car from Turo for the day to go around the island and ended up paying like $6 cos it gave coupon for first time user. They deliver car to our hotel and pick it up from there as well. Very convenient!

Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Cultural Centre