Diamond Head

Description:

• The 360-degree view from atop Diamond Head Crater is worth the 560-foot ascent and should not be missed. You can see all the way from Koko Crater to Barbers Point and the Waianae Mountains. The 750-foot-tall volcano, which has become the symbol for Hawaii, is about 350,000 years old. The trail to the summit was built in 1910 to service the military installation along the crater; the hike to the top takes about 30 minutes but is quite manageable by anyone of any age.

  Diamond Head has always been considered a "sacred site" by Hawaiians. According to legend, Hi'iaka, the sister to the volcano goddess Pele, named the mountain Leahi (meaning the "brow of the ahi") when she saw the resemblance to the yellowfin tuna (called "ahi" in Hawaiian). Kamehameha the Great built a luakini heiau on the top where human sacrifices were made to the god of war, Ku.

  The name Diamond Head came into use around 1825 when a group of British sailors (some say they were slightly inebriated) found some rocks sparkling in the sun. Absolutely sure they had struck it rich, the sailors brought these "diamonds" back into Honolulu. Alas, the "diamonds" turned out to be calcite crystals. The sailors didn't become fabulously rich, but the name Diamond Head stuck.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010