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Morning

Begin your itinerary by heading straight for Kailua, where you can stop off at Agnes Bakery for coffee and malassadas (Portuguese hole-less doughnuts fried up fresh and eaten hot).

Poke around the trio of antique shops clustered at Kailua Road and Hamakua Drive. If you’re feeling peckish, pick up a sandwich at Brent’s Deli (629A Kaha St), the only place resembling a true Jewish-style deli on the island.

Then it’s time to head for Kailua Beach or Lanikai for a beach afternoon.

Afternoon

You could opt for a lazy, sun-soaked afternoon. But if you fancy a little more activity, rent some form of watercraft from Bob Twogood Kayaks (262 5656) or Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks (262 2555). Then, either paddle out to the Nā Mokulua (“the mokes”) off Kailua Beach or drive over to He’eia Kai Boat Harbor to check out the Ahu O Laka sandbar.

If you do plan to spend more time on the coast, consider reserving one of the luxurious rooms at the Turtle Bay Resort (57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, 293 8811). You can putter your way from Kailua to Kahuku, leaving mid-afternoon and making one or two stops, and still arrive by check-in time. You won’t have to face the long drive back across the island, and you can dine in the extraordinary 21 Degrees North .

Morning

Schools of spinner and bottlenose dolphins, and, from November to March, pods of humpback whales are readily seen just off the Wai’anae Coast. Several cruise companies offer dolphin-watching excursions Several cruise companies offer dolphin-watching excursions in various craft usually with small numbers of passengers. The excursions depart from Wai’anae Boat Harbor or Ko Olina Marina. Most offer transport from Waikīkī hotels, though you can choose to pick up the tour at the harbor. You will have to get up early, because the boats usually depart promptly at 7am.

Wild Side Specialty Tours (www.sailhawaii.com, 306 7273) offers a whale-and dolphin-watching cruise aboard a 42-foot catamaran. It is operated by marine researchers who believe that sail-powered vessels are less disruptive to the animals. The boat accommodates an intimate 4 to 15 passengers and the four-hour morning excursions include refreshments.

Ko Olina’s lagoons

Afternoon

For a Mediterranean-style lunch after your cruise, try Azul in Ko Olina (see Roy’s Ko Olina).

If you’re traveling with kids who want to emulate the dolphins, you can spend the rest of the day at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park . Less energetic members of the party can relax in the café or lie in shallow water away from the screaming action.

Early Morning

Chinatown is best enjoyed right after breakfast, when the stands overflow with locally grown fruits and vegetables, imported Asian goods, Pacific fish, freshly made noodles, and every possible part of the chicken and pig. Wear comfortable shoes, dress for sunshine, and park at one of the less expensive municipal lots on Smith or Maunakea Streets.

The area between River and Nu’uanu, Beretania and King is great for small gifts — sandalwood soap, painted fans, kitchen tools, Chinese pottery, dried persimmons, and red-and-gold good luck banners. You can watch the butchers chop char siu (barbecue pork) so fast it looks like sleight of hand. Buy some fresh fruit to take back to the hotel.

Late Morning

When you’ve had enough, head mauka (toward the mountains) on River Street until you meet up with North Vineyard Street. There you’ll find the gorgeously arrayed Kuan Yin Temple and cool, green Foster Botanical Gardens . Explore a bit before turning back toward Chinatown for lunch.

Try one of the popular restaurants in Chinatown, such as A Little Bit of Saigon (Vietnamese, on Nu’uanu), Mei Sum (dim sum on Smith), Little Village Noodle House (Chinese on Smith), To Chau ( pho soup on River), or the stuffed French bread sandwiches at Ba-Le (on King).

Morning

Begin with this premise: it’s too far to drive in one day. Granted, a 50-mile round trip from Waikīkī may not seem like much, but remember that most of the route is on two-lane highways, so you can’t rush, and there’s a lot to see. So, if possible, check in at the Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku (see Turtle Bay Condos), which offers hotel rooms and suites recently renovated in Plantation style, as well as condos and cottages with full kitchens and multiple bedrooms.

From there, you can easily run into Hale’iwa for a morning’s shopping – there’s LOTS of it and some items are actually cheaper than in the city, notably pareau wraps. Have lunch at Kua ’¡ina or Hale’iwa Joe’s Seafood Grill .

Afternoon

For the afternoon, you can keep going north and take a heart-thrilling glider ride at Dillingham Airfield or rent a water bicycle from Surf & Sea in Hale’iwa Town. Alternatively, head back toward the resort, stopping to sun or snorkel along the way.

Try to plan your excursion around an event (check www.gohawaii.com for an events calendar). Highly recommended are the rare Toro Nogashi lantern ceremony, hosted by Hale’iwa Shingon Mission in August, the Waialua Taro Festival in September, and, of course, the winter championship surf meets, which aren’t easy to predict as they’re wave-dependent.

Morning

A South Shore circular driving tour makes for a wonderful all-day itinerary. From Waikīkī, take H1 to the Wai’alae exit and start the morning with croissants at the Patisserie and shopping at Kāhala Mall; shorts and sandals are just fine even at this ritzy mall.

Continue south, and finish off the morning with a water adventure at Maunalua Bay (see Maunalua Bay Beach Park), such as water-skiing or diving. (Reserve ahead at water activity shops at Hawai’i Kai Towne Center or Koko Marina Center.) Alternatively, for a more sedate pursuit, take the binoculars and go birdwatching on the edge of the Paikō Lagoon State Reserve .

Back on Kalaniana’ole, grab a quick lunch at Kona Brewing Co. or one of a dozen inexpensive, interesting eateries at Koko Marina Center .

Afternoon

Cruise slowly around the island’s edge, stopping to view the Hālona Blow Hole and watch the bodysurfers and kite-fliers at Sandy Beach.

At Makapu’u Wayside, park and make the easy hour-long, two-mile trek up and down the old lighthouse road; the views will stay with you long after you return home.

Afterward, refresh yourself with Keneke’s shave ice and a long swim at one of the Waimānalo beach parks before heading home via the Pali Highway.

Morning

Don’t waste your time wandering around with a map on your first day in Waikīkī. Instead, take the highly regarded free tour along the Waikīkī Historic Trail, led by members of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, who will introduce you to sites of importance to the host culture. The tour starts at 9am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The meeting point is by the waterfall at Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (call 737 6442 for more details).

The trail was the brainchild of the late visionary George S. Kanahele, a pioneer of cultural tourism. It’s marked by a series of sculpted surfboards imprinted with photographs, maps, and information at 23 locations around the neighborhood.

Stopping points include a former residence of Queen Lili’uokalani; the villa of Chun Afong, who was Hawai’i’s first Chinese millionaire; the vast coconut grove of Helumoa; and a war camp of Kamehameha the Great.

Late Morning

The tour lasts about an hour-and-a-half, after which you have plenty of time to stroll some more or do some shopping.

Stop for lunch at the Hau Tree Lanai at the east end of Waikīkī. Here you can sit right where Robert Louis Stevenson did in 1893 as he penned stories about the South Pacific.