Shopping

It's a no-brainer: Honolulu is a shopping destination. Shopping competes with golf, surfing, and sightseeing as a bona fide Honolulu attraction. The proliferation of top-notch made-in-Hawaii products, the vitality of the local crafts scene, and the unquenchable thirst for mementos of the islands lend respectability to shopping here. More than 1,000 stores occupy the 11 major shopping centers on this island, with a tsunami of new retail stores to come.

By 2009, retail shops will increase an unprecedented 25% over current space, mostly in leeward Oahu, the fastest-growing population on the island. Planned are two regional malls, five big-box discount stores, a handful of community shopping centers, and major additions to Ala Moana Shopping Center and the two Ward centers.

From T-shirts to Versace, posh European to down-home local, avant-garde to unspeakably tacky, Oahu's offerings are wide-ranging indeed. Nestled amid the Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Tiffany boutiques on Waikiki's Kalakaua Avenue are plenty of tacky booths hawking airbrushed T-shirts, gold by the inch, and tasteless aloha shirts.

But this section won't help you discover cheap souvenirs or tony items from designer fashion chains; you can find these things on your own. Rather, we offer a guide to finding the special treasures that lie somewhere in between. Be aware that small shops and boutiques have their own hours. Some don't open until 10am, some close for lunch, and some close their doors at 5pm, while others are open until 9pm. To make sure, call the store before you go.

Windward Oahu

Kailua -- Longs Drugs and Macy's department store, located side-by-side on Kailua Road in the heart of this windward Oahu community, form the shopping nexus of the neighborhood.

Kaneohe -- Windward Oahu's largest shopping complex is the Windward Mall, 46-056 Kamehameha Hwy., in Kaneohe (tel. 808/235-1143), open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. The big news here is the 10-screen theater complex that opened in May 2001. The 100 stores and services at this standard suburban mall include Macy's and Sears, health stores, airline counters, surf shops, and LensCrafters. A small food court serves pizza, Chinese fare, tacos, and other morsels, and the new theaters are a big draw for Windwardites.

The North Shore: Haleiwa

Haleiwa means serious shopping for those who know that the unhurried pace of rural life can conceal vast material treasures. Ask the legions of townies who drive an hour each way just to stock up on wine and clothes at Haleiwa stores.

Art, Gifts & Crafts -- Haleiwa's shops and galleries display a combination of marine art, watercolors, and sculptures, as well as a plethora of crafts trying to masquerade as fine art. This is the town for gifts, fashions, and surf stuff -- mostly casual, despite some very high price tags. Haleiwa Gallery in the North Shore Marketplace displays a lot of local art of the non-marine variety, and some of it is appealing.