A bird watches for fish in Honolulu’s Ala Wai canal. (ROBIN ROBINSON/QMI Agency)

Surfers in Oahu

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Giant waves are building on the North Shore of Oahu.

News reports say they could hit 12 metres in a few days and -- if conditions are right -- the "Eddie" might take place for the first time in five years. The invitation-only competition, in memory of legendary surfer and lifeguard Eddie Aikau, draws big wave riders -- and watchers -- from across the globe.

Island highways are clogged with cars transporting thousands of people to "the country" for a look at the action. From Haleiwa to Honolulu, it's all people are talking about.

Even along hip Waikiki Beach, locals sport T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Eddie would go," making it clear that surf culture is alive and well on Oahu, dude, and catching the big wave is not just a pastime but a passion.

The hoopla is not unexpected in a place renowned for its sun, sand and monster surf. But visitors who venture even slightly beyond the beaches may be surprised to find a wealth of cultural and historical diversions as well. Many of these are unique to Hawaii, which despite marking 50 years of statehood in 2009, still doesn't feel entirely "American."

Maybe it's the lingo. Words such as aloha and mahalo (thank you), and expressions such as "chicken skin" (goosebumps), are very much part of the everyday lexicon. Seemingly tricky street names like King Kamehameha Hwy. and Likelike St. roll off the tongue with musical ease.

Then there is the fact Hawaii was once a kingdom and is the only U.S. state with a bona fide royal residence. On a tour of Iolani Palace, in downtown Honolulu, visitors learn about the forward thinking kings and queens who ruled the islands from 1795 to 1893.

Completed in 1882 for King David Kalakaua, Iolani Palace had electricity before the White House. Highlights include the grand hall lined with royal portraits, the crimson and gold throne room, the dining room -- where author Robert Louis Stevenson was a guest -- and royal artifacts including feather standards and jewel-encrusted crowns.

The last royal to live at the palace was Kalakaua's sister, Queen Liliuokalani, who was overthrown in 1893, and later convicted of treason. The mansion became the base for a provisional government and most of its furniture was sold, although several pieces have been recovered.

Guided tours are $20 for adults, $5 for children 5-12 (reservations required). See iolanipalace.org.

For a wider view of Hawaiian history, there is the Bishop Museum, where the wood and marble Hawaiian Hall has recently reopened after a three-year, $20-million renovation. The museum is said to have almost 25-million artifacts relating to Pacific cultures and natural history.

The Hawaiian Hall creatively displays many of these in three "realms" in the three-storey galleried Victorian-era hall. The first realm, Kai Akea, exhibits artifacts related to the gods, legends and beliefs of Hawaiians before contact with Europeans. The second -- Wao Kanaka -- represents the realm where humans live. The third -- Wao Lani -- is the realm inhabited by the gods. As a reminder of Hawaii's connection to the sea, a skeleton of a giant 15-metre sperm whale hangs from the ceiling.

The Bishop's other buildings house a planetarium, the child-friendly Science Adventure Center and travelling exhibits. Admission is $17.95 for adults, $14.95 for seniors and kids 4-12. Visit bishopmuseum.org.

For full cultural immersion, head to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, about an hour's drive from Honolulu. This can be a partial or full-day plus evening experience, depending on your stamina, so wear comfy shoes.

There are seven villages to explore -- Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, The Marquesas, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Samoa, each with traditional buildings plus hands-on demonstrations including ukelele lessons, haka and hula dancing, coconut bread baking, etc. -- and exhibits on other Polynesian cultures and Christian missionaries.

In the afternoon, canoes bearing costumed performers from each land float along canals during a colourful pageant. If you are staying for the night show, take a break in the Imax theatre.

Dinner is a huge luau with Hawaiian entertainment. The centrepiece of the buffet is a pig roasted in a traditional imu. Later, Ha! Breath of Life -- the new night show -- tells the story of ancient Polynesians with a cast of 100 singers, dancers, drummers and amazing fire dancers.

Many packages are offered, some with bus transportation from Oahu. Basic tickets start at $45 for adults, $35 for kids. See polynesia.com for more.

Art lovers can get lost -- literally -- wandering around the 32 galleries of the Academy of the Arts in central Honolulu. Works are displayed in a series of rooms connected by courtyards.

The Academy is home to some 70,000 pieces -- including author James Michener's extensive Japanese woodblock prints (nearly 5,400). Famous for its Asian collection, it has galleries devoted to Japan, China, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and The Philippines. It is also the orientation centre for tours of Shangri La, the Honolulu estate of American heiress Doris Duke.

Academy admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors/students, 12 and under, free. See honoluluacademy.org.

The Hawaii State Art Museum -- HiSAM -- is also downtown. Its mandate is to showcase work by Hawaiian artists, which it does in three galleries on the second floor of the stately Spanish Mission style building. The current exhibit, the comprehensive Ho'oulu: The Inspiration of Hula, runs to July 17. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

HiSAM also hosts free events such as Live from the Lawn performances, which are part of the First Friday Honolulu Gallery Walk.

Some 38 venues in Chinatown showcase art on the first Friday of each month. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., galleries, shops and restaurants feature art exhibits and free entertainment. Later, it turns into a late-night party scene.

One of the most interesting First Friday venues is The Arts at Marks Garage, an arts "incubator" with exhibit and performance spaces in a former parking garage at 1159 Nuuanu Ave. You can mingle with artists, buy art, have a drink or take in a "show," possibly of the alternative kind. The night I was there, an artist named Robert "performed" in a pink feather poodle costume. It's all good fun.

Marks is part of the Hawaii Arts Alliance. See hawaiiartsalliance.org.

With only three staff members and student labour, the University of Hawaii Art Gallery presents five major exhibits per season (late August through mid May). The 400-metre gallery is reconfigured for each exhibit, many of which showcase works by visiting artists, students and art department faculty.

Some shows -- such as the triennial International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibitions -- attract attention and submissions from around the world.

The gallery's next major exhibit, Eternal Blinking: Contemporary Art of Korea, opens Feb. 21.

A smaller Commons Gallery has exhibits that change weekly. Admission is free but donations are welcomed. See hawaii.edu/artgallery.

The Contemporary Museum focuses exclusively on contemporary art. The main galleries are housed in a former estate in the Makiki Heights neighbourhood, where there are also outdoor installations and beautiful Japanese gardens. There is a satellite gallery downtown at First Hawaiian Center. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 seniors/students, free for children 12 and under. See tcmhi.com.

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A WARM WELCOME TO WAIKIKI

There are few better places to experience the art of Hawaiian hospitality than the newly renovated Outrigger Reef on the Beach.

Situated between Waikiki Beach and the busy, buzzing shops and restaurants of the new Beach Walk, the Outrigger Reef is an oasis of calm. From the canoe longhouse at the entrance to the sit-down check-in and the lobby reading room, with its Hawaiian-themed literature, the 639-room hotel embraces its laid-back island heritage.

Winner of the Hawaii Tourism Authority's 2008 Keep It Hawaii award, the hotel offers cultural activities, most of them free, year-round. These include live music, workshops on topics such as the ocean environment and medicinal plants, lessons -- lei making, hula, ukelele, printmaking -- storytelling, walking tours, lectures and more.

The pool-side Kani Ka Pila Grille, which means let's make music, lives up to its name with nightly performances by acclaimed Hawaiian musicians such as slack key guitar masters Cyril Pahinui and Kaukahi. (The food is good, too.)

Hawaiian art is on display in common areas. And the smoke-free guestrooms feature ocean-themed decor with undersea photographs and bedposts accented by carved pineapples -- the international symbol of hospitality and replicas of the ones on Queen Liliuokalani's headboard at Ionlani Palace.

Of course there is surf culture, too. Steps away on beautiful Waikiki Beach there are free land-only surf clinics, daily at 1 p.m., at the Outrigger Reef and sister property Outrigger Waikiki. Private and group surf lessons are also offered.

For information and reservations (city view rooms start at $169 US per night), call 1-800-OUTRIGGER or visit outrigger.com. Packages are also available.

- ARTS WITH ALOHA

The organization Arts with Aloha promotes cultural travel on Oahu. For info on galleries, museums, theatre and events, visit artswithaloha.com.

- TRAVEL INFORMATION

For details on travel, visit the Oahu Visitors Bureau at visit-oahu.com.