Suggestion for a scenic drive at Oahu

Aloha Jackie!
Welcome to the forum.
Your husband is a lucky man to have a wife as thoughtful as you.
From the vehicles listed, I am certain the California will fill the bill just perfectly.
Gloria @ JN Exotics is awesome and you will be in good hands.

As for the drive, that'll get tricky because of the time of year you will be visiting. The waves get larger during Nov which attracts tourists towards North Shore and Sunset beach creating a slow traffic jam which stretches for miles.

There is one major loop around the island and it basically goes through the middle of the island around the east side. That being said I would plan the following drive:

Starting from the Waikiki area, drive through Waikiki on Kalakaua Ave heading east along the road which follows the beach, through Kahala, up to Kalanianaole Hwy (72) continue east to Hanauma Bay along the ocean coast, through Waimanalo, take a right when you reach Kailua town and stay along the coast, loop it and head towards Kaneohe through a town then back ok the coastline until you reach Kamehameha Hwy where you will drive on a scenic single lane road heading towards North Shore. On your way there, be sure to stop in Kahuku at a shrimp truck called Giovanni's or a stop called Romy's. grab a bite and then proceed up and you'll see some big waves to your right at Sunset beach. There is also Waimea Falls if you want to stop and walk through a botanical garden which leads to a large waterfall.
Heading North you will see signs to Haleiwa which is an old historic town with a great scenery. Stop for a shave ice from world famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice and if you want to grab a delicious burger, be sure to stop at Kua Aina burger.
After Haleiwa you will get back on the freeway eventually leading to H2 freeway. Not much of a scenery but if you have time take it to H1 freeway and head west to Ko'Olina and stop over at Roy's restaurant for an excellent evening dinner!

Here is a recent video of a very similar drive we recently did on Lamborghini & Ferrari Rally : Lamborghini Hawaii Rally 2013 - Video Dailymotion

 

I've done that drive and it is about the only drive you can do on Oahu, Hah. The section right below Diamond Head is very beautiful, as is the whole place. The far west coast was not as busy for me, but some say more for the locals.

 

That is true with the limited roads we have.
Drive through Tantalus and on H3 is very scenic as well..

 

The California is a great car to drive, you will enjoy it. As Gil said you are an awesome wife to plan this for your husband. I like his suggestion but just wanted to point out that an option to the shrimp truck might be to press on ahead a couple more miles to the Turtle Bay resort and you can do one of my favorite diversions in the area. If there is surf there will be people surfing the point that is right in front of the pool bar at the resort. I like to sit there on the patio and order off of the pool bar menu food and drinks and watch the surf in a nice setting. It's the only spot I know of where I can be waited on and enjoy watching the waves and surfers up close.

You will pay to park at the resort. It's like 5 dollars for the day if memory serves and then I like to walk to the pool area from the sidewalk that goes near the cabanas on the left side of the resort grounds using the wooden bridge. It has never been closed on my visits but it has been a few years so the backup plan would be to get to the pool through the lobby but that is the long way. Here is a little map to familiarize yourself but you can use Google Earth and type in Turtle Bay Resort and see it better. Good Luck with your trip!

If there is time I might go a little farther beyond Haleiwa and drive up past Dillingham Airfield to the end of the road at Ka'ena Point via Farrington Hwy. I wouldn't leave the car and go hiking or anything but it's interesting to see this part of the island too. Then when you work your way back to Honolulu you can have the choice to use Kunia Road or pick up the H2 near Mililani (all these places visible on Google Earth search)
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Turtle Bay is a great place. If you do go there, I like to eat at Ola. It is a restaurant right on the beach. Nothing really fanc for lunch, just burgers and sandwiches, but the food is good. Island Style Seafood on the Sands of Kuilima Bay . . .

 

Kevin,
Great suggestion! Is the parking Ferrari friendly there? (i.e. ramps, speed bumps, parking stall width).

 

You know Gil I think if you pick your times the right way there are a lot of end stalls where you can cheat some extra space for yourself. Lets plan a double date when the surf is up!

 

You can also talk to the valet and park it yourself in front of the hotel.

 

If you get the chance, consider a drive down H3. It cuts through some relatively unspoiled parts of the island and gives you a chance to see something other than development. Ill be driving there next week and looking forward to it.

 

Trojan Fan makes a great point and a great finish to the proposed route is to take the H3 from the Stadium over to the Kamehameha Hwy exit and take that South (or right) to the Pali Hwy and use the Pali to go up and over back to Honolulu. You can stop at the lookout on the way up the Pali and have a nice view of the windward side of the island or go through the tunnels and go to the Pali lookout for a commanding view of this side of the island.. If the weather is nice the Pali lookout is a very nice stop.

 

Sounds like plan Sam

 

For food suggestions, I probably would have suggested Haleiwa Joe's and Monkeypod Kitchen. Roy's is a pretty big chain (with locations in most major cities), and burgers, while good, are still a burger. Monkeypod has a pretty unique menu, and Haleiwa Joe's is a great place (especially for lunch) to introduce yourself to local seafood. Either way the drive will be good.

As was mentioned before, for sunset take a drive up Tantalus. Make sure to stop at the state park and enjoy the view. Just be careful, the road is narrow, twisty, and unforgiving. Lots of cyclists and longboarders, plus it is a residential area, so resist the urge to practice your WRC skills.

 

Did the H3 drive on Monday though not in a Ferrari (Nissan rental). I like that stretch of road coming out of the tunnel southbound. Also I had to pay homage to the old "Robins Nest" Magnum estate. Sorry to see it has become so run down over time.

 

If you have military base access a drive over Kolekole pass from Schofield to Makaha is nice. http://www.yelp.com/biz/kolekole-pass-road-schofield-barracks

 

With the hours that is (was 2 months ago) open it was pretty difficult to pull off.

 

not really addressing the OP's question, but I have fond memories of certain drives when I was a kid in HI; I lived in two places when we were there between 1968 and 1972. We lived in Halawa Heights, and then down in Aiea not too far from where they built Aloha Stadium (started just before we left); I understand it's not a neighborhood that you drive thru now unless you are a local. My Dad worked at COMSERVPAC during those years.

We had a Mini Moke that dad dropped a 1275 Cooper motor into; he auto crossed it at Hickam on weekends. We would get a picnic lunch together and go to a park called "round top" (I think). The road up there was incredibly twisty, and he would go around the corners so fast that I was sure I was going to fly out (the Moke had no doors, and just a handle to hold on to).

I also remember driving from Aiea out to Koko Head to a guy's house who had a welding shop. There was n o t h i n g out there once you got past Diamond Head and it seemed like we were driving through the country for hours w/ the beach on the right side. We could hammer it because no one was on the road (and Mom wasn't in the car). Looking at Google Maps, it looks a little different now.

We would also go to the beach out at Barber's Point and drove forever thru the tall sugar cane fields. On the way home, dad would get a machete out of the trunk, look around, and cut a stalk for us kids to suck on on the way home. I understand it was big trouble if you were caught doing that.

Awesome place to be a kid. I remember the near riot that took place when a couple of my friends and I transferred from Hale Keiki School to Pearl Harbor Christian and we were required to wear SHOES to school!

Bryan

 

Really cool to read, thanks a lot for posting this.

 

You needed to get a slippa's chit, brudah! They always let da' haoles get away with them.