Five-0 and Magnum in Waikīkī and Kāhala
STOP 1 OF 11
The Ilikai
Waikīkī & Diamond Head · From outside
The Ilikai hotel at the Ala Wai end of Waikīkī. The opening zoom on to its top-floor balcony is the best-known shot in either series.
EThe editors · 3 Five-0 and Magnum on Oʻahu lists — switch
Five-0 and Magnum in Waikīkī and Kāhala
The Ilikai balcony, the shrimp truck lagoon, Magnum’s yacht harbor and the King Kamehameha Club beach.
11 placesHalf a dayRead the guide ↓
- 1. The IlikaiThe Ilikai hotel at the Ala Wai end of Waikīkī. The opening zoom on to its top-floor balcony is the best-known shot in either series.Hawaii Five-O (1968) +2Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFrom outside15 minutesFree
2. Hilton Hawaiian Village Friday fireworksThe lagoon and beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, by the Rainbow Tower. Kamekona’s shrimp truck was parked here for filming in the early seasons.Hawaii Five-0 (2010)Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit30 minutesFree
3. Magic Island lagoon, Ala Moana Beach ParkThe grassy point and calm lagoon at the end of Ala Moana Beach Park. In later seasons this became Kamekona’s parking spot.Hawaii Five-0 (2010) +1HonoluluFree to visit45 minutesFree; free parking
4. Ala Wai Small Boat HarborHawaiʻi’s largest small-boat harbor, between Magic Island and the Ilikai. Magnum’s marina scenes were shot along these docks.Magnum, P.I. (1980) · S1E1 “Don’t Eat the Snow in Hawaii” +1Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit20 minutesFree
5. Royal Hawaiian, the pink palaceThe pink 1927 hotel on Waikīkī Beach. The beach and the hotel’s gardens are open to walk through.Magnum, P.I. (1980)Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFrom outside30 minutesFree to walk through
6. International Market Place banyanThe big banyan at the heart of the International Market Place, rebuilt as a shopping centre around the old tree.Magnum, P.I. (1980) · S7E18 “Laura”Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit20 minutesFree
7. St. Augustine by-the-SeaSt. Augustine by-the-Sea, the Catholic church at the Diamond Head end of Kalākaua Avenue.Magnum P.I. (2018) · S2E17 “The Night Has Eyes”Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit15 minutesFree
8. Waikīkī War Memorial NatatoriumThe 1927 War Memorial Natatorium, a saltwater pool with a grand arch, closed since 1979. Look from the arch and the beach beside it.Magnum, P.I. (1980) · S1E4 “Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too” +1Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFrom outside15 minutesFree
9. Diamond Head Road lookoutsThe pull-offs on Diamond Head Road by the lighthouse, looking down on surfers and out to Koko Head.Hawaii Five-0 (2010) +2Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit20 minutesFree
10. The Kahala HotelThe Kāhala, a 1964 resort on its own beach east of Diamond Head. Two generations of both shows have filmed in its grounds.Magnum, P.I. (1980) · S5E1 “Echoes of the Mind” +2Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFrom outside45 minutesFree to look; drinks paid
11. Waiʻalae Beach ParkA small, shady beach park next door to the Kāhala.Magnum, P.I. (1980)Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit1 hour with a swimFree; free parking
Watch before you go
Official clips and trailers from the studios’ own channels. They load only when you tap play.
The guide
How to do it: Five-0 and Magnum in Waikīkī and Kāhala
Both Five-0 series open on the same shot: a helicopter swinging in on a man on the Ilikai’s top-floor balcony. From there the two shows spread along Waikīkī: the remake parked Kamekona’s shrimp truck by the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon and later at Magic Island, and the original Magnum drank beer at the Ala Wai harbor and staked out the International Market Place.
Past Waikīkī, the road climbs round Diamond Head to the lookout Danno called his favourite place, then drops into Kāhala, where the 1980s King Kamehameha Club was pieced together from the Kāhala Hilton and Waiʻalae Beach Park.
- The order to do it in
- West to east: Ilikai, Hilton lagoon, Magic Island and the Ala Wai harbor, then along Kalākaua to the Royal Hawaiian, the International Market Place, St. Augustine’s and the Natatorium. Drive Diamond Head Road to the lookout and finish at Waiʻalae Beach Park and the Kāhala.
- When to go
- Morning for the Waikīkī walk, late afternoon for Diamond Head and Kāhala.
- Getting there
- Walk the Waikīkī stops (about 3 miles end to end) or use the bus along Kalākaua; drive or ride the 23 or 14 bus round Diamond Head to Kāhala.
- What to bring
- Swimsuit for Waiʻalae, reef-safe sunscreen, and cash for street parking meters.
- What it costs
- Free apart from parking and whatever you eat and drink.
Worth knowing
- Waikīkī hotel parking is expensive; Magic Island and Kapiʻolani Park have cheaper or free stalls if you get there early.
- Every Hawaiʻi beach is public: use the signed shoreline access paths in Kāhala rather than hotel driveways.
- Diamond Head Road’s lookouts have only a few stalls each; don’t stop in the traffic lane.
Researched and written by us from Wikipedia — Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), Wikipedia — Pilot (Hawaii Five-0), production notes, Wikipedia — Hawaii Five-0 season 3 episode list, Wikipedia — Hawaii Five-0 season 4 episode list, Honolulu Star-Advertiser — On location in Hawaii (Five-0 Redux, 2015) and Honolulu Star-Advertiser — Hawaii’s iconic destinations (Five-0 locations), among others. Episodes checked against episode guides; places and access checked October 2026. Private homes are view-only from the street.