Film & TV · 15 places in all
Blockbusters on Oʻahu
Where Godzilla, Kong, Jumanji, Pearl Harbor and Battleship actually filmed on Oʻahu, and how to see it.
Big studios come to Oʻahu for two things: jungle that can pass for anywhere, and the real Pearl Harbor. Kong: Skull Island built its boneyard at Kualoa, Jumanji sent its players through Waimea Valley and the Kawela banyans, Godzilla left wreckage on the beach in front of the Hilton, and Battleship turned the USS Missouri back into a fighting ship.
A lot of what was filmed here sits on military bases or private land. These lists only send you to places you can legally walk into, pay to enter or look at from a public spot. Kualoa’s valleys are tour-only, Ford Island is reached by museum shuttle, and Hālona Cove is best seen from the lookout above it.
One list covers Pearl Harbor, downtown and Waikīkī; the other follows the jungle from the Honolulu valleys to the windward coast and the North Shore. Either makes a full day; together they make a good weekend.
2 ways to do it
EThe editorsPearl Harbor, Honolulu and WaikīkīThe Missouri from Battleship, Ford Island, Kong’s Saigon in Chinatown, Godzilla’s Waikīkī and the Eternity cove.8 placesA full day4 freeCentralHonoluluWaikīkī & Diamond HeadUse this list →
EThe editorsJungles: Kualoa to the North ShoreKong’s boneyard, Jumanji’s jungle and treehouse banyans, Captain Jack’s harbor and Windtalkers’ battlefield.7 placesTwo or three days5 freeHonoluluWindwardNorth ShoreUse this list →Questions people ask
Can you visit the places where Pearl Harbor (2001) and Tora! Tora! Tora! were filmed?
Partly. Both films shot their attack scenes in and around the real harbor, and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, the Battleship Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island are all open to visitors. Ford Island is an active base, so you reach the Missouri and the museum by the free shuttle from the visitor center. Other locations from those films, such as Wheeler, Hickam and Fort Shafter, are military land and not open to the public.
Where was the From Here to Eternity beach kiss filmed?
At Hālona Cove on the southeast shore, below the Hālona Blowhole lookout on Kalanianaʻole Highway. The lookout gives the view; the scramble down is steep and the currents off this point are some of the strongest on the island, so we suggest staying up top.
Can you see the Kong: Skull Island and Jumanji sets at Kualoa Ranch?
Yes, on a tour. Kualoa’s Movie Sites & Ranch Tour (about 90 minutes, $59.95 for adults) stops at the Kong boneyard, the Jumanji dance-fight area and the giant footprints from Godzilla (1998). The valleys are private land and can’t be entered without a tour.
Was Godzilla (2014) really filmed in Hawaii?
Some of it. The crew spent a few days in Waikīkī in July 2013, filming the aftermath of the attack on the beach in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Most of the Honolulu destruction, including the airport, was filmed on sets and locations in Vancouver.