Best of Honolulu 2021: The Best Fitness and Outdoor on O‘ahu

We asked our readers and searched the island for the best of everything—beach cleanups to land restoration, fishing equipment to surf shop, free gym to yoga studio—all so you can live better in Honolulu.

September 20, 2021

Robbie Dingeman, Katie Kenny, Katrina Valcourt, Don Wallace,

Photo: Anna Velykodna

Best Volunteer Beach Cleanups

The fastest way to make an impact on ocean pollution is to clean a beach, hopefully often. And the best way to find a beach cleanup is at the website of the folks at Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, where you’ll usually find several weekend cleanups scheduled every month. The events are often co-hosted with other orgs, schools or companies, which leverages their effectiveness—and fun, since farmers market and sustainable food vendors often show up in solidarity. The casual come-as-you-are, we-provide-the-bags (and gloves) vibe suits a group started in 2010 by “eight friends sitting around a table in Kaimukī.” Today’s tiny staff of four works with a strong board and supporters and sponsors ranging from fashion retailer Vans to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, partnering with organizations such as Surfrider, Bishop Museum, Protectors of Paradise and Zero Waste O‘ahu. —DW

sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org, @sustainablecoastlineshawaii

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nanko Fishing Supply (@nanko_fishing_supply)

⁠

Best Place to Buy Shore-Fishing Equipment

Fishing turned out to be one of the sports/pastimes/hobbies that people embraced when our world suddenly got a lot smaller. Nanko Fishing Supply owner Kai Terayama admits the pace has been hectic but he’s grateful to see “a lot of new faces and a lot of returning faces.” When you’re from the Windward Side of O‘ahu you rely on Nanko for fishing gear and advice, whether you need a bamboo pole for keiki-kine fishing or the whole setup for reeling in a complete dinner. The local business built a reputation on shore-fishing expertise. The Kāne‘ohe shop also carries snacks, cold beverages, tabis, coolers, clothes—everything that people use for fishing, diving or even hanging out near the ocean. —RD

46-003 Alaloa St., Kāne‘ohe, (808) 247-0938, @nanko_fishing_supply

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HANA PA’A Fishing Co. (@hanapaafishing)

⁠

Best Place to Buy Spearfishing Equipment

As amateur anglers, we knew we could use some help naming the best fishing supply stores so we reached out to a friend who’s an expert: Dean Sensui, executive producer of the Hawai‘i Goes Fishing TV show. He told us that all the local stores have their strong points but we wouldn’t go wrong in naming Kalihi’s Hanapa‘a Fishing Supply as best for spearfishing and Nanko’s as best for shore-fishing. Both local businesses saw demand surge as people started or rediscovered fishing as a way to get outside, connect with our ocean environment and feed the family. “It was pretty crazy in the peak of the pandemic,” says Hanapa‘a owner Sterling Kaya. Then came the traditionally busy season, summer, and people kept coming. When will the slowdown come? “The test will be October/November,” Kaya says. —RD

1733 Dillingham Blvd., (808) 845-1865, hanapaafishing.com, @hanapaafishing

Photo: Courtesy of Ward Village

Best Yoga Studio

Reader Pick

Does any exercise studio have more of a cultlike following than CorePower Yoga? The Colorado-based chain boasts hundreds of locations across the U.S., including four on O‘ahu (Kāhala, Ward, Kailua and Kapolei), with classes that often fill up days in advance. From basic yoga classes to more intense Yoga Sculpt, which combines yoga with cardio in a heated room (read about our 2019 experience), CorePower’s variety of classes and instructors keeps it fresh. Single classes cost $30; get the most bang for your buck with an all-access membership for $189 a month, which includes unlimited classes in the studio, live online and on demand. This summer, CorePower offers free yoga at 9 a.m. Sundays at Victoria Ward Park (registration required). —KV

Multiple locations, corepoweryoga.com, @corepoweryoga

Best Free Gym

No blaring cable news, no mouth-breathers huffing at you, plenty of fresh air—and it’s free? No wonder walkers and runners love to pause for a quick plank and pump at the Bryan Clay Exercise Park. Opened in 2013 with eight pieces of steel equipment on the Fort Ruger Pathway near the Lē‘ahi Millennium Peace Garden, it complements the 4-mile Diamond Head circuit; there’s even a stretching and pullup bar station across the road with a restroom. Mahalo to donor Cliff Hatch and the Diamond Head State Monument Foundation for their fitness tribute to Hawai‘i’s Olympic gold medal decathlete. And after, don’t forget to eat your way down Monsarrat Avenue at Diamond Head Market & Grill, Da Cove Health Bar and Café, and Bogart’s. —DW

Near the entrance to Diamond Head State Monument, at the intersection of Diamond Head Road and 18th Avenue

Best Bike Shop

Reader Pick

When we were all told to stick to our neighborhoods and homes in 2020, the demand for anything to help us get out and active skyrocketed at McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods. Since Gensei Takayesu opened his small bike store in Waipahu in 1923, the still family-run shop has been a staple for the local community, even when inventory sold out during the pandemic. “We value customer service above all else,” says owner and Takayesu’s grandson, Benjamin Takayesu. “That’s why we tried to maintain our sale prices and keep them as low as possible.” The shop doesn’t just sell a variety of recreational and sporting gear: The staff will restring your tennis racket, fix your favorite fishing pole and service your bike, too, at the shop’s warehouse on Hausten Street. —Kainoa Deguilmo

2124 S. King St., (808) 955-6329, mccullybike.com, @mccullybike

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi (@kakoooiwi)

⁠

Best Volunteering: Land Restoration

Native Hawaiian farming techniques, wetland restoration, propagation of native plants and the restoration of native bird habitats: These are the four pillars of Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, a community-based nonprofit. Since 2010, Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi has been offering volunteer opportunities at its 405 acres in the ahupua‘a of He‘eia for community workdays, educational groups and workshops focused on kalo farming, habitat restoration and more. Sign up for monthly workdays, held every third Saturday, on the organization’s website. —KK

46-406 Kamehameha Highway, Kāne‘ohe, (808) 741-3403, kakoooiwi.org, @kakoooiwi