Kualoa Ranch ('Jurassic Valley'), the Byodo-In Temple & Nu'uanu Pali Lookout

As you drive north up Kamehameha Highway (Route 83) from Kailua along Kane'ohe Bay, the sheer, vertically fluted emerald walls of the Ko'olau Mountain Range, the eroded remnant of an ancient shield volcano, tower 600 to 900 metres overhead. Three landmark stops sit right at the foot of these cliffs.

1. The Byodo-In Temple (47-200 Kahekili Hwy, Kane'ohe)

Turn into the lush Valley of the Temples Memorial Park beneath the misty Ko'olau cliffs to visit the Byodo-In Temple (modest entry fee paid by card only). Dedicated in June 1968 to mark the centenary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, it is a replica of the 1053 AD UNESCO World Heritage Byodo-In ('Temple of Equality') in Uji near Kyoto, built of concrete and wood without a single nail.

• Inside the Grounds (Allow 45 Mins): ring the 3-tonne brass Bon-sho Peace Bell cast in Osaka, slip off your shoes to view the 2.7-metre gold-leaf Amida Buddha carved by Masuzo Inui, and feed hundreds of orange koi carp, black swans, turtles and wild peacocks in the 2-acre reflecting pond.

2. Kualoa Ranch Private Nature Reserve ('Hollywood's Backlot')

Fifteen minutes north of Byodo-In (opposite conical Mokoli'i Island / Chinaman's Hat) spans 4,000-acre Kualoa Ranch, founded in 1850 on sacred land. Because Ka'a'awa Valley is untouched by power lines or public roads, directors have filmed over 200 movies and TV shows here since the 1950s, led by Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Kong: Skull Island, Jumanji, 50 First Dates and Lost. Book 2 to 4 weeks ahead on the official site:

1. Hollywood Movie Sites Tour (90 Mins): ride a vintage open-air bus into Ka'a'awa Valley to visit a WWII bunker museum and photograph the fallen tree trunk from Jurassic Park and the giant bones of Kong: Skull Island.
2. UTV Raptor or Jurassic Adventure Tour (2 Hours): ride a multi-passenger 4x4 vehicle through jungle streams to the Indominus Rex paddock filming set, before continuing to O'ahu's North Shore.

3. Detour on Highway 61: Nu'uanu Pali Lookout

Driving between Honolulu and the Windward Coast on Route 61? Exit at the mountain pass for the Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside (small non-resident parking fee), a windswept 365-metre sheer cliff edge where King Kamehameha I won the 1795 Battle of Nu'uanu.