Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
48m
Distance
22.8 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Honolulu, HI
Wikimedia Commons
Ka‘a‘awa, HI
Studio Lichtfang
Honolulu to Ka‘a‘awa is 22.8 miles and takes about 48 minutes via Kamehameha Highway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the state of Hawaii, traversing the island of Oahu. You'll primarily be on surface roads, making it a straightforward drive. Given its brief duration, it's an ideal excursion for a single day, allowing plenty of time for exploration at your destination.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kamehameha Highway | 8.2 mi | 17m |
| Likelike Highway | 6.6 mi | 12m |
| Kahekili Highway | 4.4 mi | 9m |
| North School Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Nuuanu Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Bethel Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Queen Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Richards Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Honolulu, HI and Ka‘a‘awa, HI.
Start on this road
Turn right
Turn left onto Richards Street
Turn right onto Queen Street
Continue on Queen Street
Turn straight onto Bethel Street
Turn slight left
Turn straight onto Nuuanu Avenue
Turn left onto North School Street
Turn right onto HI 63
Take the exit
Continue on Kahekili Highway
Continue on HI 83
Turn left onto Polinalina Road
Turn right onto Kekio Road
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 14.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto Richards Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto North School Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto HI 63 / Likelike Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Enter roundabout onto HI 83 / Kamehameha Highway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Regular Gas
$4.46 one way
$8.92 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.28 | $4.74 | $9.48 |
| premium | $5.46 | $4.90 | $9.79 |
| diesel | $4.80 | $4.31 | $8.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
| Efficient EV | 5.7 | 0 | $2.00 | $0.91 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.19 | $1.46 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Afternoon in Honolulu on Saturday
Local time
4:49 PM
HST
Current temp
75°F
Scattered Rain Showers
Destination
Afternoon in Ka‘a‘awa on Saturday
Local time
4:49 PM
HST
Current temp
75°F
Scattered Rain Showers
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This drive is entirely on surface roads, with no highway driving involved. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 8.2 miles along Kamehameha Highway. You'll notice a mix of local traffic and coastal cruising as you navigate these roads, which generally feature lower speed limits and more frequent intersections than highways.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 22.8 miles you will encounter 11 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Richards Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.3 miles (North School Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
743 ft
Total Descent
753 ft
Highest Point
732 ft
~6.5 mi in
Elevation Range
723 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Honolulu, HI to Ka‘a‘awa, HI, road signs begin pointing toward Kahekili Highway along the way.
Kahekili Highway
The capital of Hawaii and its primary point of entry, Honolulu is by far the state's largest city, with 980,000 people—two-thirds of the state's population—residing within the metro area as of 2018. Situated on the southern shore of the island of Oahu, Honolulu serves as the center of government and commerce for the state, the home of the largest airport in the Hawaiian Islands, and the site of the state's best-known tourist destination: Waikiki Beach. Given the city's size and its prominence as a traveler destination, this is definitely not the place to go for a "get-away-from-it-all" Hawaiian vacation. Honolulu is as fast-paced and dynamic as any large city, with all the associated problems such as heavy traffic, crime, and homelessness.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 22.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
48m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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