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Trip from Honolulu, HI to Maunawili, HI

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jun 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

20m

Distance

9.2 mi

15 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 18m ★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in and county seat of Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, that is also the capital city of Hawaii

Honolulu, HI

Wikimedia Commons

census-designated place in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States of America

Maunawili, HI

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This short 9.2-mile journey connects Honolulu to Maunawili in just 20 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a quick day trip. You will navigate primarily via Alakea Street, the Pali Highway, and Auloa Road. Because the entire route is quite brief, you won't need to worry about overnight accommodations or heavy travel fatigue. With a fuel budget of only $2, it is an incredibly affordable way to transition between these two areas of Hawaii. Whether you are heading out for a morning errand or an afternoon change of scenery, this trip is straightforward and requires minimal logistical planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Pali Highway 7.8 mi 14m
Auloa Road 0.8 mi 3m
Alakea Street 0.3 mi <1m
South Kukui Street <0.1 mi <1m
Richards Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Pali Highway — 7.8 mi, about 14m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Honolulu, HI and Maunawili, HI.

1

Start on this road

228 ft · 17 sec · this road
2

Turn right

271 ft · 24 sec
3

Turn left onto Richards Street

160 ft · 6 sec · Richards Street
4

Turn right

341 ft · 27 sec
5

At end of road, turn right onto Alakea Street

0.3 mi · 44 sec · Alakea Street
6

Turn left onto South Kukui Street

445 ft · 7 sec · South Kukui Street
7

Continue on Pali Highway

7.8 mi · 14 min · Pali Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
8

Turn right onto Auloa Road

0.8 mi · 3 min · Auloa Road
Use the right lane.
9

Arrive at destination

Auloa Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 6

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 8.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Richards Street

Turn left onto Richards Street

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

6
0.2 mi into trip | ~1m in | Alakea Street

At end of road, turn right onto Alakea Street

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

5
8.3 mi into trip | ~16m in | Auloa Road

Turn right onto Auloa Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.04 one way

$4.08 round trip

$5.63/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.95 $2.16 $4.31
premium $6.10 $2.21 $4.42
diesel $5.35 $1.94 $3.88

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.8 0 $0.97 $0.44
Efficient EV 2.3 0 $0.81 $0.37
EV Truck/SUV 3.7 0 $1.29 $0.59

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (67% 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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Jun 2, 2026

Origin

Honolulu, HI

Morning in Honolulu on Wednesday

Local time

9:10 AM

HST

Current temp

84°F

Scattered Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny

ENE 9 to 14 mph 29% chance Live forecast

Ashfall Advisory

Ashfall Advisory issued June 1 at 1:58PM HST until June 1 at 6:00PM HST by NWS Honolulu HI

Destination

Maunawili, HI

Morning in Maunawili on Wednesday

Local time

9:10 AM

HST

Current temp

80°F

Isolated Rain Showers

NE 13 mph 24% chance Live forecast

Ashfall Advisory

Ashfall Advisory issued June 1 at 1:58PM HST until June 1 at 6:00PM HST by NWS Honolulu HI

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

4 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

20m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. The route features no highway-share sections, emphasizing its status as a local transit path. You will spend the bulk of your time on the Pali Highway, which accounts for 7.8 miles of the total distance. As you transition from the urban streets of Honolulu onto the winding sections of the Pali and finally onto Auloa Road, the road’s personality shifts from city grid to a more technical driving experience. Keep your focus sharp, as the frequent turns define the character of this short but engaging commute.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.8 mi on Pali Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 20m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

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 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Gently rolling terrain

1,074 ft 19 ft

Total Climb

1,055 ft

Total Descent

967 ft

Highest Point

1,074 ft

~5.9 mi in

Elevation Range

1,055 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Honolulu, HI

Full guide →

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

  • • Diamond Head — mountain on Oahu in Hawaii, United States of America
  • • ʻIolani Palace — former royal residence and capitol building in Hawaii
  • • Honolulu Museum of Art — art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii

Arriving in Maunawili, HI

Full guide →

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 20m. Total distance: 9.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

20m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.8 miles on Pali Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Richards Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point.

Yes — Pearl Harbor National Memorial. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Maunawili, HI before heading back.

How this page is built

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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