We've seen every Hawaii to-do list under the sun -- but this one seems the most Instagrammable.
More than 250 films have been shot in the scenic Aloha State, some way more iconic than others. "Jurassic Park," we know. But "Waterworld"'s gut-busting dystopian soundstage off the coast of the Big Island? We totally forgot about that.
Below, a list of our favorite Hawaii-based scenes and how you can reenact them yourself:
1. Where to make out for an eternity:
You’re lucky if you get it to yourself, but Halona Cove, the famous beach in “From Here To Eternity” on Oahu, is certainly a great place to make out with someone for as long as possible. It's also known unfortunately as Cockroach Cove, and is a good place to meet hysteric mermaids, as seen in "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
2. Where to rope swing into a river and shout for Jock to start the engines:
Kauai's Huleia River is where Indiana Jones ran from South American savages and swam to a plane that had a snake in it before robbing graves, saving dames, fighting Nazis, and opening the Ark of the Covenant against many people's good advice. With the advice of guides, you can see this and many other film scenes, through Kipu Tours.
3. Where to meet the same person in the road 50 times:
According to Adam Sandler, "50 First Dates" was set in Hawaii because that's where he wanted to vacation. In this scene, Drew Barrymore's character (who suffers from the fictional Goldfield Syndrome) is driving down a road on the privately-owned Kualoa Ranch on Oahu. Kualoa Ranch has been the stage for many films, including "Jurassic Park," 1998's "Godzilla," and "Windtalkers." The ranch even hosts tours of these iconic spots.
4. Where to grease up your hair and look squinty-eyed out to the horizon:
Between an elaborate set in the Big Island's Kawaihae Harbor and volatile Hawaiian weather, "Waterworld" hemorrhaged $180 million -- the most expensive movie of its time. In the finale (SPOILER ALERT), Costner and fam dock on the last remaining piece of land left on earth and the mouth of the Waipio Valley stands in for what was once the Mt. Everest summit.
5. Where to forget your ex by cliff jumping:
Jason Segel's character, in an attempt to forget his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Marshall, tries unsuccessfully to man up and jump off Laie Point in Laie on Oahu. You can jump off yourself (heck, the kids always do it), but you probably won't have Mila Kunis in the water below.
6. Where to go running in boat shoes and an aloha shirt:
In "The Descendants," George Clooney's character hustles over to his friend's house for answers after hearing from his daughter that his comatose wife may have been cheating on him. It's what any reasonable person would do. Clooney's house, and the classic scene of him running, was shot in the rainy Nuuanu neighborhood, just off Old Pali Road on Oahu.
7. Where to find out your new wife is sleeping with Hank Azaria:
In “Along Came Polly," Ben Stiller takes Debra Messing to St. Barts to celebrate their honeymoon, but it was really a campsite beach in Kualoa Regional Park on Oahu’s windward side (you can see the top of Mokoli’i Island -- aka, Chinaman’s Hat -- behind Stiller’s head). It’s a good place to lounge, for sure, but walking around buck-ass naked, like Hank Azaria, might get you into some trouble.
8. Where to surf like it’s not even your main purpose:
The opening sequence of "Die Another Day," the 20th James Bond film, shows Bond and Co. (which is really Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, and Derrick Doerner) surfing under the cover of darkness to a Korean shore. It’s really Peahi, or Jaws, off Maui, one of the hugest waves on the planet. And Bond doesn’t even care because he’s Bond and has to go steal a briefcase.
9. Where to have a heart-to-heart:
When Kate Bosworth's Anne Marie hooked up with NFL player Matt Tollman (Matthew Davis) in "Blue Crush," her life changed forever. In a key scene, on the night before her huge surf competition at Pipeline, she seriously doubted herself. But thanks to a moon-lit lagoon in the resort neighborhood of Koolina, on Oahu's west side, she got the pep talk she needed to get herself right. Paradise Cove and Germaine's luau provide the entertainment similar to what's playing in the background of this scene, but you can get to those lagoons yourself and for free (heart-to-heart not guaranteed, but probable).
Correction: A previous version of this article described Peahi as a Kauai surf break. It is off the coast of Maui.
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