Whatever we do there, one thing's for certain — the people of Hawai'i know how to shop and do it with gusto. Last year, total retail sales on O'ahu topped $14.8 billion.

Although Ala Moana Center has been Hawai'i's premier shopping mecca since opening in 1959, now there's a new kid on the block — in the heart of Kaka'ako — Victoria Ward Center is a sizzling Hot Spot for shopping, as well as dining, movie-going and people-watching:

Victoria Ward Centers

For folks who enjoy life in the "fast lane," Victoria Ward Centers is Honolulu's trendiest "hot spot" — particularly on weekends. Within four city blocks, you'll find 120 one-of-a-kind shops and big-value retailers, 23 restaurants, a state-of-the-art megaplex with 16 movie screens and a local-kine farmer's market with seafood so fresh, it's still jumping on the butcher's block.

While other malls fall prey to duplicating one another with mainland franchises, Victoria Ward Centers gets its charm from an eclectic mix of boutiques that can't be found anywhere else.

Native Hawaiian handicrafts, high-tech gadgets, to-die-for fashions and rare finds from every corner of the globe make shopping an adventure.

The complex has a well-developed personality — complete with architecture that combines roughhewn timbers, glazed ceramic floors and tiny waterscapes tucked into the most unexpected places.

Among its leading attractions are outdoor cafés for people watching, and restaurants specializing in rock-salt prime rib and catch-of-theday sashimi served up with views of the ocean and Ala Moana Beach Park.

There's no doubt Victoria Ward Centers has its own distinct atmosphere and charm — just like O'ahu's other major shopping destinations:

Ala Moana Center

If bigger truly is better, then Ala Moana Center reigns as O'ahu's premier shopping destination — based on sheer volume alone. No other mall in Hawai'i can match Ala Moana for shopping selection, all-around dining options, parking and people watching. The center's 1.8 million square feet of retail space racks up more than 42-million shopper visits per year. Along with being ranked as the world's largest open-air mall, it also holds the distinction of being the first mall in the nation to pass the $1-billion mark in annual sales.

While numbers can be somewhat deceiving, at Ala Moana they're downright impressive. It has more than 250 shops, stores and boutiques; parking for 9,000 cars on four levels; seating for 1,200 people in Makai Market — its international food court; and more than 70 fast-food and fullservice restaurants.

Anchor stores include Macy's, Sears, Shirokiya and Neiman-Marcus. Rodeo Drive-style boutiques bearing the monikers of internationally acclaimed designers, including Versace, Fendi, Tiffany, Cartier, Christian Dior and Ralph Lauren play a prominent role in the Center's sophisticated new look.

On a more down-to-earth level, Ala Moana also offers a full range of shops specializing in high-tech kitchen gadgets (Williams-Sonoma), surf boards (Town & Country), koa furnishings (Martin MacArthur), Aloha wear (Hilo Hattie), biker gear (Pacific Harley-Davidson), European fountain pens (Montblanc), and cowboy hats and belt buckles (Paniolo Trading Company).

Ala Moana Center occupies nearly 50 acres of prime real estate in the heart of Honolulu, between the Hawai'i Convention Center and Ala Moana Beach Park. Most shoppers aren't aware of it, but the distance from Macy's to Sears at either end of the mall is a quarter mile. Of course, if you're looking for exercise, a lap along Ala Moana's street-level perimeter sidewalk — which measures 1.25 miles — should help work up a sweat.

Entertainment is also a big draw at Ala Moana. The Center Stage area hosts more than 500 live performances annually — ranging from high school bands and hula halau to dance troupes and weekend television tapings of Hawai'i Stars, a localized version that preceded American Idol by a minimum of five years.

To build upon Ala Moana's tropical surroundings, designers have created an oasis of exotic palms, plants and soothing water features.

The mall level's award-winning landscaping of lava rock sculptures, coral planters and soothing koi ponds that are mirror image of ancient Hawai'i's ahupua'a or land divisions that stretch from the Koolau mountains to the sea.

Pearlridge Center

Pearlridge in Aiea is the only mega shopping mall on O'ahu with a split personality. While Uptown Pearlridge is sophisticated and decked out in rich-looking hues of brown burnished wood and subtle gold accents, Downtown Pearlridge takes on an industrial "look" with an intriguing blend of sheet metal, rivets and cutting-edge sculpture.

The 11-acre complex features more than 170 shops, boutiques, 12-full service restaurants, two food courts, a 16-screen multiplex theater, a trendy furniture showroom, a miniature golf course and two arcades that attract teenagers like magnets.

Travel between Uptown and Downtown Pearlridge is provided by Hawai'i's only monorail. The ride takes less than four minutes, but provides a birds-eye view of Sumida Farm i the state's largest supplier of watercress, historic Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Keiki love the ride and it gives leg-weary adults a chance to sit back and relax, if only briefly.

Pearlridge is the largest enclosed shopping center in Hawai'i and even boasts its own emergency hospital clinic and eightstory office complex.

Kahala Mall

Shopping takes on a sophisticated tone at Kahala Mall, the island's only fully-carpeted shopping center. Set apart from the hustle and bustle of downtown and located in one of O'ahu's most prestigious neighborhoods, Kahala Mall is home to more than 90 specialty retailers, including 28 eateries and eight movie theatres.

The pace here is generally slower, and that suits the mall's discriminating shoppers just fine. Valets will park your Jaguar or Mercedes during the holiday season, but fashions from across the globe are available year-round.

If you lock your keys inside your car, don't fret. Keep shopping. The mall's security staff will summon you via a pager when your car keys are ready to be retrieved — for a slight fee.

One of the mall's newest additions is the Jack Lord Memorial, located on the Diamond Head end of the mall, near the trolley station. It features a larger-than-life bust of the square-jawed actor who played Steve McGarrett on Hawai'i Five-O from 1968-1980 (a run that made it the longest-running police drama in television history). Lord lived nearby and was often seen signing autographs or squeezing tomatoes at Star Supermarket.

Windward Mall

Few shopping centers capture the local-kine of feel of Hawai'i better than Windward Mall in Kaneohe.

With the Ko'olaupoku Mountain Range providing the mall with a postcard-perfect backdrop, it's the only regional shopping center serving Windward O'ahu.

Surprisingly, Windward Mall's impact goes beyond its lineup of 80 stores, 20 restaurants and 10 movie screens. The 530,000- square-foot mall is also a venue for free family-style activities as diverse as health fairs, country line dancing, yo-yo classes, arm wrestling competitions, school art shows, science fairs, blood drives, hula performances and daily Chinese exercise programs.

The mall's parking lot is the staging area for the Kaneohe's annual Christmas parade — the biggest on O'ahu — and it plays host to custom car and hot-rod shows throughout the year.

New stores being added to the client lineup at the 22-year-old mall include International House of Pancakes (IHOP), Caterpillar Kids and Pac Sun.

WAIKIKI

Although many of us shudder at the thought of driving into Waikiki, this tourist mecca manages to combine terrific shopping opportunities with some of the best dining and sidewalk entertainment anywhere on the planet.

Sure there's lots of duplication — like the 36 ABC stores in a one-mile stretch — but you'll also discover what attracts more than 3.7-million tourists to Waikiki annually.

Four top must-see attraction that will make you and your kids grin from ear-to-ear:

International Marketplace — meander though an open-air maze of colorful shops and kiosks, and then prepare to bargain for some of the most offbeat items this side of Hong Kong. When your stomach starts to growl, check out the "meat on a stick" and ono plate lunches in the food court.

The Galleria — take an underwater stroll inside the belly of a two-story aquarium. Then shop in a setting reminiscent of Honolulu Harbor's "Boat Days" circa 1930.

Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center — while exploring this four-story "shopping bunker" take time out to enjoy free Hawaiian quilting, lei making, ukulele playing and coconut frond-weaving demonstrations. For great grinds, join the line forming to the right of the Cheesecake Factory and ask for a seat on the lanai and watch the passing crowd. Or for a touch of nostalgia, stroll over to the Royal Hawaiian or "Pink Lady" tucked behind the Center.

This grand dame of hotels is a refuge of gentility that's occupied its beachfront location since the early 1900s. And, it's a great place to relax with a cup of Kona-perked coffee or a tropical ice tea.

King's Village — March to a different drummer during the nightly changing of the King's Guard, a precision exhibition complete with pith helmets, flailing rifles and clicking-boot heels.

BIG BOX STORES

During the past 10 years, outlet malls and "big box" retailers have become major players in our local economy by offering discounts on industrial-size boxes of cereal, huge-screen TVs and cookies by the ton.

Costco, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Circuit City, Kmart and Comp USA are firmly entrenched in the buying patterns of most kama'aina.

But the mother lode of shopping bargains is at Waikele Center and Premium Outlets in Central O'ahu.

Together, these two shopping centers have more than 70 stores, including such brand-name designers as Donna Karan, Banana Republic, Saks Fifth Avenue, Guess and Tommy Hilfiger.

Parking is plentiful, but wear comfortable shoes so you can shop before you drop.

HIDDEN TREASURES

For kama'aina who like to walk on the wild side, Chinatown offers a chance to poke around antique shops, art galleries, mom-and-pop stores and open-air markets with intriguing wares from around the world.

Many of the items are authentic; others are pure kitsch and haggling over prices is part of the attraction.

In Chinatown, you'll discover a treasure trove of "rare finds" as far ranging as jade bracelets, porcelain pottery and carved "bone" ivory to bobblehead dolls and Mandarin music.

Even if you aren't interested in buying a box of Shanghai joss sticks or a dozen t-shirts for $20 — Chinatown is a terrific place to spend an afternoon exploring a colorful ethnic enclave that includes a chop suey mix of Chinese, Hawaiian and Filipino merchants.

Of course, the big reward for shopping in Chinatown is served up at lunch and dinner. Here you'll find some of the best Asian meals served anywhere on O'ahu available at rock-bottom prices.

Finally, if its bargains you seek, check out the flea market sales taking place each weekend at Aloha Stadium or the former site of Kam Drive-in. Both are located in the Pearlridge/Aiea area and provide a chance to snap up discounts on Bob Marley headgear, potted plants, used sports equipment, designer knock-off sunglasses, homegrown orchids, castoff toys and crafts by local artisans. And, there's also the outside chance that you'll come away with that "hidden treasure" you've always searched for but could never find until now.