@jenkler Yup, I live in the states. I'm out in California now, but it is still expensive to go over to Hawaii, so not nearly enough trips there.
So, I think my two favorite things were Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Pearl Harbor was more interesting than anything else. It might not be as cool as a non-American, but I think from a historical perspective, seeing how America entered WWII is insane. You can go out onto some of the ships still, and see some of the oil that is still leaking. It might be worth trying to get tickets ahead of time if you want to go into the ships there.
As for the Polynesian Cultural Center, this was a blast from a history perspective, but they had a ton of interactive things to do. My wife and I did the "Super Ambassador Luau Package" and it was well worth it. You get a guided tour of the entire center (which is huge), awesome seats at one of their shows, awesome seats for a Luau, and is overall a fantastic time.
Going into Honolulu is interesting to see some of the history, we didn't spend a ton of time there, but it feels a lot like any city.
The North part of the island is cool as well, there is a big surfing area that is crazy to watch, and depending on the time of year they have turtles on the beach (we didn't see it).
As for what I am actually doing on New Years Eve, probably loafing around :D. Maybe have some drinks with a few friends. I can't imagine going to one of the crazy events.