Local tour company Guides of Oahu has put together a new tour that visits President-elect Barack Obama's roots on O'ahu and explores the influences and neighborhood of his early years.

The tour includes places where Obama and his family lived, where he went to school, played basketball, saw movies, hung out with his friends, and his first job location — Baskin Robbins on King Street.

"This is not a political tour," said tour guide Mitch Berger. "It is a specialty tour — rather like having a long conversation with a charismatic man you just happened to meet. ... There's a lot of humor in the tour and, of course, an endless supply of Barack Obama trivia (who knew that Obama's fondness for Zippy's chili would become a favorite dish he cooks at home)."

The tour also includes stories of childhood friends, teachers and coaches, and includes stops Downtown and in Chinatown, and a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, where Obama's grandparents are interred.

Berger — who specializes in custom tours — polled Waikiki visitors on the street about what they most wanted to know about the president-elect's childhood before putting the tour together with researcher Jean Monroe.

"Michelle Obama said that to understand Barack, you must understand Hawai'i. This is a great chance to get visitors out of Waikiki and connect them with the real neighborhoods on the island," Berger said. "It's important to explain about our island culture and how that upbringing in Hawai'i enabled Obama to become the 44th president of the United States."

Another famous quote Berger likes came from President Kennedy who said, "Hawai'i is what the rest of the world is striving to become."

Forty-five years after JFK made that statement, a son of Hawai'i is just weeks away from becoming president.

If you go: The 2 1/2-hour tour via air-conditioned minibus is at 1 p.m. daily and leaves from Embassy Suites with pickup at major hotels in Waikiki. Cost is $40; $30 ages 4-12. 944-2728, www.obamatourhawaii.com.