Originally Posted by Liquid Sunshine

I'd sit on the left side.

First, it's (almost) always a roll of the dice for takeoff and landing direction (determined primarily by wind at the time) so no guarantees there. And the "views" for departure/approach will just be for a minute or so.

Meanwhile, there's the rest of the flight (and this is a long one!). Are both sides the same? Probably not. Admittedly there's not a lot of land out the window on the flight - widely scattered, tiny islands far below, in the distance. And it's going to be dark for a large part of the flight. If you're on the left side, you MIGHT catch a glimpse of Hawaii (in the distance, probably in the dark), not terribly exciting. I typically choose sides by considering the sun (and other things in the sky...), In your case, the flight path is pretty much just "northeast" so not a dramatic difference. That said, you'll get a bit less sun on the left side (I think), though it's not going to make a big difference. Chance of seeing the aurora borealis? Only if it's an exceptional aurora (flight departs in the daytime, so even less chance of catching the aurora australis). You MIGHT catch a glimpse of the Southern Cross and other southern hemisphere constellations, but even that's iffy (depends on when darkness falls and sky position of the constellations) - but if you're in Australia, you'll have better chances to see those from the ground (if you remember to look).

I'd just pick the left side, as you'll get a bit less sun (I avoid excessive radiation...) and you'll (probably) get a look at San Francisco as you approach to line up to land (typically to the north).

Good luck - and enjoy that long flight!