|
|
|
Royal Hawaiian Tours |
|
|
|
|
|
. |
|
|
|
Hawaiian Joe's |
|
|
|
|
. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
O’ahu's North
Shore
Along O’ahu’s spectacular North Shore, white sand
beaches sweep down to an endless sea. Head north on the H-2
from Honolulu, and the multi-lane freeway suddenly becomes a
leisurely two-lane road traversing through small country
towns and beach communities – making it hard to believe that
this piece of paradise shares the same island with busy
Honolulu. Spend the entire day here to experience a sense of
old Hawai’i.
During the winter months, monster surf will be attacking the
North Shore with the roar and defiance of an invading army.
Endless waves come rolling into Sunset Beach, the Banzai
Pipeline and Waimea Bay. Storms can generate surf that reach
as high as 30 feet, and when the waves break, the sound is
like cannon fire, and the ground trembles.
The biggest little town on the North Shore in
Hale’iwa. Once
a commercial and social center for the surrounding sugar
plantations, it has Old-West style wooden buildings that now
house boutiques, art galleries, and surf shops. Visitors
don’t want to leave without a stop at Matsumoto’s or Aoki’s
for “shave ice,” Hawai’i’s version of the snow cone. The
North Shore Marketplace has a variety of souvenir and gift
shops, a café, restaurants and even a surfing museum, making
it definitely worth a stop.
Further up north right across the street from
Waimea Bay is
one of O’ahu’s cultural and geological treasures,
Waimea
Valley. This is one of the last undeveloped valleys on the
island and is home to an array of endangered native birds,
an ethnobotanical garden, Hawaiian archeological sites and a
lovely waterfall.
Just past the surfing beaches is
Turtle Bay Resort, the
North Shore’s only full service resort. Known for its
natural landscape, seaside restaurants and championship golf
courses, the topography of the resort creates a breathtaking
variety of vistas.
and
are among the finest in Hawai’i, and home to the PGA
Champions Tour, LPGA SBS Open and Turtle Bay Championship.
The nearby town of Kahuku is famous for its shrimp trucks –
casual roadside ideas that serve fresh Kahuku prawns sautéed
in garlicky and spicy sauces. The prawns are harvested in
local aquaculture farms, and kama’aina (residents of
Hawai’i) are known to make the trek to Kahuku just for a
plate lunch from one of the shrimp trucks. Giovanni’s near
the Kahuku Sugar Mill Museum (the oldest of the shrimp
trucks) and Romy’s Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp at the entrance
of town are popular.
At the end of this “seven-mile miracle” is the
, a definite must-see for any visitor to
Hawai’i. Spend the day here and experience the cultures
of seven different Pacific Island nations. Witness how
coconut trees are climbed in Samoa. Learn a Maori war dance.
Go on a pig hunt in a Marquesan village or for a canoe ride
through all the villages.
|
|
