What is there to do on the North Shore? For that matter, what exactly is the North Shore Oahu?
North Shore simply refers to a certain area of the island, specifically,.......wait for it........the North Shore! What is the significance of that though?
The North Shore is as much about attitude as it is about location. While Honolulu is a bustling, thriving city, the North Shore is the antithesis, being laid back, mellow and sort of old worldish.
As a comparison, Honolulu is an ant hill that is being flooded, while the North Shore of Oahu and Haleiwa is a late afternoon honey bee in August.
The North Shore is also a bit more lush than the south of the island. And of course, the waves are much better on this side of the island, having the famed Pipeline, Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay.
Dining at the North Shore Oahu
Try to find a place like this in Honolulu! I did not know about this when I sat down, otherwise I would have grabbed me something while visiting the store. Hmmmm....... should have asked them about charges for bringing my own margaritas!
Haleiwa Eats is a Thai food place on the main street. We opted to eat outside and watch the traffic. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. They bring chopsticks, but you can get "real" silverware on request.
Other eating establishments in Haleiwa are Cholo's, Breakers, Haleiwa Joes, Kua'aina, and Pizza Bob's.
You can hit any of these easily enough while strolling through historic Haleiwa town.
Haleiwa is not the only town you can visit, it is just the most famous.
Photos of Historic Haleiwa
The bridge going into Haleiwa
Cute little shops line the streets of old Haleiwa Town. Shop owners are very mellow and full of Aloha when you come to visit their shops.
They do have beaches with small waves on the North Shore and there are some surf schools in the area.
No worries, you don't have to surf the big waves!
A small shopping mall.
I love this church! And I love the way you can view it through the archway. It was quite a challenge to get this photo with no cars in the way, it was in the afternoon and the main street going through Haleiwa was getting quite busy.
Beyond Haleiwa
Also on the North Shore is Turtle Bay Resort, a beautiful resort area (high end too!) where you can indulge your penchant for luxury.
Sunset Beach is on the North Shore of Oahu and it's a pretty good place to sit and while away some time. You can watch surfers here, but the thing this beach is famous for is the sunsets.
On any given afternoon the parking areas start filling up about an hour before sunset. It is a great way to spend the last hour before dark and of course the sunset views from here are quite nice!
North Shore Pipeline is another famous beach where you can watch the surfers.
Visit the towns of Waialua and Mokuleia after visiting Haleiwa.
Take in a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch and stop at any of the roadside fruit stands or shrimp houses you find along the way.
Check back often for new pages that will give greater detail about the things to do on the North Shore Oahu.
