Unique Places in Oahu

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North West of Honolulu along HWY 93 across the highway from the power plant. There are limited accommodations and the beach is actually fairly small. We did see numerous skin divers, sea turtles and even a seal while we were there. There are dive boats that frequent the area for the underwater adventurer.
The ocean cut a cave into the side of the cliff and there are some amazing rock formations to see inside. Met a local who had the day off and was having a day to connect with the sea. Bring a picnic and plenty of bottled water if you are going to be there for a while. Be respectful too, there are memorials to locals along the cliffs edge. Pay your respects and try to appreciate the beauty of the place.

I heard that there were a limited number of beach passes to the Turtle Bay Resort. I went early enough to receive one. I wasn't interested in the beach at the resort (nice but crowded) and proceeded to travel east along the beach parallel to the golf course. Eventually I passed the resort and found myself on an endless beach with almost no one there. As I walked along for nearly an hour and a half, I saw turtles, various birds, 4 fishermen, a family picnic, and endless sand dunes and beach. The water was pristine and warm as I waded in. I had my picnic and enjoyed a day of laying in the sun. It was hard to believe that I was on the busy island of Oahu.
For a quiet, isolated moment in time, Kahuku Beach was a treasure. July, 2011.

If you like Modern Art and you want a beautiful view of Honolulu from the hills behind the city, you can do no worse than the Contemporary Museum. Show up around 1:30 and you can get a docent to guide you through the collection, which usually features Hawaii artists working in a variety of media. Since it's modern art, having the docent helps!! Not only that, but the cafe is a nice place to get a soup & salad or sandwich.

Check out the farmer's markets around Honolulu for great fresh produce. I went to the Makiki District Park market on Monday at 8:30-9:30 AM at 1527 Keeaumoku ST. It is a delightful little park with a community garden, the farmers market is held in the parking lot, there were only a few venders but I got some great bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, and basil. We were staying in an apartment with a kitchen, so was able to bake some fish with delicious macadamia nut oil on it and served with a relish made from the tomatoes and basil. See the website address below for a full schedule of all the open markets around Honolulu, there are quite a few, and get away from Waikiki because if you stay there too long you will go nutty!

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

There are very few waves that are bigger. There is no set date for the Eddie Aikau Invitational. It is not an annual event. No one ever knows when it will be. It generally occurs every 3 or so years. Professional surfers wait for the call and the right conditions, as does the rest of the island. And when the conditions are right, then that is when it happens. No less than 25 foot waves are required to hold the event. And that means MONSTER waves of up to 50 feet high... more!! Have you ever seen a 50 foot wave? Have you ever seen someone surf a 50 foot wave??

If it happens, get there as early as you can. It is always held at Waimea Bay. Even better - just drive there once you hear the word and spend the night on the street. That way you will have as good a spot as you can get. The best view is from the beach or on the right side of the Bay. If you don't get there early, you will wait in traffic for ages and get a poor vantage point to view from. Bring your best camera will your best zoom lense and get ready to witness nature in all it's most awesome and furious splendor. 25 to 50 foot waves. And that is NO joke.

Do keep in mind that the "waiting period" is December 1st to Feburary 28th. So the event has a chance of being held at any time during that period. Check out the website for updates.

This state monument is Hawaii's largest traditional temple. A word of warning there are no signs off the main highway and its hard to find but well worth it.

From the city of Pupukea head through town to the only road that heads up to the surrounding hills, there is a sign from this road that leads to the site.

This really cracked me up. In Kaneohe two gas stations cady corner from each other with very Hawaiian names.

Aloha & Mahalo

To learn the actual definitions of Aloha and Mahalo go to the following web site.

There is also a law in Hawaii called The Aloha Sprit Law. I talk more about it in my Oahu Local Customs page.

Here is the other gas station. I just cracked me up to see this while the locals probably don't find it as humorous as I do!

To learn the actual definitions of Aloha and Mahalo go to the following web site.

There is also a law in Hawaii called The Aloha Sprit Law. I talk more about it in my Oahu Local Customs page.