• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Casa Bouquet

let your joy bloom

  • Home
  • About
  • Culture
  • Home-making
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Style
  • Series
You are here: Home / Travel / North Shore Oahu Activities

North Shore Oahu Activities

November 14, 2016 by Lisa Grable Leave a Comment

North Shore Oahu is the more rural northern side of the island. Visiting the North Shore is one of best things to do in Oahu, especially if you want to learn about Hawaiian history, agriculture, and surfing.North Shore Oahu has interesting things to do on Oahu. Historic surfing sites, cultural sites, and fantastic scenery. Waialua, Waimea Valley, Sunset Beach.

Waialua

Waialua was a prominent center for sugar production on Oahu. From 1865 to 1996 sugarcane was grown here. Waialua is a quiet residential town. The main things to do here are the Dillingham Ranch, the Hawaii Polo Club, and Waialua Sugar Mill.

  • Dillingham Ranch was developed by the Dillingham family, who built the railroad on Oahu and other notable construction projects. The lodge and its majestic trees have been featured in movie and TV shows. http://www.dillinghamranchhawaii.info/index.php
  • The Hawaii Polo Club is across from Dillingham Ranch and has a regular schedule of Sunday polo matches. You can also book a trail ride along the beach!https://hawaii-polo.org/
  • Homegrown businesses are keeping the Waialua Sugar Mill alive. A hub for coffee and chocolates, there are plenty of other local businesses worth checking out at the mill. http://www.waialuasugarmill.com/
    waialua-sugar-2
    waialua-sugar-1

Hale’iwa is the next town as you head north. Read more about Hale’iwa in North Shore Oahu here.

Waimea Bay

Waimea Bay Beach Park is the site of the Eddie, Quiksilver’s invitational surf competition in honor of famed Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau. The park is on Waimea Bay where the Waimea River enters the ocean. It’s a beautiful spot and often gets amazing huge waves. The Eddie only happens when the wave face heights are 40 feet. The holding period for the event is December 1 through the end of February, the time of the big swells. The competition doesn’t happen every year, but the opening ceremony is held every year on the first Thursday after Thanksgiving. All the invited surfers attend, paddle out to sea with leis and form a remembrance circle. Eddie would go!waimea-bay

  • http://quiksilver.com/surf/events/eddie-aikau/
    • The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau
  • http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/February-2016/Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Quiksilver-In-Memory-of-Eddie-Aikau-Big-Wave-Invitational-Before-You-Go/
    • Things to know about the Eddie from Honolulu magazine

Waimea Valley is nature park on the Waimea River. It has the largest waterfall in Oahu, Waimea Falls. The hike is paved and takes you through a botanic garden. Near the entrance is the Proud Peacock restaurant. The phone number for the park is (808) 638-7766. http://waimeavalley.net/

waimea-valley
waimea-valley-entrance

waimea-hale-pili
waimea-falls

http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/December-2014/Proud-Peacock-A-North-Shore-Institution-Reopens/#.WAlUqZMrI0o

Saints Peter and Paul Mission is a lovely Catholic church overlooking Waimea Bay. The tower began as part of the construction of the Kamehameha Highway in the 1920s. It was the silo for the crushed rubble from the nearby quarry. http://catholichawaii.org/mission-church-listing/saints-peter-and-paul-mission/saints-peter-paul

Pupukea

A little north of Saints Peter and Paul Mission on the highway is the right turn to Pupukea Road and Shark’s Cove. There are lots of highly-rated food trucks in this area. Pu’u O Mahuka is a luakini heiau, the largest heiau on Oahu. This was an area or temple set aside for the ali’i (royalty) and priests, prior to the abolishment of the ancient Hawaiian religion in 1819. This area has great cultural significance and one should be respectful when visiting. I like to leave a flower offering, but food is traditional. There would have been a tower, an altar, a hale (house) made of pili (a type of thatch) for ceremonial items and priests, a hale for sacred drums, a hale for temple fires, and ki’i (tiki) statues to oversee. Signal fires here might have communicated with heiau on Kaua’i. http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/puu-o-mahuka-heiau-state-historic-site/

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sunset Ranch is way up Pupukea Road. The estate has a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and Waimea Bay. You can book a site tour to learn more about their farming, gardens, and special equine program. http://www.sunsetranchhawaii.com/pupukea

Paumalu

The famous Banzai Pipeline is at Ehukai Beach Park. It was featured in Bruce Brown movies from the 1960s. The Volcom Pipe Pro is run during an 11-day waiting period in the winter at Pipeline. The Billabong Pipeline Masters is the final event on the World Surf League Championship Tour, held in December. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~turner/oahu/banzai.htm

Sunset Beach is another famous surf beach. The park here has a parking lot and an additional lot with facilities across the street. You will also see that folks park on the wide shoulder parts of the highway. The beach is sheltered by Sunset Point and is known for its fantastic sunset views. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing in November and December has events at Sunset Beach. http://www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/2016/news-article/history_of_the_vans_triple_crown_of_surfing_2016

North Shore Oahu map

Grabbing a bite

Shrimp farming is a big thing in Kahuku and eating at the shrimp trucks is one of those things you should try!

  • http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/January-2014/Best-Kahuku-Shrimp-Truck-Giovannis-Romys-Fumis/#.WAkPBZMrJp8
  • Shrimp truck showdown from Honolulu magazine

Ted’s Bakery is in Sunset Beach on North Shore Oahu. They have a bakery, grill, and coffee bar. Order at the counter and then sit inside or outside and watch North Shore life go by on the Kamehameha Highway. Breakfast sandwiches and egg dishes are available along with Ted’s famous chocolate haupia cream pie. Haupia is an egg-less coconut pudding that has to be patiently stirred at the stove to get the right smooth coconut texture. The haupia is layered with a chocolate cream in the pie. There are lots of other delightful offerings with guava, macadamia, pineapple, chocolate and other delicious tropical flavors. You’ll have to visit several times! http://www.tedsbakery.com/teds-bakery Turtle Bay Resort has Kula Grille and Roy’s Beach House with seating right on the beach. http://www.turtlebayresort.com/Oahu-Restaurants

The Hukilau Café in Laie is open for casual breakfast and lunch. They also have Hawaiian foods such as Portuguese sausage and loco moco. They are closed Sunday and Monday.

Where to stay North Shore Oahu

Turtle Bay Resort is the big hotel in the area. Also, there are lots of beach house rentals throughout the North Shore.

North Shore Oahu has interesting things to do on Oahu. Historic surfing sites, cultural sites, and fantastic scenery. Waialua, Waimea Valley, Sunset Beach.
turtle-bay-2
turtle-bay-1

At Turtle Bay, check out the plaque memorializing the use of radar during the Pearl Harbor attack. ww2-radar-ieee

Getting there

From Waikiki, take Ala Wai Boulevard to McCully Street. Follow the signs to H1 going west (Ewa). As you approach Pearl City, watch carefully for the exit for H2. At mile marker 8 in Wahiawa, take the exit to route 80 going north, Kamehameha Highway. (After passing through Wahiawa, you may want to make a stop at the birthing stones on the left.) Continue north on route 80 to merge into route 99 headed north. (You may want to stop at Dole Plantation on the right.)pineapple-fields Watch for signs for historic Hale’iwa – you will turn left off 99 at 930 and enter a traffic circle. Go straight (halfway around the circle) to 82 Waialua Beach Road to visit Waialua. Go back to the circle and take Kamehameha Highway north to visit Hale’iwa and the beaches of the North Shore.

Tip: The Kamehameha Highway gets quite busy north of Hale’iwa on the weekends and especially so during the winter high surf months. wind-power If using The Bus, Route 55 goes to the North Shore.

  • http://www.thebus.org/pop/Visitor_WaikikiGuide.pdf
  • The Bus Waikiki Guide

Resource links

  • http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls03_legends.html
    • Read the legends of Paumalu under the Kahikilani heading
  • http://pupukeawaimea.org/pupukea-waimea-mcld/area-history/
    • Regional cultural history of Pūpūkea
  • https://visitpearlharbor.org/the-opana-radar-station/
    • Opana Radar Station
  • http://www.worldsurfleague.com/
    • World Surf League – download the app to watch competition coverage
  • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060371/
    • The Endless Summer (1966) at IMDb

horizontal bar with plumeriaAffiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Share this post:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Filed Under: Hawaii, Travel Tagged With: Hawaii, North Shore, north shore Oahu, Oahu, Pipeline, Pupukea, puu o mahuka, Sunset Beach, surfing, things to do in Oahu, Turtle Bay, Waialua, Waimea Bay, Waimea Valley

Previous Post: « Roast turkey – pavo Latino style in a clay pot
Next Post: Lisa’s Home Bijou: The Bishop’s Wife »

Reader Interactions

What are your thoughts? Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hey, I’m Lisa

Lisa Grable, Casa BouquetI’m an educator, grandmother, classic movie fan, sewer and crafter, and I love Hawaii. Read more about me …

Subscribe for email updates

Don't miss a post! Receive an email when new posts are published. Get freebies!

Please follow & like us :)

Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Instagram
Follow by Email
RSS

Amazon

Zoom hula classes from Kanoe Miller

HulaStudio Manoa flier Winter 2023Kanoe Miller teaches 4 week hula sessions on Zoom. Kanoe dances at the Hale Kulani in Waikiki and began her hula studies with Maiki Aiu Lake. Call or email to register. Times listed are Hawaii Standard.

Recent Posts

Casa Bouquet Spring 23 giveaway

Spring 23 Giveaway -03.14.23 – 04.14.23

joy of giving giveaway hostesses Nov 2022

Joy of Giving giveaway 11.12.22 – 12.15.22

back to school giveaway 08.27.22 - 09.27.22

Back to school giveaway 08.27.22 – 09.27.22

summer cash giveaway

Summer Cash Giveaway 07.23 – 08.23.2022

Posts by Category

Casa Bouquet parties

Over the Moon

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party
Wonderful Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Featured series

Casa Bouquet pie recipes series.
College planning posts for middle and high school students. Download free checklist, cost calculation, and career interest worksheets. Resource links!

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework · Design by Stephanie Jones

 

Loading Comments...