It was a beautiful day to explore more of Oahu, with our Guide Along app leading us up to the North shore today. We got a few sprinkles of rain that went away quickly, but most of our day was in bright, beautiful sunshine!

Dole Plantation

Our first stop today was the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They still grow tons of pineapples here, and they had some interesting signs around detailing the pineapple growing process. Mostly, this place appears to be a giant tourist trap designed to sell as much pineapple merchandise as possible 😂. We acquiesced and had the (mandatory?) pineapple Dole whip, but this one was chocolate dipped, so it was extra yummy. They also have a maze, a train, and a garden tour, which we opted out of due to crowds and timing. Still, worth a stop and neat to experience!

Hale’iwa

This cute little beach town was our lunch stop for some yummy curry and poke. We wandered the shops and galleries, and went to their famous shave ice place, Matsumoto, which has been serving the North Shore since 1951. Ice treats twice in one day?! Yep- no shame here! When in Rome…

Laniakea

Cute little beach that is known for having many turtles. None on the beach today, but we saw some in the water!

Our next stop along the way was the ‘Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea. We decided to try out some snorkeling on this lovely beach, but the currents were really rough. We saw some cool fish and sea slugs, but after getting tossed around by the ocean for a bit, I threw in the towel (snorkel?) and called it quits.

We continued our loop of the northern road around Oahu, making stops at Sunset Beach and Pipeline to look for surfers. We had really hoped to see some big waves and many surfers like all the movies about the North Shore, but we evidently came at the wrong season and day (the big waves evidently are more common in winter months). Still made for a great drive!

As we continued driving the north side of the island, the views got more dramatic with cliffs and mountains and lush scenery on one side of the road and the ocean on the other. We made more stops at the Laie Hawaii Temple, and the beautiful Laie sea arch. After schlepping 38 miles down the slopes of Kileau on the Chain of Craters Road to see the underwhelming Holei sea arch, the Laie sea arch was a real treat!!

Another favorite stop from this area was at a park with views of the little islet of Mokoli’i, or “Chinaman’s Hat”. Our audio guide told us that according to Hawaiian legend, the goddess Hiʻiaka killed a giant lizard and threw its tail into the ocean, which became Mokoliʻi. The name Mokoliʻi itself translates to “little lizard” in Hawaiian. At low tide, you can supposedly wade out to the island and hike the trails there.

After another stop to admire some grazing horses and a few other viewpoints, we headed back to Waikiki. It was late and we were salty and grubby by the time we got back to town, so we decided to try a local informal chain restaurant called Zippy’s. It was basically a Hawaiaan food Denny’s, but everything we ate was good, including our ube “eclair” for dessert. Yep, it was evidently a big eating kind of day today, but that is one of the joys of being in new places for us! We will keep this blog a judgment-free zone. 😂😂 Thanks for adventuring with us!