| 14.
Brigham Young University |
|
|
| 15.
Kahuku Sugar Mill |
|
This is the old sugar mill in Kahuku, a community that more or less depended on the mill for many years
before it was closed. The community is in fact grew up around the sugar mill. Now many of the outlying
buildings house shops and specialty food stores, but business in this rather rural area of Oahu is difficult.
Most of the business comes from traffic along this two-lane road around the island. In Kahuku, however,
there is a school, home of the Red Raiders, that is very prominent on the island. It has an exceptional
marching band, and very recently it has fielded one of the best football teams in Hawaii. |
| 16.
Turtle Bay Hilton |
|
At the top of the island where traffic is slow and tourist accommodations are small, there is a very
large hotel and golf course resort. For those who want beautiful scenery, accessible golfing, beach, and sun
without the Waikiki nightlife and hustle and bustle, this is the place. The hotel is a fairly popular
destination also for Oahu residents, or "kama'ainas," who want a weekend or other short break from life in the
city.
|
| 17.
On the Way to Haleiwa |
|
Probably one of the most interesting parts of the around-the-island tour is the one that starts just
beyond the Turtle Bay Hilton, takes in Sunset Beach and Waimea, and ends on the far side of quaint and
historic Haleiwa. Along this stretch there are some spectacular beaches, inviting and unique roadside stands
and shops, beautiful scenery, and roaring surf.
Roadside pull-offs like this (above left) are numerous between Turtle Bay and Haleiwa. Pictured on the right
is one of many "cute" roadside (always on the side away from the beach) businesses here.
In the process of taking this picture, by the way, we pull off the road a little too far and get stuck in the
mud. We're not deep in the mud, but it's soft and slick, and our tires spin, digging us a little deeper as
they do. Two men at shop just to the right of the picture offer to help. After a third from the shop
directly ahead joins in, we ease out of the but, but of course we take a good share of it with us. So when
you're visiting Hawaii and the North Shore of Oahu, stop in and patronize these friendly and helpful people.
|
| 18.
Approaching Waimea Beach |
|
There are so many scenes like this (below left) on the North Shore, it's difficult to distinguish one from
another in photographs.
The most rugged terrain along the North Shore is around a bend here in Waimea. The picture on the left shows
Waimea Valley that leads back from the ocean. Only about a quarter mile back in on the left is a great
attraction, Waimea Falls Park. Visitors park under large shade trees and walk on a scenic footpath probably
another quarter mile to a high narrow falls that empties into a serene pond. Divers reminiscent of years ago,
dive from the top of the falls. Once a month, the park is opened free for moonlight walks back to the falls.
Moonlight sounds safe enough, but blocked by overhanging trees and possibly nighttime clouds, very often the
moon provides next to no light at all -- but that's part of the fun.
|
| 19.
Views of Waimea Beach |
|
One of the most attractive beaches in all Hawaii is this one situated where Waimea Valley ends at the ocean.
The sand is golden and perfectly clean -- no tar or seaweed here. During the winter, the surf pounds on this
beach with almost unbelievable force. If you've been to Niagara Falls and been awed by the power of that,
you'd be equally awed by this surf during winter months. Of course it's not as large as Niagara Falls, but
up close you have the same reaction.
35-foot waves are not uncommon. It is in this area of the North Shore where surfing competitions are staged
and where surfers ride waves that curl completely over their heads and they are in fact inside a water tube.
The TV series Baywatch is scheduled for filming here on the North Shore.
Part of what is so attractive about Waimea Beach is not just the beach itself, but its setting. Just past the
beach the road rises and affords some high views of it. The tower of the old fire station in the background
adds just the right color and detail.
Waimea was at one time a densely populated area of Oahu. Now it is very sparsely populated, but at one time
there were something like 30,000 native Hawaiian inhabitants here in this small community. With the
encroachment of foreigners who brought diseases with them for which the native population had no resistance,
the population was reduced to mere hundreds. Waimea is also the location of a large tidal wave, or tsunami,
in years past.
|
| 20.
Heading Toward Haleiwa |
|
Still more beautiful beaches and spectacular scenery. The beaches, however, are increasingly more spotted
with coral outcroppings. By the time we get to Haleiwa just another three miles or so ahead, the beaches
will have more coral pebble, and it'll be a little harder to wade out in the water.
|
| 21.
Haleiwa |
|
What a storybook type of town this is. Haliewa is proud of its lack of traffic lights, quaint buildings,
small unique shops and restaurants, and "real Hawaii" ambiance. Just a few years ago the town was beset by
very serious traffic congestion, especially on weeks (and compounded by no traffic lights). A bypass now
carries traffic around behind the town, and life in Haleiwa has returned to somewhere near normal. The
building at the right is an antique shop, formerly an art gallery. The weathered mission tile roof resembles
a thatched roof.
A glimpse of the ocean (picture at the left). A look inward at the Waialua River (middle). The bridge in
the distance serves the Haleiwa bypass mentioned earlier. A boat tied up (right). Nothing spectacular here
-- it just looked interesting.
Unique and colorful shops, this primarily a surfboard shop, dot the highway. They are usually quiet,
uncrowded, and comfortable, and unlike shops elsewhere, salespeople are not friendly and accommodating and
not aggressive, a reflection of the North Shore lifestyle. You can often browse in a shop and leave almost
undetected.
Conchs, mumus (long dresses), and other items too (picture on the left). An old bridge in Haleiwa (middle).
It's difficult for two cars to pass on the bridge, but it's old and historic, so it will remain. This is
"downtown" Haleiwa (right).
The Haleiwa Marketplace (picture on the left). It's newer than it looks. A genuinely older building
(middle). And others (right). |
