Hale`iwa calls itself the "Surfing Capital of the World," and, once you cross over the old double-arched white-washed Hale`iwa Bridge, you'll realize you're in a different and fascinating world. The bridge crosses over Anahulu Stream and is itself a landmark. Once over the bridge, you'll find several shopping centers and places to eat.
Author's Note: This section on Hale`iwa includes Hale`iwa town as well as the rest of the North Shore located to the west, all the way to Kaena.
Shopping
In Hale`iwa, you'll find the Haleiwa Shopping Plaza, 66-149 & 66-187 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-5095, and the North Shore Market Place, 66-250 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-4413. Most shops in both centers are open daily.
The North Shore Market Place is home to the North Shore Boardriders Club, tel. 808-637-5026, which has everything you need to surf as well as the latest surf fashions. Barnfield's Raging Isle Surf & Cycle Shop has a huge selection of off-road bicycling gear as well as surf gear, including surfboards designed by North Shore legend Bill Barnfield.
The North Shore Community Chamber of Commerce, tel. 808-637-4558, www.gonorthshore.org, is also located in the North Shore Market Place and can provide you with visitor information, community events and maps of the area.
Other stores in the North Shore Market Place include North Shore Glass Blowers, tel. 808-637-4853, Great Pacific Patagonia, tel. 808-637-1245, Polynesian & Global Handicrafts, tel. 808-637-1288, Silver Moon Emporium boutique, tel. 808-637-7710, and the Strong Current Surf Shop, tel. 808-637-3406.
Sightseeing
North Shore Surf and Cultural Museum (in the North Shore Market Place), tel. 808-637-8888. This small and informal museum is open most afternoons and anyone interested in surfing will enjoy the visit. The museum has a large collection of old and antique surfboards as well as a variety of other North Shore novelties. Admission is free.
Haleiwa Beach Park is also known as "Ali`i" beach park, or "King's" or "Royal" Beach and is right at the entrance of Ha-leiwa town. Swim-ming is best in the small-protected bay on the south side of the beach.
Haleiwa Beach Park
Mokule`ia Beach Park, 68-919 Kaena Point Road, is next to Kaena Point on the Western side of the North Shore past Dillingham Airfield. The long, white sand beach is somewhat desolate due to its far-out location but those who do visit will find great windsurfing and a beautiful beach. As always, be careful as there are no lifeguards assigned to this beach. There are restrooms available and fresh water.
Adventures in Water
Surfing
Surfing is everything here! If you're interested in learning more about the area, visit any of the local surf shops and they can answer your questions about lessons, tides, currents and surf spots.
Hale`iwa is a great spot to learn surfing when the waves are small. On other days, leave this to the experts. Longboarders, short-boarders and bodyboarders will all have an awesome time here when the waves are right.
Scuba Diving
Just east of Hale`iwa town is Kaiaka Bay Beach Park, which is home to several great dive spots. Turtle Street is a boat dive a half-mile off Kaiaka Bay. This is good for beginners and intermediate divers and you're almost guaranteed to encounter sea turtles. Hale`iwa Trench is a more advanced dive spot accessible from the beach at Hale`iwa Boat Harbor.
Shark Encounters
There are two companies that offer these popular and exciting shark tours that consist of up to six people being put into a metal cage in a location about three miles offshore where the sharks are roaming. This is a fantastic way to get over your fear of sharks!
Hawaii Shark Encounters, Hale`iwa Boat Harbor, tel. 808-351-9373, www.hawaiishark-en-counters.com, departs four times daily, depending on the weather, and costs $105 for adults and $70 for children. The website has videos showing underwater views of the sharks you may see on the tour!
These tours are VERY popular and I suggest you make reservations before you leave the Mainland.
North Shore Shark Adventures, Hale`iwa Boat Harbor, tel. 808-228-5900, www.sharktours-hawaii.com, leave from slip #35 and visitors will travel on one of two boats – the Kailolo I and the Kailolo II. Masks and snorkels are provided and passengers have an opportunity to take photos. Two-hour tours cost $120 per person or $60 if you just want to observe. Call and ask about available discounts. If you want transportation from your hotel, the company charges an additional $45.
Adventures in Air
Glider Rides
Mr. Bill's Ori-ginal Glider Rides, tel. 808-637-0207, www.honolulu-soaring.com, start out at Dillingham Airfield on the Farrington Highway (Hwy 930). The bubble-topped sailplanes can carry one or two passengers high above Oahu's North Shore where the visibility averages 30-40 miles. Also called Honolulu Soaring, the company has been soaring the North Shore skies since 1970. A 20-minute flight can attain altitudes of 3,000 feet or more and longer flights are available. The brave and fearless can add seven to ten minutes of aerial aerobatics to their ride and you can determine the extent of the excitement – mild or wild!
A 30-minute scenic ride runs about $129 for one person or $238 for two people. Prices go up and down depending on length and extras (like loop-d-loops). Mr. Bill's is open seven days a week from 10 am to 5:30 pm, including all holidays. To get to the glider-port entrance, pass Dillingham Airfield entrance #1 for 11/2 miles to entrance #2.
Internet Special: Mr. Bill's offers a free tee shirt per ride when you book online – just present your online booking receipt when you arrive at the glider-port.
Where to Eat
Haleiwa Joe's Seafood Grill, 66-011 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-8005, www.haleiwajoes.com. This is one of my favorite restaurants on the North Shore. If the weather's nice, try to get a seat on the outdoor deck. I have a photo of myself with friends having a drink at Haleiwa Joe's and when I later saw the movie, The Big Bounce, there's a scene where Morgan Freeman and Owen Wilson are sitting at the same table!
The pupus are amazing – try the Paradise Pupu Platter with sticky ribs, sushi, Thai-style calamari and poke. Larger plates include noodle bowls, fresh fish, coconut shrimp, prime rib and lobster. Haleiwa Joe's is open daily for lunch and dinner and they have live entertainment on Fridays. Lunch $$. Dinner $$$.
Pizza Bob's (in the Haleiwa Shopping Center), tel. 808-637-5095, serves pizza, salads, sandwiches and burgers in a pleasant indoor/outdoor setting. $.
Paradise Found Café, 66-443 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-4540. For innovative vegan and vegetarian dishes, try out this funky little café tucked in the back of the Celestial Natural Foods store, next to the Haleiwa Post Office. $.
K Matsumoto Shave Ice, 66-087 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-4827, is an authentic Hawaiian shave ice stand. Choose from several flavors and, if you're brave, add adzuki beans to your treat.
Jameson's By The Sea, 62-540 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-6272, www.jamesonshawaii.com. Jameson's is the most upscale restaurant in this very casual beach town. The lunch menu includes pupus such as salmon pâté and crab-stuffed mushrooms, grilled crab and shrimp melt sandwiches, salads and shrimp or chicken stir-fry entrées. For dinner, try the large Caesar salad with Cajun ahi, one of the various fresh fish dinners ,or sweet Australian lobster tail. The restaurant also has a children's menu with tuna fish sandwiches, hamburgers, fried shrimp and more. Jameson's is on the water in Haleiwa and is very popular for sunset viewing, so come early or late, or be prepared to wait. If you do have to wait, they have a full bar with wine, beer and tropical drinks.
On Monday through Friday, lunch is served from 11 am to 5 pm and dinner is from 5 to 9:30 pm On Saturdays and Sundays, brunch is from 9 am to noon, lunch from noon to 5 pm and dinner from 5 to 9:30 pm. Lunch $$. Dinner $$$.
Cholo's
Cholo's Homestyle Mexican Restaurant & Margarita Bar (in the North Shore Market Place), tel. 808-637-3059, www.cholosmexican.com. Cholo's is THE Mexican food place in Haleiwa. The portions are huge and the combinations are innumerable. Cholo's fish tacos with fresh ahi are amazing and there are several vegetarian dishes such as veggie taco salad or nachos. The heapings are huge and the prices affordable. And it gets busy here so be prepared to wait. Cholo's is open daily from 10 am to 9:30 pm for lunch and dinner and until 11 pm for drinks. $.
Kua `Aina Sandwich Shop, 66-160 Kamehameha Highway #C, tel. 808-637-6067. This roadside café has large and reasonably priced sandwiches, hamburgers and salads. They are famous for their burgers, which come in big and bigger sizes. Bonus: the fries are homemade. Kua `Aina is open daily from 11 am to 8 pm. Don't forget your cash because they don't take credit cards. $.
Café Haleiwa, 66-460 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-5516. Renowned for its fabulous breakfasts, Café Haleiwa is a mainstay in this surf town. The satisfying omelets have names like the "Off the Wall" and "Off the Lip," with eggs, sausage, bacon and rice. The walls are decorated with surf memorabilia and signed photos from famous surfers like Kelly Slater. Open daily from 7 am to 2 pm. $.
Waialua Bakery, 66-200 Kamehameha Highway, tel. 808-637-9079, has awesome sandwiches with homemade bread, vegetarian specials, yummy smoothies and, to top it off, homemade ice cream. $.
Where to Stay
Accommodation Tips: Hale`iwa and the surrounding area is not known for its abundance of places to stay. Most visitors stay at The Turtle Bay Resort or book a vacation rental. There are two hostel-type accommodations but they are not recommended!
Vacation Rentals
Hawaiian Beach Rentals, tel. 800-853-0787, www.hawaiianbeachrental.com, has an extensive listing of vacation homes and condos on the North Shore.
Check out www.vrbo.com for a list of privately owned vacation rentals.
Sunset Homes, tel. 808-637-2400, www.sunsethomes.net, rents beach cottages on the North Shore.
Beach Bungalows
Ke Iki Beach Bungalows, 59-579 Ke Iki Road, tel. 808-638-8829 or 866-638-8229 (toll free), www.keikibeach.com, info@keikibeach.com. Feel like living the life of a high-priced beach bum? Welcome to Ke Iki Beach Bungalows, a cute be-achside compound with 11 bungalows – five oc-eanfront and six with garden views. The bungalows are named after Hawaiian fruits and flowers – "Lilikoi," "Bird of Paradise," "Plumeria," and "Hibiscus." They are simple and pleasant, decorated in a Bali-meets-Hawaii theme. The setting is peaceful and there are many calming places to relax on the property, plus it's only about 30 seconds from the beach. Rates for the one- and two-bedroom bungalows range from $195 to $230 per night, with a ridiculous cleaning fee of $50 to $100. (I don't usually mind paying a cleaning fee but my bungalow had a dirty toilet, used soap in the shower, food crumbs in the kitchen and no batteries – not even dead ones – in the remote control!) And there's no maid service. Quiet hours are from 10 pm to 8 am.
Ke Iki Beach Bungalows
Amenities include Wi-Fi Internet service, a washer and dryer, cable TV and ample parking. I also admire the fact that ocean safety is highly emphasized. There are no lifeguard stations in front of the bungalows but lifeguards on ATVs regularly patrol the beaches. Check with them is you are unsure whether it's safe for swimming. Manager Greg Gerstenberger is one laidback guy, but very helpful and attentive.
Ke Iki History
In 1953, Mr. and Mrs. Talbott walked down the gangway of the ship that brought them to Honolulu from San Francisco. Upon hearing Hawaiian music and viewing hula dancers on the dock, Mr. Talbott turned to his wife and said, "We are not going back." Days later, Mr. Talbot asked the owner of a soda fountain where would be a good place on the island to buy land. A man at the end of the counter mentioned that he had some land on the north shore of the island where he was going to build his dream home. He then said he worked for Dole Pineapple and was being transferred to Maui. The man said he had an acre and a half out there where he had planted a bunch of coconut palms and he would sell the property for the right price. The Talbotts eventually bought the property for around $11,000 (keep reading if that amount didn't make you pass out!).
About the same time, the old Haleiwa Hotel (where Haleiwa Joe's restaurant now sits) was being torn down due to old age (it was built in the 1800s) and termite damage. On the property there were a few small bungalows built by the military in 1937. Mr. Talbot bought the bungalows and then moved them to his property. Meanwhile, he had built a small studio while the beachfront bungalows were being finished.
Years later, Mr. Talbott succumbed to illness and Mrs. Talbot hired someone to take care of what they had named "Ke Iki Hale," when she moved to Honolulu to spend the rest of her days. The street-side buildings were added around 1963. Ke Iki Hale had many visitors over the years, with Alice Tracey being the property manager for 26 years. In 2000, a renovation and a change in management was completed and the name was changed to Ke Iki bungalows.
Panoramic image of Haleiwa Hotel in 1902, by Melvin Vaniman.
Historic twin-span "Rainbow Bridge" over the Anahulu River marks the north end entrance to old Haleʻiwa Town
Haleʻiwa is a North Shore community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Waialua District of the island of Oʻahu, City and County of Honolulu. In 1898 a businessman named Benjamin Dillingham opened a hotel in the North Shore area and named it Haleiwa. In Hawaiian, hale means "house", and the ʻiwa is a frigatebird. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP had a total population of 2,225, and is the largest commercial center on the North Shore of the Island. Its old plantation town character is preserved in many of the buildings, making this a popular destination for tourists and residents alike, visiting surfing and diving sites along the north shore.
Haleʻiwa is located on Waialua Bay, the mouth of Anahulu Stream (also known as Anahulu River). A small boat harbor is located here, and the shore of the bay is surrounded by Haleʻiwa Beach Park (north side) and Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park (south side). Further west from the center of town is Kaiaka State Recreation Area on Kiaka Point beside Kaiaka Bay.
On December 7th, 1941 the only fighter aircraft who managed to scramble against the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor took off from the now abandoned Haleiwa Airfield.
The U.S. postal code for Haleʻiwa, including Kawailoa, is 96712.
Haleʻiwa is located at 21°35'24" North, 158°6'50" West (21.590050, -158.113928)[1], southwest along Kamehameha Highway (State Rte. 83) from Pūpūkea. At Haleʻiwa, Kamehameha Highway becomes State Rte. 99 (at the traffic circle known as Weed Circle), which runs eastward up across the Oʻahu central plateau to Wahiawā. A new bypass route (Joseph P. Leong Highway) avoids both the traffic circle and Haleʻiwa, extending State Rte 83 to just north of Haleʻiwa town. Haleʻiwa Road and both Kaukonahua Road and Waialua Beach Road from Weed Circle go south and southwest into Waialua across Paukauila Stream. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 28.06% water.
Demographics
As of the 2000 Census, there were 2,225 people, 770 households, and 525 families residing in the CDP. The population density was then 469.4/km² (1,218.1/mi²). There were 867 housing units at an average density of 182.9/km² (474.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 24.63% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 28.85% Asian, 9.98% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 34.92% from two or more races. 10.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 770 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $48,553. Males had a median income of $31,750 versus $25,163 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,504. 17.6% of the population and 15.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 26.2% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
