Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [127]
Sleeping & Eating
Laie Inn (293-9282, 800-526-4562; www.laieinnhawaii.com; 55-109 Laniloa St; d incl breakfast $75-85; ) Next to the Polynesian Cultural Center, this bedraggled two-story motel surrounding a courtyard swimming pool is slated to be demolished and replaced with a new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in 2010. Expect standards – and room rates – to rise significantly.
La′ie Chop Suey (293-8022; La′ie Shopping Center, 55-510 Kamehameha Hwy; mains $7-10; 10am-8:45pm Mon-Sat) No place in town gets more packed than this family-owned Chinese kitchen, with its long menu of Americanized and island-flavored dishes, ranging from lemon chicken to pot-roast pork.
Hukilau Cafe (293-8616; 55-662 Wahinepe′e St; mains $4-8; 7am-2pm Tue-Fri, to 11:30am Sat) Just north of town, this hole-in-the-wall is the kind of place locals like to keep to themselves. (And no, it’s not the same place depicted in the movie 50 First Dates.) Island-sized breakfasts and lunches, including sweet-bread French toast, loco moco and teriyaki burgers, are mostly right on.
Also recommended:
Angel’s Ice Cream, Shave Ice & Smoothies (293-8260; La′ie Shopping Center, 55-510 Kamehameha Hwy; items $3-6; 10am-10pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat) Cool off with an ‘Angel’s Halo’ shave ice or real-fruit smoothie.
Foodland (293-4443; La′ie Shopping Center, 55-510 Kamehameha Hwy; 6am-11pm) Supermarket has a bakery and deli, but no alcohol (this is Mormon country).
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MALAEKAHANA STATE RECREATION AREA
You’ll feel all sorts of intrepid pride when you discover this wild and rugged beach, just north of town. A long, narrow strip of sand stretches between Makahoa Point to the north and Kalanai Point to the south with a thick inland barrier of ironwoods.
Swimming is generally good year-round, although there are occasionally strong currents in winter. This popular family beach is also good for many other water activities, including bodysurfing, board surfing and windsurfing. Kalanai Point, the main section of the park, is less than a mile north of La′ie and has picnic tables, BBQ grills, camping, rest rooms and showers.
Moku′auia (Goat Island), a state bird sanctuary just offshore, has a small sandy cove with good swimming and snorkeling. It’s possible to wade over to the island when the tide is low and the water’s calm. Be careful of the shallow coral (sharp) and sea urchins (sharper). When the water is deeper, you can swim across, but beware of a rip current sometimes present off the island’s windward side. Before going out, ask the lifeguard about water conditions and the advisability of crossing.
Sleeping
Malaekahana has the best public campgrounds on the northern Windward Coast. Camping at Kalanai Point is free with an advance state-park permit (Click here). As with all public campgrounds on O′ahu, camping is not permitted on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
You can also let the surf be your lullaby at Makahoa Point, about 0.7 miles north of the park’s main entrance. Friends of Malaekahana (293-1736; 56-335 Kamehameha Hwy; tent site per person $8.50, cabins $50-150; office 10am-4pm Mon-Fri) maintains this end of the park, offering tent sites, very rustic ‘little grass shacks’ and eco-cabins, plus 24-hour security and hot showers. Reservations are strongly recommended; there’s a two-night minimum stay. Gates are locked after 7pm.
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KAHUKU
pop 1780
Kahuku is a former sugar-plantation town, its roads lined with wooden cane houses. Most of the old sugar mill that operated here until 1996 has been knocked down, but the remnants of the smokestack and the old iron gears can be seen behind the post office. The rest of the former mill grounds have been transformed into a small shopping center containing the town’s bank, gas station and grocery store.
Today locals are once again looking to the land for their livelihoods. Roadside stands sell Kahuku corn on the cob, a famously sweet variety of corn that gets name-brand billing on Honolulu menus. Shrimp ponds at the north side of town also supply O′ahu’s