Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [132]
As a tribute the supposedly annual Eddie Aikau surf contest at Waimea Bay is an invitation-only event that only runs when the waves are big enough (ie 30ft minimum), meaning the Bay picks the day. It doesn’t happen every year and you can’t predict the waves – but that’s somehow fitting. People like Eddie are one in a million, and the waves that befit his legend are worth the wait.
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Ka Hale Huna (638-7924; www.vrbo.com/59784; off Pupukea Rd; studios $125) Perched on the mountain that overlooks the sea, this private home rents out a very private studio with a lanai facing a wooded canyon filled with bird activity. The unit has a kitchenette, a sun-filled room, outdoor BBQ grill and access to the shade and fruit trees of the garden. The beach is a five-minute drive away and it’s a great place to spend the winter. There is a 30-day minimum stay.
Ke Iki Beach Bungalows (638-8229; www.keikibeach.com; 59-579 Ke Iki Rd; 1br $145-215, 2br $165-230; ) This hideaway retreat fronts a beautiful white-sand beach just north of Pupukea Beach Park. The 11 units are comfortably furnished with a tropical decor of floral prints and rattan chairs that fits the setting like a glove. Each unit has a full kitchen, TV and phone, and guests have access to a barbecue, picnic tables and hammocks strung between coconut trees. The location is an absolute gem – the beachside units are right on the sand, the others just a minute’s walk from the water.
Eating
Foodland (638-8081; 59-720 Kamehameha Hwy; 6am-11pm) This modern supermarket opposite Pupukea Beach Park has everything you need for a beachside picnic, a quick snack or more elaborate DIY meals.
Ted’s Bakery (638-8207; 59-024 Kamehameha Hwy; items $1-7; 7am-4pm) World famous in Hawaii, Ted’s is the place to go on the North Shore for a quick bite. The chocolate-coconut pie is legendary and there is a decent selection of savories and deli choices to satisfy every taste.
Shark’s Cove Grill (638-8300; Kamehameha Hwy; dishes $5-8; 8:30am-7pm) You can’t get more North Shore than this quintessential joint. The little blue shack on the roadside cranks out great breakfasts, sandwiches, mixed plates and smoothies. Pull up a seat of ramshackle patio furniture, watch the waves and dig in.
Pupukea Grill (Kamehameha Hwy; mains from $8; 11am-9:30pm) This place is not much more then a collection of picnic tables in front of a permanently parked truck on the side of the highway. Shave ice, panini, wraps, mixed plates and nachos are all served with a great outlook onto Shark’s Cove.
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HALE’IWA
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The best way to know if the surf’s up is by how busy Hale’iwa is. If the town is alive with activity, hustle and bustle, then chances are the surf is flat. Arrive into town and find it eerily quiet – then check the beach, as odds are the waves are pumping. It’s that sort of town: it’s all about the surf and everyone knows it.
There is a laid-back ambience to the place that sits in perfect concert with the rest of the North Shore. As the biggest center on the coast, this is where to come to find a decent meal, get a new T-shirt or rent out a long- board for the day.
Orientation
Most of Hale’iwa’s shops are situated along Kamehameha Hwy, the main street. Hale’iwa has a picturesque boat harbor bounded on both sides by beach parks, including Hale‘iwa Ali‘i Beach Park, known for the North Shore’s safest year-round swimming conditions.
The Anahulu River, flowing out along the boat harbor, is spanned by the Rainbow Bridge. In 1832 John and Ursula Emerson, the first missionaries to come to the North Shore, built Hale’iwa, meaning house (hale) of the great frigate bird (’iwa), a grass house and missionary school on the riverbank, which gave its name to the village.