We have traveled to some amazing places in this world, and if you have been following us for a while you know that I get pretty excited about most places. But sometimes we go a place that I just am not expecting to love it in the way that I do. Hale’iwa on Oahu in Hawaii is one of those places. I loved all of the places we went on Oahu, but Hale’iwa was something special, kind of like Yosemite there was something about Hale’iwa that just made me feel like I belonged there.

How to Get to Hale’iwa

Hale’iwa is a small town on the North Shore of Oahu. This means it is removed from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and Waikiki, but it also takes some time to get there, and since it is a little town it can get crowded pretty easily.

To get to Hale’iwa you can go around the east side of the island from Honolulu (Highway 83) or you can come up through the center of the island (H2 and Highway 99). Coming up the center is the quicker way if you are coming straight from Honolulu, but if you are doing things on the east side of the North Shore, like the PCC in Laie, then you can just continue on Highway 83. We stayed in house just north of Laie, so we would just continue on to get to Hale’iwa.

Nothing on Oahu is very far apart, but remember that roads are twisty and small and have lots of tourists on them, so it takes a while to get from one side of the island to the other. Once you are in Hale’iwa the easiest place to park is the lot near the Whaler’s General Store, if there is room. We went several times and were able to park there.

What to See and Do in Hale’iwa

Hale’iwa has a little downtown tourist square with shops and restaurants. It is fun to walk around this area looking in the shops and getting something to eat. We really liked eating at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. Hawaiian burgers are like other American burgers, but better. It is just down the street from the square. Also Matsumoto is some of the best shave ice in the world, but you will probably have to stand in line for it.

We liked going in all the little shops around the town, mostly I was looking for Hawaii VW van merchandise the whole time, and we found some really excellent stuff in Hale’iwa. I was able to get a shirt with a yellow van on it and a beautiful travel poster of the North Shore with a yellow van. Even if you are not going to buy anything though these are fun shops to go in and look around. They are touristy, but Hawaii is a touristy place and we are tourists, so it’s fine.

Just to the north of the main area of town is the Hale’iwa beach park. It is a very nice and a pretty big beach. There were surfers further out in the water beyond a reef thing, but the waves at the beach were pretty calm. We enjoyed playing in the water and the sand here for a while.

Sum Up

I would say that Hale’iwa is a must visit while you are on the North Shore of Oahu. It is a super fun place to stroll, shop, and eat, and also has a wonderful beach. If I could afford to live in Hawaii, I would probably live in Hale’iwa.