Arriving on the Hawaiian Islands for the first time is an exciting experience for anyone. Oahu, being the most popular of the destinations due to its convenient concentration of world famous activities and attractions all collected within one hub is often the introduction many have with this neck of the North Pacific. However, to be honest the first impression held by many 10 minutes after their shuttle departs Honolulu International Airport (HNL) in any direction is more akin to opening the big present on Christmas Day to find an iPad 3 when your wish list clearly stated iPad 4. Nonetheless you smile at everyone in the room and fake a “yay” expression because that’s what’s expected and you begin to rationalize that the iPad 3 is still perfectly fine – first world problems, right? Deep inside you’re still bummed. As the shuttle likely makes its way to Waikiki first-time passengers peer out at abandoned real estate and shopping carts piled with disheveled clothes and cans rattling over the cracked concrete while catching the sound of thumping bass shaking the tinted windows of low riders at red lights. There are no hula girls dancing to Don Ho nor tiki torches lining Nimitz Highway.
There is a however a collective inner sigh of relief as the hotel district approaches and all the bells & whistles of Waikiki make their first appearance. One glimpse of the ocean peeking through the palms surrounding Ala Moana makes you forget the slightest hint of disappointment felt en route. Yet the lights of the high rise hotels, the rows of upscale shopping centers, and ABC stores dotting every block remind all of another extremely popular tourist destination back on the Mainland. Waikiki with each new commercial development earns its moniker as Las Vegas on the Beach. For those hoping to quietly pen their memoirs while sipping from a coconut on the beach – Waikiki will not serve as the required backdrop. I tried. I couldn’t get passed “In the beginning…”
But Waikiki is nothing more than the PuPu (appetizer) of the real Oahu. It serves to recognize your arrival but will not satiate your craving for the island experience. Oahu is affectionately referred to as “The Gathering Place” and indeed Waikiki serves its purpose in bring everyone together. But as with all gatherings, no matter the fun we’ve had mingling over Mai Tai’s, we’re happy to retreat to our place of solace at its conclusion and that happy place for Oahu is found in the historic town of Haleiwa.
Haleiwa, pronounced Ha-lay-ee-va, is the epicenter of the famed North Shore of Oahu. Everyone knows the “Seven Mile Miracle” North Shore. It’s home to the admiringly feared Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and the alluring wafting scent of the Shrimp Trucks parked along Kamehameha Hwy. But the heart of it all lies within the one level constructed country community of Haleiwa. Definitions and descriptors for “sleepy surf town”, “quaint boutique shops”, “fishing village”, or “time stands still” certainly borrowed from Haleiwa’s existence. The town would be cliche if it wasn’t.
Haleiwa at its purest is marked by a succession of tiny sea turtle haven beaches laid out as if to appease all levels of ocean confidence. Wilderness awaits across the road with expansive pastures and hills covered in fluttering palms and tropical flora so rich and green that only Hawaii’s volcanic soil and well timed rainy season could recreate it. Chickens, cats, and dogs run wild without homes but are all well fed (the dogs can thank the chickens for that part). The channel under the Kam Bridge may run full of fishing boat harbor spillover from time to time but it doesn’t stop the local kids from plunging in from the perch above nor keep stand-up paddle boarders from passing through to the reef protected azure sea. Everything is a postcard. Even the seawater air rusted trucks and vans serve as imagery anecdotes.
Yes, the tour buses stop here too. The gravel parking area squeezed between the old Aoki Shave Ice (closing February 2013) and Matsumoto Shave Ice shop collects more Dodge rental cars than the lots at Thrifty in Honolulu. Smartphones and Nikkons snap the town’s buildings with the ambition of capturing the entire woven palette of vibrant colors clearly picked from the North Shore’s famed rainbows. The Marketplace is a hive of retail activity as busy bees buy sentimental reminders of their brief stay on the island while ducking in and out of the cafes for poke bowls, Portuguese sausage plate lunches, Mexi-Hawaiian breakfast burritos, and espresso to refuel. But as fast as the droves of camera necklaced tourists arrive in waves they disappear to keep their scheduled itinerary. The town is of course happy to receive visitors, the lifeblood of the local economy, but even though they will never let you see it through their wide smiles and Aloha greetings you can sense that you are welcome as long as you keep on passing through as the sun sets, leaving the town to its whispery evening demeanor and subsequent dawn patrol the next day before it all begins again. Anyone having grown up in a small town can appreciate this fact. A familiar “Keep the Country, Country” slogan is written on fence signs and stickers slapped on bumpers and the general community consensus concurs.
Always under the threat of the watchful eye of opportunist developers, locals storm town hall at any mention of new construction. Visitors too would be wise to voice the same opinion because to change Haleiwa would be to lose a big part of the Oahu experience for them, even if they haven’t been there yet. Make sense? You see, just as if you remove one endemic species from the ocean leaving the regional underwater ecosystem impacted, the island of Oahu functions in that same manner. The freeway traffic of Honolulu, the shopping bag bouquets marching up and down Kalakaua Avenue, and 20 plus stories blocking the sunrise on the densely populated South Shore are all bearable because we know Haleiwa, with its historic charm and quiet charisma, is there. Its Aloha spirit is felt in day to day life all over the island. It’s a key ingredient that allows the commercial progress and natural beauty of the island to coexist. One resort, one mall, or even (especially?) one American Apparel would change the entire vibe of Haleiwa. It would be like returning to visit the comforts of your childhood home to find that your parents converted your room into their personal fitness center. Not cool.
Come visit Historic Haleiwa Town. Patronize the town’s shops and eateries, not just to proverbially support small local business, but to do yourself the favor of getting a taste of a simple life that somehow manages to exceed your wildest expectations – even the ones you had on the plane hours before arriving on the island.
For an inside look at Oahu, including Haleiwa, visit this Oahu Travel Guide
Wish You Were Here – Marcus Maraih