oahu 02
november 16, 2005
seeing rainbows is not something i see too often of in los angeles. but nothing is quite as nice as seeing rainbows after a rainfall in hawaii. wait, there is something even better -- it's seeing a double rainbow. people say it's good luck to see a double rainbow and it was my first time ever seeing one in my life. on my way back down from spending the day at the north shore, i was heading back into town and saw a radiant rainbow when i noticed that arched behind it was another rainbow. although it's not quite as notice able as the main one, it's still prominent. you can see it above as it extends into the suv on the right hand side. i had to take a photo of it and share it here on the site.
it's not typical of me to head to the north shore during my visits anymore. since i visit o'ahu pretty much on an annual basis, i typically would spend my time going to more local beaches and opting more time shopping and dining. but it's been a good few years since i've been up to haleiwa, that i decided to make the trip up there and spend the day at waimea beach park.
the drive up the north shore is always pleasant...sure, it's a heck of a drive from honolulu but once you get into the pineapple fields with its red dirt, there's a sense of serenity that overwhelms you. this particular stretch leading towards the north shore is always beautiful. the sea blankets out in the distance while being flanked by pineapple fields on both sides of the road.
i try to time it where i will get to the north shore on an empty stomach - meaning, i have room to stop off at the north shore country okazu and bento. the last time i dropped by there was in 2002 - it's been a long time coming as i think they serve really tasty okazuya items. i was planning on taking the food to the beach with me but decided on sitting at one of their two 2 seater tables to dine on the food right there and then.
some of the items on the plates are: korean garlic chicken, kabocha, spam musubi, cone sushi, fish cake, teri beef, hikiji, fried noodle, croquette and an onigiri.
north shore okazu & bento
66-197 kamehameha hwy
haleiwa, hawaii 96712
808.637.0055
haleiwa is a quiet sleepy town that is known for the north shore waves and of course matsumoto's shave ice. i was merely passing through to get my okazuya and then stop off to look at the patagonia shop and a few other local surf shops for tshirts. no shaved ice for me on this trip.
the main street through haleiwa.
bridge going in/out of haleiwa on the east side of town.
i made it to waimea bay beach park around 10:30-ish. the sun was strong but there were sprinkles of rain from time to time. most people just sat there to wait it out and returned back to sunbathing or playing in the water. the surf was really strong over here and sucked me out to the water the more i resisted. i can only imagine how high the surf must get when it's during the heart of winter.
although i've passed by waimea bay beach park on the many occasions as i'm doing the circle island drive, i've never been actually there to take in the sun. it's a curved shoreline that has a large rock jutting out into the ocean. i watched as a bunch of people (mainly crazy young kids) jumped off from the aptly named Jumping Rock into the waters below. i guess this can only be done during high tide as there are other rocks in the water below. it's crazy irregardless.
the waves are pretty fierce and you can see the guy on the bottom right hand corner swimming back into shore.
local graffiti. so different from east la.
due to time constraints, i opted not to do the circle island thing and instead headed back down on H2 to get back to town. after an afternoon at the beach, walking around haleiwa and hearing from locals about how the LOST crew shops there from time to time, i turned off into the dole plantation to grab myself a dole whip. it's a necessity for me on every trip. and plus, they have a decent selection of sovenirs at decent prices.
dole whip. sooooooo ono.
after seeing rainbows the entire drive back into town, i had to get ready for dinner at the oceanarium restaurant. they have a buffet nightly and it's a pretty local place. sure, there's tourists but there's definitely a lot of locals doing celebrating there or just to eat the king crab legs on thursday night.
oceanarium is known for their gigantic aquarium tank right alongside a few of their dining establishments at the pacific beach hotel. if you're lucky, you get to sit near the glass windows and just ogle the fishies as you're dining on one of their relatives. it's a sick thought really. and at specific times of the day, a diver will go down to feed the aquatic creatures right in front of you. i was lucky enough to be seated near the glass windows and snapped a few photos.
oh yeah, the food....each night of the week is a different buffet. they have a good range of local dishes along with salads, carving station, soup, seafood station and desserts. lots of hot dishes as well. i personally think the food was better before but it's still a good meal for the price and the view. be sure to make reservations if you do go as it's a pretty busting place.
oceanarium restaurant
pacific beach hotel 1st floor
2490 kalakaua ave.
honolulu, hawaii 96815
808.921.6111
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not sure how many of you are observant enough to notice the change in the upper left hand corner. but i changed the photo yesterday. this latest photo is from this trip when i was at waimanalo beach (to be discussed later). the last one (see below) was taken at kailua beach during my trip last year in march. maybe the next time i go, my hair will be even longer.
currently listening to: globe, feel like dance
