The World Famous North Shore of Oahu is excellent surf in winter (Oct-Mar), has a few large condominium blocks and lots of vacation homes and backpacker hostels aimed at the surfing crowd. Waimea Adventure Park is a lovely rainforest valley once the home of an ancient Hawaiian settlement and rich in archaeological sites. One of the most popular tourist attractions is nearby - the vast commercial Polynesian Cultural Centre which hosts numerous large group bus tours every day.
The World Famous North Shore of Oahu, is renowned as the surfing Mecca of the world. In winter, raging surf is the dominant attraction and many of the sandy beaches loose their sand to the power of the waves. By summer, the surf has all but subsided and the sand returned making this one of the most attractive beach locations in Oahu - Snorkelling is even possible in the placid seas.
The longest stretch of white sand is at Sunset Beach Park, which is unbroken for almost two miles and in places almost 300 feet wide. Sunset Beach is home to the very best surf breaks in the world, although visit in summer and you will wonder what all the fuss is about. The only decent year-round swimming beach is at Haleiwa Beach Park, a short walk east of the quaint wooden shack town of Haleiwa with its surfing shops and shave ice stalls.
To the south of Haleiwa are the rugged and inaccessible Waianae Mountains where the road stops abruptly. To reach the equally stunning surfing beaches on the south side of these mountains, you have to go almost back to Honolulu to round the mountain range.
On the north shore of Oahu, set slightly inland in tropical forest, is Waimea Valley and Waterfall. The area has been set aside as a natural adventure and cultural park. The lush valley was once populated by Hawaiians before European arrival and was a rich farming area with terraced taro plantations. Archaeological excavations have unveiled many house foundations and several large heiau or sacred temples.
Some of the sites have been excavated and restored with storyboard displays explaining their significance. This is foremost a commercial park with shuttle buses taking people up the valley to the areas most scenic attraction, Waimea Falls, where rock diving displays (once a royal sport denoting courage) are performed every hour along with Hula dances. However, forest trails for hiking are excellent and are actually very peaceful.
Another attraction of this park is the soft adventure activities available. Downhill mountain biking, horse riding and river kayaking are offered by the hour and enable those with a desire to do something active to do so in a safe but enchanting environment.
Maui
beaches are open to the public
