North Shore and Waimea Bay

Another day, another big cappucino in paradise.  I'm hooked.

I pointed the Mini Cooper's nose north today and let her have some rein, so off she zoomed to Haleiwa, a dinky and charming little town north of the pineapple plantations and east of the Waianae Mountians, the oldest range of extinct volcano remnants that make up Oahu.  I returned to the Haliewa Cafe where I'd enjoyed some pretty puffy pancakes in the past.  It's the only place I've been where you can see huge prints of north shore surf as you eat good grub, all in a funky local's-love-it setting.  This time I ordered a breakfast burrito and packed it off to see if I could find any decent-looking surf, for which this coast is so famous.

The prettiest beach along the north shore is Waimea Bay, a half-moon-shaped stretch of white sand hemmed in by tall mountains, a river that flows out into the bay from a canyon sacred to the original Hawaiians, and a tall art deco tower to the east.  I got there about 10 AM and found the parking lot half full, a good omen.  I sat on the beach, munching my burrito and watched locals dashing into the green-blue waves, one after another, to play in the surf.  No stress left in my bones, no sirree.

It was a 4- to 6-foot shorebreak, meaning I could hear the swish of the surfboards on the waves all the way up until they quit the wave in about 2 feet of water.  The acoustics in the bay are pretty remarkable; you can hear that kind of detail from about 100 feet away from the water's edge or farther.  They say that on big-wave days when the liquid mountains reach 30-40 feet, the sound they make is like guns going off up the valley.

After I'd had it up to here with handsome, muscular bronzed surfers dashing about in the sparkling surf, I drove the little Mini across the street and up a long beautiful drive to the Waimea Falls Park, a preserve and botanical garden run by the Audubon Society.   The walk was much easier than yesterday's walk, and the setting is much more parklike; they offer nature walks and talks every couple of hours.  There were a modest number of other visitors there, but most of the time I felt like I had the place to myself.  You walk on a gently uphill slope that curves and meanders past large plantings of tropical plants, arranged by geographic region.  The walk culminates at a 50-foot waterfall where a pool entices hot and foot-sore walkers.  There's even a lifeguard who can provide a life vest for a fee.

That was it for me.  Back to the car I walked, taking pictures of the exotic plants and enjoying the twittering invisible birds in the canopy overhead.  I saw one tree whose leaves were as large and round as serving platters.  Another had flowers that bloom white and gradually turn red.

All of Hawaii is suffering from its version of a drought, even though everything looks green and lush.  The riverbed running through the park is dry as can be.  The falls were running today, but after not too long the stream drops underground through the porous lava stones.

I'll be flying away home tomorrow, back to the Grove and all the rain they've been having.  My island adventure was too short but very good.  Lots of traffic on Oahu in every direction all day long.  Everyone and their dog has a car.  If you go to Oahu, buy Oahu Revealed (bright blue cover with a satellite view of the island) and look for things off the beaten path; you'll save money and find the relaxed beautiful island that you dream of.