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The Other
O‘ahu
The coast is clear and the inland is waiting. by roger toll
A
brilliant rainbow arcs across the sky above Honolulu as our plane touches down. It is a dramatic welcome to this land of aloha, where warmth of spirit lies deep in the culture of the people and a rainbow is its strongest symbol. My wife and I have enjoyed Honolulu on earlier visits, but this time we are passing through the city quickly. Our search is for “the other O‘ahu.” The next morning, we set out early for Wai‘anae on the quiet leeward, or western, side of the island. We have a 7 a.m. rendezvous with the Island Spirit, a sailing catamaran owned by German expatriate Armin Cullins and his California-born wife, Tori, who run Wild Side Specialty Tours. Before we even leave the harbor, we spot a pod of Hawaiian diving into o ‘ ahu
Floral leis for sale Opposite page: cooling off in Waimea Bay photos by tammy kennedy and brett panelli Sky October 2004
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spinner dolphins that return daily to socialize and to rest after a night of hunting at sea. Thinking they might leave suddenly, we feverishly don snorkeling gear and jump in the water, only to find that, by following the Cullins’ coaching, we can swim along with them in broad circles to our hearts’ content. Half the size of the more common bottlenose dolphin, they seem to take our presence, and our splashing about, in stride. The Hawaiians who live along this lonely shore are known to be a band apart. They’re descendants of those who moved here years ago to maintain their Hawaiian ways apart from American influence. They tend to keep to themselves and are known for being cautious with outsiders. Armin, who says it took a long time for his family to be accepted, tells us that a few years ago word went around that Microsoft’s Bill Gates
historic hawaii
Author Woody Fern telling a folk story Opposite page: a 100-year-old canoe on display at The Outrigger Waikiki
had fallen in love with this part of the island and decided to build a retreat here for company executives. When he tried to buy up land, the local council changed the restrictions on it from commercial to residential use only, and neither Gates’ determination nor his money had any effect. Frustrated, he finally abandoned the project. The story goes that once he was gone, the council quietly changed the land back to commercial-use zoning. After a few hours on the boat, we drive farther north on the two-lane Farrington Highway, past the small town of Makaha. There’s a string of exquisite beaches all the way to the end of the road, where only a trail continues to Ka‘ena Point, the northwest extreme of the island. The scenic, fluted slopes of O‘ahu’s highest mountain, Mount Ka‘ala, are covered with a yellow-green vegetation that, in the soft light created by a cloud that seems perpetually to cover the summit, looks like delicate velvet. Several scenes of Jurassic Park (1993) were filmed on those surreal slopes, and some of the 1966 film Hawaii on Makua Beach below.
Kailua Already, we have come to love Hawaii’s dramatic settings. We find another in Kailua, a much-loved beach town east of Honolulu. Kailua sits at the foot of the pali, or cliffs, of the Ko‘olau Mountains, and one can drive there directly and swiftly from the capital. Our way of getting there, however,
The Hawaiian Renaissance In 1993, Hawaiians recognized the 100th anniversary of what they call The Overthrow—the ouster of Queen Lili‘uokalani in 1893, followed by annexation by the United States of America in 1898. The anniversary was a bittersweet experience. Hawaiians had been taking a hard look at their dying language and culture, and the centennial energized a Hawaiian renaissance. While a quixotic political movement for a return to sovereignty grabbed head-
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lines, the more enduring effects today are cultural. Hula schools are popular and hula contests are everywhere, outrigger canoe clubs work out every day, and many people go to Hawaiian-language immersion schools. Even hotels have gotten into the spirit. The newly renovated Outrigger Waikiki, located on land where the former kings had their beach homes, displays a century-old koa wood canoe, beautifully renovated, next to display
From Flat Island, the view of the beach backed by the steep, emerald green cliffs of the pali falling 2,000 vertical feet to the valley floor is glorious, the very image of a Polynesian island. is a longer, scenic drive along the craggy southeast shoreline east of Koko Head past Makapu‘u Point to Waimanalo Bay, a beautiful drive of rock ledges, wind-driven seas and several beautiful beaches where we stop to swim. We’re curious to see Hanauma Bay’s coral reefs and palm-fringed, sandy beach set in a narrow inlet, which Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” has put at the top of his “best beaches” list this year. It’s beautiful. And mobbed. And not “the other O‘ahu” we want, the one we won’t share with Hanauma Bay’s million visitors a year. Kailua gets the cooling trade winds right off the ocean, enough passing showers to keep things green and a high number of sunny days. It is the best place for windsurfing and kite-surfing on the island when the wind is strong, and for sea kayaking when it’s not. On an unnamed lane near Kailua’s crescent beach, we find the Beach Lane Bed & Breakfast, run by a woman with the unlikely name of Tonic Bille. By the time we leave the next morning, Bille has provided interesting insights into community life and useful tips on local attractions. Before leaving, we rent kayaks and paddle across the quiet bay to Flat Island, also known as Popoia Island, a bird sanctuary and roosting site several hundred yards offshore. From the island, the view of the beach backed by the steep, emerald green cliffs of the pali falling 2,000 vertical feet to the valley floor is glorious, the very image of a Polynesian island.
North of Kailua, we leave modern Hawaii behind altogether and drive into a rural and remote O‘ahu. Skirting the sea for most of the drive, we pass through small towns with wooden homes on stilts and old-fashioned lanais (verandas) open to soft breezes from the sea. Small farms and ranches dot the road, and for much of the way the steep cliffs of the Ko‘olau Mountains rise impressively beside us. Women and children loll on beaches or bob in the gentle swells, protected by barrier reefs from the Pacific’s powerful seas. Cars and trucks move along the two-lane road at a comfortable 45
The Windward Coast cases hosting exhibits of valuable artifacts. In addition, the hotel has an active program of bringing in knowledgeable Hawaiians to speak to guests on sacred chanting, Hawaiian quilt- and lei-making, and the medicinal uses of native plants, as well as giving slack-key guitar and nose flute demonstrations. The Hilton Hawaiian Village and Sheraton Moana Surfrider also have active Hawaiian culture and history programs.
The Outrigger Waikiki 2335 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu; 800-203-3650 or 808-293-8811; www .outriggerwaikiki.com. Rates: from $189 per night. hilton hawaiian village beach resort and spa 2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu; 808-949-4321; www .hiltonhawaiianvillage .com. Rates from $195 per night. sheraton moana surfrider 2365 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu; 808-922-3111; www
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A paved path winds uphill past colorful flowers for nearly a mile to a 60-foot waterfall that cascades into a pond, where visitors enjoy swimming.
only on o ‘ ahu
Clockwise from top left: an oceanside massage at Turtle Bay Resort, canoe parade at the Polynesian Cultural Center, eating shave ice in Hale‘iwa and artful fish served at Indigo in Honolulu. Opposite page: waterfalls at the Waimea Valley Audubon Center.
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miles per hour, and life feels unhurried and informal. In La‘ie, we meet Pane Meatoga at the gate of the 41-yearold Polynesian Cultural Center. Born in La‘ie, he will soon
up enterprise, an island-culture Epcot Center, and the second-most-visited site on O‘ahu, after Pearl Harbor. Seven “villages” encircle a man-made tropical lagoon, providing
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oast graduate from the town’s Brigham Young University–Hawaii in international business management and, like many other BYUH students, has worked at PCC to pay for his tuition. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created the center to employ students. His father and grandfather, Meatoga tells us, worked there, too. “This is a one-company town, you could say,” he says. “Maybe 95 percent of those who live here are Mormons.” With remarkable foresight, the LDS Church bought the land on O‘ahu in 1865, only 17 years after Brigham Young led his followers to Utah; the church broke ground on the first Mormon Temple outside of Utah in La‘ie in 1915. The Polynesian Cultural Center is a thriving, buttonedSky October 2004
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Kailua Bay
Waimanalo Bay
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snippets of the traditional architecture, dances, art, culture and cuisine of Tahiti, the Marquesas, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Maori of New Zealand, and Hawaii. Broad in approach and appeal, it is done well, and the BYUH students who earn their way through college by working here are eager and friendly. Ultimately, it is the vitality and spirit of these young students that keeps the operation fresh and compelling.
The North Shore Turtle Bay Resort, where we stay the night, sits at the north-
ern tip of the island, 15 minutes from the Polynesian Cultural Center and 20 minutes from the charming, surf-mad town of Hale‘iwa. To surfing initiates, a 5-mile stretch of O‘ahu’s North Shore is paradise, the place of dreams. Onto these beaches—beaches with such iconic names as Waimea Bay, the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach—the world’s largest
map by john kleber
Makaha
coastal views
At Halona Point, visitors honor the past by leaving flowers.
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It is onto these beaches that the world’s largest waves roll in each winter, towering giants with unimaginable power that only a hundred or so of the world’s best surfers dare attempt to ride. waves roll in each winter, towering giants with unimaginable power that only a hundred or so of the world’s best surfers dare attempt to ride. The faces of these waves typically reach heights of 30 to 40 feet, and surfers seem swallowed by their size as they race across the surface at 35 to 45 miles per hour. I, however, who have been a fan of surf movies for the last 40 years, arrive in June, and Sunset Beach is as placid as a pond. The mighty swells fed by winter’s North Pacific storms are gone. At Waimea Bay, the beach is full of families, and children play in the tranquil sea. There is not a surfboard in sight. But in our seaside cottage at nearby Turtle Bay Resort that night, I hear the lapping of waves change to a more resounding break. The swell has come around to the northwest, perfect for North Shore beaches. Absenteeism is said to vary with the size of the surf, and the contrast between yesterday and today is sharp. Hundreds of surfers are catching 7-foot peaks up and down the coast, and parking lots along the beach are filled with gawkers. Finally, I get a small taste of surfing life on the North Shore. “But this is nothing,” a lifeguard tells me. “When the big waves arrive in winter, everything stops. If you’re not surfing, you’re watching.” Turtle Bay Resort, built 30 years ago and shining anew from a renovation completed last year, sits on a rocky promontory that thrusts into the sea, with three small bays alongside. The scenery is spectacular, and all 401 rooms have sea views. Our cottage, one of only 42, looks out on ever-passing rainbows that seem to anchor themselves in the sea 50 yards away, so close we consider swimming out to try to catch them. Remarkably, Turtle Bay is the only resort on O‘ahu’s North Shore, a testament to the island’s idyllic simplicity beyond the urban maze of Honolulu and the south shore. We snorkel and kayak, ride horses on the resort’s beachside trails and even play a round of golf on one of the two 18-hole championship courses (one designed by George Fazio, the other by Arnold Palmer). For novices, the hotel operates one of the best surfing schools on the island. Though there are several restaurants on the grounds—most memorably the excellent 21 Degrees North—it is easy to head into Hale‘iwa or La‘ie for
an even wider variety of options. Many attractions lie along the shore between Turtle Bay and Hale‘iwa. We snorkel in Shark’s Cove, part of Pupukea
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‘Hu, What and Where Where to Stay
Beach lane bed & Breakfast Kailua; 808-262-8286; www.beachlane.com. Rates: from $95 per night, double occupancy. Bed & Breakfast Association of O‘ahu Inc. 808262-8286; www.stayoahu .com. Often less expensive than a resort hotel stay, this type of accommodation offers a bonus in that you get to meet locals. Rates range from $95 to $450 per night. Turtle Bay Resort 57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku; 866-827-5327 or 808-293-6000; www .turtlebayresort.com. This 880-acre resort comprises three slices of ocean (Turtle and Kawela bays and Kuilima Cove); golf; horseback riding; watersports, including the Hans Hedemann Surf School; tennis; and a luxurious spa. Rates start at $229 per night.
Where to Dine
21 Degrees North Turtle Bay Resort, 57-091 Ka-
mehameha Highway, Kahuku; 808-293-6000; www .turtlebayresort.com /21degreesnorth.cfm. Turtle Bay Resort’s signature restaurant offers excellent contemporary island cuisine. Chai’s Island Bistro Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu Harbor, Honolulu; 808585-0011; www .chaisislandbistro.com. Hawaiian regional cuisine with French touches. Indigo 1121 Nuuanu Avenue, Honolulu; 808-5212900; www.indigo-hawaii .com. Chef-owner Glenn Chu, a fourth-generation Chinese-Hawaiian with international training, creates delicious, innovative dishes like goat cheese won tons and chicken marinated in lemon grass and Hawaiian ginger. Lucy’s 33 Aulike Street, Kailua; 808-230-8188. Bistro favorites beautifully prepared in a friendly atmosphere in downtown Kailua. L‘Uraku 1341 Kapi‘olani Boulevard, Honolulu; 808-
955-0552; www.luraku.com. Chef Hiroshi Fukui and artist Kiyoshi have created a fresh, exciting and memorable dining experience.
What to Do
Bishop Museum 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu; 808-847-3511; www .bishopmuseum.org. This fascinating museum houses Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms. Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Admission: $14.95 for adults, $11.95 for seniors over 65 and children 4–12, free for children 3 and under. Polynesian Cultural Center 55-370 Kamehameha Highway, La‘ie; 800-3677060 or 808-293-3333; www.polynesia.com. Open noon–9:30 p.m., Monday–Saturday. Admission packages: $24–$115 for children 3–11, $35–$175 for adults, free for children under 3. The Queen’s Tour 808-8416442; www.waikikihistoric trail.com. Discover Waikiki's hidden history on this free
at , on and from the water
Clockwise from opposite page: the beach at The Outrigger Waikiki, Banzai Pipeline surfers walk along the beach at sunset, pan-seared moi fish at L‘Uraku, a young swimmer at Turtle Bay Resort and the view from aboard the Island Spirit two-hour walking tour, departing 9 a.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center stage, at the intersection of Kalakaua and Seaside avenues. Uss Arizona memorial— national memorial Pearl Harbor, State Highway 99 (Kamehameha Highway), Honolulu; 808-422-0561; www. nps.gov/usar. Expect crowds at this National Park Service
site commemorating and interpreting the December 7, 1941, attack that brought the United States into World War II. Tickets are free but limited. Open 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Waimea Valley Audubon Center 59-864 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa; 808-6389199; www.audubon.org. Open 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Admission: $8 for adults, with discounts offered for children, seniors, military, local resi-
dents and center members. Wild Side Specialty Tours 87-1286 Farrington Highway, Waianae; 808-306-7273; www.sailhawaii.com. The tour described in this article includes snorkeling gear, instruction, reef and bay stops, breakfast, and snacks, for $95 per person. A portion of the fee goes to wild dolphin conservation. Private charters also available.—R.T.
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