North Shore Advice

[scrapycruiser]

We will be at Aulani the end of March for 8 nights. We are going to the Polynesian Cultural Center one afternoon. Before going to the PCC we plan to tour the North Shore. Looking for information on traffic, parking, shrimp trucks, shopping. Are the surfers riding the big waves that time of year ? What else am I missing ? Thanks!!

 

[nkereina]

We visited Haleiwa on a Monday and hit no traffic. There was ample parking around - there was a shopping plaza where we parked and browsed around, and walked up and down the street. We didn't find much in terms of shopping. We had lunch at Kono's which was amazing - one of my favorite places we ate at all trip! Its just a quick service spot with picnic table seating. We stopped by the shrimp trucks around 11:30am and it wasn't very busy, just decided not to eat there. I'd also recommend visiting Matusomoto's for shave ice. If you want a nicer sit down dinner place, Haleiwa Beach House is great as well.

We didn't go as far as the Bonzai Pipeline where the surfers are. We did stop at Laniakea Beach which is between Haleiwa and Waimea Valley to see the sea turtles. Its a quick stop with parking across the street, but that can be challenging. It also can be challenging to get down to the beach for anyone with mobility issues.

 

[gregf71]

We stayed at Aulani back in August and rented a car for one day of island exploration. Late morning found us visiting the Dole Plantation and then we headed up towards the North Shore for lunch. We stopped in Haleiwa to hit a shrimp truck that I first learned about on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives...Big Wave Shrimp Truck. We ABSOLUTELY ADORED their garlic shrimp plate lunch (I still dream about it)...and their short ribs plate was very tasty too! All of their seating is outdoor picnic tables, so keep that in mind. We hit a nice soap and bath shop right across the street after lunch because my wife wanted to take a bath in the deep tub in our room at Aulani.

Just up the street from the Big Wave Shrimp Truck, on the west side, is a small-ish mall with several shops, where Matsumoto's is located. On the day we visited, parking was a challenge in the rear lot, but we got lucky and managed to find a spot fairly quickly. Matsumoto's shave ice is excellent...and I scored a great shirt at their gift shop.

Honestly, the worst traffic that we hit (in fact, the only traffic we hit) throughout the island that day was up near Laniakea (Turtle) Beach. It was pretty slow in both directions up there. We managed to find parking off to the side and walked over to see the beach, as well as one turtle up on the sand and several others out in the surf. Pulling out of our parking spot and turning around to head back south was a bit challenging, but honestly it was nothing compared to traffic we deal with at home every workday.

If you are interested, I have more details and pictures in our trip report:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...lani-oahu-the-big-island-august-2018.3703678/

Have a great time!

 

[TagsMissy]

The big waves happen in winter so in March you likely won't have anything crazy but there will be surfers out there for sure. They're out there year round. There's multiple shrimp trucks; we're partial to Giovanni's but we haven't had a bad experience at any of them. Parking is generally street parking or (free) lot parking, depending on where you are. We've never had issues in the spring or fall finding parking. Traffic in the actual North Shore isn't too bad, though getting to the North Shore can be busy. Avoid the usual rush hour traffic in or out and you'll be fine -- just watch out for the chickens on the road! I suggest stopping at Waialua Estate Coffee -- in our opinion the best Shave Ice is here because they have natural ingredient options.. the flavour is to die for!

 

[jlwhitney]

We ate at ted’s bakery twice last week , so good! It is on the north shore pasteries, pies and breakfast/lunch/dinner items. Their garlic shrimp is so good!