Yesterday three of the friends that I made at the hostel and I rented a car and we drove around the whole island of Oahu. It worked out really great because I was able to get to my AirBnB in this town on the opposite side of the island called Haleiwa. The bus was my only other option and it would have taken about two hours. So I got a bit lucky here.
We got going at about 9 o’clock and hit the road 30 minutes later. The first stop was Koko Crater, another trek similar to Diamond Head. There used to be a tram there and it’s just a straight shot to the top along the track. It is not very long but it does get very steep. By the end, I was exhausted because I had to climb uphill for ¾ of a mile. But the views were totally worth it.
After the hike, we moved along to Hanauma Bay, a nature preserve within walking distance. It’s a coral reef tucked into a bay. We were able to snorkel there and I saw different types of aquatic life. The fish didn’t even get afraid of me; they just let me swim right up to them. I guess they are used to humans.
We stopped off for lunch and then we kept on driving. I found that the waves on the north side of the island were much larger. Obviously, there must be a reason for it but I am not aware of exactly what that is. I will look into it at some point.
The north shore is a world-famous surf spot for this reason. We stopped off at a beach closer to my AirBnB and there were a bunch of surfers riding some of the bigger waves. We didn’t find out until later that we were watching a high-profile surfing competition. There are a lot of people out here just for the tournament.
The town itself is very much a typical Hawaiian surfer village. It’s so different from Honolulu in that most of the people who live around here are native Hawaiians. You can feel the laid-back vibe this place has to offer. Most of the people I have met check the boxes for all I was expecting a Hawaiian surfer to be: friendly and relaxed. I’m happy to have escaped the city for a few days.