Taking a Trip to North Shore Oahu, Hawaii

I had always heard that Hawaii is a great place to visit, and when I finally got the chance I have to say that I agree.  A friend and I were just kind of dreaming about going there when the opportunity arose.  After tweaking a few things, we were able to make it happen.  The destination was North Shore Oahu, and we would be staying at the Turtle Bay Hilton.  Now, it is called the Turtle Bay Resort, but it is just as beautiful as ever.

We weren't going to be taking any tours, and we didn't really have any plans in particular.  Now that many years have passed, I can see how great it is to sometimes have less on the itinerary.  It is much more peaceful and spontaneous. 

You don't need many, if any plans to truly enjoy yourself on Oahu's North shore. There are some wonderful things that you may want to see while you are there however. For instance, the Lyon Arboretum is a beautiful botanical garden filled with lush vegetation, flowers and a must see. You will see a large variety of tropical flowers . They recommend wearing shoes for walking, as you will take a little walk through some dense forests. It has 193 acres of gardens and flowers that are breathtaking. You will be glad you brought your camera and video camera if you have one.

Going to a luau seems a must if you are going to be in Hawaii anyway. The Polynesian Cultural Center is a place you ought to make an effort to go and see if you can. There are many other luaus however, and you can research this as some have teaching of lei making, or offer food and snacks.

One of our favorite things however, was just relaxing on the beach and listening to the waves.  The breeze was lovely as seen in that top video, and the ocean is very active there.  It draws a lot of surfers as you will see.  There are surfing competitions that go on there because of the size and intensity of the waves.  To just enjoy nature like that, near the ocean is wonderful.  Its so powerful yet peaceful and dreamy. 

My friend and I almost learned to surf there, but we ended up not doing that.   It was fun to consider it however, but after further thinking we realized this was no place for beginners and especially at that time of the year.   

There is a lot of shopping you can do as well, from little shops to malls.  Walking the beach at night was lovely as well. 

As with many vacations or times away, they end all too soon. If you get the chance to go I would try to see as much of the Island as you can, but scope out the Botanical Garden. Nothing beats getting some ice cream by the pool, and taking it back over by the ocean to eat. If you ever get to go to Hawaii, I would highly recommend visiting Oahu, and particularly Oahu's North Shore.

When on Oahu's North Shore, and especially if winter time when the waves are their biggest, you can see some great surfing competitions.  There is a particular pipeline called Bonzai Pipeline.  The surfers love to get inside those huge "tubes of water" and surf on through.  Its really incredible to see.