North Shore adventure

A cloudy day had us deciding to go for a bus trip around Oahu. So again we headed to Ala Moana centre to catch the bus heading to Haleiwa, the north shore. As we headed out of Honolulu, a fellow passenger commented what we were seeing is not found in the tourist brochures. He was referring to the Correction Institution with its high walls and barb wire. But the scenery improved as we got closer to the north shore passing Dole's pineapple plantation. It was past lunch time by the time we arrived in Haleiwa so we looked for a healthy spot to eat. Waialua Bakery was kind of a hippy, surfer casual place. 

Norm decided we should check out the entire town which isn't very big. We found lots of surf shops and food trucks selling everything from tacos to shrimps. And the chance to see more of those feral chickens, so cute.

The excitement of Haleiwa is the beach where a few days before the waves were over 25 feet high. Today there was a warning for surfers to do so at their own risk. The wind was wild and the waves unpredictable. And still there were a couple of guys surfing. Crazy! Several men stood at the surf's edge with little nets, ready to scoop desirable seashells. Hey, when a necklace of little shells can sell for hundreds of dollars here, we should all be out there in stormy weather.

Note the warning flags. Good thing Norm didn't try surfing today.

Back on the bus to continue our trip around the island. The wind kept blowing and the rain starting falling. Yellow Bunny almost got blown away as we passed by the famous Waimea Bay beach.

Sunset Beach was pretty wild too.

The bus trip back to Ala Moana took almost 3 hours. We passed by Turtle Bay Golf Resort at the upper right hand corner of Oahu, Polynesian Cultural Center, lots of beautiful beaches even in the rain and across the island through a couple of tunnels to Honolulu. Too bad they kept the air conditioning on all the way! Brrrrr almost felt like Victoria. Yellow Bunny was glad to stay snug inside.

Total cost for a full day bus trip around the island cost the two of us $10.