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North Shore day. No trip to Oahu is complete without hitting up the North Shore. Our first stop was Haleiwa Bowl for breakfast Acai bowls. I got the Blue Majik Bowl (S)($13.61USD). Watch out for the roosters (they sometimes peck/bite).
We spent majority of the day at Waimea Beach aka Jump Rock. For Juan, Paula & Peter it was time for outdoor beach bouldering. They had packed their climbing shoes and climbed. From what I was told, one of the climbing paths they were attempting was a V6 which is a V8 indoors.
As those three were climbing, the rest were relaxing on the beach or hanging in the waters. The waters are rough and take more finesse to get it and out without wiping out as the tide can pull you in drastically. Before we left the beach, the boys jumped off of the Jump Rock.
We rushed back to Haleweia afterwards to goto Patagonia to get some Pataloha collab clothing before they closed. While being in Haleweia, we also made stops at Matsumoto’s for shaved ice (S $3.75USD). You can choose your toppings and 3 flavours (made with pure sugar cane). I got condensed milk with mochi balls (5 pieces) and for the 3 flavours – Li Hing Mui, Yuzu & Pickled Mango. Dessert before dinner. Drove over to where the food trucks were (you have to pay for parking now). My friends lined up for Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. I got Pineapple Shrimp (Sweet & Sour) from Honos Shrimp truck ($17USD).
Back in Waikiki, we went back to Magic Island at night in time to watch the fireworks at happen every Friday between 745-8PM. Since we parked at Ala Moana Mall, we stopped by Foodland to grab some snacks before heading back to our VRBO to hang out for the rest of the night as a group before some people were heading out of Oahu.
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Breakfast from Musubi Café – $10.72USD – I got an ume spam musubi, yuzu & an eel egg spam musubi.
Another fun place to visit is Aloha Stadium for the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace. It is open every Weds & Sat (8AM-3PM) & Sun (630AM-3PM). Paid parking and $2USD/pp. There are loads of tents filled with everything you ever wanted. A great place to get souvenirs. The booths go from selling souvenirs, Hawaiian gifts, locally made items to vintage antiques, clothing and produce.
The Swap meet goes fully around the Stadium grounds and it is 3 rows deep. You could easily spend a few hours there. I walked away with about $92USD worth of items.
After the Swap Meet, Tammy, Toby & myself went off to Ice Garden for the local Shaved Ice (cash only). I was told #7 is what you should get and that is what I did. It is the Shaved ice with pudding, milk shaved ice with mochi balls. This hidden gem is located on the second floor of this small strip plaza. You go up the escalator and around the corner to just a small window. There is no official seating area but back towards the escalators are a few tables. There was a special festival called Megabon that was going to happen back at Aloha Stadium in the evening so we didn’t venture too far. We decided to stay in that area and go shopping at Ross & Don Quijote before heading back. We also were able to stop by the Mobile Truck location of Leonard’s for Malasadas. I got a Li-Hing Mui, Haupia & Custard ($6.35USD).
Megabon Festival is a giant outdoor festival that hosts loads of vendors from local artisans, food and live entertainment that is focused on showcasing Japanese culture in the arts. It is a way of rekindling the fading traditions of bon dance in Hawaii. It was massive and fun to walk through. During our time at the festival, we were able to see a full double rainbow where one side finished right in the middle of the festival at the main stage.
So many food options but I decided on Kealoha Seafoods “DaHub” – Hawaiian Fish & Chips ($18USD). As the sun went down, we were waiting for the others to join us. We made it into the centre and joined in on the Bon Dancing. Basically, the main stage had different Japanese performing groups take the stage and showcase their dances from each region they represented. The public was welcome to join in and try to dance as well. Luckily John & Pua came in and broke down the dancing steps for us and we had a great time dancing.
To end the night, there was a Megabon Drone Show that lasted 8 minutes.
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Tammy, Toby, Peter, Paula & myself had booked Hanauma Bay for this day. It was $25USD/pp. You have to book in advanced online (reservations can be made 2 days in advanced starting at 7AM (HST)) and there are timeslots. We chose the 2nd timeslot for the day at 710AM. Last entry to the bay is 130PM. Make sure to get there on time and bring a form of ID. It is $3USD for parking.
When you get there, you line up, check-in, go through orientation before you are able to enter. You can either walk down or take the trolley down.
Peter, Paula & myself rented snorkel fins, mask & life jackets ($45USD/pp). I highly recommend booking an earlier time as you can stay all day if you like and it is also quieter earlier in the day. We saw loads of coral and many different types of sea creatures. We were snorkelling around for a good while but I got nauseous because I was focussing too hard on a small action camera while underwater trying to capture footage. I ended up just baking in the sun for many hours and walking around this peaceful beach while the rest did a few more rounds of snorkelling.
We met up with the rest of the group for sunset at the China Walls. It was absolutely stunning. Parking in the local streets during this timeframe is difficult – we were lucky to spot someone leaving and parked on Hanapepe Loop. You walk down this dead end street to see some bodies flying in the air jumping into the waters. You have to walk down (which can be slippery) on the rocks where you can sit and watch people jump into the waters and also surfing the waves that crash against the rocks. Please be cautious as jumping into the waters here can be quite dangerous. There was one man who didn’t look like a local who jumped in and he came out with his shorts ripped and badly injured. Besides that, if you are there just for the vibes, this is the spot to watch the sun set.
For a nightcap, we ended up back at Ala Moana Mall and had happy hour (4-7PM & drink specials Sun-Thurs 8-11PM) Mai Tai’s at Mai Tai’s on the 4th floor of the mall near California Pizza.
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Ala Moana Mall also has a food hall called the Lanai besides it’s massive food court. We had Teppanyaki Farmer for lunch. I got the Steak Roll ($19.37USD). For a sweet treat, I got a keiki cone from Sweet As. I got the coconut ice cream base blended with Lilikoi ($8.38USD). This day was a pure shopping day. We (Tammy, Toby, Peter, Paula & myself) did a bit more shopping at the mall before stopping by a few other spots to pick up final items to bring home. Don Quijote is always a fun place to visit. I was able to taste and share the beloved Bubbies Ice Cream mochi. We also stopped by Walmart & Costco (this was probably the 4th time and I knew where everything was at this point).
For dinner, we went to MonkeyPod to celebrate Peter’s birthday. I ordered the Bartender Special drink ($18USD) & the Fresh Island Fish Sandwich ($25USD). We ended the night nearby at Karaoke GS Studio.
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We had a late night but I was determined for one last solo sunrise/early morning dip before flying out later that day. I walked over to Magic Island with wonderful slow morning vibes and the sun doing its thing and changing colours. I practically had the little inlet beach to myself with some seniors around getting their morning steps in.
Had lunch with Tammy & Toby at Marugame Udon. The Ice Matcha was delicious and the Curry Nikutama udon ($14.50USD) was fantastic. I also got a few fried tempura sides ($2-5USD ea). We ended up walking around that area before walking over to Ala Moana.
We met back up at Ala Moana for final goodbyes to Melissa & Juan. We had Bingsu from OnaOna. I got the Injeolmi (13USD). Final bits of shopping for everyone. I gathered my things before the crew also dropped me off at the airport. Since I got there a bit early, I was able to hang with Melissa & Juan before they took off.
I said my goodbyes and off I went to Vancouver.
