North Shore - the "true" Hawaii

Or so you read in the guide books and see on signs prominently posted at various points on that side of the island. Now it is certainly no more "true" a Hawaii than what we saw in Hilo, Maui or Kaua'i, but I can understand why residents of Oahu want to make sure a tourist gets beyond Honolulu and Waikiki beach to see their true version of this island paradise. We headed off in search of Turtle Bay, both a beach and now a famous resort, residing at the northern tip of the island. It takes about an hour to get there, and we passed the Dole Plantation and lots of pineapple country on the way. As Waikiki is on the southern side of the island, we basically took a highway (which turns from 6 lane bona fide to 2 lane coastline hugging) straight through the island. We had lunch there in a charming restaurant right on the beach, where you can choose from inside tables or those literally sitting on the sand. After an hour with the top down in the convertible, we opted for inside :)

My trusted Fodor's promised that the producers often used the 48 acre property of Turtle Bay to film scenes from Lost, especially beach and cove scenes. They also promised that further west on the island, if we opted to drive that far, we would come across a secluded beach, where we "might see no other living person for hours," that is also a favorite filming spot for beach scenes on Lost. While recognizing the beaches was a bonus, finding a secluded spot was a priority... so off we went. When we arrived, we found this spot is also a favorite of windsurfers, who happily rode the waves off the shore. Still, their presence hardly made us feel crowded. And within a minute of setting feet on sand, we saw evidence of the other selling point of Mokule'ia Beach - sea turtles are abundant here. They are enormous. And they swim and frolic right next to the small rocks (the non-selling point) that cover the shore. We must have seen 7 or 8 over the couple of hours we were there enjoying "all the joy of being stranded on a deserted island without the trauma of the plane crash." Honestly, how can anyone not appreciate Fodor's? :) After a faded rainbow in the distance offered a clue we should pack up and get out, we finally left the beach under a light shower of fresh rain and headed back to civilization aka the "fake" Hawaii.

Dinner was back in Honolulu at 12th Avenue Grill, which advertised "modern" Hawaiian food. Not sure what that is, but it sure was tasty. This morning (it's just after 6:00 now), I will wake the family and we will head off to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. Maddie, who just studied it this past year, and Dana are giddy with excitement. I'm a bit apprehensive, especially given that we can't walk into an elevator in this part of the island without being surrounded by Japanese. I'm ready to surrender already. Kidding, of course, but it is quite a phenomenon. Hmmmmm..... maybe that's what they mean when they say the North Shore is the "true" Hawaii. :) Until tomorrow. The photos are from Turtle Bay and our own secluded Mokule'ia (as well as one of the "county," as the North shore is known, we passed on the way home and of Maddie and Daniel passing the time in the back seat :)