The North Shore of Oahu is likely most famous as a surfing destination. Experienced surfers seek the big waves of the North Shore beaches in the winter when the swells are at their highest (30 ft!), and the region continues to draw surfers during the summer months when beginners can try their hand at milder waves. Even if your family isn’t interested in surfing, though, the North Shore has a lot to offer.
What to See and Do in the North Shore
Beaches
Within our family, there are very different opinions on visiting beaches. Some of us love the beach and could happily stay there all day, all week. Some of us would rather have sand forcibly scraped into our eyeballs than spend more than a couple of hours there. To keep the peace, our family generally makes beach excursions to locations that also have interesting snorkeling spots, an abundance of shells, tidal pools, or anything else that will keep the non-beach lovers busy while the beach lovers have a few hours to soak it up. That said, if your family unilaterally wants to relax or play at the beach, the North Shore has many beautiful options to choose from.
Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach)
If, however, you are looking for something unique that will keep even the grumpiest of beach goers happy, then you are looking for Laniakea Beach, also known as Turtle Beach. The name pretty much sells itself here. The beach is a popular feeding site for Hawaiian green sea turtles (in Hawaiian: honu). Not only do the turtles known swim in the shallow water here, but they also move onto the beach to rest and bask in the sun.
On our visit to Laniakea, we first noticed a few fenced off spots where turtles had laid eggs. Signage on the nests warned people to keep their distance to give the baby turtles the best chance of survival. We had arrived shortly after 9:30 AM, and we weren’t expecting to see turtles on the beach yet. However, as we walked further towards the cove, we saw a small group of people hovering by the water, and a turtle was feeding just a few feet away. The turtle’s shell blended in with the rocky shore and would have been difficult to spot if we hadn’t been looking for it. Volunteers from a local organization were also on hand to make sure no one got too close and to answer any questions about the honu.
We stayed about two hours at Laniakea Beach. We waited to see if any more turtles came close to shore or on the beach, but no more arrived after the first one moved further out to sea. The beach had lots of tidepools to explore, though, as well as a rocky cove with hundreds of black crabs, which kept the non-beach lovers busy for a bit until we decided to head out for some lunch (scroll down for more on that!). Although we didn’t get to see any honu basking on the sand, we were still pleased to see one at all. No amount of books or ocean documentaries on sea turtles will ever rival our experiences, memories, and own videos of seeing a turtle for ourselves in its natural habitat, and we hope that you are blessed with the opportunity to see them one day, too!
When to visit Turtle Beach?
From what I have researched, the turtles visit less frequently with the big waves of winter, so the best chance to see them is in the summer months. I also read on multiple travel sites that the best time to see them sunbathing is between 11 AM and 1 PM. We weren’t able to stay until 1 PM to find out if that timeframe proved true, but if you have a short amount of time to spare, it may be worthwhile to aim for late morning to early afternoon. Always keep in mind that you may not see turtles leave the water or even any turtles whatsoever. Of course, if you have the time, you can increase your chance of sightings by coming for a longer period of time or visiting on multiple occasions.
TRAIL TIP: When we visit places where we may see animals in their natural habitat, perspective is key. The unpredictability of wildlife sightings is what makes them worth the effort for our family because maybe, just maybe, we could see an animal we’ve studied in books and on screens actually living in the wild. Worst-case scenario, we see no wildlife at all but still have a fun adventure!
Other Tips for Visiting Laniakea Beach
- Parking—The parking lot for Laniakea Beach is unassuming to say the least. It’s just a dirt lot across the road from the beach. It fills up quickly, so you may have trouble finding a spot if you arrive later in the day.
- Turtle safety—Keep your distance! In snorkeling excursions, we’ve been told to stay at least 6 feet from marine wildlife, so we did the same at Turtle Beach.
Dole Pineapple Plantation
On the route between the Honolulu region and the North Shore, you will likely pass the Dole Pineapple Plantation. We chose to stop here on our way back to our resort. The plantation has a large store filled with all kinds of pineapple treats, other Dole merchandise, and some local products. We recommend the Dole whips (pineapple soft serve) for a cool treat on a hot day—just prepare for rapid melting!
The plantation has a garden area outside the store with a variety of pineapples at different growing stages. At the time we visited, it was free to walk through the gardens around the store. There were a number of paid activities available including a pineapple garden maze, a tour of the garden, and a twenty-minute narrated train ride around the plantation. We didn’t choose to do any of the paid activities because the kids needed a rest by the time we arrived, and it wasn’t a must-do for anyone in our party. They might be fun things to add to your itinerary if your family is interested and timing works out better for you. Check out Dole’s Plantation website for more details: https://www.doleplantation.com/.
Where to Eat in the North Shore
The town of Haleiwa, just a five-minute drive south of Laniakea Beach, is known for a thriving food truck scene. We were able to find two popular locations with multiple trucks with a quick search in our favorite navigation app. The location we stopped at had a shrimp and seafood truck, a crepes truck, a truck with a variety of Asian-inspired food, and a truck with fresh fruit. We sampled a few different options and enjoyed it all. If you are in Haleiwa, this is a fun way to support some local businesses and try a few kinds of foods at once.
There are also a lot of other restaurants in Haleiwa if you are looking for more choices. If we had more time, we would have checked out Seven Brothers (burgers), Kono’s Northshore restaurant (breakfast and lunch), or Banzai Bowls (acai bowls). All in all, you’ll find no shortage of food options in Haleiwa; your hardest decision will be which place to choose!
Where to Stay
We did not stay in the North Shore area when we visited. We stayed at Disney’s Aulani resort in Ko Olina, which was about 45 minutes from Haleiwa and a little over 30 minutes from the Dole Pineapple Plantation. If you are staying in Honolulu, the drive will also take you around 45 minutes to Haleiwa, and it is about an hour from Waikiki to Haleiwa. We found that staying more centrally located on the island was helpful since we wanted to travel to the eastern and western sides for short excursions.
If you are hoping to stay in the North Shore region specifically, there are some beach side resorts scattered around the coast, a few hotel options in Haleiwa, and some vacation rentals as well, but overall, there are fewer options here compared to Honolulu and Waikiki, so plan well in advance. We would recommend staying at Aulani if you have young kids or if you are Disney fans regardless of age, and you can read our post about it here (coming soon).
Is a Family Trip to the North Shore Worth It?
The North Shore is worth at least a day trip if you are staying on Oahu. If we had more time, we would have explored the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, some of the other farms or ranches in the area (Kahuku Farms grow a variety of local foods and CLIMB Works Keana Farms have ziplines and horseback riding that would be fun for older kids), or more of the North Shore’s beautiful beaches. Even with a limited timeframe, you can still see enough to soak up the laid-back atmosphere of island and surfing life alike.
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