Oahu - Hawaii with Kids - page 125

routing on neighborhood streets. Try McCully Street off Ala Wai Boulevard,
which is always crowded but usually the most direct route.
Once you're on H-1, stay to the right side; the freeway tends to divide
abruptly. Keep following the signs for the H-1 (it separates off to Hwy. 78 at the
airport and reunites later on; either way will get you there), then the H-1/H-2.
Leave the H-1 where the two “interstates” divide; take the H-2 up the middle of
the island, heading north toward the town of Wahiawa. That's what the sign will
say—not North Shore or Haleiwa, but Wahiawa.
The H-2 runs out and becomes a two-lane country road about 18 miles out-
side downtown Honolulu, near Schofield Barracks (see later in this chapter).
The highway becomes Kamehameha Highway (Hwy. 99 and later Hwy. 83) at
Wahiawa. Just past Wahiawa, about a half-hour out of Honolulu, the Dole
Pineapple Plantation, 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy. ( & 808/621-8408;
www.dole-plantation.com; bus: 52), offers a rest stop and activities for all ages,
not to mention lots of pineapples, pineapple history, pineapple trinkets, and
pineapple juice. It's open daily from 9am to 6pm; plan to spend at least an hour
(and maybe more) here, not only to see this agricultural exhibit/retail area but
also to let the kids loose on the activities like the “maze,” where kids try to fig-
ure out just how to get to the middle. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for chil-
dren ages 4 to 12 (ages 3 and under are free). Another great kids' attraction is
the Pineapple Express, a single-engine diesel locomotive with four cars that takes
a 22-minute tour around 2 1 ⁄ 4 miles of the plantation's grounds, with an educa-
tional spiel on the legacy of pineapple and agriculture in Hawaii. The first tour
departs at 9:30am, and the last tour gets back to the station at 5:20pm. Cost is
$7.50 for adults, $5.50 for children 4 to 12 (ages 3 and under are free). There's
also a self-guided Plantation Garden tour, which winds through the various
crops that have been grown on Oahu's North Shore; the cost is $3.50 for adults
and $2.50 for children. “Kam” Highway, as everyone calls it, will be your road
for most of the rest of the trip to Haleiwa.
SURF CITY: HALEIWA
Only 28 miles from Waikiki is Haleiwa, the funky ex-sugar-plantation town
that's the world capital of big-wave surfing. This beach town really comes alive
in winter, when waves rise, light rain falls, and temperatures dip into the 70s;
then, it seems, every surfer in the world is here to see and be seen.
Officially designated a historic cultural and scenic district, Haleiwa thrives in
a time warp recalling the turn of the 20th century, when it was founded by sugar
baron Benjamin Dillingham. He built a 30-mile railroad to link his Honolulu
and North Shore plantations in 1899. He opened a Victorian hotel overlooking
Kaiaka Bay and named it Haleiwa, or “house of the Iwa,” the tropical seabird
often seen here. The hotel and railroad are gone, but Haleiwa, which was redis-
covered in the late 1960s by hippies, resonates with rare rustic charm. Tofu, not
taro, is a staple in the local diet. Arts and crafts, boutiques, and burger stands line
both sides of the town. There's also a busy fishing harbor full of charter boats and
captains who hunt the Kauai Channel daily for tuna, mahimahi, and marlin.
Once in Haleiwa, the hot and thirsty family should report directly to the
nearest shave-ice stand, like Matsumoto Shave Ice , 66-087 Kamehameha
Hwy. ( & 808/637-4827 ). For 40 years, this small, humble shop operated by the
Matsumoto family has served a popular rendition of the Hawaii-style snow cone
flavored with tropical tastes. The cooling treat is also available at neighboring
stores, some of which still shave the ice with a hand-cranked device.