It's not just the presence of some of Hawaii's best surf schools that make this town on the north side of Oahu a prime surfing destination. In its evolution from remote plantation to tourist destination, the city of 2,225 described by Outside magazine as "the anti-Waikiki" has lost none of its charms, and the waves still hit its shores in a way that makes even experienced riders say, "Dude!"
With a high sand-to-reef ratio and a low difficulty rating, new surfers can feel comfortable, too. Major surfer dude and singer Jack Johnson even wrote a song called "Haleiwa."
To get you in the mood, we've also got some footage from the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, held in Haleiwa in 2005, just after the jump.
A separatist group occupied the Iolani Palace in Honolulu yesterday, closing the landmark to tourists to protest the "occupation" of Hawaii by the United States. The peaceful demonstration by the Hawaiian Kingdom Government lasted about eight hours, and no arrests were made.
The group says it wants to reestablish the Iolani Palace as the seat of the islands' sovereign government. The HKG plans to reoccupy the grounds today, though the organization doesn't plan to lock people out like they did Wednesday. Still, might not be the best day to visit.
The palace was the residence of the last two Hawaiian monarchs and it's now a National Historic Landmark. When it's not being occupied, you can visit on a docent-led "Grand Tour" for $20 or just take a self-guided tour of some of the galleries for $6.
Aloha Surfergirls--yep, without the space--is a company that offers girls and women surfing lessons, both private and group, in four different locations--Los Angeles, San Diego, Costa Rica and Hawaii.
On Hawaii, the surf lesson locations are on Oahu and Maui. A nice touch? Wherever Aloha Surfergirls are surfing and teaching, they'll pick you up and drop you off:
One of our local team members will pick you up from your hotel and will bring you to the beach best suited for your surfing lesson. You will start with a half hour land lesson and then once you have all your techniques under your "bikini," we'll take you into the water for another fun and safe hour with the instructor. After your surf lesson you will be dropped off at your hotel.
Aloha Surfergirls can also conduct corporate events and themed parties like bachelorette and birthday parties so long as there are a minimum of 10 ladies.
Our only concern is how confusing the company's website is. For example, when you click on the Maui surf lessons, it says the surf lessons will take place on North or South Shore of Waikiki. That's on Oahu. So they could mean Maui's North Shore but it's not clear. We suggest calling Surfergirls at 858/427-0644 to avoid any confusion.
