Empty Cooler and Water Shoes: North Shore Pūpūkea to Kahuku Road Trip

 

 

A lifelong townie, I don’t drive outside of Honolulu much, so most of the North Shore remains a mystery to me. But a recent trip on the North Shore Huaka‘i shuttle, which brings people to explore and support businesses in Hale‘iwa and Waialua, got me wondering about other neighborhoods up there. So my boyfriend Alex and I head up H-2 on a Saturday.

 

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Kōlea Farm Stand

9:30 a.m.

Our first stop takes us uphill on Pūpūkea Road to Kōlea Farm Stand, a tent and tables set up on the grass. We’re told the stand usually has more variety, but to us, the bananas, lemons, limes, tangerines, avocados, lychee and other fruits look like plenty. A lady in a passing car asks if they have jackfruit today, which they don’t.

 

 

We grab a couple tangerines ($2.50/lb) but commit to the lychee ($7/lb). They burst with juice as we crack open the spiny shells and are meaty with puny seeds. As much as I love lychee, I didn’t even know it grew on O‘ahu. And Hilo lychee is $10/lb in Chinatown. The tangerines are sweet as well, with quite a few seeds.

 

Tip: Pack a cooler to keep your fruit fresh for the rest of the day.

 

Farm stand open Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 59-075 Pūpūkea Road, Hale‘iwa, kolea-farm.com, @kolea_farm

 

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Shark’s Cove

10:15 a.m.

I’ve heard Shark’s Cove is the place to see fish and marine life, so we park down the road and walk back to Pūpūkea Beach Park. Tons of tide pools line the beach. A sign tells us about these Kapo‘o Tide Pools and its creatures and reminds us to respect the marine life and habitats.

 

 

You’ll need water shoes to explore the tide pools. Bring snorkel gear too, if you have. Today, the overcast sky dims the pools and makes it hard to see much, though we glimpse small fish here and there. I’d love to come back on a sunny day.

 

Open daily 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Pūpūkea Beach Park, 59-727 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa

 

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Kahuku Farms Café

11:30 a.m.

The good things I hear about Kahuku Farms Café turn out to be right. Everything on the menu is made with farm-fresh ingredients; even the açaí is grown and processed here.

 

 

We order the farm pizza and side salad ($15.50) and an açaí bowl ($13). Alex prefers meat, but one bite of the vegetarian pizza and he’s impressed. With eggplant and tomato slices, mozzarella and basil macadamia nut pesto, the bruschetta is thick and chewy, savory and hearty. The salad is crunchy and tangy with liliko‘i balsamic dressing.

 

 

The açaí bowl is topped with apple banana, granola, house-made liliko‘i butter and mac nut crumble. We dig the zing from the liliko‘i butter, a unique touch that sets this bowl apart.

 

 

In the gift shop, we find the liliko‘i balsamic dressing, liliko‘i butter and mac nut crumble. Since Alex’s mom asked for omiyage to give to friends, we load up and discover you get a free small cooler tote if you spend $65 or more.

 

There’s plenty of parking and seating, plus restrooms and lawn games. Surrounded by greenery and beds of herbs and flowers, this is a nice place to chill. You can even bring a blanket to picnic.

 

Open Thursday to Monday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 56-800 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, kahukufarms.com, @kahukufarms

 

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Kuilima Cove

1 p.m.

The plan was to hit up Sunset Beach, but there’s no open parking. There is free parking for the nearby beach at The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay—look for the signs to the free public lot—so we head there instead.

 

Normally, Kuilima Cove, which is reef-protected, is ideal for snorkeling. Today, it’s cloudy and windy, so we walk around the hotel, admiring the interior design and enjoying the AC.

 

This is a good beach for kids and a solid alternative if you can’t find parking at other beaches.

 

The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay, 57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, ritzcarlton.com, @ritzcarltonoahuturtlebay

 

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Kuilima Farm Stand

1:30 p.m.

We passed by Kuilima Farm Stand and Kula Shave Ice on the way to Turtle Bay, so we turn back. Kula’s syrups are homemade and organic. Its menu offers fan-favorite combos, or you can choose your own toppings, a filling and one or two syrup flavors.

 

 

The Soul Sweet comes with strawberry and coconut-matcha syrups, homemade mochi and condensed milk. It’s $12.50, but there is a 10% kama‘āina discount, and it’s big enough to share. Flavors of fresh strawberry and coconut come through strong, and the mochi is super fresh and soft. With so much syrup, the ice melts fast, so we slurp the rest.

 

 

Kuilima Farm Stand has its own little shop with locally sourced gourmet foods and souvenirs. We browse neighboring stands too, seeing papayas, dragon fruits, soursop, bananas and more. Alex grabs a $1 banana lumpia at Chue’s Farm Fruit Stand, a crunchy little post-treat treat.

 

Kuilima Farm Stand open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 57-146 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, kuilimafarm.com, @kuilimafarm

Kula Shave Ice North Shore open daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., kulashaveicenorthshore.com, @kulashaveicens

Chue’s Farm Fruit Stand, open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

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Kahuku Sugar Mill

2:15 p.m.

Our last stop is the Kahuku Sugar Mill, where we’ll grab food for dinner later. The mill has been converted into a dining hub with a plethora of food trucks serving everything from local plate lunch and garlic shrimp and poke to Thai, Mexican, pizza and burgers. It takes 10 minutes just to check out all the options.

 

 

Looking for something we don’t have in town, Taro Hut catches my eye. It’s known for smash burgers with taro buns, but I veer toward the taro fries ($5.50), which are super addicting—crispy and nicely salted with a satisfying, starchy chew.

 

 

I also pick up a Seven Brothers burger. The Spencer (single patty $14) is loaded up with bacon, jalapeños, Swiss cheese and a huge onion ring. It’s surprisingly peppery with a good amount of spice, though the onion ring makes it hard to get a full bite. A solid burger, though I’d get onion rings separately next time. We each take a bite, then pack it up for the ride home.

 

Kahuku Sugar Mill, 56-565 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku

Taro Hut open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., tarohut.com, @tarohut

Seven Brothers open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., sevenbrothersburgers.com, @sevenbrothers

 

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By 3:30 p.m., we’re on our way home, taking the lush, meandering route along the coast and down through Kāne‘ohe. With locally grown fruit, locally made food products, dinner and a touch of sunburn, we have plenty to remember our North Shore trip by.

 

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Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.