Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach Park

Just west of the Hale'iwa Small Boat Harbor is a beach park that is not as popular as most others nearby. Found in the heart of O'ahu's North Shore, this is a spot that residents frequent more than tourists. Just like most O'ahu beaches, there is a nice sandy shoreline, but it has a rocky ocean bottom just off the coast. It is known less for swimming and more for kayaking, snorkeling, and fishing. The surf spot known as Hale'iwa's is located just offshore. It is good for longboarding in the summer, but it can get huge in the winter.

John K. Kalili Hale'iwa Surf Center is located at the park and helps give local Hawaiian youth the opportunity to surf the waves of their hometown. Large monkeypod trees provide shade but also drop a ton of their sticky pods. Outrigger canoes, stand-up paddleboards and various other crafts frequent the area thanks to its relative protection from heavy shorebreak. There are rental shops at Hale'iwa Beach Park.

Hale'iwa is the mecca of the North Shore. This is the town that saw the rise of big wave surfing in the 1960s and has never looked back. It still has the small surf-town charm and has never relinquished its status as the center of surfing lore.