Hawaii Diary 2000
Part 5: Oahu's Leeward Shore - Waianae, Makaha and Kaena Point
There are areas of Hawaii that remain largely undiscovered by the vast majority of tourists to the islands. Often this occurs simply because the area is not well known and largely left unreported in the tour guides. In other instances, there are areas which simply are a bit too remote and which often appear uninviting.
Oahu's Leeward Shore is such an area. Few tourists ever make it around Barber's Point and Kapolei much less then drive north to Waianae, Makaha and Kaena Point.
Yokohama Beach
Photo by John Fischer
Kathy Durham led Eileen and I on a tour of the Leeward Shore today. Kathy is About.com's local Guide to Honolulu/Hawaii and a resident of West Oahu. You can't beat the knowledge of a local resident to show you around their home.
Our exploration of the Leeward Coast actually began by driving as far north as possible, where the Farrington Highway, Route 930, ends at Yokohama Beach, just a bit south of Kaena Point.
The coastline here is rough. Some of the oldest lava on Oahu can be found along this shore. The beaches are lovely but the surf is somewhat unpredictable and care must be taken when swimming or surfing in these waters especially in the winter months when the waves are considerably higher than they were today.
Makua Valley
Photo by John Fischer
Only a short drive south of Yokohama Beach lies the Makua Valley which was long used as a bombing range by the U.S. military. This valley and many of the lands on the Leeward Shore are considered to be very important to the Hawaiian people.
Next Page > Makua Bay and Kaneana Cave > Page 1, 2, 3
