Oahu's Leeward or Waianae Coast remains largely undiscovered by the vast majority of tourists to the island.
In part, this occurs simply because the area is not well known and ignored by the most popular guidebooks. For many visitors the area is simply too remote and appears uninviting. In recent years, a number of the beach parks have been home to many homeless people including entire working families who simply cannot afford housing and have no other options available.
Few tourists ever make it around Barber's Point, Ko Olina and Kapolei much less then drive north to Waianae, Makaha and Kaena Point.
In 2000, our good friend Kathy Durham took my wife and I on a tour of Oahu's Leeward Shore. At that time Kathy was About.com's Cities/Towns 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. I have since returned many times.
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, so care must be taken when swimming or surfing in these waters, especially in the winter months when the waves are considerably higher than in summer.
