At last you'll come to the historic town of Hale'iwa, the quintessential beach and surf town on the North Shore. This quaint locale is a mecca for beach goers, surfers, fishing enthusiasts, craftsmen, artists, clothiers, visitors, and locals. It's the perfect place to park from your North Shore drive and take a walk down the town's main street with its art galleries, boutiques, cafes and surf shops.
The prevailing architecture style in Hale'iwa is paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) style with many of the structures built in the early 1900s. The rustic charm of Hale'iwa ("house of the frigate bird") remains, although its roadside stands and hand-painted signs now compete with restaurants and surf shops.
You'll find a wide range of art for sale in Haleiwa from the most expensive glass, paintings and pottery to more affordable locally-made arts and crafts. In many of the galleries you can meet and talk to the artists themselves. Be sure to stop in one of the surf shops to see the wide assortment of merchandise for sale as well as some classic Hawaiian surfboards.
Stop by the M. Matsumoto Grocery Store for shave ice - better known on the mainland as a snow cone or water ice. If you're looking for a more substantial meal, Heleiwa has numerous small restaurants where you can get a snack or plate lunch as well as two larger restaurants, Haleiwa Joe's Seafood Grill and Jameson's by the Sea that both have bar service, and full lunch and dinner menus that include excellent locally caught fresh fish.
Haleiwa has two excellent beaches, both popular with surfers - Hale'iwa Beach Park (north side) and Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach Park (south side). If you've driven to the North Shore by Central Oahu, here's where you'll get a good idea if the north shore surf is up.
