In 1899, the development of the Haleiwa Hotel and the extension of the Oahu Railroad led to a growth in Haleiwa's business community. This new form of transportation led guests from Honolulu, across pineapple and sugar cane fields, up to the northern end of the state, to the small town of Haleiwa. The half-day trip by train then was considered long, so Haleiwa was also known as the “real” vacation getaway, away from town, and out in the "country.". As more and more businesses began popping up for the tourists, tourism became the secondary source of family incomes, behind the Waialua Sugar Co.'s thriving business.

Today, Haleiwa is best known for it’s surfing and fishing. There is very little ‘big” business, and Haleiwa offers no resort hotels or gigantic tourist suck in’s. Haleiwa is in many ways the same as it was back in the 1800’s, quaint, unbuilt-up like most cities in the US, and easy to fall in love with because of it’s ease, sense of community, that’s without the hustle and bustle of every town in America.

As you coninue North past Haliewa, along the Kamehameha Hwy., you'll come across some of Oahu's most popular attractions, for hikers there’s Waimea Waterfall Park, the surfers have to stop and the Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, or Waimea Bay (if it’s breaking). Further along there’s the Turtle Bay Hilton, out on Kuhuku Point, and then if you keep along you’ll find the restored Kahuku Sugar Mill and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The drive around the island takes about 45-minutes if you’re in a hurry, but it’s well worth spending a day, and a good map to get it all in. Most of the best things you’ll find, and see, are the ones that are not on the maps!

The winter months of October thru the spring season in April, the North Shore of Oahu lights up with terrific northern swells, which bring gigantic waves of 5-25 feet. Mixed with tremendous amounts of water that is moving around, over shallow and very sharp reefs, the North Shore is known as the "proving grounds," for any and all of today's professional surfers. Actually, if you don't conquer the North Shore, any one pro surfer can count on their salaries capping off pretty low! It's the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing where these professional surfer are able to prove themselves each year.