An a Jamais Story: Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & North Shore

Swap Meet
Surrounding the perimeter of the Aloha Stadium, in two rows so as to form a full-circle isle, the Swap Meet provided an opportunity for great shopping at a cheaper price. In approximately three hours, we only had time to cover a quarter of the circumference. Yet, with that time we found more than we needed. While some shops were repeats, many were original and had many new and fun things to offer. At one store we found some fun turtle earrings for the Mrs., at another, Hawaiian attire for our family photo shoot. Another stand offered an awesome gift for someone special - at lease we think it's awesome. One even sold delightful tropical jam, and another sold quite tasty dried tropical fruits, nuts, and snacks. From knickknacks/trinkets, to clothing, to jewelry, to gifts for family or pet lovers, to food, this swap meet has just about everything. It is a must for those visiting the island on a Saturday!

Following our shopping venture, we headed East to the coast line and then followed that North to the North Shore area. (Please excuse the quality of pictures - I was trying to capture the beauty while the car was moving approximately 60 mph).

Look how green it is!

Driving up the east coast of Oahu was amazing. The ocean was right next to the highway for the majority of the time, with gorgeous, steep mountains quite close on the other side of the highway. It was truly remarkable.

North Shore
More quiet. More private. Less crowded. I loved our decision to spend the majority of our stay in a rental home near Sunset Beach. The home was newly remodeled and had a perfectly-placed backyard porch overlooking the ocean. From that porch, a small wooden staircase led down through the trees and broke onto the beach. No obstructed views! And for the majority of the time, the portion of beach directly behind the house was like a private family beach. We ran out and in as often as we desired to sun bathe, snorkel, wave jump, surf, boogie board, or relax.

A fun bonus on the North Shore is the yummy food carts/stands on the side of the highway. According to my dad, they had the best shrimp he had while on Oahu - but I can't vouch for that one so try it at your own risk. ;) Each vendor had their own hours so we came to understand that if we saw a place we wanted to try, it was best to stop and try it when we saw it or they might be closed later. Oh, and we had to have cash on hand - just in case.

Another beautiful site was the Laie, Hawaii Temple. Just like the popular pictures of the temple, it has a street lined with palm trees leading an unobstructed path to the temple from the main highway. So breathtaking. So peaceful. So happy. Such a great place to be.

Sunset Beach was not quite as calm as Waikiki beach, but still relatively smooth. Low tide was the most calm, and was present for the majority of our stay. The first day and the last day were were there gave us a glimpse of the strength of higher tide waves. Water is powerful! These high, roaring waves created the perfect opportunity for a game of last-man-standing. The 6-8 foot swells pushing rapidly toward beach players seemed like a (very) mini-tsunami to this land-bound girl. Yet, as these were still summer waves, not the famous North Shore surfing waves found in the Winter months, the ocean provided a safer yet adventurous place to play.

This smorgasbord of various days' beach activities courtesy of my father and his better camera.

Jenn standing on the back porch of our rental home. Talk about a perfect beach-side location! Just a few steps down and then the soft, warm sand envelopes your deprived feet.

Oh so much fun! The water was warm and beautiful. The area we were at (near Sunset Beach) had a small patch of good snorkeling. However, a short bike ride away was Shark's Cove, a beautiful location for snorkeling and diving, complete with a beautiful variety of sea life.