When you exit The Valley of the Temples you’ll turn left onto Kahekili Hwy which will merge onto Kamehameha Hwy.  This highway will literally take you all the way to the North Shore. Keep heading down the road for about 3.5 miles and you’ll see …

**Waiahole Poi Factory**

If you’re looking for some authentic yummy hawaiian food, stop your car and get some of the best on the island right here.

**Kualoa Beach**

Chinaman’s Hat is located 0.3 miles from the shore.  And the beach park is huge, making it a great place for camping or weekend BBQ’s with the whole family.

**Kualoa Ranch**

Right across the street you can visit Kualoa Ranch.  The ranch offers horseback riding and ATV riding through the most beautiful valleys.  You can take a Movie Tour and visit some of the sites of where movies like Jurassic Park, 50 first dates, Mighty Joe Young, Lost and if you’re lucky a filming in progress.  They even have a cafe to purchase lunch or a snack.

**Ka’a’awa Beach**

This is the beach that I grew up going to with my family.  We’d wake up before the sunrise, stop off at the store and buy all the foods and drinks we need for the entire day that we had planned for the beach.  We’d meet up with my dads family and have the best time from sunrise to sunset.

**Polynesia Cultural Center**

The PCC is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations to visit here on Oahu on the Windward Side.  Here you’ll be able to experience the different cultures of the Polynesian people.  They’ve built a park where within they’ve designated “villages” to represent Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti etc.  It can be an all day activity by doing all of this, or you can just attend the Luau and evening show called “Ha- breath of life”.  Even if this is a tourist attraction, me and my kids love to spend the day here.

Well, that’s it guys.  I hope you enjoyed these post on the Windward Side of Oahu. It’s very laid back in comparison to the other side of the island where you’ll find the hustle and bustle of life and I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else.

Hi guys!  It’s a beautiful Friday morning and in just about 4 hours It’ll be the weekend for me!!!!  I hope you all enjoyed Part 1 of these posts, I love where I live and am so excited to tell you of some of the beautiful places in my hometown of Kaneohe.  I truly believe that I live in the most beautiful town on this island.  We have the Ko’olau Mountain range on one side and then Kaneohe bay on the other.  I’m grateful (no matter how hard it is financially to live here), that I get to wake up every morning to the sun kissing the mountains. To really see the whole beauty of our little town head on up to the Pali Lookout.

***Pali Lookout***

Going up to the Pali Lookout will give you the best view of Kaneohe, and even further actually.  The gates open at 8am, and I recommend going at this time because the morning sun along with the low clouds will give you such a calming feeling.

***Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden***

We have a botanical garden, which is really a beautiful place if you have kids.  There are huge grassy areas to picnic and for the kids to run around, a pond where you’re able to fish and feed the ducks and some times you’ll even come across peacocks and pigs.  Another place that provides relaxation.

^^ My daughter and niece fishing^^

***The Stairway to Heaven***

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never been to the top.  In high school and right out of high school I’ve tried to get up pretty far but never did.  I know tons of people that have done it and say that it’s the best feeling and that it is one of the most beautiful views they’ve ever seen.

Here’s the view from the bottom.  It goes allllll the way up!

***Kaneohe Sandbar***

The sandbar is a popular destination for locals.  It can get pretty crowded on holidays but even on a typical weekend you’ll find locals with their boats, hibachis and jetski’s out there having a great time. If you’re visiting you’ll have to find a way out there and when you do you’ll be in heaven.

Image source

***Valley of the Temples***

I love visiting this place.  A few loved ones are buried here so it’s nice to visit and leave flowers and then visit the temple.  Definitely another serene place that I recommend.

Image source for the above 5 photos

It’s been great sharing some of the beautiful places from my home town with you all.  I’m glad I did because sometime it’s easy to take for granted all of the beauty in the world.  You get so distracted by the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take a look around and breath and relax.  I’m very fortunate to have these places to run to if ever I need a nice break from all the chaos.

In part 3 I’ll be finishing up with the remaining cities on the windward side of Oahu.