Haleiwa took its name from a stately Victorian hotel built in 1898 by businessman Benjamin Dillingham at the North Shore end of his central Oahu railway line. The grand weekend getaway for wealthy Honoluluans is long gone. But the sleepy sugar plantation town that sprung up around it is now as world-renowned as the North Shore big wave surf spots it has become gateway to. During winter surf season, Haleiwa’s sidewalks, retailers, shave ice stands, eateries and surf and dive shops teem with a funky mix of residents, big wave watchers and professional surfers. When the big waves calm down the rest of the year, countrified Haleiwa is still the ideal big-city escape Dillingham hoped it would be—albeit for everyone.




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