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Secret Beach: Turtle Bay to Kahuku Golf Course
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Psychedelic pools - Photo by Chris Walker
Almost all of Oahu's beaches can get very crowded, but there's a nice long stretch of sand at Oahu's northern tip that's almost completely deserted. It's a wonderful place for a stroll and a dip in the ocean. The drive to it from Honolulu is long, but you can relax with a Mai Tai at the Turtle Bay Resort when you're done.
There are two ways to drive to this beach. If you want to start at the Turtle Bay resort, take H1 westbound and then H2 northbound. As the freeway ends near Wahiawa, follow the signs for the north shore, passing Schofield Barracks on the left, and when the road splits take the right fork heading towards Haleiwa. Go around Haleiwa on the bypass highway and continue on the north shore, passing Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach before reaching the resort. Use the guest parking at the resort and head for the beach. Or, to start at the Kahuku side, Take the Likelike Hwy to Kaneohe, turn left on Kahekili and drive all the way up the beautiful windward side, past Kualoa Ranch, Punaluu, Hauula, and Laie to Kahuku. Turn right on Puuluana and park near the golf course. You'll have to run across a fairway to reach the beach. (You should also take this route if there is a surfing contest going on on the north shore which slows traffic there down to a crawl.)
I think the best way to do this hike is by starting at Kahuku and going one way to Turtle Bay where you could have another car waiting. It's too long of a hike (8 miles) to go the whole distance and back. If you can't have a car on both ends, I'd recommend going half way from the Turtle Bay side.
Starting from Kahuku, the beach is wild and windswept, and you will probably see a lot of interesting debris on the beach. Look for glass balls which used to be used to float nets. You will pass a wildlife refuge on your left. Most of the time you can walk on grass or rock rather than sand, which is a good idea since walking on sand can tires you out quickly. There aren't many places suitable for swimming yet.
At about the halfway point you reach the exposed reef shown in the picture. I love this kind of sculpted rock with the many pinnacles and bowl shapes. A great place to eat your lunch and take closeup photos of the natural architecture. It's not really as colorful as it looks in the picture; I added some special effects in Photoshop to enhance the psychedlic look of this spot. (Check back later for an article on hiking photography.)
After this point the beach starts to become less windswept. At about the three mile point you reach Oahu's northern tip, Kahuku point. Unless the tide is very high the reef is exposed here and you can walk quite far out from the beach. That is well worth doing; it's a visual feast. Wear reef-walking shoes, called tabis. From here you can see the Turtle Bay resort. Continuing on, there is one spot where there is an opening in the rocks that line the shore, and you can swim in a wonderful protected cove. Soon after your swim you can enjoy your Mai Tai at the hotel.
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