We always take the long route and drive the HWY 83 all around the east side of the island to get to the North Shore – who needs shortcuts when you are on vacation.

Taking a photo of the Hale’iwa sign is a must even though it is on the highway but police tend to look the other way if you are doing it responsibly.

Hale’iwa is a historic surf town that is the cultural hub of the North Shore. When we had first visited 10 years ago, there was not much to look at, but the town has grown to have quite a few little shops and a multitude of restaurants.

You must stop and take a photo of the Colette Miller wings that is outside the Anahulu Shave Ice shop right on the Kamehameha Hwy. It is part of the GLOBAL ANGEL WINGS project created back in 2012.

Our favourite North Shore Beach is Waimea Bay where we spent hours watching the swells crash in.

If you have the time, visit the Waimea Valley right across the road. We did not visit on this trip, but have in the past and took many beautiful photos in the botanical gardens, archaeological sites and of the Waihi Waterfall.

There are also some ruins along the northern drive of HWY 83 that have always intrigued me, so we decided to purposefully stop this trip. I am not sure how the locals feel about it, but the juxtaposition between the graffiti and the jungle was amazing.

You can not visit the North Shore without staying to watch the sunset, so we went back to Waimea Bay to snap some shots. There is a lava cave that made for an interesting composition that the designer in me could not resist.

Sunsets always seem the most vibrant in Hawaii. Aloha!