A Trip to the North Shore to see the world famous Banzai Pipeline

We awoke to rain showers and cloudy skies and were glad we went swimming yesterday. We decided to spend the day seeing more of the island. We headed up the east coast thinking we'd return to swim if the weather improved. We looked out for Giovanni's Shrimp Shack - one of the most popular in the guide book, but hunger prompted us to stop at the Yellow Shrimp Shack - a canary yellow caravan with a smiling woman who invited us to make our order and sit inside our out. I opted for coconut shrimp and Dunc went for the garlic prawns - suck, peel and dip. Those of you who know Duncan, know that he is somewhat fastidious and was slightly uncomfortable with these instructions. He didn't suck, but he did peel and dip. Fortunately I had my trusty Wet Ones wipes and came to his rescue at the end of the meal. The shrimp was delicious and we sat at roadside tables outside Ching's (general store) with tourists and a few locals.

Next stop, a local fruit stand at the edge of a small tropical fruit farm. There were several sellers but we chose to patronize only a couple. One young boy and his mother won the prize for the best personalities and friendliest service. They were chopping coconuts with a machete and serving a group of Korean tourists who arrived on a small tour bus. The bus driver was obviously well known to them, he chattered and passed out slices of mango. Every passenger was drinking cold coconut milk right out of the husks with a straw and though we passed it up at first, even we decided to try some - it looked like so much fun. It was refreshing, and the boy obliged by excavating the flesh for us to take home. I asked the woman how to prepare it and she said - just eat it. I grated it on the salad I made from their delicious juicy mango and pineapple slices, topped with a passion fruit and lemon dressing I concocted spontaneously. Yum!

The Banzai Pipeline is nonexistent except during winter. This is the place where the coolest surfers flock in winter to catch the most dangerous waves. The surf boils and waves roll and look like pipes. Risk-taking surfers keep the life guards very busy, and a local shopkeeper told us it's like a circus in the town for three months. We saw a few swimmers in the calm waters, but enjoyed spending two hours in Hale'iwa, a town that reminded us of Hanale'i on Kuai'i. Lots of T-shirt shops, technicolour shaved ices and juice bars. We did our Christmas shopping, in search of the coolest gear for our Kiwi relations, whom we will join in December at the end of our trip.
Click link to view map: http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Haleiwa,+HI,+United+States&hl=en&ll=21.588489,-158.112488&spn=1.054743,1.766052&sll=21.474795,-157.738953&sspn=0.527792,0.883026&vpsrc=6&hnear=Haleiwa,+Honolulu,+Hawaii,+United+States&t=h&z=9