Pua'ena Point: Peacocks, Palms, and Photos

I never would have considered a walk by, beside, or on the beach a hike before, but...it is.  Hike can be defined as a long walk in the country or wilderness.  So we will count the beach as wilderness.  I definitely consider the Northshore country, so there's that too.  And this walk/hike is listed officially on the AllTrails app...so I'd say it can be considered a hike for the purposes of this blog post.

I heard about this beach trail from another hiking momma and my hiking app on my phone.  There's not too much to this short trail.  It is located on O'ahu's wonderful Northshore.  If you are extra adventurous you may want to bring your surfboard or fishing pole to participate in some water activities after your beach hike.

And for those who think that a beach hike is a piece of cake...maybe a hard piece of fruit cake.  It's not as easy as you may want it to be...on your calves anyway.  Hiking through sand is no joke.  Hiking through sand in the humid and hot sun, even less of a joke.  But, bring your swimsuit and you can cool off at the semi-protected cove at the beginning of the "trailhead".

Mary (a.ka. my hiking/Instagram partner) and I parked in the paved parking area just to the side of Hale'iwa Beach Park.  There were lots of area surfers parked, some tourists, and us...the only ones dressed in head to toe hiking gear...headed to the beach.  We made our way to some trees and forest at the edge of the parking lot and proceeded in.  Immediately there are views of the Wai'anae Mountain Range all the way to Mokule'ia and beyond.  We got lucky with a sunny day in which to take in the rippling waters off Haleiwa.

A little further down and we passed by local fishermen.  And then it was just Mary and I at the edge of where the trees met the sand and the sand was infiltrating my shoes causing each step to be a little harder than the last as my feet began to weigh more and more with each sand filled step.  Note to self, some hiking can and should be done barefoot or with slippers.

I believe there is a way to do this same beach hike on some old paved road in the trees but of course we chose the harder, but more scenic route.  As we continued on even further down this completely deserted section of our island, we came across an old graffitied building. I had heard about the peacock on the side of this abandoned building on this hike, but now I was able to see it in person.  Originally this peacock could be viewed on the side of a surf shop in Hale'iwa town, but now, we were enjoying the blues and greens on our beach hike.  Oh the things you will see!
 

I have seen another of these painted peacocks on an urban walk (also hiking) through Kaka'ako (pictured: top, Pua'ena Point Peacock; middle, Pow Wow Hawaii Peacock; bottom, real live Malaekahana Peacock).

I love photographing peacocks!  I must feel a bit of a kindred spirit with this bird known as a symbol of pride and vanity.  See below photo for my own moment of peacockery, known as the selfie.

All in all, this short but sweat inducing beach hike was a great break from the typical heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, rock climbing hike I might normally fill my weekdays with.  This off the beaten path trail is great for hikers of all ages and abilities.  The path Mary and I took is not necessarily stroller friendly but it is definitely kid friendly as they will have plenty of open space to run wild and free, to expand their wings like a peacock!

Pua'ena Point Trail is convenient for those living in Central O'ahu and the Northshore of O'ahu.  It's a great spot to bring visiting out of town guests and is close to other fun adventures in Hale'iwa (stop in at the angel and butterfly wing murals) or Stand Up Paddle (SUP) down the Hale'iwa River.  And if it's eating you're more interested in after your beach trail workout, well there's lots of tasty options right down the road for that too...let me suggest once again Dat Cajun Guy (no, they are not my sponsor).  If for some crazy reason you aren't interested in one of the many Po Boys they offer, I suppose a few other yummy options would be an ice cold açaí bowl from Crispy Grindz, basically anything on the menu from the Beet Box Cafe, or a cup of Joe from Island Vintage Coffee.

No matter what adventure or food you choose on the Northshore, your bound to enjoy a sense of aloha.  I know we always do. It's what keeps us coming back again and again.

Until the next time...let your wild peacock feathers fly you to fun adventures off the beaten path...whether they be sandy, wooded, or paved.