This cache has been placed as
part of our overall effort to increase the number of caches on the
North Shore, and also to bring people to our favorite little town
on Oahu!
The small community of Haleiwa got its name from the Hawaiian words
meaning ‘Home of the Iwa’ (a solitary black frigate
bird that frequented the area). It was once home to several ancient
Hawaiian communities that lived along Anahulu Stream and up into
the valley to the Koolau Mountain range (it starts above Sacred
Falls at Punaluu). Anahulu Valley is one of the longest valleys
(nearly 13 miles) in the islands. The Anahulu or Haleiwa (aka
‘Rainbow’ Bridge) was built in the art deco style in
1921 near the Haleiwa Hotel and Haleiwa small boat harbor when the
area was mostly sugar cane fields.
With the introduction of surfing to the area in the early 1960s the
world discovered that the North Shore’s nearly 15 mile
coastline had some of the best and largest surfable waves in the
world. Surfing breaks with incredible waves like Waimea Bay, Sunset
Beach, and the infamous ‘Banzai’ Pipeline really gave
the little town worldwide exposure.
In 1984, Haleiwa was designated a historic district, and now
continues to thrive as a growing community especially aided by the
giant surf in the winter months (Sept-March), the growing surfing
industry, and professional competitions such as the Pipeline
Masters, Triple Crown of Surfing, and Eddie Aikau Memorial Big Wave
Contest, as well as many Hollywood productions (presently the hit
TV series "Lost" and several other productions) filmed here in the
past two decades, attracting visitors from all over the world to
see some of the largest surf in the world and professional
surfing.
It has been recently designated as the ‘Surfing Capital of
the World’. Its old buildings, rural atmosphere, pristine
beaches, world famous surf breaks, art galleries, surf shops, and
eateries have made it a popular destination for surfers and
tourists from all over the globe.
The Grass Skirt Grill is located across the street from the old
Waialua courthouse. This is the first cache in a series of caches
that we plan to leave on the North Shore of Oahu.
Note that it is not necessary to enter the restaurant to find the
cache; however, for those of you looking for a bite to eat -- we
highly recommend it for great North Shore atmosphere, extremely
reasonable prices, and best of all -- excellent
food!