Reminiscing on Yoga, Meditation, and Pineapple on the North Shore, Oahu

kate
Apr 4, 2017
6 min read

Updated: Jul 12, 2023

aloha.

Last February, I wasn't stuck shoveling snow like I was this year! I was soaking up the sun on the North Shore of Oahu, doing yoga with Kris. You could say it was a wellness vacation of sorts, as we went in February for a yoga festival. There's nothing like leaving behind the dreary, dismal winter days and 6 hrs later stepping off a plane only to be greeted by summertime! We had the time of our lives doing paddle board yoga, tent-camping, booty-shaking, drinking coconut water, eating local pineapple and mango, and dancing to live music under the warm tropical sun.

Upon waking in paradise, Kris and I agreed that it was a goal of ours to try as many locally grown and brewed beans to kickstart our day throughout the duration of our trip. Cue....

Green World Coffee Farm. This coffee farm is located more at the center of the island with an open-air shop. What a glorious wake-up call: a stroll through the rows of plants that produce the beans for the coffee you sip on at their on-site coffee stand. One of the most beautiful things about Hawaii is the lush, green, plant-life on the island. Winter spent anywhere else feels like you're living in black and white. Then, when you arrive on the island, the producer of your show has finally begun broadcasting in color.

The best part about Green World Coffee Farm is you can literally walk through the 'farm' and see the transition to your 'table'. They let you sample lots of different brews and have outdoor seating for you to enjoy the green surroundings while you wake up slow. Another one of our breakfast spots was Crepes No Ka Oi, an awesome restaurant that serves both sweet and savory crepes so it satisfies all!

Koko Head Hiking Trail.

One morning, Kris and I dashed out the door with only a granola bar and some water, heading straight for the base of Koko Head. Even though we were beginning the hike in the early morning hours, by the time we got to the top and were climbing back down (the hike is a straight line up/down made mostly of large rail ties) the heat was blazing and there was little opportunity for shade.

This hike is both a deceivingly tough hike depending on weather conditions at the time of hiking, and also totally worth the hard work and perseverance! I had completed this hike once before and remembered it fondly (apparently my brain wisely erased any negative memories of the first successful ascent). It is often the lack of shade and steep and steady ascent that bring many hikers to heat exhaustion.

As you can see, though, the view overlooking the city of Honolulu is well worth any near-death experience that may come your way.

After spending several days in downtown Honolulu and chasing the sunshine between the two halves of the island divided by a mountain range, we headed for the North Shore of Oahu, the location of the Wanderlust yoga festival.

North Shore, Oahu.

To me, this picture captures the joy of forgetting about your daily to-do list, as well as your shoulds, and musts. We had spent all morning driving up the coast of the island to claim our tent-site at Turtle Bay, singing along to our favorite early 2000s songs and stopped off at this spot on the beach for a break and to dip our toes in the water. I spotted this tree, perfect for climbing and sitting on in the warm breeze.

This was our home for 3-4 days while camping on the beach. At the time we were there for the festival, the North Shore was experiencing heavy winds and stormy conditions at times, the locals and many visitors were preparing for the Eddie Aikau Surf Competition/ Big Wave Invitational. If you haven't heard of Eddie Aikau (the man who the festival was named after), I strongly urge you to read about his life here. The North Shore was experiencing some of the largest waves of the year and it meant that our snorkeling excursion, unfortunately, had to be canceled due to low visibility in the water and rough conditions.

Having the opportunity to sleep on the ground, in a tent, for a whole 4 days with my best friend was a simple, yet profound experience. Sleeping in a tent really engages the senses (unlike sleeping in bed at home). Nothing seemed sweeter than the smell of the sea, crash of the waves, light drumming of rain on the tent, the warm botanical air greeting your face in the morning upon waking. When given the chance to truly engage our senses, our awareness for the present moment was created. This awareness ignited a greatness of gratitude within us for the beauty of nature, gift of the rising sun, and for this precious, transformative time.

Waking up to this view every day was pure magic. Knowing that all we had to do was wake up, put on our yoga pants, eat some mango and pineapple while toting our yoga mats to class sure made it easy to get up each day.

Below, we are just a couple of pineapple princesses sitting on the back bumper of our dingy little rental car after climbing out of our tent on the very first morning of the yoga festival, sun rising, just eating fresh, local pineapple and mango. I remember just being absolutely thrilled and at peace with the warm sun on my face and knowing that I was investing in myself here. Many would have wished for some room service or a warm breakfast but for me it was truly one of those small moments that you felt like royalty and actually think "I really don't think it gets much better than this."

We spent our days with an early morning packing session of our day pack with enough jerky, fruit leather and guava juices to get us through several yoga classes back to back. We learned about the importance of hammocks, and how the ultimate triathlon was most likely swim-yoga-hammock. Believe me, there really is a science to the reason why hammocks should be located in our workplaces and why raw chocolate should be a major food group in our diets- although not the kind packed with sugar and dairy. We swam with the turtles, and rode a 6 person surfboard with total strangers. We walked though island mud to get to our campsite, then showered outside under nature's ceiling of stars. We learned that poi dancing is harder than it looks and Kris and I will not be appearing center stage at a luau anytime soon but we gave it our best shot anyways!

Our village full of hammocks, tents, and campers, was bustling with yogis. String lights lined the trees, and the large fire pit always had hot coals and we never once saw it without a fire during our entire stay there.

Being by the water, in the water, and near the water creates such a natural flow. Our faces were constantly lit up, our bodies rooted down in the sand, and daily just trying to move with the flow of the waves.

Kris and I decided we felt like we were attending school, only this was the best kind of school because you loved EVERY minute of it (think recess, but all day). You had carefully chosen all your classes that you were interested in, you had breaks in between for some sunshine and a drink from a coconut, and, even better: all your friends had the same interests as you!

Pupukea Grill.

One afternoon, after a tiring...er, energizing day of yoga, Kris and I decided to venture out further on the North Shore and stopped at this food truck that had the most incredible fish tacos!

We loved this food truck so much we had to try more of the food trucks further north in Haleiwa. They have some great shrimp food trucks with amazing eats!

Welcome to our neighborhood. Here, Kris is sporting a golden, glowing fish braid per the Aveda Beauty Bar at the festival. As many times as that beauty bar would let us, Kris and I snuck in there and got our hair braided, begged for a mini neck and shoulder massage and had some magic sea mist spritzed on us before heading to eat some Moroccan mint-watermelon salad.

On our final day on Oahu, Kris and I tore down ye old tent (full of ants), and packed up to jet home. We felt like we'd been through a bad breakup and been told to pack our things and leave. Heads hung low, we tried to jam-pack as many activities into the last day as we could. It sounds silly but we grabbed a bite from the Whole Foods in Honolulu for healthy airplane snacks and a salad bar filled with tons of fresh fruit and greens.

Hanama Bay.

We soaked in the last few rays of the day (and trip) snorkeling at Hanama Bay. Kris and I did our best with pronunciation of names on the island but we ultimately made up our own names. Hanama Bay fondly became "Hama-mama Bay".

This bay is full of colorful fish and turtles and we truly could never get enough of that warm, blue water!