Lost. Also Known as Mokule'ia.

Hubs and I are both beach people and I sometimes wonder what it is like to live here and not like the beach. Most of my friends who don’t like the beach are people who grew up here, so I guess it makes sense that those of us who would migrate 3,000 miles across the ocean and end up staying here might do so because of the beaches.

The island isn’t all that big; still, strangely, there are many isolated beaches that are beautiful AND deserted.

Today’s Travel Tip Post is one such area. Mokule’ia. Here’s a map. Remember, you can click on any of the images to see them enlarged.

See how Mokule’ia is all by itself? Nearly everyone heading to the North Shore goes east towards Hale’iwa and the world famous surfing beaches. But when you make the fork in the road, go left (west) towards Wailaua, past Wailaua, and out towards where the road ends at Ka’ena Point.

You will pass Camp Mokule’ia, a private camp owned and run by the Episcopal Church. If you stop along the road just past this camp, there are beautiful stretches of isolated beaches.

Drive on down the road, and across from Dillingham Airfield is a public park with parking, picnic tables, and showers. If you go up just for the day this is a good place to hang out.

If you want your own little tip of heaven, walk down the beach a ways to where we go. See that point at the end of the beach? That's our spot.

First you will pass a clump of beach houses smack dap on the beach. Owen’s Retreat. We stayed in the white house summer of ’98 and summer of ’99. My dad rented out the house; both my sisters and their families came out. We played board games and cards on the deck, whipped up delicious meals, let the cousins run around like crazy. Snorkeling. Reef walks. Barbeques.

Precious times. Cocktail hour sunset was a favorite.

The homes are owned by a local family and my hubs is friends with the sons since school days. Really nice family.

Rent the white house for a large group and the little orange studio right on the beach for a couple.

If you walk past the house and head up to the next point, you will come to a great “blue hole.” See, Mokule’ia is situated on a reef.

Which is great for snorkeling and for avoiding big waves when it is breaking like monsters everywhere else. That surfer is getting ready for a long paddle out. The surf point is way out there, but the waves that day were pristine.

So, to go swimming, you need to head to a break in the reef, which hubs has always called blue holes.

When you set up your chairs on the beach, it isn’t just the gorgeous view of the ocean you will enjoy. The small, private airport, Dillingham Airfield, is home to Skydive Hawaii and Soar Hawaii. Every half hour or so a small airplane dumps a clump of skydivers and while you are cruising on the beach you can watch them twist, turn, and twirl their way down. Soar Hawaii gives glider rides. First you see the small planes tow up the gliders and then you get to watch the gliders zig and zag back and forth across the ocean like a hypnotizing waltz in the sky.

Occasionally a glider will perform 360 rolls and I always am jealous. I love that stuff. Hubs, who fears heights, shakes his head. In ’98, a few of us went to the airfield and took glider rides. It was one of my favorite things I’ve done ever.

Further west of our little point in paradise, are a few random beach houses. Along these stretches were where the beginnings of Lost and the Lost crashed plane were staged.

You will also pass Camp Erdman if you go far enough. This is where the public school kids on the island get to go during 6th grade. It was the highlight of my kids’ elementary school education. My 47 year old hubs can still detail each day he spent at this camp 35 years ago.

Will post about Elton last night another time.

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