Whenever anyone at my church or any of my friends hear I am going to Oahu they inevitably encourage me to visit two iconic Oahu locations. Both of these locations happen to be on the North Shore around the town of Haleiwa. If you have ever been to Oahu you have likely made the trek to one or both of these historic North Shore landmarks.

Your friends have likely told you that no trip to the North Shore is complete without a pitstop at Matsumoto’s for their world famous shave ice. People make it sound like, in the entire world,  you can only buy shave ice at this one place. The first comment my kids made about their shave ice experience was that it was a snow cone. While these are better than a snow cone, I am not sure if I was staying in Honolulu if this would be worth the hour and a half drive. There are also about a dozen shave ice places in the small town of Haleiwa. You almost have to wonder why they don’t get any street credibility!

Though I don’t find Matsumoto’s shave ice terribly exciting, I find myself there at least once every time I am in Oahu. It is a historic landmark. You have to experience it.

The other historic location is the famous Ted’s Bakery. Everyone says they have the best donuts. “Their coffee is amazing!” “I stop there every morning!” “You have to try their world famous chocolate haupia cream pie!” So, of course, every time I stay at Turtle Bay I have to stop off at Ted’s a few times during the trip. In reality, the coffee is OK. The donuts are about as good as what you can find at Albertsons. (I suppose they taste better because you ARE in Hawaii. Everything seems to be much more glorious there.) This past trip I tried the chocolate haupia cream pie. It was good.

If Ted’s was in Seattle, it probably wouldn’t stay open for longer than a month but you HAVE to stop by there if you are staying on the North Shore. I couldn’t imagine a trip not going there.

I would like to add a third North Shore iconic stop. The famous “Nuff Hotels Already” sign. I have stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort three different times. Each time I anticipate seeing the hand-painted landmark that lets me know I am almost to my “vacation home.” Since some time, someone, somewhere decided Ted’s was a place you have to stop to get coffee and Matsumoto’s shave ice is a required refreshment. So they started telling their friends, their friends started telling their friends and so on… Until finally, these little hole-in-the-wall dives became as prominent to some visiting Oahu as the Pearl Harbor Memorial or the Dole Pineapple factory.

I would like to start the “NUFF HOTELS ALREADY” photo opportunity trend! So next time you travel to Oahu and make the drive up the Kamehameha Highway to the North Shore, be sure to pull over and get a quick photo at the “NUFF HOTELS ALREADY” sign. Just like Matsumoto’s has the greatest shave ice, Ted’s has the greatest pie, this is the greatest photo opp sign EVER! You can find it just a few miles north of Ted’s Bakery.

Your Kamehameha Highway expedition should not only include stops at Matsumoto’s and Ted’s but also “NUFF HOTELS ALREADY.”