Since we were supposed to originally go to Hawaii last Thanksgiving, and since it was my first time there, I’d been mild-stalking the Aulani message boards for everyone’s biggest tips and tricks on what to do and not, where to go and not, what to see and not and the number one thing everyone recommended was to leave the resort and explore The North Shore!

The North Shore! Sure, so I added that to my list of things to do, but then when our day on the North Shore came around, I was like…so, what is exactly is The North Shore? Do I just type that it Google maps and it’ll take me there?

Turns out, it’s a whole area on the north side of Oahu, and basically spans the entire northern tip of the island. Setting your cruise on Kamehameha Highway will take you from one end to the other will ensure you see all you want to see.

But…google still needed a destination, so Shark’s Cove was our first stop for snorkeling.

A famous little lagoon on TNS, it’s a good place for shallow waters, and a sure thing if you want to see some fish without having to venture into the Pacific.

We worked up quite an appetite, and since food trucks are The Thing on the North Shore, we opted for Aloha Shrimp.

Fancy, it was not. Delicious, it surely was!

Our proprietor claimed that #1 and #5 were the best, so garlic and spicy garlic shrimp were our lunch for the day.

You might just see my copycat version of it pop on here in a bit!

After lunch, we keep driving up and down the coastline, stopping for a shave ice and a browse at the Polynesian cultural center before ending our night at Waimea Valley for our luau.

Walking through the towering trees in the botanical garden