"the bus" to see North Shore, Oahu

[sethanee]

I have a day in Oahu (until 5pm) and I would like to see the North Shore at my own pace and of course the island itself. Since "the bus" is so convenient (Rt 52 and 55), I was wondering if anyone has done this. Would I get to see a lot from the bus as we travel to the North Shore? Will I have time to get off at the beaches and enjoy the sights there?

Thanks,

Ronnie

[inotdown]

Many tourists do just that and even the locals do what you just described. The bus' run frequently and often along the circle island route. Plus with parking being an issue you cannot go wrong with catching the bus.

[CruisinMK]

I like the bus for shorter trips, it's great to get to ala moana, places in waikiki, diamond head, or maybe even a longer trip to hanauma bay. (if you don't mind walking down the hill)

 

But for the northshore, you'd be much better off with rental car or tour I think. There's a lot of places to stop and see, and each time you do you might have to wait up to 20-25 min for the next bus. The bus has a whole lot of stops, so it's starting and stopping the whole way. For someone with limited time I don't think it's ideal way to circle island, unless you were somehow content to mostly watch the view from the bus (lame!)

 

Only good thing about bus is for sunset beach, cause parking there is so horrible

[sethanee]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I really don't want to rent a car because wouldn't I also be tying up my time with picking up and returning the rental? And I wouldn't have to worry about parking at the beach. But, as you point out Mike, I will miss out on all the other stops a tour would make. The response I got back from Roberts was that they only stop long enough at the beach(es) to take photos.

Then there is also an express bus I thought I would take probably coming back to the dock.

So I guess what I am trying to weigh is spending more time at the beaches vs. making more stops with a tour guide. Difficult decision. This is my first trip to the Islands but I am going with the idea that I know I will only see such a small amount that I naturally must make plans to return ASAP.:D

[leoandhugh]

The only way to see more of the beaches is to get off the bus look around and explore and then catch the next bus. They stop only to let passengers on and off - hardly time for taking a worthwhile picture. There are not too many places along the route where the road runs right along the shore or beach - most often there are houses or vegetation obscuring any ocean view. It is a good ride however and we got off at the main surfing beach and watched the action for a while and then caught another bus.:)

[beachchick]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I really don't want to rent a car because wouldn't I also be tying up my time with picking up and returning the rental? And I wouldn't have to worry about parking at the beach. But, as you point out Mike, I will miss out on all the other stops a tour would make. The response I got back from Roberts was that they only stop long enough at the beach(es) to take photos.

Then there is also an express bus I thought I would take probably coming back to the dock.

So I guess what I am trying to weigh is spending more time at the beaches vs. making more stops with a tour guide. Difficult decision. This is my first trip to the Islands but I am going with the idea that I know I will only see such a small amount that I naturally must make plans to return ASAP.:D

 

Yes, but not that much time, IMO. We've done it both for land trips and cruises. Again this is JMO, but it would be well worth the 1 hour (give or take) to rent and return (including shuttle time). The Bus is a great system. We love it for in-city Waikiki and Honolulu travel (and we hate the city traffic). For an island tour, we'd rent the car. You can go where you want, when you want. You won't be sitting at a bus stop (often with no "view") waiting for the next bus. You will likely easily "eat up" far more time on the bus then renting a car. With the bus, you have all the stops it makes along the way (which may or may not interest you), then walking to wherever you want to go from the bus stop (if necessary), then walking back, then waiting for the next bus.

 

The bus would certainly be the most economical way to go to the north shore, but we don't consider it the best or most time-effective way.

 

beachchick

[traveler/]

I have a day in Oahu (until 5pm) and I would like to see the North Shore at my own pace and of course the island itself. Since "the bus" is so convenient (Rt 52 and 55), I was wondering if anyone has done this. Would I get to see a lot from the bus as we travel to the North Shore? Will I have time to get off at the beaches and enjoy the sights there?

Thanks,

Ronnie

Rent a car in advance and pre-map out the places you want to visit to maximize your time. You can see a lot of places and go pretty much all the way around the island in an 8 hour day if that's the time you have. Priceline or Hotwire have reasonable prices. Whenever we are on Oahu we take 1 day to drive around most of the island. And we look forward to eating at the shrimp shack, having shaved ice at Matsumoto's or pineapple treat at Dole's. Try the different HI visitor sites online for great suggestions.

[sethanee]

Thanks, everyone for the responses. Of course, I was looking for the easy way, where I could just sit back and see the sights, via bus, but still have the luxury of staying at the beaches longer than you would if you were taking a paid tour via Roberts or cruise ship.

Renting a car makes sense to get the most out of an 8 hour day.

Ronnie

[debshomespun]

How busy is the North Shore in Jan? We will be in Oahu on Jan 12 at 8:00AM until Jan 13 at 5:00PM. We want to go up to the North Shore to watch surfers and are hoping for some big waves. We are concerned about the amount of cars and parking. Also, since we are staying overnight, don't want the hassle of parking the car overnight, and paying more. Thinking of just taking the bus to the North Shore, and returning back to Aloha towers whenever we tire of it. We are not constricted on time the first day. With the rental cars, we could rent from Enterprise that is very close to the Aloha towers, but their office closes at 6:00PM, and we don't think we will be back by then. We would rather not keep the car overnight. Didn't want the hassle of having to go to the airport to rent. Any other options close to the Aloha towers?

 

Any suggestions from all the experts? On our 2nd day, we planned to just take the bus over to Waikiki area and do some shopping at the international market area.

[WNcruiser]

If you are still open to a tour option, I found this one:

discoverhawaiitours.com - Tour 10 / North Shore. It is $48 and visits many of the areas I was looking to see and you still get back by 300 PM without the hastle of renting a car.