The local's guide to Hawaii

Descending from the plateau down to the North Shore, we passed sleepy towns, banana plantations, vacation homes, summer camps, a sky-diving field, and finally reached the point where the road runs out.

Having traversed the island in about an hour, it would take another half hour to walk to the dry and barren tip of the island where the waves of the west and of the north meet and crash together in awesome fury. But, even if you forgo the hot, sweaty walk — as we did that day — it's still well worth the trip to the end of the road.

Hale'iwa treats
No trip to the North Shore would be complete without stopping in Hale'iwa, where Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liluokalani, spent her summers.

The quintessential, laid-back surf town not only sports a 19^th century church named after the queen, surf and swimsuit stores, quality souvenir shops, art and glass galleries and one-off coffee shops, but is home to Kua'aina Burger and Matsumoto's Shave Ice. Ask any Hawaiian and they'll know what I mean.

Jennifer Carlile / MSNBC.com Britons Stuart Sagar, left, and Simeon Leiserach, right, with Hawaii-born Jared Dalgamouni, enjoy Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Hale'iwa, Hawaii.

While I was disappointed to see that Kua'aina Burger had gone from the legendary, loveable shack of onolicious burgers and hand cut fries I grew up on to a chain that includes several restaurants in Japan, their perfectly ripe avocado and grilled, sweet Maui onions — not to mention the meat itself — still had me drooling.

Matsumoto's, a family-run shave ice store that opened in 1951, was just as I remembered it, down to the honey bees vying for the drips of sweet syrup on the pavement outside.

Matsumoto's signature shave ice — known in other parts of the world as a snow cone — consists of a large heap of soft snow flakes drenched in syrup, on top of vanilla ice cream and sweet Japanese azuki beans. My favorite flavor of syrup is li hing mui — sweet and sour plum.

Sea turtles and massive waves
Back in the Jeep and down the road, the first of several beach stops was Laniakea, where sea turtles — honu in Hawaiian — often munch on seaweed in the shallow water and sleep on the sandy beach.

Jennifer Carlile / MSNBC.com A sea turtle sleeps on shores of Laniakea Beach, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

The sea turtles' appearance is so regular that a conservationist volunteer is usually stationed on the beach to offer information and cautionary warnings. While you're not allowed to touch turtles, you can swim with them —  so, don't forget to pack a pair of goggles or a mask and snorkel.

Next stop: Waimea Bay. In summer, its glassy, flat surface and clear deep water hardly foretell the massive waves it packs in winter — with some reaching around 80 feet.

With lava rocks to jump off on one side, an old church with a bell tower on the other, and the verdant Waimea Valley directly inland, it's one of the island's most beautiful beaches no matter what time of year. (But don't even think of getting your toes wet if the surf's up — enjoy watching the pros instead)

An ancient temple
After leaving Waiamea Bay, we passed the lighthouse and turned up Pupukea Road, ascending the hillside and taking a right through a cattle guard.

Down the road we showed our guests Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau, the largest ancient Hawaiian religious temple on Oahu.

It's name means "Hill of Escape", and with few visitors it is still a site of peace and tranquility.

The stone remains give a glimpse into the temple's once important role in the social, political, and religious system of the valley, which was a densely populated center of activity before the arrival of foreigners.

While people still lay offerings of fruit, candies and incense at a small alter, it is believed that larger sacrifices, including those of humans, once took place here.

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