Laie Point, Oahu, Hawaii
Laie Point juts prominently into the ocean and allows for relatively convenient viewing of passing seabirds. It sits about a mile south of the islet Moku’auia, which hosts about 2,500 breeding pairs of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters from March to October. Hawaii’s three widespread boobies—Red-footed, “Forster’s”, and Masked—all put in regular appearances, and Brown Noddies sometimes fly by in numbers.
Orientation
Directions
Laie Point is on the northeastern coast of Oahu, along the Kamehameha Highway (a.k.a. Route 83), about an hour and 15 minutes’ drive (45 miles) from downtown Honolulu or Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
There are two ways to get there from Honolulu. The faster way (usually) is to cross over to the east coast first, then go north, and the other way is to drive up the central valley of Oahu, then follow the northern coastal highway east.
The Eastern Route. From Honolulu or its airport, take the H3 freeway east across the Ko’olau Range to Exit 9. Keep right and merge onto the Kahekili Highway (Route 83) northbound. Then remain on the Kahekili Highway for 22 miles, and turn right onto Anemoku Street, which leads out to Laie Point (about a half mile to the small parking area).
The Western Route. From Honolulu or its airport, take the H2 freeway north through the central valley of Oahu. This becomes Route 99, then on the outskirts of Waialua it becomes Route 83, which follows the northern coast of Oahu to the northeast. After this change in Waialua, continue for 18.5 miles (passing Turtle Bay Resort), then turn left onto Anemoku Street and proceed to Laie Point.
Birdfinding
The Laie Point headland is a state wayside, a scenic spot made famous by the cliff-jumping scene in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. From the highway, it is secluded by a small subdivision, which occupies most of the small peninsula’s surface area.
The turn-off to Anemoku Street is directly across from the Laie Shopping Mall, which is anchored by a large grocery store. Anemoku quickly leads to Naupaka Street, which ends at a very small parking area near the tip of Laie Point. In case this is fully subscribed, the mall’s spacious parking lot is not a long walk.
The seabirds seen regularly from Laie Point are: Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Red-footed, “Forster’s”, and Masked Boobies, Brown and “Hawaiian” Noddies, and Sooty Tern. It is particularly noteworthy as an accessible site for Masked Booby and Brown Noddy.
About 5,000 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters nest on Moku’auia, a mile north of Laie Point. © Peter Carlsson
Several others presumably occur regularly. In particular, it seems likely that reported diversity at Laie Point would rise if observers stationed themselves at the point during the peak period of southbound migration (as at Keokea Beach Park, which is situated similarly on the Big Island).
As with seawatches in general, the birds are often too distant to see clearly, and a strong spotting scope is at least preferable, if not essential.
Services
Accommodations
The closest large hotel is Turtle Bay Resort, seven miles west of Laie along the Kamehameha Highway. Otherwise, this stretch of coastline is mostly empty of formal accommodations.
Notes
When to Visit
Seabird diversity at Laie Point likely peaks around October, when several species migrate from the North Pacific to the South Pacific, and encounter the northern coast of Oahu en route. This hypothesis does not appear to have been fully tested.
Links