HALEIWA (HawaiiNewsNow) – An attraction on Oahu’s North Shore has become an example of sustainable tourism.
Six years ago, real estate developer Adam Lee purchased property along Oahu’s North Shore and later started North Shore Stables.
The 15-acre property on the beachfront of Haleiwa sounded “too good to be true,” Lee said, but it was overgrown with a lot of trash.
“It was very neglected. It was just trash back here. I mean it was a community dumping ground for a while for a long time,” said Raymond Agsalda, a member of the farm’s maintenance crew. “Homeless were living here, so it’s changed a lot from what it used to be.”
Lee said they engaged with the homeless, letting them know of the clean-up. They also helped them move out and offered jobs, many of whom currently work and live on the farm.
“I saw how beautiful the property could be, so I ended up buying this 15-acre property and then starting to look at just selling it, but as I was here, I just realized, wow, this place is so special, and I would never find another property like this,” Lee said.
After moving from town, he began farming and decided to no longer sell it. Over the years, it grew from 15 to 67 acres.
All those changes are highlighted through an ATV tour, riding along the North Shore coastline while learning about the farm’s mission to restore shorelines with native plants.
Riders have the chance to place a plant themselves, choosing from akulikuli or pau o hiiaka.
And the exploration doesn’t stop there.
Lee said riders are also taken through the repaired Cane Hall Bridge, which hovers over two rivers that join in one place, also known as Waialua.
There’s also livestock, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Although it’s a small crew of stewards at the farm, the work continues.
“I think that each developer or landowner has to be the steward of their land and really think about what this land’s best use is,” Lee said. “It’s not going to always be a high-rise. It’s not going to be a structure. It might be conservation. It might be culture.”
“Like our place is a known cultural site, so those are areas that we’re looking to do a lei flower garden and traditional hale and to just really honor what’s there,” Lee said.
In our Holoholo series, Jolanie Martinez takes us across the islands to find hidden gems, fun places, and interesting people. Do you have a hidden gem or story in your town? Let us know about it at holoholo@hawaiinewsnow.com.
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