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Located 12 miles from downtown Honolulu, the town of Kaneohe is one of the largest residential communities on the windward coast next to Kailua. Along the Kamehameha Highway lies the town’s commercial center where there are several restaurants and the Windward Mall, a large shopping complex.
Kaneohe Bay is one of the most photographed places on the island. The Kaneohe Sandbar is a popular gathering place and a favorite hangout for the locals who have boats. They enjoy barbecuing out there, along with snorkeling and playing ball games. The sandbar will partially emerge underwater during low tide. Take caution though, because Kaneohe Bay is the breeding grounds for hammerhead sharks. Across Kaneohe Bay on the south end is the Mokapu Peninsula where the Marine Corps Air Station is located.
The Byody-In Temple is another Kaneohe attraction. The temple is located at the Valley of Temples Memorial Park. In the 1960s, the temple was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first arrival of Japanese immigrant workers to Hawaii who worked in the sugar plantation fields. The temple is a replica of the 950-year-old Byoda-In Temple in Uji, Japan, featuring a large Buddha statue.
The Hawaiian meaning of Kane’ohe is “bamboo man”. The name comes from the Hawaiian legend of a local woman who compared her husband’s cruelty to the sharp edge of cutting bamboo. Therefore, the area was named Kane’ohe.
