We celebrated Lupe’s birthday at the second Haleiwa Joe’s location.We had eaten at Haleiwa Joes in Haleiwa and I was surprised that the two restaurants were so completely different. The first Haleiwa Joe’s was across the street from the ocean. This one was an open-air restaurant in a lush valley overlooks its own tropical garden and koi pond with a breathtaking view of the Ko‘olau mountain range. The restaurant opened in 2000 on the windward side of Oahu. The land was sold in the mid-19th century as a royal possession to an Englishman named Bakersfield, who had quite a green thumb, planting many of the lily ponds and flowers still blooming in the gardens today.

I thought the fans located in the open air restaurant was a little strange.

   

This is Lo’olau mountain range. It sets behind the restaurant overlooking the garden. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single mountain called KoÊ»olau Volcano. What remains of KoÊ»olau is the western half of the original volcano that was destroyed in prehistoric times when the entire eastern half—including much of the summit caldera—slid into the Pacific Ocean. Remains of this ancient volcano lie as massive fragments strewn nearly 100 miles over the ocean floor to the northeast of OÊ»ahu. The modern KoÊ»olau mountain forms OÊ»ahu’s windward coast and rises behind the city of Honolulu.

This was our final bill.