Malaekahana Bay State Recreation Area -- This beautiful camping site has a mile-long gold-sand beach, with two areas for tent camping. Facilities include picnic tables, restrooms, showers, sinks, drinking water, and a phone. Stays are limited to 5 nights (no camping on Wed or Thurs nights). Camping fees are $5 per campsite per night; permits can be obtained at any state parks office, including the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Parks Division, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809 (tel. 808/587-0300; www.state.hi.us/dlnr). The park gate is closed between 6:45pm and 7am; vehicles cannot enter or exit during those hours. Groceries and gas are available in Laie and Kahuku, less than a mile away.

The recreation area is on Kamehameha Highway (Hwy. 83) between Laie and Kahuku. To get there, take the H-2 Freeway to Highway 99 to Highway 83 (both roads are called Kamehameha Hwy.); continue on Highway 83 just past Kahuku. Or take TheBus no. 55.

Camp Mokuleia -- A quiet, isolated beach on Oahu's North Shore, 4 miles from Kaena Point, is the centerpiece of this 9-acre campground. Camping is available on the beach or in a grassy, wooded area. Activities include swimming, surfing, shore fishing, and beachcombing. Facilities include tent camping, cabins, and lodge accommodations. The tent-camping site has portable chemical toilets, a water spigot, and outdoor showers; there are no picnic tables or barbecue grills, so come prepared. The cabins sleep up to 22 people in bunk beds. The cabins are $170 per night for the 14-bed cabin and $250 per night for the 22-bed cabin. Rooms at the lodge (must have a group of 15 for meal service) are $70 for a shared bathroom and $80 for a private bathroom. Tent camping is $10 per person, per night. Many groups use the camp, but there's a real sense of privacy. Parking is $3 per day. Reservations are required; contact Camp Mokuleia, 68-729 Farrington Hwy., Waialua, HI 96791 (tel. 808/637-6241).

Camp Mokuleia is on Farrington Highway, west of Haleiwa. To get here from Waikiki, take the H-1 to the H-2 exit; stay on H-2 until the end. Where the road forks, bear left to Waialua on Highway 803, which turns into Highway 930, to Kaena Point. Look for the green fence on the right, where a small sign at the driveway reads CAMP MOKULEIA, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF HAWAII.