Ewa Beach:The Original Ulu Maika Playground

Ewa Beach (Ewa is pronounced “ev-a”) is located close to the southwestern tip of Oahu. It is about 20 miles outside of downtown Honolulu. Ewa Beach sits to the west of Pearl Harbor and has three and a half great miles of shoreline. The name Ewa comes from a Hawaiian myth about the gods Kane and Kanaloa. Kane and Kanaloa were playing ulu maika, a game of rolling shaped lava rocks between stakes. During the gods’ game, one rolling stone went off course and ended up in what is now Ewa. The name Ewa, legend has it, comes from that stray stone.  Ewa, in south shore lingo also means to go west. To go east, someone is told to “go Diamond Head”. Then there is the “ma uka side”, which refers to going towards the mountain, and “makai side”, which means towards the ocean.

For vacationers in Ewa Beach, there are hotels in nearby areas that offer a range of accommodations.  Ewa beach also has plenty of vacation home and condo rentals available for weekly rentals. One great local place to visit is the Hawaiian Railroad Society.  At the Hawaiian Railroad Society, visitors can ride a train on a 90-minute ride from Ewa to Waianae Point and back. The Hawaiian Railroad Society has the only historic railroad on Oahu. The tracks go west of Old Ewa, and during the trip, stories are told about Hawaiian railroad history.  The train only travels at 15 miles per hour, and goes through Ko'Olina. Passengers also pass by historic sites such as a sisal plantation, Fort Barrette, and a ghost town called Gilbert. The railroad line ends at Kahe Point, where the train stops for a bit so that passengers can take in the beautiful view of the ocean.

Ewa has three golf courses, the Ewa Beach Golf Club, Coral Creek Golf Course, and the Hawaii Prince Golf Club. Then there are the beaches. Ewa Beach has a white sand beach with picnic tables, a playground, restrooms and showers, a baseball diamond and basketball courts. While Ewa Beach is not really a surfing area, some outrigger teams do practice there, which is a great sight.  Another area park is Ewa Beach Community Park, located in front of James Campbell High School. There is a Farmers Market held there every week. The park’s facilities include restrooms, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, a playground and a skate park. 

For those looking to move to Ewa Beach, there are many one and two story homes available for purchase. Ewa Beach real estate has a good deal of new construction and newer subdivisions. There are also condominiums, townhomes and row homes, many of which have pools and playgrounds. Most properties are available through conventional sales, although there are some available through a short sale, or else are in the pre-foreclosure, auction, or bank-owned stages of a foreclosure. With an average listing price of about $400,000, Ewa Beach is one of the more affordable areas near Honolulu.