A predominantly Mormon community, Laie is a small town on Oahu’s northeast shore between Kahuku and Hauula about 38 miles north of Honolulu.
Laie is mostly a residential community, covering 2.1 square miles (5.5 sq km) and home to about 5,000 people. A small shopping center in Laie has a Foodland grocery store as well as a Pizza Hut and Subway.
Laie’s main attractions are the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Laie Hawaii Temple and the campus of Brigham Young UniversityHawaii.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is run by the University and staffed by its students. The Center is Hawaii’s top paid visitor attraction highlighting eight Polynesian cultures including theatrical performances and an
IMAX Theater. The historic Laie Hawaii Temple is is the fifth oldest Mormon temple in the world and the oldest outside of Utah.
Three beaches in the Laie area are Laie Beach Park, Hukilau Beach, and Pounders Beach. At Laie Point (Laniloa Point) you can see a prominent lithified dune that protrudes out into the sea. Offshore two more lithified dunes have formed the scenic islets of Mokualai and Kukuihoolua.
Just south of the Laie town is Laie Point State Wayside Park set on a peninsula of land that is a popular fishing spot for ulua. Steeped in Hawaiian legends, the land extending out to sea from Laie is known as Laniloa.
Laniloa was said to have once been a large mo’o, or lizard. A man named Kana confronted this evil Laniloa mo’o that was attacking the people, and he cut it into five pieces which became the five small islets. The park is often a tour bus stop due to the nice view of these islets offshore of Laie which are called Mokualai, Kukuihoolua, Pulemoku, Mokuauia, and Kihewamoku.