Haleʻiwa is a North Shore community an census-designated place (CDP) in the Waialua District of the Island of Oʻahu, City & County of Honolulu. In 1898 a businessman named Benjamin Dillingham opened a hotel in the North Shore area and named it Haleiwa. In Hawaiian, hale means "house", and the ʻiwa is a Frigatebird. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP had a total population of 2,225, and is the largest commercial center on the North Shore of the Island. Its old plantation town character is preserved in many of the buildings, making this a popular destination for tourists and residents alike, visiting surfing and diving sites along the north shore.