Pūpūkea () is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Koolauloa District on the island of Oahu, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, pūpūkea means "white shell". As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 5,130. The Koolauloa District ends at Waimea Bay, with the Waialua District extending south and westward. Pūpūkea is a popular area on Oahu's North Shore for living and for visiting. The best known surfing sites of Velzyland, Sunset (at Sunset Beach Park), Kammieland, Pūpūkea, Ehukai, Pipeline (these latter two off adjacent Ehukai Beach Park and Banzai Beach) and lesser breaks are arrayed off this shore. Popular diving and snorkeling areas known as Three Tables and Sharks Cove are located at Pūpūkea Beach Park. At the southwest end of Pūpūkea is Waimea Bay, with one of the most popular beaches on the island forming the shore at Waimea Beach Park. Popular residential areas here include the beach lots at Sunset Beach and the uplands of Pūpūkea. As the properties in this area were subdivided in the 1950s and 60s and classified then as country, the lots in the uplands were all measured out in 1 acre or greater parcels. The biggest drawback to living in this part of the island, however, is the considerable driving distance of 37 miles (60 km) to Honolulu. The U.S. postal code for Pūpūkea and the communities of Waialee, Sunset Beach, Lihilani, Waimea, and Kawailoa is 96712. Geography Pūpūkea is located at 21°40'11" North, 158°2'58" West (21.669740, -158.049349), along Kamehameha Highway (State Rte. 83) west to southwest from Kawela Bay and northeast from Haleiwa. Due to its geographic location, this area gets three times the amount of rain per year Honolulu receives. It rains on average on 247 days a year with 54.7 inches of rainfall here, whereas it only rains on 89 days with 17.1 inches of rainfall annually in Honolulu. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The total area is 44.17% water, consisting of that portion of the Pacific Ocean (possibly with Waimea Bay) included in the CDP. Demographics As of the 2000 Census, there were 4,250 people, 1,455 households, and 937 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,690 housing units at an average density of . The racial