Hawaii - Oahu
PLACE: Oahu
State: Hawai’i
The best way to start is to see Honolulu. If I stay on this island, I always stay in the city center. So much to do here, and everything is so close. Its feels like to stay in Manhattan, but much much more beautiful. I like to stay close to the beach and to the restaurants, so my hotel always around this small section of the city near to Kalakaua or Kuhio Avenue. these streets full of shopping malls, restaurants, easy to get coffee in the morning and some local donuts. Parking, if you don’t have parking by the hotel’s lot, for get it. Its getting worst and worst by every year.
On the first day usually I take a tour around the city and its always ends up at the Duke’s cokctail lounge on the Waikiki beach after sunset. I like the city very early in the morning and evening when the lights and the torches turn on. That is a really great feature of this city the Kalakaua Avenue and its shopping area lighted up with torch.
Usually I walk at the Kalakaua avenue end take a turn to Royal Hawaiian avenue, which is has a goregous end with tall palm trees, a little creek with tiny bridges. I like to stay here for a while. When I feel the rush to contiune the walk there is a small path in the south side of the park that enters to the yard of the Royal Hawaiian hotel. The yard is beatifully lighted and the Sheraton lobby wide open so you can walk right in. In the lobby of the hotel you can find art like sand statues, explonatios of the Hawaiian tattoo design meanings, and a very good bar that called RumFire. I you walk trough the building then you arrive to the back of the building the Edge of Waikiki. Take the Sheraton Broadwalk toward to the Waikiki beach all the way to the end, then you continue in the send all the way to the Duke’s. Here you can have food, drink or cocktails. You can try the famous Mai Thai for start, and continue on the list till you feel, its better to go home, or you wont go home at all.
Manoa Falls, Lanikai Beach
Waikiki beach is not the best beach on this island, not even close to it. So usually I visit to my favorite beach which is the Lanikai beach, but because the mornings are not the best choice to start with swimming, I visit one of my favorite hike, the Maona Falls. The trails starts at the edge of the city of Honolulu. its about 12 minutes drives from the city center. the trail is free but the parking is $10. in the past couple years it was closed and they re routed the path with made this place more touristy lost its wilderness feeling. The hike still beautiful and worth the visit. You will experince the real jungle feeling. the part will go up hill all the way to the very tall and narrow Manoa Fall, which is forms a tub under the fall. you not suppose to swim in it, but everybody does. But be careful the water very cold, don’t get a hearth attack, and also do not pee into the water because Hawaii has this bacteria that will swim up and will give you infection. when you return to the visitor center you can eat a fruite basket which is delicious, and the basket is a half pineapple. Probably you will spend here two, two and half hours, and that enough to visit one of those beautiful beaches that Oahu got. Usually I choose Lanikai, just because I like it the most.
Lanikai beach has these colors, very fine sands that makes this beach very unique. Once you arrive, the parking sometimes not easy. you have to park on the street, and walk to the beach. Its so lovable if you’re a beach bum, you wont leave. I’m not so much. after a couple of hours I cant stay on the beach, but Lanikai has this feature, that not many beaches has. just about 10 minutes walking from the beach starts a hiking trail, and its perfect if you party wants to stay at the beach and you just cant stand it anymore. The hiking trail starts at the bottom of the Ka’lwa Ridge, at the Kaelepulu Drive. in the beginning you better to use those ropes that was placed to help you to start climb up, but then it will be pretty easy walk up to the Lanikai Pilboxes. On this trail you will see the Lanikai beach and the green-blue ocean, the coral reefs in the ocean, its just gorgeous, and the two islands of Moku Nui and Moku Iki Islands. once you reached the pillbox the trail continues to the next pill box. Usually after i turn back but you can continue the hike to the enc of the trail witch will be the same street yo started but a few miles upwards.
Another great program here, is that you can rent canoe and visit Moku Nui island. many people does that. Not far from here is the Kailua beach which is more popular, because it has a restroom, a large grassy park and the grocery store is pretty close too. Maybe that is the reason I like Lanikai much more above any other beaches on this island.
Diamond head vs Koko head
The two dead volcano crater has two different features. Two very different kind of hike, and since i did both, I can enplane to you what yo can expect from both.
Diamond Head. Just before yo arrive Diamond head from Honolulu, I recommend to stop at Kapi’olani Community Collage, because in its front yard have this awesome Cactus garden. It’s free and its gorgeous, and takes only 30 minutes to check it out. From here you can enter to the dead Volcano of Diamond Head. The side of the crater is cut trough so you have to enter into the volcano crater, you must pay for the parking plus for the hike. but its worth the visit. The Hike is only 0.8 miles upwards, and at the end you see the city of Honolulu and the beaches around you. Gorgeous. The hike start very easy, then its getting little bit harder, then harder, and at the end you have to deal with steps. But you wont regret first because its not a hard to make it and the scenery that you will experience here is just stunning. Down the bottom, you can get the best ice cream here in the entire island. The Dole Plantation’s food truck gives you many offers to enjoy food, ice cream or drinks.
Koko Head. Before you would hit this hike I have to tell you this. Do it, if you feel you’re tough enough, because its nothing like Diamond Head. This is not an easy hike. it’s 1.6 miles long and 885 feet elevation you have to climb. Also I would not recommend do it in the afternoon heat. I walked up 4 AM, I mean I walked, jumped, climbed, slide, whatever helped to get up there in the dark. Why_ because I wanted to see the sunrise. SO I prepared to be alone, with a bottle of vine, but its turned out I wasn’t the only one who had the same plan, at least 3ö other people did the same thing.
If you what to do it like I did so early in the morning will be the best experience of your visit. Also its because its not a normal hiking trail, you have to walk up on train tracks, that was used in WWII. the beginning of the hike is not so hard until its takes big steep just about the mid of the hike. then its gettin’ tough. You wont see much of ocean and large city like on Diamond Head, its more like a tough hike and workout. the Sunrise wasn’t that beautiful that day, but I’m glad I did it.
Going down not that easy either but faster. And at the bottom you will be happy you did it.
If you planning to do this hike on day time, I recommend two stopped before you start it. One is the Kahala Five star Hotel & Resort, which have a few good thing to offer. First you can swim with dolphins here or just watch them. Second you can walk right in to the hotel, and on second floor you can see an original Hawaiian clothing made out of bird feather. just stunning. Also if you want to find the second floor bathroom the long hallway filled with photos about the famous people who stayed at the hotel. You will be surprised.
Another interesting stop is the Koko Garden Botanical Garden. This has a very small parking lot, but its not very known place, but its free and you can find all kind of those beautiful Hawaiian flowers the Plumeria. This flower grows on trees and smells like perfume. I smell different colors different smell. Also you can collect the flowers that is already under the tree. An interesting fact about this tree, its has a very shiny green leaves, when its start to blooming its just look like a jewelry. Then the leaves falls and the flower remains. its a bold tree filled with flowers. Also in this park you can see cactus, palm trees and other interesting plants. I love this park.
But its not over yet….
One of my very favorite place on this island is the Spitting cave. You must parking a residential area, and walk down to the dry lava cliffs, where some people likes to jump off the the cliffs.
The ocean is very blue here, and the waves are big. once the ocean gets into the cave, looks like the cave spits out the water.
Also you can eat in the area. there are numerous restaurants, and bars at the Koko Marina Center, and here I strongly recommend the Kona Brewery and the Masalada truck, beside you can find a Starbucks as well.
After a short breakfast got into my car, and traveled into the mountains. It was drizzling, but I like Pali overlook. I parked and walk to the overlook. You can see the ocean between the mountains, the china man hats, and the valley front of you. Its one of best overlook you can find. And its free, you just pay for the parking. This place is god day hike area, but you have to be careful how high you wanna go, some people died before here. Historically is important too,because this place was the battle of Nu’uanu, which ended the war and united the Hawaiian island under one king for the first time.
Here is the story short: in the late 1700’s Kamehameha I from the islands of Hawai’i, sought to unite all Hawaiian islands under one rule. The battle for O’ahu began with the arrival of his forces at Waikiki in 1795. O’ahu had been defeated by Maui forces a decade earlier and Maui’s Chief Kalaniküpule now led the forces on O’ahu. After many hard-faught battles, he was driven up Nu’uanu Valley to this location. Both sides fought with Hawaiian spears and western firearms but Kamehameha’s cannon gave him the winning advantage.
The battle, called Kaleleka’anae (leaping of the ‘anae fish), refers to the men forced off the cliff during the conflict. An estimated 400 warriors died in this battle. With Kmehameha’s victory on O’ahu and the signing of an agreement with Chief Kaumuali’i, he became the first king of the Hawaiian Islands.
