Olomana 1st Peak

6/21/2013

First time hiking Olomana. After reading reviews on Yelp, my friend and I decided to try hiking to the first peak of the Olomana Trail. This trail is located on the road (Auloa Rd.) leading to the Royal Hawaiian Golf Course in Kailua. The guard told us to park before the bridge and to make sure to take our valuables with us since there have been reports of car thefts. We started out a little after 9 a.m., passed by an abandoned shack, and continued along. The trail started out rather mild but started to get steeper and steeper before our very eyes. My friend and I both agreed that this was going to be a great cardio workout. Throughout the hike, there were about 5 rope portions. Closer to the top, hiking turns into rock climbing as the trail narrows. We had to climb up and over a couple of large rock formations before reaching the top of the first peak. 360 degree views greeted us as we could see Kaneohe to Kailua to Makapu'u.

One of the rope sections.

Rock climbing with rope.

 Second and third peaks. We decided to save them for another day.

Second (left) and third peaks.

View of Kailua and Lanikai in the distance.

Ka'au Crater #3

5/27/2013

On Memorial Day, two friends and I decided to hike Ka'au Crater. I met them at Whole Foods Kahala Mall at around 8:30 a.m., bought a large bottle of water, and we were off. This would be my third time hiking Ka'au Crater and although I was excited to be back, I was also secretly dreading it. From my past experience, I knew that it had a tendency to get very muddy and slippery. This day was no exception.

The first waterfall.

Shot from the top of the first waterfall.

The second waterfall.

View from the top of the second waterfall.

The third waterfall.

Inside Ka'au Crater.

Post-hike poke bowl from Ono Seafood.

Hanauma Bay Rim Trail

3/30/2013

First time hiking Hanauma Bay Rim Trail. I found this hike on Yelp, read some good reviews, and decided to give it a try. A couple of friends and I met at Koko Marina and drove to the hike. This hike starts near the entrance to Hanauma Bay near the bus stop. The majority of the hike is a paved road but there is also a trail leading down towards the water. Either way, one is treated to unique views of Hanauma Bay with Koko Head in the distance. There is apparently a rock bridge formation down near the water but we didn't have time to check it out. Hopefully next time. 

Hawai'i Loa Ridge Trail

1/23/2013

First time hiking Hawai'i Loa Ridge Trail. I met my friend at Kahala Mall at around 8:15 a.m. and we headed out to Hawai'i Loa Ridge. Upon arriving at the guard shack, I told the guard we were there to hike, filled out some paperwork, received a parking pass, and continued driving to the summit while scoping out my future house lol.
On this day, the weather was rainy and overcast and visibility was poor. Although we didn't have much of a view at the summit, this hike was a good workout. It took us roughly 5 hours to complete and we were exhausted and hungry. Kua'aina and Shimazu shave ice were calling our names...

Poor visibility but a good workout nonetheless.

Nothing beats a gigantic shave ice after a long hike.

Diamond Head Hike

5/13/2011

This was my first time hiking Diamond Head in a while. Although I'm not completely sure why, it's probably a combination of the $5 parking fee and the crowds. I don't mind going once in a while but there are nicer, less crowded, and more convenient hikes that I prefer.

View of Kapiolani Park and Waikiki.

View of the Diamond Head Lighthouse.

Lanikai Pillboxes

8/1/2012

First time hiking Lanikai Pillboxes. Parking is across from the Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua and the hike begins on a private road nearby. This is a popular hike for families since it is not very long nor difficult. The only challenging part was making our way down the steep hill with loose, slippery dirt.  The ropes on the sides were helpful. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the first pillbox and another 5-10 minutes to reach the second. Along the way, there are nice views of the Mokulua Islands and Lanikai Beach. After completing the hike, we ate breakfast at Cinnamon's and headed back to Lanikai for a beach day.

Kamiloiki to Makapu'u

7/22/2012

This hike from Kamiloiki to Makapu'u started out at a heiau in Mariner's Cove. We traveled along Kamiloiki Ridge, took in the views and made our way to Makapu'u Lookout. This was the longest hike I have been on as it took roughly 6 hours to complete. I ran out of water about 3/4 of the way to the finish and was ridiculously sunburnt since this was a ridge hike with very few trees. Although the views were some of the best that I have seen, I do not see myself doing this hike again (for the time being).

View of Waimanalo and Kailua from Kamiloiki Ridge.

Hiking above Sea Life Park.

View of Rabbit Island and Turtle Island.

Looking over Sea Life Park and Makapu'u from the ridge.

Lulumahu Falls

6/28/2012: Memorial Day Hike

Lulumahu Falls is a hike nestled in Nu'uanu off the Pali Hwy. From what I recall, the trailhead was somewhat hard to find and the trail is difficult to follow unless you are with someone who knows it. I was part of a pretty sizable group of hikers so I wasn't too worried about getting lost. The hike itself weaved through the forest and involved several stream crossings. It wasn't too long and soon enough we saw Lulumahu Falls. It was a pretty impressive waterfall and we all took this opportunity to take photos.

Ka'au Crater Trail

July 15, 2012

A friend and I met at the trailhead at about 8:30 a.m. The trail starts at the very back of Palolo Valley and parking is in front of a temple. My friend had done the hike before but I did not know what I was in for. The fact there were three waterfalls in a single hike was enough to convince me to join. If there was only one, I might have reconsidered. After about an hour of crossing streams and trudging through mud, we made it to the first waterfall.

After about 10 minutes of hiking, we reached the second waterfall.

View from the top of the 2nd waterfall.

The 3rd waterfall. We used the ropes on the left to climb up this waterfall and catch a glimpse of the crater.

Ropes to aid in crossing the waterfall.

After taking time to admire all three waterfalls, we hiked a little further and finally caught a glimpse of the famed Ka'au Crater.

Although other hikers continue along the entire ridge trail, we decided to stop here and head back since we were exhausted and rain began to fall. Instead of going back down the waterfalls, we opted to hike along the ridge. After about 4.5 hours of hiking, we were back at the car and ready for some good local food...

Next stop: Kua'aina. I got the grilled ono sandwich. Was ono!