Waimea Valley

Sometime last week I went up to the North Shore with my co-worker and his girlfriend to hang out at the beach, go surfing, and just cruise around.  We went up to Pupukea and there was hardly a single person there.  It's a vast stretch of really nice beach and big waves.  It's also right next to Shark's Cove, which has some great snorkeling.  Anyway, we hung out there for only a little while because about an hour or two into the morning, it started to rain.

Although it was raining a little, we decided to stay up at the North Shore and across from Waimea Beach, there is a conservatory called Waimea Valley - (59-864 Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa, HI 96712-8411).  Waimea Valley consists of 1,875 acres and has been a sacred place for more than 700 years of Native Hawaiian history.  Waimea, “The Valley of the Priests,” gained its title around 1090 when the ruler of O‘ahu awarded the land to the kähuna nui. Descendants of the high priests lived and cared for much of the Valley until 1886.  As part of a cooperative conservation land purchase, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs acquired the property in 2006.

Anyway, they have daily activities that visitors can watch like ancient sports games, traditional methods of making clothes, etc.  Visitors to the Valley are allowed to participate in several of the activities (with paid admission) including Lei Making, Kapa Demonstration, Hula Lessons, Hawaiian Games, and Crafts, Music & Story Telling with Kūpuna. It costs somewhere around $10 for admission and I'd say it's right on the cusp of being worth it.  78 sites of interest have been identified including religious sites and shrines, house sites, agricultural terraces and fishponds. There is a waterfall in the back of the valley that you can jump into and go swimming.  It's also a lot like a Botanical Garden in the sense that there are more than 5,000 kinds of tropical and subtropical plants including native and endangered Hawaiian plants.  You can actually pick fruit and eat it, too, which is pretty cool.

Overall, it's a pretty fun place to visit for an afternoon walk, especially if you're already on the North Shore and looking for something to do other than the beach or historical town of Haleiwa.  It's especially good for old people who like plants or kids who can't sit still for more than 5 minutes.

Kayaking the Wailua River - Kaua'i

This weekend I went to Kaua'i.  Kaua'i is the northernmost island of the Hawaiian Islands and is where many movies - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, etc. - were filmed.  I've been to Kaua'i before and hiked the Na Pali Coast, but didn't really think there was much appeal to the island itself.  Sure, there is pretty scenery, but we have pretty scenery on O'ahu, so why would I need to go somewhere else?  I still have that opinion, but this weekend we did something pretty cool.  We kayaked the Wailua River en route to hiking to the "secret falls."

Wailua River is a long, slowly meadering river that starts at the Wai'ale'ale Crater and is fed by several tributaries on the way to the ocean. This is the only navigable river in all of Hawaii.  Several forks in the river lead to waterfalls and can be easily explored by kayak.  We ended up going with a guide so we didn't have to worry about getting lost or leaving the kayaks unattended.  We found a great deal with Kayak Wailua for $42 per person with the kayak rental, guide, tax, and gratuity included.  You need to call to make a reservation, and they were really helpful with getting us set up.  I recommend getting a reservation for noon as that is the least crowded time.  Our group was only 6 people and when we got to the waterfall, there was hardly anyone around.  We landed on the island at 6:30am and were able to call and make our noon reservation for the same day.

Anyway, when we landed, we still had about 5 hours before we had to show up for the kayaking tour.  So we killed some time at the Kaua'i Coffee Company, checked into our hotel (more on that later), and got some breakfast at an awesome diner in town.  When we showed up at the Kayak place, they gave us dry bags for all our belongings as well as a cooler so we could bring our own lunch to picnic at the waterfall.  The kayak portion of the trip is 2.5 miles each way, followed by a 1 mile hike to the waterfall.  The river is really calm and peaceful and was definitely my favorite part of our trip as well as my favorite thing to do on Kaua'i.  It was just a lot of fun and really relaxing (even if kayaking does require some exertion).  It was definitely easier than kayaking to the mokolua islands in lanikai.

On the river itself, kayakers are given their own "lane" on the right side of the river. To see the Secret Falls, take the right fork in the river, about 35 minutes from the mouth. A few minutes later you come to an island. Dock on the right side and follow the trail to this secluded waterfall.  If you're interested in doing the guided tour, which I highly recommend, I suggest going with "Kayak Wailua:"

4565 Haleilio Road
KAPAA, HI 96746
(808) 822-3388

Na Pali Coast and Hanakapi'ai Falls

The Na Pali Coast, which is officially a State Park, may be one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen.  It's hard to describe in words and even in pictures don't really do it justice.  The entire coast is inaccessible to cars so you have to drive to the end of Kauai's only main road (Kuhio), park at the beach at the end of the road, and hike the coast.  This 15-mile stretch of rugged coastline is on the northwest shore of Kauai.  It literally means "the cliffs" (remember, Pali means cliffs).  The coast is inaccessible because of its sheer cliffs that drop straight down thousands of feet into the ocean.


The Kalalau Trail from the end of Kuhio Highway (the only major road on the entire island) provides the only land access.  This trail is a strenuous 11-mile hike and crosses five major valleys (and many smaller ones) before reaching Kalalau Beach at the base of Kalalau Valley.  If you hike the 11 mile trail, you have to set up camp and then hike back the next day (camping requires a permit).  We didn't have that kind of time (or a permit).  The trail is no joke.  I have written before about hikes I've done that kids and old people can do.  This trail got a 9 out of 10 from the Sierra Club in degrees of difficulty.  In fact, you can't even hike the trail if it has rained within 24 hours because it is so dangerous and becomes one slippery mountain of mud.  It takes an entire day to do the 11 miles.  Of course, here I am saying how tough it is and there were plenty of kids and locals hiking barefoot or in flip flops (most were not, though). Another great way to see the Na Pali Coast is by boat.  We didn't do this, but we said at the end of the day it would have been amazing.  By boat you can see the entire coast and you don't have to deal with the strenuous hike.

Fortunately, the trail can be experienced in pieces.  The most popular section is from Ke'e Beach (at the end of Kuhio Hwy) to Hanakapi'ai Falls.  This section of the trail winds through a tropical rainforest and ends in a lush river valley. The falls are 4 miles from where you park your car (8 miles roundtrip, it's not a loop).  If you aren't up for the whole hike to the falls, though, about 2 miles in is the Hanakapi'ai Beach.  This isn't the most beautiful beach in the world, but it's a great place to rest before taking on the next 2 miles of the trail to the falls.  The river flows into the ocean here and when we went, a lot of people were playing in the river.  Apparently, the tide and currents are so strong that no one goes in the ocean.  In fact, before we left, someone specifically said not to go in the ocean because "it's not worth your life, guys."  There is a sign along the trail that literally tallies the number of people who have drowned.  We weren't dressed for swimming anyway.  Since a lot of people kayak the Na Pali coast, there were a few kayakers resting on the beach as well.

I can't emphasize enough how intense, but gorgeous, this hike was.  We're talking 3,000 foot climbs over unstable and slippery rocks, rivers and streams to cross, trees to climbs over, and valleys with smaller waterfalls.  We had to watch every step we took.  The first 1/2 mile took 40 minutes.  The entire 4-mile hike to the falls takes about 3 hours...and we were going quickly.  It can take longer.  The views were incredible, though.  There are various points along the trail where the trees open up and the entire coast is visible.  You're literally standing on a mountain (covered in mud) looking out over shimmering blue water, 4,000-ft cliffs, and lush tropical rainforests.  After 2 miles (and about an hour and a half), we made it to the beach where we stopped to have lunch.  Apparently, we were lucky and didn't even know it.  During the winter months this beach is often washed away.  When we went, though, there was a huge sand beach full of people.
  

After we ate, we hiked the rest of the way.  The second half consists of more streams (high probability of getting wet - we fell in up to our knees when we slipped off a rock - so bring waterproof hiking boots or water shoes), more jungle, and more climbing.  At the end of the trail, though, is a gorgeous 300-ft waterfall with a swimming pool at the base.  Since you just hiked 4 miles in 3-4 hours (and you still have to turn around), take a dip, cool off, and forget about Leptospirosis.  Also, since nothing on this blog comes without a fun history lesson, I thought you'd want to know that the falls are named after a Menehune princess descended from the first human settlers to canoe here from the Marquesas Islands (part of modern day French Polynesia).  Here is a video of the falls:

Maunawili Falls Trail

There are dozens of hiking trails on O'ahu and this weekend I decided to try a new one.  I had heard that Maunawili Falls was really pretty and that there was a waterfall and swimming hole at the end, which made it all the more enticing.  After my hot and humid disaster at Makapu'u with no water, I thought being able to take a swim afterwards would be nice.

There's Not Always Stairs...

Maunawili Falls Trail is a good beginners trail.  It is not difficult, but still provides challenging areas.  The first quarter (1/4) mile of the one and a half (1 1/2)-mile of the trail is easy.  It's relatively flat and dry and there aren't any obstacles.  There were a few families that had small kids with them who seemed to be having a good time and not struggling. I would say that you don't have to be in great shape to hike it, but make no mistake, after the first quarter mile there will be a few times along the way where you'll be huffing and puffing.  There were several young people on the trail that we could hear breathing heavily after walking up some of the steeper parts of the trail.  However, along our way we also saw several...let's call them "senior citizens" (I don't want to say an age for fear of angry comments from people I just labeled "old")...hiking it.  They were moving slowly, for sure, but they weren't holding anyone up and were doing fine.  There are also plenty of rocks to sit on if you were to get tired for some reason.

The most challenging aspect of the trail is probably that it gets VERY muddy even when it hasn't rained for a few days.  If it has been raining, expect tremendous amounts of mud.  I cannot emphasize enough that you should not wear nice shoes.  You should wear shoes you're okay throwing away.  I actually highly recommend water shoes (you'll read about "why" shortly).  There are several parts of the trail where you have no choice but to wade through mud.  You WILL get dirty on this hike.  The toughest part of the trail is that certain parts can be very slippery.  You cross at least three small streams on the way to the falls and you have two choices.  Risk breaking your neck by tip-toeing and balancing on the slippery rocks to cross or just walk through the stream.  Do yourself a favor: just walk through.  By the end of the hike you won't care anyway.  We got this advice before going and I didn't believe it.  Once you come to the first major stream though, you quickly realize that it's better to just say, "oh screw it."  It's very liberating, actually.

View From the Trail

The trail goes through a rainforest so the foliage is really amazing.  Also, there are phenomenal views of the Ko'olaus Mountains.  Although most of the trail runs through thick forest, there are a few points along the way where it opens up and provides some great pictures (see above).  Most of the trail goes uphill, too so you also get a lot of views of the forest below.  After you hike the mile and a half, the trail opens up to a small, but pretty, waterfall and surrounding swimming hole.  Depending on when you go, there will be a few people already there swimming and jumping off the rocks.

Most people jump from the rocks where the waterfall is.  I know what you're thinking: it doesn't look that high.  Truth be told, it's not.  But when you're standing up there, it sure looks A LOT higher.  It's also unnerving because the water is murky.  It's impossible to see anything and since you have to climb over rocks to get in the pool in the first place, you never really know if rocks might be looming under the water.  Well, after a few people jumped, I was pretty convinced I was not going to crack my head open and I jumped.  Then I was quickly put to shame when two guys (clearly military...lots of military guys here) climbed up the sides of the mountain to what was, in my opinion, easily 75 feet.  They jumped from way up there (out of the picture) and into the pool below.  I asked them and they said they went pretty far down in the water and still didn't feel anything.  So my guess is the swimming hole is at least 15 feet deep. That doesn't mean I'm trying it anytime soon.  It still requires accuracy to not hit the rocks on the edges of the hole.

Now, lest I get sued for not giving fair warning, let me talk about Leptospirosis.  This is a rare, but severe and contagious bacterial infection.  Leptospirosis is often referred to as swamp fever or mud fever.  The organism enters the body when mucous membranes or broken skin come in contact with contaminated environmental sources. These environmental sources are often swamps and rivers.  According to e-medicine, recreational activities that present risk include traveling to tropical areas, canoeing, hiking, kayaking, fishing, windsurfing, swimming, waterskiing, wading, riding trail-bikes through puddles, white-water rafting, and other outdoor sports played in contaminated water.  Basically, it is a bacteria found in animal pee that travels down stream and festers in mostly still water.  There are signs all over the falls warning people that swimming may lead to leptospirosis.  Well, as far as I can tell, I am still healthy and haven't had any problems. I'm also not an idiot and didn't jump in the swimming hole and starting drinking the water.

Getting to Maunawili Falls is MUCH easier than people would have you believe (as with any directions here).  The island of O'ahu is not that big.  You can drive the entire circumference of the island in a few hours.  To get from one side to the other takes about an hour (maybe a little more depending on traffic).  If you ask people, though, you'd think the Falls are on a different planet.  Hawaiians think a 30 minute drive is too far to go.  Well, I asked someone how to get to Maunawili Falls and after they finished giving me directions, I was convinced I would never get there.  It's easy.

From Waikiki, jump on the H-1 going West. Take the Pali Highway heading toward Kailua.  You'll go maybe 6 miles or so as you go through the mountains.  You'll go through 2 tunnels and then turn right at the third stop light (Auloa Street).  Keep left on Maunawili Road (the road sort of forks) and go through the subdivision.  At the end of Maunawili Road turn right (you have no choice) on Keewina Street and park on the street.