A World Beyond Waikiki - History and Hiking in Honolulu


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April 22nd 2013
Published: May 29th 2013
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Hawai'i's Golden BoyHawai'i's Golden BoyHawai'i's Golden Boy

Statue of Kamehameha the Great
Thirty-six hours after finishing work at Steamworks - and fresh from having spent a great final day in Vancouver drinking beers with my ex-workmates, watching an Australian finally win the US Masters golf, and then retiring to my luxury hotel suite for the night - I was making my way across the Canada-U.S. border bound for the small airport at Bellingham, from where my ridiculously cheap ($112 US) flight to Honolulu would depart.

Six hours after taking off we were touching down in the Hawai'ian capital on the island of O'ahu, where despite the fact that it was already after ten o'clock at night the temperature was a balmy twenty-plus degrees, with the high humidity and jungle-like trees surrounding the airport instantly announcing the tropical nature of the islands - something I had not experienced since leaving Cairns five years ago.

Waking the next morning (tuesday 16th April) at my hostel in Waikiki, I was soon setting off to explore the historical centre of downtown Honolulu (meaning 'Sheltered Bay' in Hawai'ian), with it's stately buildings and statues dedicated to former monarchs and missionaries alike; not to mention the most impressive monument of all - the statue of King Kamehameha
Aloha TowerAloha TowerAloha Tower

Nothing else says 'Welcome to Hawai'i' quite like this
the Great (the first-and-only chief to unite the Hawai'ian islands under a single ruler) standing proudly in front of the Judicial Building, while directly opposite the impressive 'Iolani Palace was surrounded by magnificent banyan trees in front and fig trees behind.

Following the Nu'uanu Stream to the Honolulu waterfront, I was soon filling up on fresh sushi at the base of the landmark Aloha Tower, before taking the free elevator to the top to enjoy the wonderful 360-degree views from the 10th floor observation deck. And despite the tower's diminutive nature (when it was completed in 1926 it had been the tallest building in Hawai'i) the view from the top was nothing short of magnificent, taking in Honolulu Harbour, the financial district of Downtown Honolulu, the tourist mecca of seaside Waikiki (meaning 'Spouting Water'😉 and beyond to the most famous landmark on the island - the looming bulk of Diamond Head crater.

With the sun shining and the rest of the afternoon still ahead of me, I chose to walk all the way back along the waterfront to my hostel, passing Ala Moana Beach Park and crossing over the Ala Wai Canal before finally arriving back in Waikiki...
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Waterfront park, with Diamond Head in the background
though unfortunately having walked all the way into Honolulu and back in my sandals - and without having put any sunblock on the backs of my legs - I would soon discover that not only did I have three huge blisters on the bottom of my feet, but badly sunburnt calves as well! And so it would seem that spending three years in mostly overcast locations had caused my body (and in particular my skin) to forget the thirty years it had previously spent in sunny Australia growing accustomed to sunshine... something I could only hope would be rectified sooner rather than later!

As a result of the blisters on my feet I could do nothing the next day but hobble around to a couple of the nearby corner stores (with the ubiquitous ABC stores located literally on every block in Waikiki) to stock up on food and beer whilst spending the rest of the day lazing around at the hostel under the shade of the banyan trees, hoping that my feet would recover in time to go out sightseeing again the following day.

Thankfully once I had drained my blisters and covered them with the biggest band-aids
Monument to the fallenMonument to the fallenMonument to the fallen

USS Arizona Memorial
I could find the next morning, I was able to move freely enough to take the bus north to Pearl Harbor, to explore the various historical monuments scattered around the Pearl Harbor National Historical Landmark - for it was here on the morning of sunday December 7th, 1941 that the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a massive surprise air attack against the United States Naval Base that would sink four US battleships, destroy almost two hundred aircraft and claim the lives of around 2400 Americans. It would also catapult the United States into World War II, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war against the Empire of Japan the very next day.

Almost half of the American servicemen killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor had been aboard the battleship USS Arizona, one of nine battleships (all of which were either sunk or damaged) that had been moored alongside Ford Island at what was then known as 'Battleship Row'. A chilling documentary film screening in an auditorium beside the boat dock at the monument shows actual footage of the moment the USS Arizona exploded into a ball of flames after a Japanese shell tore into the ship's forward weapons magazine...
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USS Bowfin Submarine
the sound of which was enough to send a chill down my spine. All 1177 men on board died, either killed in the explosion or drowned when the ship sank.

A floating pontoon - the USS Arizona Memorial - now rests across the hull of the stricken battleship, which despite still leaking oil over seventy years later has never been repaired or raised from the shallow seafloor, and which continues to serve as a tomb for those trapped onboard. The names of everyone onboard are inscribed in a wall of marble at one end of the memorial. American and Japanese visitors alike visit the memorial to pay their respects.

After visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, I then took an audio guide tour of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. The USS Bowfin was launched exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and along with numerous other submarines in the United States Navy played an integral part in the US campaign against the Japanese throughout the war in the Pacific, before being decommissioned and eventually brought back to Pearl Harbour, where since 1981 she has been open to the public as a museum.

From
The Mighty MoThe Mighty MoThe Mighty Mo

USS Missouri Battleship
there I took the shuttle bus to Ford Island to visit the USS Missouri - also known as the 'Mighty Mo' - which was not only the last battleship ever to be built by the United States, but was also the site of the official surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II. And while I wouldn't necessarily consider myself to be a military buff, it was impossible not to be impressed by the sheer size of the ship and overwhelmed by the sight of it's nine massive cannons. And with the view from the decks of the USS Missouri taking in not only the nearby USS Arizona Memorial but also across to the USS Bowfin, it was quite fitting to realize that the three memorials together represent the start, middle and end of the United States' participation in World War II.

With my feet, and indeed my sunburn, feeling considerably better on friday, I set off to tackle the most popular activity (and number one rite of passage) for any traveller to O'ahu - the hiking trail to the top of Diamond Head. So after first following the Ala Wai Canal, then passing through a
A view to die (or sweat) forA view to die (or sweat) forA view to die (or sweat) for

View of Waikiki from Diamond Head
'tree tunnel' formed by parallel rows of banyan trees on opposite sides of the road, and finally passing through another tunnel blasted through the back wall of the crater, I joined the throngs of tourists (and presumably some of the more fitness-conscious locals as well) on the hiking trail to the summit, 700 feet above sea level.

And while the heat and humidity may have had me perspiring profusely - and the swarm of people severely testing my patience - the view from the top was well worth the effort (and the $1 entry fee), with the panorama extending from Honolulu and Waikiki immediately below to the north-west all the way along the Leeward Coast to Koko Head and Koko Crater to the south-east; with the Ko'olau (Windward) Mountain range ever present to the east.

After glimpsing the rounded bulk of Koko Head in the distance from the top of Diamond Head, I decided to take the 'Beach Bus' to what is surely the jewel in O'ahu's crown - Hanauma (Curved) Bay - in order to tackle the hike to the top of Koko Head as well. Completely ignoring a sign saying 'No trespassing - $500 fine' I
Sandy crescent; Grassy knollSandy crescent; Grassy knollSandy crescent; Grassy knoll

View of Hanauma Bay and Koko Crater from Koko Head
followed first a narrow road and then a narrower hiking trail around the rim of the sunken crater until I reached the far end of the bay, from where I was able to look back at the striking crescent-shaped beach with the imposing form of Koko Crater (almost twice the height of Koko Head at around 1200 feet) rising up steeply in the background.

As for the hiking trail to the top of Koko Crater, however - which I had also been considering tackling - well, let's just say that when I saw the gradient of the climb (which follows old railway sleepers all the way to the top) I decided that it would be more enjoyable to just look at it from afar than actually try to climb it!

Having seen everything that I wanted to see along the coast during the week, I had set aside the weekend to explore the ridges and valleys on the leeward side of the Ko'olau Mountains - starting with the steep-sided Manoa (Vast) Valley on saturday morning. Taking the bus to the end of Manoa Road, I had no sooner left the road and set out on the trail to
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Manoa Falls
Manoa Falls when I found myself in a most spectacular rainforest setting, made all the more impressive by the fact that it's on the outskirts of a bustling capital city. And if the rainforest was impressive, then the 140-foot-high waterfall at the end of the trail was even more so, dropping straight from the jungle above down an almost sheer cliff-face before landing in a small, circular pool. There could hardly be a more peaceful place for a picnic lunch.

From the waterfall my plan had been to climb the ridge bordering Manoa Valley to the north, before continuing on around the other side of the ridge and down into Nu'uanu (Cool Height) Valley, from where I could take a different bus back to Waikiki - thus eliminating the need for backtracking, which is something I steadfastly try to avoid whilst hiking. Unfortunately this plan was hi-jacked immediately after leaving Manoa Falls when I encountered a sign declaring that the trail in question was closed. But given that I had already ignored a sign blocking my path the previous day with no repercussions, I decided to press on ahead. After climbing switchback after switchback through groves of bamboo I
I've go the whole world in my handsI've go the whole world in my handsI've go the whole world in my hands

Enjoying the view from Nu'uanu Valley Lookout
eventually discovered the reason for the trail's closure: a landslide had swept down the hillside and wiped out about fifty metres of the trail, taking every single tree in it's path along with it, and leaving nothing but loose dirt in it's wake. None of which would have been a problem if not for the 45-degree angle of the slope that I had to get across!

But since I'd made it this far and had no intentions of turning around to go back the way I had come, I held my breath and treaded carefully across the naked earth until I had made it to the other side, before continuing on to the top of the ridge where I was duly rewarded with a magnificent view of the Nu'uanu Valley below, with the Windward Coast of O'ahu visible in the distance through a gap in the Ko'olau Mountains. Skirting the ridge for the next couple of miles I was further treated to some nice views of Honolulu and even Pearl Harbor in the distance, before eventually making my way down into the valley where a tranquil stream featuring numerous small rapids marked the end of my hike.

Sunday
Scenic seafrontScenic seafrontScenic seafront

Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head at dusk
brought another day of hiking in the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains, this time at the head of the Makiki Valley. An initial climb that seemed to last for an eternity eventually brought me to the top of Pu'u Ualaka'a (aka Round Top) where I was greeted by yet another terrific view of Honolulu, Waikiki and Diamond Head from 1000-feet above sea level; before I skirted the edge of Manoa Valley on my way to the summit of Pu'u Ohia (aka Mount Tantalus) at 2000-feet above sea level, though the view from Round Top was much better.

With the clouds closing in - though I was already soaking wet from having lost so much sweat anyway - I eventually made my way back to my starting point at the end of Makiki Valley, completing a nine-mile loop that would serve as a good warm-up for longer hikes later on in my holiday; making it back to Waikiki just in time to drop my things at the hostel and head to the beach for another sunset swim. It was hard to believe I had only left Vancouver less than a week before.


Additional photos below
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View from the Aloha Tower - take one
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View from the Aloha Tower - take two
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Hanauma Bay - take one
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Nu'uanu Valley - take one
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Houses above Nu'uanu Stream


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