Kalihi Ice Ponds

This should be a nice quick post about a nice quick hike.  The Kalihi Ice Ponds have been a favorite watering hole for locals for many years.  This is one of those out-of-the-way places that many people don't know about.  Often, you might only see a few other people, which is rare here on Oahu.  In fact, I didn't see a single other person for the few hours I was on this trail and at the ponds.

Here's my disclaimer up front: climbing wet rocks and jumping into shallow pools are bad ideas.  Please only attempt this if you believe in Darwinism and have not yet contributed to the gene pool.  The only way I even know about this hike is because of a news story where rescuers had to pull someone from here several months ago.  Also, if the rocks don't get you leptospirosis might.  So if you decide to partake in this hike and you end up dead and/or diseased, don't hold it against the creators of Haole Hiking.

A sign line this is where all good Hawaii hikes begin.

So with that ugly mess out of the way, let's talk about the hike.  According to Yelp, this is supposed to be an easy hike and a nice place to go swimming.  None of the reviews gave very detailed hiking instructions, though.  They all said "go around the gate and you'll eventually see the path heading down."

A good reminder to respect da land, bruddah

So of course I peeked my head into everything that even remotely looked like a path, to no avail.  I actually turned around at one point because I was sure I had passed it.



Here are more accurate directions for anyone who may be attempting to find it:  go around the big barbed wire fence with the "no trespassing" signs, go over a small cracked bridge, pass by a large water tank with "inspiring" phrases painted by local "artists," go past an abandoned building with colorful designs (also by local "artists"), continue past the abandoned/burned car/go cart, slink around the large tree limb literally suspended by a live power line, then turn right when you can see the Likelike highway on your left.  Easy enough, right?

wanna go for a ride?

Most of this hike is actually on an access road used to maintain the water tank.  The first 25% or so is actually well-paved and maintained.  After that, all bets are off.  There are parts where there used to be asphalt but now are potholes and drainage ditches (mother nature always takes over).  The hike is more serene than this description makes it out to be.  You are walking through the jungle with the sounds of rushing water all around you.  It is a pleasant and secluded nature walk.

"Why can't today be the best day of your life?"  Thanks, local graffiti artist. This message literally just changed my life!

The turnoff to get down to the falls is pretty close to what looks like the end of the path.  Someone used a large tree branch to block the path so you know where to turn.  That was helpful.

This is the actual place you turn to go down.  Obvious, right?

To get down to the falls, I had to channel my inner spider monkey.  You are presented with what looks like a giant water slide, but with mud instead of water.  How fun!  Fortunately someone put up ropes so you don't fall on your okole.  Trust in the ropes, and they will set you free.

Finally, the waterfall!  I was pleased and surprised to have this place all to myself.  Had I come on the weekend I bet there would have been a handful of other people there, but not the throngs of tourists like you would find at Manoa or Waimea Falls.  It is allegedly a 3-tier waterfall with the other two tiers above the larger one.  There is another rope up the side of the big waterfall for easy access to the other falls, a good cliff diving spot, and a great place to get a concussion.  Needless to say I didn't venture up the wet rocks to see what was up there.

You know you have been in Hawaii too long when you start to get picky about your waterfalls.  I found this one to be "pleasant," but not as spectacular as the reviews suggest.  The large downed trees make it difficult to get around (not to mention how difficult it is to get a good composition for the photos). Perhaps it's the swimming that makes this place great, but as I already said I didn't come here to get in the water.

Something doesn't quite fit here.  It looks like someone wasn't "malama-ing" the "aina"

Overall, this was a very easy and serene hike.  It was worth the trip once but I don't think I'll be finding my way back here anytime soon.

King Kamehameha III Summer Palace and Waterfall

Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa for once again navigating the interwebs and stumbling on this humble blog post.  I recently visited a historic site here in Hawaii- the summer palace for King Kamehameha III. This post will carry a different tone than my normal posts.  I will attempt to tone down the snark out of respect for the Hawaiians, who truly treasure this site I am about to mention.

The Hawaiian people have a very long and rich history.  They are a very spiritual people.  They greatly revere their ancestors and treasure their history.  Modern Hawaiians strive to preserve the ancient culture by protecting historical sites and by teaching language, arts, dance, and other cultural aspects practiced by their ancestors.

Kapu.  This is the Hawaiian word meaning "sacred" or "forbidden."  There are many kapu sites in the islands- heiaus (temples), birthing sites, graveyards, etc.  The site that is the focus of this entry is one of these kapu sites.  It is a sacred place to the Hawaiians and its preservation is very important to them.  Out of respect to the native Hawaiians, I will not post directions to this place.  There are many jackass hikers/tourists that don't respect the land.  They leave their trash lying around, they move the rocks, they take flowers and other offerings laid at this site, and they generally don't care about protecting the land.  Some people even come here to conduct modeling photo shoots.  If you are intent on visiting this place, there are plenty of places to get directions on the interwebs.  Just please understand this is a sacred site and treat it as such.  Think of it as a cemetery- would you do a fashion shoot or throw your trash on the ground in a cemetery?

I call this a "hike," but it really is a leisurely stroll through the forest.  It is conveniently located close to a major road, but its entrance is so cleverly masked that you need to know where it is or else you would never stumble across it.  The path itself is somewhat interesting in that you are wandering through a bamboo forest and have to climb over, under, around, and through fallen trees and other objects.

What we have here are the remnants of the summer palace of King Kamehameha III.  It is in a mountainous area of Oahu, and therefore is much cooler than Honolulu.  It is easy to see why the king would live up here during the hot summer months in a time before air conditioning.  I have a fantastic 360 degree photo of the place from the center of the structure, but I can't get the file small enough for Blogger to accept it.  Sorry, folks.

This might not look big enough to be a royal palace by western standards.  It looks like little more than a cabin in the woods.  However, consider that Hawaiians didn't (and still don't) really live indoors like most Americans do.  They used the house for sleeping, and that's about it.  They spent most of their time outdoors.  Cooking, hunting, gardening, and socializing all were outdoor activities to the Hawaiians.  Even today, if you stroll through the neighborhoods of Hawaii you will find people on their lawns eating food, playing with kids, or just sitting and enjoying the weather.  They don't have to deal with cold or inclement weather out here, so there's nothing keeping them indoors.

As you walk around the site, you can feel the mana, or spirit, flowing through the site.  It feels as though this continues to be a gathering place for the ancient Hawaiian spirits.  I wish I knew more about this site.  Just walking around I was trying to reconstruct the place in my head.  I guessed where the gathering places were, where the imu (cooking pit) was, and how the king had his sleeping quarters.  I would love to see an actual artist rendering of this place.

The photo below shows some interesting objects I found hanging in one of the tree.  I have no clue what they are or what they are for.  I assume they are some sort of wind chime or offering to the ancestors or something to that effect.  They are man made and hung by fishing line, so I know someone put them there.  If you know what they are, please leave me a comment.

A bit further down the path there is a nice little waterfall.  This was a great place for me to set up and try some long exposure photography.  I wish I had used a polarizer to take some of the glare off the water, but I didn't think I needed it since it was so cloudy and covered by the trees.  In any event, this was a peaceful place to stop for a bit.  I actually got confused and crossed the stream because I saw a trail marker.  I thought the trail continued.  If it did, it was not very well marked or worn.  I decided it was time to turn back.

This was a very short hike that was more of a nature walk than anything.  It was fascinating to experience a bit of Hawaiian culture like this.  Part of me wishes someone would take control of this, restore it, and allow visitors, but that would cheapen the land and make it more of a tourist attraction than a sacred site.  In any event, this was a very good trip for me.

The Kauai Frontier

Welcome to the thrilling conclusion to my Kauai blogilogy (blog trilogy).  In our last episode, our heroes were admiring the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and watching a beautiful sunset over Barking Sands.  This installment will cover the eastern and northern sides of the island.

Let me start by explaining the terrain on this part of the island is vastly different than the south/west parts due to the climate.  But isn't it all a tropical island?  It's not that big, how can it have different climates? Believe me, the windward side is much greener and wetter.   Due to the weather patterns, this part of the island gets more rain than the other side.  This means it's a lot greener and more lush.  It also means there are plenty of waterfalls to ogle.

We began our journey travelling to Lihue from Barking Sands, then heading north from there.  It's a fairly short but scenic drive up the coast to the major resort area of Princeville.  Just past Princeville, there is a fantastic scenic overlook that looks out into the valley below and the mountains in the distance.

As we were exploring the north coast, it started raining on us.  We didn't get to stop at many of the places we wanted to either because it was raining or because we couldn't find parking.  The lighthouse below was one that I really wanted to stop and photograph.  It was raining so hard that I just hopped out of the car, snapped a few quick ones, then hopped back in.

After a night's stay on this side of the island, we took some time to explore some nearby waterfalls.  These falls are so easily accessible that you literally park the car, walk 100 feet and you have a fantastic view.  It was again raining on and off, so we didn't linger too long taking photos.  

The highlight of the trip by far was the helicopter ride we took on the last day of our vacation.  It was just under one hour long, and it took us to many places that are inaccessible by land.  We saw many waterfalls (including the infamous Jurassic Park waterfall). We floated along the fabled Na Pali coastline, which is as amazing as promised.  We even flew into the crater of the volcano that formed Kauai (now a lush green landscape with flowing waterfalls).  I was a little worried about the kiddos, but the baby slept the whole flight, and the toddler was amused to be in a helicopter in the first place.  Here are some highlights.

We only spent one night on this side of the island, and I wish we were able to spend at least one more.  While I really enjoyed my time on the south and west parts of Kauai, I feel I had ample time to see everything there is to see there.  We barely scratched the surface of the east/north coasts.  At some point in my life, I will return to attempt the 11-mile hike (each way) along the Na Pali coast.  It truly is amazing to see.

Now I will leave you with some sunrise photos and an image of a tiki torch for no apparent reason.  Enjoy and Mahalo for reading.