First Night, First Morning in Waikiki

Oahu travelog #4
Waikiki, HI - Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 8am

We landed in Honolulu yesterday afternoon. We didn't do much with our first evening in Waikiki... though that was kind of the point. We drove out to a nearby grocery store to stock up on some food for the week— breakfasts, drinks, and snacks— and to get dinner. We decided to try a place called Chronic Tacos for dinner. Perhaps unsurprisingly it was staffed by people who all seemed high. And it's the first time I've been to a supposedly Mexican place completely not staffed by anyone looking Hispanic.

Shopping for groceries was... an experience. An expensive experience. We quickly decided we'd have to not sweat the "Island" prices on things like sodas. They're up to twice as expensive as on the mainland. Other food was merely 50% more expensive. Except poke. Mmm, fish for breakfasts!



When we got back from dinner and shopping it was dark already. Hawk wanted to go out and walk the strip. I was tired already so I opted to lounge on the balcony with beer and snacks I'd just purchased at Safeway. I even got free live music for a few hours. There was a Reggae-ish band on the corner below me. They were pretty good.

I was so tired I thought maybe I'd get to sleep around 9 and be well rested to start early in the morning. "Ha ha, nope!" said my body as it kept me up until almost midnight.

The same stupid body decided to suffer jet lag in the morning and wake me up at 5am.



Well, the good thing about being up at 5 was that I got to see the sunrise. Of course I didn't need to be up at five for that. Sunrise was just after 7.

Hawk and I have spent a bit of time this morning planning out what we can do today and for the next few days. We're thinking we'll visit a few waterfalls today, take some scenic drives, and hang out back in Waikiki when we're done.

Chickens Gone Wild!

Oahu travelog #5
Manoa Falls Trailhead, Honolulu HI - Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 9am

Our hike to Manoa Falls today begins with an experience we thought we left behind in Kauai when we visited a few years ago: Chickens Gone Wild!



Chickens were brought to Hawaii long ago by European settlers. Keeping them penned up was too much effort so they let them run free-range. Some went wild. Now, on the island of Kauai, chickens are everywhere. I think it helps that there are no natural predators like foxes or hawks. They wander across people's yards, stand in parking lots, strut around on the lawns in front of hotels and condos, and even sit in the sand on beaches. Chickens are everywhere in Kauai.



Not all the islands have Kauai's chicken problem. I don't recall seeing them on Maui, for example. And I haven't seen them in the downtown areas of Honolulu. Out here where quiet residential neighborhoods give way to wilderness, though, seems to be where they roam.

Hiking Manoa Falls

Oahu travelog #6
Manoa Falls, Honolulu HI - Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 10:30am

The trail to Manoa Falls is not a hard one. ...Well, it's not hard to find, at least. There's a parking lot at the end of a city street that climbs past quiet residential neighborhoods into the foothills of the mountains. Even if there are Chickens! Everywhere! in the parking lot.

The trail starts out as a fire road ascending from the parking lot. ...At least I think it might be a fire road. On the mainland we'd call it a fire road. Out here there seems to be so much rain I'm not sure there's a purpose in fire suppression.

The trail forks off from the gravel road at a well signed junction and narrows slightly.



The trail goes up almost constantly; moderately at first, then steeper in the second half. It's popular with novice hikers because it's so close to the resort city of Honolulu. Not all the novices make it, though. We passed several who turned back. ...Which is a shame, because 200' Manoa Falls is worth struggling a bit to get to if you have to.



The falls is first visible from across a hanging canyon high on the wall of the Nu'uanu Pali. From a distance you can see the falls' two tiers. Up closer only the lower tier is visible.



There's a viewing platform about 50m from the falls. There are several signs warning of danger and damage to the environment if people approach closer. I respected the rules and took my pictures from a distance.



On the way back the weather broke out from an occasional drizzle to steady light rain. I brought the gear to deal with. Wearing boots was a good idea anyway because of the rough surface of the trail. My rain jacket I left in my bag because it was warm enough even with the rain I didn't mind getting a bit wet. Plus, in the dense rain forest (see first picture) steady rain above the canopy filters to a drizzle below.

The Ko'olau Cliffs

Oahu travelog #7
Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, HI - Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 1pm

On Saturday after hiking Manoa Falls we headed over the mountains to the windward coast of Oahu. Driving up highway 61 the mountains around us were beautiful. They were stark in their volcanic steepness, with near-vertical sides and jagged peaks, while simultaneously lush with green plants clinging to the sides and groves of trees at their feet. We were torn between wanting to get to our next hike and wanting to stop in the mountains to appreciate the beauty already around us.



We found an ideal stop at a the Nu'uanu Pali Lookout and the mountain crest. From here one can see down over the ridge to the windward side of the island. I was especially intrigued by the Ko'olau Cliffs just to the north of us (pictured above). There you can see the verticals walls, some 2,000' tall, with sides undulating like drapes.

Ko'olau is actually an ancient volcano. ...Well, okay, all of Hawaii is actually ancient volcanoes. Ko'olau is half an ancient volcano. The other half slid off into the ocean 2 million years ago, leaving this unusual half-crater behind.

Hiking Likeke Falls

Oahu travelog #8
Kaneohe, HI - Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 3:30pm

Finding the trailhead for Likeke Falls feels like it's going to be the hardest part of the trip. There's a trail down from the top of the mountain near the Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, where we visited earlier in the day, but it's a) long and b) very steep with a big climb on the way back out. Instead we navigated around narrow, poorly marked roads below the mountain to park at a remote church event center that generously offered trail parking for only $10.

Finding the trailhead only seemed like the hardest part of the trip... until about 1/4 mile up the trail when we had to climb a hillside covered in deep mud.



Mud continued to be the main theme of the trail almost all the way up. Mud, mud, mud. We were so glad we wore our boots... and they were completely caked in mud by the time we reached Likeke Falls.



The last 30m or so to the base of the falls entailed walking directly in the creek. There was no trail... or if there was, it was flooded over. But hey, no problem. Boots again. And stomping through the running water meant we cleaned off the mud!



At the trailhead I questioned whether or not to carry my tripod. It's extra weight and bulk... and only sometimes does it really improve the kind of pictures I can take. I'd chosen not to carry it the previous hike, Manoa Falls, and regretted it a little... though at the same time I was happy not to have lugged all that weight nearly 1,000' up the mountain. This trek I opted to carry it, and I'm glad I did. I set it up right in the pool at the base of the falls to capture "silky water" style photos like the one above. And yes, the tripod's sitting in about 6" of water (and I"m standing in 2-3" of water) from this POV.

I'll also give a shout out to the weather for helping with this. The sky is gloomy. Normally I'd be like, "Boo! Bring back the sun," but overcast skies help with certain types of photography by making the light more even. It also helped in shots like the one above that I could take slow exposures without using a neutral density filter... because while I chose to lug the tripod along on this hike I forgot to grab my filter from the camera bag in the car.