Kualoa Ranch Movie And ATV Tour

I One of the places we've heard about on the island over and over again is "the ranch".  There are multiple ranches across the island, but Kualoa Ranch is the biggest on Oahu and most well known.  While they still function as a cattle ranch, they have diversified into other areas of agriculture as well as tourism and entertainment.  Many movies and TV shows have been filmed here (Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Pearl Harbor, Lost, Hawaii Five-O) with more happening every month.  Even while filming, there are group tours on buses, ATVs (All-terrain vehicles), and horseback.  Everyone always talks about how the ATVing is the best, so we signed up for that.  Since we were already going to be out that side of the island, we decided to do the bus tour of the movie sites first and then follow with the ATVs.

The ranch is on the opposite side of the island from where we live, kind of  between the North Shore and Kailua/Kaneohe.  Once you get out of Kaneohe town, the Kamehameha Highway is a beautiful, mostly waterfront drive in the Hawaiian "country".  No major stores or stoplights, just a nice winding road.  Just across the street from the ranch is the famed China Man's Hat moke, famous for it's obvious shape.

The property that the state now owns that includes the beach park for China Man's Hat used to be part of Kualoa Ranch until World War II when the government occupied much of the ranch for its strategic location on the island.  They built bunkers, made camps, even made an air strip.  After the war was over, they returned "most" of the property, but the state kept some key pieces.  There is a ton more history to the ranch, but I won't bore you all with it here...

Now onto our excursions...For the bus tour, think school bus with no windows.  Not the most luxurious or comfortable modes of transportation, but you can't expect much when you're bouncing through dirt roads on a ranch.  The tour stops at several "famous" spots to get out and do a little exploring (like WWII bunkers used in many films, Hurley's golf course from Lost, Godzilla's footprint, "the log" from the first Jurassic Park.  Pretty neat, but we were ready for some excitement with the ATVs.

For anyone that has never been ATVing...it...is...fun.  I got my first taste of it many years ago in Louisiana when we were there for the softball world series and staying with an awesome host family (shout out to my Abbeville people!) and I was very excited to do it again.  Kathryn and Joe had never done it, so it was good we had a short practice drive before we went out with our group of 6 with a guide.  Part of the tour was a duplicate of the bus tour, but then we were able to go places the bus could not.  Most set pieces from films have to be broken down after filming is complete, but occasionally they keep some.  One of these was for the Gyroscope Ride platform from Jurassic World, which was way up the side of the mountain and very cool to walk out on.  We opted to do the 2 hour tour versus the 1 hour and we were glad we did because time flew by.  We were up hill, down hill, through streams, through brush and jungle...a little bit of everything.

The ranch has even more activities daily which we may need to check out when we have more visitors, but the ATV tour was definitely worth the trip out to the ranch and I highly recommend it to anyone with a little bit of an adrenaline junkie living in their subconscious! Aloha!

Kailua/Lanikai Kayaking

For a while Joe and I had been talking about kayaking out to the Mokes (the Mokulula Islands off the coast of Lanikai off the windward coast).  The trouble is, you have to get a permit to "land" on the islands and no permits are allowed on Sundays.  With both of us working Monday-Friday, that only leaves Saturdays open to do this and things always seemed to come up to keep us from going.  So, while Kathryn was here, her being the big kayaker she is, we decided to plan it out so we could be sure to go.

We rented ocean kayaks from an ocean rental company very close to Kailua Beach Park.  They gave us little trailors to haul the kayaks to the entry canal.  Kathryn had a single and Joe and I shared a double (I think I would recommend using a single just for the ease of getting in and out).  After hauling our kayaks and putting them in the kanal, we made it to the beach where we had to carry the kayaks to the ocean (at high tide the canal and ocean are connected, though with very shallow water).  

There are 3 islands around the Kailua and Lanikai area (Flat Island and the two Mokulula Islands).  Only one of the mokes has a place where you can land a kayak and flat island has a small beach as well.  The ocean report said that only very experienced kayakers should attempt the mokes that day while Flat Island was safe.  We weren't quite sure what that meant as far as difficulty (there are some real motor morons that rent the kayaks and I can understand them being told to stay in shore), so we figured we'd head out there and see what we saw.

We decided to paddle from Kailua to Lanikai first and eat our lunch we packed on the beach there.  From Lanikai we had a better view of the mokes and were able to eavesdrop a little on some paddlers that had made it out to the mokes.  Their stories told of kayaks being flipped, paddlers being thrown, and general chaos with landing and launching.  We still weren't quite sold, so we decided to paddle out that way and see how the surf was.

About half way between shore and the mokes, the surf did start to get big.  The report said 5-8 ft swells and I would say they were about 5 feet.  They were actually a lot of fun to paddle on since they weren't breaking on top of us.  We stopped about a quarter mile off shore to see how it looked and decided the landing would be just a little too rough.  

From there we headed to Flat Island off of Kailua.  On the way there, both kayaks passed turtles coming up for air from the reefs, which was pretty cool.  When we made it to Flat Island, there was a big group there, but once they left it was nice and quiet.  It's an interesting "island" made up completely of porous rock.  All throughout the rock, vegetation had grown to give it a very lush feel, but made stepping very quickly (it was hard to see where the big holes in the rock were when the plants made everything even-looking).  There were a few pretty tide pools as we made our way around the edge, but we weren't able to make it into the middle since it is a nature preserve.

From Flat Island, it was a pretty quick paddle back into Kailua Beach.  Our whole outing took about 5 hours.  The company we rented from offered half (4 hours) or full day rentals.  We chose the full day since it was only a little bit more and gave us a lot more flexibility.  Overall, a pretty fun little excursion.  I think next time we'll check the surf forecast to make sure we can make it to the mokes safely and get our own kayaks.

Hanauma Bay

*Disclaimer: I have been very blessed and am fortunate to have visited and seen many amazing underwater environments and have interacted with the marine life there.  As such, I am a bit spoiled in what I consider a great snorkeling or scuba location.*

Hanauma Bay is another one of those names that most of us have heard over time from magazines or people that have visited Hawaii.  It's usually a hot spot with tourists and occasionally hard to get into (there are a limited number of parking spots available and once full, they close the road to vehicle traffic).

After finishing at Diamond Head, Kathryn, we continued east to Hanauma Bay.  I think we timed it right going after lunch, because the morning crowd seemed to be leaving and making room in the parking lot.  We stood in line to get our tickets to enter (I think it was $7 or something like that) and then you wait in a line to see a video about Hanauma Bay.  I think it's good to have this because with the amount of traffic the area gets, it would be easy to cause a lot of damage.  They basically say "don't stand on the reef, don't try to catch the sea life, don't be stupid, etc.".  My gripe with the video is that they lead you to believe you're going to see a lot of things (the video shows turtles, eels, octopus, and tons of fish), which increased the let-down for us.

I hate to say it, but we were very disappointed with our overall experience.  It was EXTREMELY crowded (the guy checking our things into a locker said that day was the busiest he had seen it in 4 months), the visibility was poor in the water, there wasn't much to see fish-wise, and it was shallow (that may have been on us, I forgot to check the tide charts).  It was so shallow that we kept banging our knees on the reef and rocks as we were swimming across.  The surf was a little rougher that day, so I'm guessing that had to do with the visibility being stirred up, but once we made our rounds side-to-side, Kathryn and I were both ready to go.

In talking to other people, Hanauma Bay does have it's better days, but it's nothing like it was before the 80s and 90s.  Poor protection of the fish, animals, and reefs has led to a decreased abundance in what used to be the top spot for snorkeling.  With the number of people it draws daily, it does not suprise me that there is little marine life still hanging around.  When they created the visitor center, started charging, and requiring people to watch a video, the idea was to create a better educated tourist and help protect the area, but I think it was too little, too late.

We were told you can also scuba in Hanauma Bay, but I'm hoping they were talking about the area out closer to the ocean because it's so shallow I'm not sure why you would need to in the area we were in.

I'll definitely give Hanauma Bay another shot when we have more visitors that want to check it out, but I will be sure to check the tide charts before we go and try very hard to avoid going on a weekend.

Diamond Head

Diamond Head.  We've all heard of it.  You see any commercial, picture of Honolulu, or anything to do with Hawaii, chances are Diamond Head is in the background.  It is visible from almost all of the south and west shores as an imposing peak above Waikiki Beach and Honolulu town.  With that notoriety comes popularity.  With popularity comes crowds...lots and lots of crowds.

While Kathryn was here, we wanted to do this "hike" to check off her bucketlist.  We got there pretty early (I think like 8:30, which with a 50 minute drive from our house was early for "vacation"), but the small parking lot was already full.  We had to turn around and hike up from a park at the base of the crater.  It ended up not being too bad of a walk, but we were stopped by taxis on the way up and down asking if we wanted a ride to the top.  After passing through a tunnel through the side of the crater, we reached the tollbooth where we paid our small entry fee (I think it was $3 per person) and we were ready to begin.  Did I mention the crowds of people?

There were people congregated EVERYWHERE. Old, young, out of shape, in shape, fast, slow, in dresses, in flip-flops (slippers), in hiking gear...EVERYWHERE (disclaimer: I don't recommend dresses OR slippers on any of the trails. It blows my mind how many people do these hikes the wrong attire).  I knew it was going to be crowded, but I really had no idea (it probably didn't help that we came on a Saturday...).  The trail starts out nice and paved, then drops off onto a narrower, dirt/rock trail.  We were stuck behind a very large group walking 3-wide very slowly, and we were losing our minds.  We were eventually able to weave our way in-and-out of that group and get a move on.  There was a lot of weaving, but we made it to the top in under 30 minutes.  At the end of the trail you walk uphill in a tunnel and you think you're about to pop out at the top, only to find that there is a steep set of stairs, then another spiral staircase to go to get to the top (there was another option of climbing stairs more gradually, but we didn't realize that at the time).

Once we made it to the top, the views west to Honolulu and east to Hawaii Kai were beautiful, but you had to wait your turn to get a spot at the rail to see it and take a picture.  Don't even think about shifting your weight because somebody else is set right there to squeeze their way in.

Despite the crowds, we enjoyed seeing the views of the coast line and on the way back, the views of the crater.  While it was a check off the bucketlist, there are other hikes that provide similar views without the crowds, but it is an easy hike that young and old can accomplish.  I would recommend doing this hike in the morning if you want the best pictures of Honolulu or in the afternoon for your best pictures of Hawaii Kai (just the way the sun reflects and sets on the water). 

After working off those calories, Kathryn and I enjoyed a nice meal at Kona Brewing in the Koko Head Marina, then headed off to Hanauma Bay (that post to follow next). 

Until the next adventure, Aloooha!

Maunawili Falls Trail

Here we start the beginning of our adventures with Kathryn, my sister.  She came to stay with us for two weeks during her winter break from her last semester of graduate school and kept us very busy with lots and lots of excursions (lots of fun!).

When moving out to Hawaii, I knew there would be rain.  But what that didn't equate to in my head was the mud.  Not mud everywhere, but anywhere there are canopies.  Like hiking trails.  Now that I've come to terms with the copious amounts of mud on these trails, I've learned to always bring towels and a change of clothes and shoes.

We knew this hike would be a muddy one and we were mostly mentally prepared.  The hike begins in a neighborhood with no parking lot.  I'm not sure I would like to live there with all the trail traffic, but I guess it's something you know before buying there.  At the end of the road, a gated paved road starts with very, VERY muddy shoes hanging from a powerline overhead.  Down that road a little bit, a trail begins off the road and at the trailhead are a pile of wooden walking sticks.  Joe was the only one smart enough to grab one.  We begin down the path and it only gets muddier.  We came across a muddy family on their way back and the little boy insisted I take his walking stick as it would save me repeatedly.  I accepted, and boy was I glad I had it.  Lots and lots of mud.  The trail follows a stream which we had to cross at one point to stay on the trail.  Following that was a fairly steep climb up some stairs (metal plates put in to prevent erosion) to a beautiful lookout.  After the lookout was a steep climb down similar steps that dump you back into the stream.  At that point, you have to wade through the stream to get to the falls (pretty cool if you ask me).

Once reaching the falls, there were people jumping into the water hole from many different spots.  The lowest spot (and the one Kathryn and I jumped from) was probably 8-10 feet up.  For the next spot people were climbing the falls, crossing at the top, and scaling around to a point about 20-25 feet up.  Crazy enough, there was someone that jumped across the way at about 30 feet.  We tried a quick check of how deep the hole was before jumping and couldn't touch.  At that point, after seeing everyone else jumping and no bottom found, we figured the lowest spot would be safe.  Even from a low spot, it was a bit of a rush to jump.

The hike was an out-and-back, so we then followed the same path back.  We were in a bit of a hurry on the way back (we had a luau scheduled for that night), so we didn't stop at the lookouts on the way back.  It is not a long trail, only about 3 miles, but takes a very long time due to the mud.  Very cool hike if you're looking for a waterfall and don't mind getting muddy while slip-sliding around.

Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail

Oh, oh Makapu'u.  This hike (and I use that word loosely) is a widely accessible, paved hike lasting about 2-2.5 miles round trip.  It is wide enough to get a golf cart or emergency vehicle up.  The trail has been recently renovated and repaired, improving lookouts and pavement conditions.

There are several scenic lookouts on the way up with the end of the trail being entirely scenic.  The trail ends at a recently built lookout point to Makapu'u Beach and Waimanalo Beach.  The Makapu'u point is home to a lighthouse, marking the southeast corner of Oahu.  To actually see the lighthouse, we had to hike up and adjacent hill to the top to see it.  We've been told you can go around the other side, off the paved path, and see the lighthouse as well (Kathryn got around during her visit and got up close).  It still seems a bit odd to me that they built all of this up, but didn't make the lighthouse viewable.  But I digress...

On the way back, we hiked down a cliff path towards some tide pools and a blow hole known as dragon's nostrils. We realized half-way down that we needed better trail shoes with real tread, but it was still a very cool site to see and the blow hole was awesome.  We would like to go back at low time and swim in the tide pools (we didn't bring our swim suits that day).

From the months of November-March, humpback whales can be seen along this hike migrating in the Hawaiian waters.  Unfortunately, we did not see any the day we hiked, but Kathryn did while she was here visiting.

Overall, very family-friendly hike and very accessible to many people.  Nice views, quick and easily. 

Pillbox Trail

Unfortunately, here is another post that I have been delinquent on posting.  We did this hike in the beginning of September on a Saturday, so unfortunately there were quite a few people on the trail.  That being said, there was plenty of room for everyone.

                                 

The Pillbox trail is located in Lanikai, which is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  It is about 2-3 miles from Kailua Beach, a personal favorite of ours.  Parking is a bit of an issue in this area, but we got lucky this day.  

The hike starts pretty steep with plenty of trees to grab for support.  After breaking out of the trees, the remainder of the trail was exposed to the elements and was a mix of flat and steep rocks to climb, but nothing too difficult.  We saw many people doing this hike in flip flops (though everyone I saw slip was in those, so probably not a good idea).

Once reaching the ridge line, the pill boxes can be accessed fairly easily.  These pill boxes were used as lookouts for Kaneohe Bay (occupied by the navy at the time) and Bellows Beach and air field (still operated by the Air Force) during World War II.  The views continue to be amazing and allow you to see from Kaneohe Bay to Kailua Bay to Lanikai Beach to Bellows Beach.

Straight out from the pill boxes in Lanikai are the mokes, two off shore uninhabited islands (kayaking post to come regarding these guys).

Overall, I would classify this hike as an advanced beginner hike, with ages from young children (maybe around 4 or 5) to active older adults enjoying the trail.