Trip to Oahu, HI

I like living in the south mainly because of the weather. I think this is the coldest that I can deal with. But winter was particularly harsh this year ("harsh" being used relatively here, of course!!!). So we decided to go to Hawaii for spring break. We have been to Big Island before and would have loved to go back, trek Mauna Kea. However, we saw this awesome picture of Haiku Stairs (courtesy: Haiku Stairs) and decided to go to Oahu instead. These Haiku Stairs are also referred to as Stairway to Heaven. More about them later!

Stairway to Heaven

Waikiki is the most popular tourist destination in Oahu. It was very different from Big Island. Kona, Big Island, is not as commercial/touristy as compared to Waikiki. Waikiki beach is nice, but crowded. There are too many shopping malls in the area.  We also discovered some pretty neat spots in Oahu. First and foremost, sushi is great! You can also eat all kinds of Japanese noodles here. More than 60% of our meals were sushi. We noticed more Japanese influence in Honolulu as compared to Big Island. Here's our brief itinerary:

Day 1: We reached late afternoon and decided to just take a stroll in the area. This is where we discovered all the crowds (which we didn't care for), but also some good sushi at a nearby small Japanese restaurant. Here's a night shot from our lanai.

Waikiki beach @ night

Day 2: We decided to ditch the crowds and drive to Laniakea beach, also known as Turtle beach on North Shore. Honolulu is densely populated and it's traffic reminded me of my days in Los Angeles. We were on the streets before 6 am and the traffic was bad. The drive was about 40 minutes. There is no official parking near the beach. However there are some spots on the sides of the road and we found such a spot to park the car. The waves at the North Shore beaches are pretty strong and you can find people surfing here often. It's a great place to take pictures and a stroll on the beach. There are signs on the beach indicating that the Hawaiian honu (sea turtles) frequent the beach, but we didn't see any that morning. We went there quite early, and there wasn't much sun on the beach. Most pictures that I have seen of the Hawaiian honu are in plenty of sunshine. We had seen some in Kona and I remember it being warmer at the time. Here's what we saw at the beach:

We then continued on Kamehameha Highway and hit Banzai pipeline and Sunset beach. The waves were really huge here. Sunset beach should be visited at sunset (duh!!). There was a single outfitter across the beach, offering surfing lessons and equipment. They also owned a small cafe/shack next to it. They served some amazing veggie burgers made of taro root. I would definitely recommend the taro burger and fresh pineapple juice at Surf Grill. This place is probably not listed on Yelp! Here's another view of the beach:

After we had spent enough time away from the crowds we decided to head back. But, instead of going back the way we came, we decided to loop around the island. We went through Pali Highway and stopped at Pali lookout. It's a very scenic drive and the mountains here are unlike any I have seen before. We stopped at the Polynesian Cultural Center for a brief period. It is a highly recommended activity on all web sites, but we thought it was a bit touristy and/or more suited for families. It might be worth a visit, but they were not open yet. We decided not to wait. We stopped to explore some more beautiful beaches on the way.

Kailua Mountains

The view from Pali lookout is absolutely breathtaking. 

View from Pali Lookout

Next we stopped at Byodo-In temple. This Japanese temple is located in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, amidst beautiful mountains. It was established in 1968 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Valley of the Temples Memorial Park has several other places of worship and a cemetery. We did not see any peacocks on the grounds of the temple, but they have been sighted here. There were swans and a beautiful Koi pond in front of the temple. This was the most serene and peaceful place I have ever been to. The best time to visit the temple is at sunset. It closes at 5:30 pm.

Byodo-In Temple

Finally, day 2 ended back in Waikiki at Kuhio beach park. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, there is a torch lighting ceremony and Hula show at the beach park from 6:30-7:30 pm. These performances are not exactly like what you see at a luau, but they are certainly authentic and beautiful.

Hula Performance

Day 3: The next day we went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Park. It is a very beautiful place to visit and snorkel. The reef is very shallow and the water is calm, great place for beginners. The fish are colorful and you will see a lot of variety. Like every other place in Oahu, you have to be here early in the morning. Parking fills up usually by 8:30-9 am and worse, the water starts getting cloudy as the beach gets crowded. The park opens at 6 am, so it is possible to get here early and enjoy some solitude before the crowds start arriving. Snorkel gear can be rented at the beach, if necessary. Everyone has to watch an informational video at the beginning. We enjoyed snorkeling here more than we did at Playa Tamarindo in Puerto Rico. Underwater cameras are a must for this place. The fish are just too beautiful.

Hanauma Bay

After spending most of our day snorkeling, we just rested and walked along Waikiki beach in the evening. A photo op with Duke Kahanamoku statue was calling. The Duke is known for popularizing the sport of surfing.

With Duke Kahanamoku Statue

Day 4: As always, we started early again the next day, headed for Lanikai beach. The beach itself is small and constantly appears on lists of top beaches in the world. It's the best place to watch moonrise from behind the Na Mokulua islands (Twin islands), especially on a full moon night. We went to the nearby Kailua beach early morning, met with Drew from Two Good Kayaks. From Kailua beach, we kayaked around 2.5 miles to Moku Nui, the larger island of the two. After exploring the island, we had  lunch. Then we kayaked to Lanikai beach where we snorkeled again to our hearts' content. Finally, we kayaked back to Kailua beach. This kayaking experience was nothing like our experience in Puerto Rico. First of all we kayaked much more than in PR. Secondly, the ocean currents were very strong, requiring every bit of our strength. Lastly, Lanikai beach area is an upscale neighborhood and most people here do not approve of commercial activity. I guess they are afraid that Lanikai beach might go the Waikiki way soon. So, the outfitters at this beach are not allowed to do things that most outfitters usually do for their guests on such trips. In short, we drove the truck with the kayaks to the beach. We (rather, S) then carried the kayak through the parking lot to a small canal. We dragged it through the canal to the beach and then got into the kayak and started paddling. Needless to say that we were already tired even before we began paddling!!!! The hardest part was having to do all of that on the way back! Nevertheless, the island is worth visiting and the only way to get there is to kayak.

Lanikai Beach

Marine life on the island

Queen's bath on the island

Day 5: The last day of our trip. Again woke up early morning to catch sunrise at Lanikai Pillboxes (bunkers).  Since tourism is not encouraged in this neighborhood, parking is very difficult to find and we had read an article that reported cars being towed from the neighborhood. We found street side parking and walked a little to the start of the trail. It was still dark and the first bit of the trail is pretty steep with loose rocks and dirt. But then it gets pretty gradual and has beautiful views all around as you climb. It is not a difficult hike. At the top of the hike there are two pillboxes where you can sit and enjoy the sunrise and a snack. The sun rises behind the Na Mokulua islands and is not to be missed. You can take some really beautiful panoramic photos on this trail.

View of the sunrise behind Na Mokulua islands from Lanikai Pillboxes

View of the first pillbox on the trail

Our car was not towed when we returned (what a relief!). From the pillboxes we headed to Diamond Head Crater. From all of my research before the trip I had concluded that this was a mere touristy thing and not much hiking would be involved. Which is the reason why I left it for the end. However I was proven wrong. It isn't a difficult hike, but it's not a quick touristy thing either. It's a 0.75 mile hike to the rim of the crater and takes about 1.5 - 2 hours. Moreover parking fills up quickly (as almost everywhere here!). So we had to park further away and walk to the start of the trail. Most of the trail is not covered and the sun was pretty harsh. There are some switchbacks and a tunnel on the trail. The trail ends at a lookout point and beyond that there is a pillbox. Once again the views were just beautiful. It is basically a volcano crater and got its name from British sailors who thought that its calcite crystals were diamonds.

Trail

Steps leading to 225 foot tunnel

Diamond Head Lighthouse

Honolulu skyline from Diamond Head

This was our last hike and after that we headed home. Makapuu point lighthouse is still on our list. Maybe we need to do another trip for that :-). Almost everyone recommends visiting all these places as early in the morning as possible. The views at sunrise are certainly beautiful. The crowds are just too much to handle later in the day. It was a little difficult to fit everything in 4 sunrises, but I think we made the most of our holiday. Forgot to take pictures of the food (mainly because we were always starving after all these activities!). But here's one of some yummy pesto corn:

Finally, about those haiku stairs for which we planned this whole trip: Right after we saw the picture, we tried to find articles about this hike to determine its difficulty level. We found that hiking these stairs is illegal. There are plenty of sites that tell you to start the hike before 4 am to avoid the guard who is there all day long and turns people away. However, "illegal" and us don't go together. There are a couple of reasons for not doing this hike. If it is illegal, I am assuming there is a reason for it. From the pictures, some parts of the trail seemed too steep and missing some steps. Secondly, if it is illegal to hike the trail then I am pretty sure that no one is maintaining it. We didn't want to risk it. There were plenty of other things to do. However, to each his own. People do this hike and there are pictures all over the web that prove so.

All in all a beautiful place to visit! Aloha!

Matsumoto's shaved ice