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I have created some entries on Worldisround where you will find pictures from my trip:

Highlights

The Big Island

Saturday September 23 -

It's a long way to Hawai'i.  I lived in Ohio when I first visited Hawai'i back in 1993.  I decided to break up the flight with visits to the Los Angeles area tacked onto the beginning and end of that trip.  Given how much I found I liked Los Angeles and southern California on that trip, and that decision proved to be a good one.  

But I live in Seattle now, which is about as West Coast as it gets.  And there are direct flights from Seattle to Hawai'i, so no need to figure out a way to break up the flight time this time.  Besides, with five islands to visit, I needed all two weeks of this trip focused on Hawai'i itself.

I flew from Seattle to Honolulu, and then from Honolulu to Kona, on the west side of the Big Island, where I would spend the first five nights of my trip.  I had some hazy views of the Big Island and Maui followed by some great views of Oahu as our plane approached Honolulu.  With a disposable film camera, I picked up a handful of decent photos of Diamond Head, which I'd visit on the ground near the end of the trip.

I was supposed to be greeted with a live flower lei with my arrival on the Big Island as part of the tour package.  I somehow missed that.  But then I didn't see anyone handing out leis to anyone at the airport.  I went to pick up my rental car and ran into the ever-annoying battle with the person at the counter who does her best to get you to pay for a more expensive vehicle because they don't actually have what you reserved on hand, and yet aren't willing to admit it until either you give in or something comes in.  

I headed south from the hotel to Kona, and then headed into town, where traffic crawled as I made my way to my hotel, the Royal Kona Resort.  When I was here in 1993 I spent two nights in Hilo on the east side of the island followed by two nights here.  But in spite of its name, the Big Island is small enough and there is enough of interest to see between the two sides that I figured I'd stay put at just one hotel this time.

I checked into the hotel and headed for my room.  The room was dark and dingy, and there was a fair amount of mold on the bathroom ceiling and near the vents.  Other parts of the Royal Kona Resort had recently undergone renovations and updates, but I guess that they hadn't gotten to my room yet.  I've stayed in some cheap raggy places on my road trips over the years, but the Royal Kona Resort isn't exactly cheap.  Had this been a romantic getaway, a honeymoon or a "trip of a lifetime", and it would have been pretty disappointing.  As for me, well, I just need a place to sleep, shower and a lock on the door.  But I certainly wouldn't recommend the place.  After all, the presence of mold isn't about renovation, it's about sloppy cleaning.

I grabbed my camera and headed out.  It was mostly overcast, but I at least wanted to relearn my way around town.  Restaurants, hotels, and tourist shops line the road that follows the waterfront.  I checked out the Mokuaikaua Church.  Established in 1820, it was the first church in the islands.  Nearby is the Hulihee Palace, used by several members of the Hawai'ian royal family for years.  Today it functions as a museum.

It was late September, and I soon found out how early sun sets in Hawai'i this time of year - shortly after 6PM.  Although the skies overhead were filled with clouds, there was some clearing in the west.  I would be treated to what was perhaps the best sunset of the trip this evening.  Afterwards, I got some dinner, and got some rain - which would be a surprisingly routine on this part of this part of the trip considering that the Kona side of the Big Island is supposed to be the dry side.

Back to the hotel to unpack and plan tomorrow's activities.

Then it was time for a bit of nightlife.  Kona actually has a gay bar now, the Mask Bar & Grill.  I checked it out.  It was a nice place, but a smaller crowd than I would have expected for a Saturday.  Of course, it isn't tourist season, so that probably is part of the explanation.  In any event, I never made it back there the rest of my stay on the island.

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Sunday September 24 -

My favorite place in Hawai'i is on the Big Island, the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, located on the east side of the island, south of Hilo.  The park preserves the natural setting of Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world's most active volcanoes.  They're continuing to build the island - there have been nearly continuous lava flows here since before my 1993 visit.  In fact, during my 1993 visit, I took the park's Chain of Craters Road to the point where hardened lava blocked further driving.  From there I walked out over fresh rock to the edge of the lava flows.  There a park ranger kept a close eye on the tourists as we got literally within a few feet of the flowing lava.  We had to keep stepping back as we watched the encroaching lava slowly bury places where we had been standing minutes earlier underneath a foot or more of molten rock.  That proved to be the most exciting part of the 1993 trip, something that I've always wanted to experience again.  The fresh rock I had hiked across to get to the lava flows was apparently hot enough that it did a number on the glue in my tennis shoes.  They literally fell apart the next day.

It was sunny when I got up.  I hit the road first thing for what is about a 90-mile drive around the southern half of the island.  It took quite a bit longer than I had expected, as the speed limit was absurdly low for the road and conditions, and with only one lane heading in each direction it was difficult to pass folks driving even slower than the speed limit.  I drove past many of the sites on the south half of the island that I planned to visit tomorrow, noting anything about the road conditions and refreshment opportunities that might come in handy.

I entered the park, skipped the Visitor Center since I didn't know how long I'd have the sun, and followed Crater Rim Drive halfway around and across Kilauea Caldera.  I stopped at the Halema'uma'u Overlook parking area to check out the crater in the caldera's floor.  A sign at the parking area warned of the dangers of volcano fumes, but that didn't seem to stop anyone from taking the short trail to the rim of the crater, passing a number of steam vents along the way.  This gave me some great views of the crater, the surrounding caldera, and the distant peak of Mauna Loa.  (As I write this in March 2008, parts of this area have recently been closed to tourists because of new signs of volcanic activity and increasing amounts of toxic fumes.)

I then made quick stops at Keanakako'i Crater and Devastation Trail to check out the views.  Then I headed south on the Chain of Craters Road.  For now my goal was to get to the end of it - I'd make sightseeing stops along the way later in the day, although I did make a couple view stops along the way back.

I reached the end of the road, but had the feeling that I was a lot further away from the lava flows than I was in 1993.  Sure enough, that was the case.  And not only that, but the direction of the wind made it hazardous to get anywhere close to the flowing lava as it blew the fumes and steam in a direction that followed the trail out there (in addition to the chemicals in the fumes, when the lava hits the water it generates numerous tiny glass bits that mix with the steam; these are not a good thing to inhale).  That didn't stop some tourists from venturing further, but no one was getting anything like my 1993 experience, so I figured I wouldn't be heading out any further.

Good thing I've got 10x optical zoom on my camera.  I hiked out a ways until I got about as close to the steam cloud as I wanted to.  I did come across a few exposed patches of the old road and even a No Parking sign that survived the lava flows.  Relatively fresh lava can be hard to hike across as it is very uneven and dangerously rough - falling on it will take off skin.

I got my photos and then headed back to the car.  Before hitting the road, I took some more pictures of the area, including some shots of the Holei Sea Arch.

After checking out the views at the Holei Sea Arch turnout, I parked at the Pu'u Loa trailhead.  The trail leads 0.7 miles out to an area covered with petroglyphs, mostly a mix of abstract men, circles and small indentations called poho or piko, meaning "belly button", carved to honor the birth of a child.  It is in fact the largest concentration of petroglyphs in Hawai'i, with literally thousands of petroglyphs at the site.  I checked out the petroglyphs and then made my way back to the car, keeping an eye out for additional petroglyphs along the trail.

By now it was overcast.  The east side of the island is the rainy side, so I wasn't surprised by the clouds, but I hoped that the rain would hold off for the afternoon.

I drove back north along the Chain of Craters road, this time stopping at every sign, parking area and trailhead for some pictures of the volcanic landscape.  A major feature was the cascaded lava formation Holei Pali, the result of continuous lava flows from 1969 to 1974.  A few isolated plants had begun nature's reclamation of the land, but after more than 30 years, much of it is still barren and black, a mix of coarse aa and still shiny pahoehoe lava.  I've been around numerous volcanic landscapes and cinder cones over the years, and yet it is still a fascinating landscape to see.  The sun poked through the clouds a few times bringing out some of the color in the scenery.

Other stops included the Keauhou Trailhead, Pauahi Crater, and Puhimau Crater as I headed towards the Thurston Lava Tube.  When lava is flowing, its surface may cool and harden while the molten rock continues to flow underneath.  If the lava completely flows out, what's left is a cave-like lava tube.  These come in various sizes, and lava fields often show signs of collapsed tubes.  The Thurston tube is a big one in good condition.  A section has a flat walking surface and it is well-lit, making it a popular stop for visitors.  

It was raining by the time I finished up at the lava tube, and it was late afternoon by now, so I figured that was the end of my sightseeing for the day.  I stopped in the village of Volcano to pick up some munchies for the drive back to Kona, again making note of the areas around tomorrow's planned stops.

Surprisingly it was raining on the Kona side of the island, too.  I got dinner and then spent the evening mostly back at the hotel sorting through the day's photos.

Monday September 25 -

Today I focused on the south side of the Big Island, the sites that I passed along the way to the national park and back yesterday.

My first stop was the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, site of a royal residence and place of refuge.  The royal residence, part of the sub-district of Honaunau, had once consisted of a collection of thatched buildings in a coconut grove, located at a protected cove and great canoe landing spot.  

The royal residence area was separated from a small area of oceanfront land by a "great wall" of lava stone, built in 1550.  This protected patch of land was a pu'uhonua, or place of refuge.  It provided people with a second chance - no blood could be spilled there, so if a condemned man or opposing warrior reached it, they might be absolved through a ceremony, and allowed to leave peacefully.  This pu'uhonua includes Hale o Keawe, a heiau (or temple) that was constructed in the mid-1600s in honor of Keawe'ikekahiali'i o Kamoku, the great grandfather of King Kamehameha I.  After his death, his bones were placed in the temple; his mana (or spiritual power) is said to provide protection to the entire pu'uhonua.

The royal grounds features a half-size model of the Hale o Keawe temple, an example of the Konane game, the royal canoe landing site, example thatched buildings, and fish ponds.  A reconstruction of Hale o Keawe is located at the entrance of the pu'uhonua, Ki'i carvings stand guard at the entrance.  Behind the great wall is the Ale'ale'a Heiau and remains of a much older heiau, among other sites.  

The park provides interesting insight into Hawai'ian cultural and spiritual traditions, and is well worth a visit - or repeat visit, in my case - when you're visiting the Big Island.

From there I took a back road over to Napoopoo and the Kealakekua Bay.  I had gone swimming along the rocky coast here back in 1993, but not this time.  However, I did want to update my photo of the Captain Cook Monument across the inlet at Cook Point.

Back on the Hawai'i Belt Road - Highway 11 - I continued south, eventually turning off the main road to head south on the narrow strip of pavement to Ka Lae.  I passed by the Kamaoa wind farm that I remembered from 1993, but this time they weren't moving, many looking rusted and in disrepair.  (I later read that they had been shut down for that reason a month earlier, and they have since been replaced.)  I continued on until I reached the South Point Complex area, where I stopped for some photos and then found a good parking spot for exploring the area on foot.

Ka Lae is the southernmost point of the Big Island as well as of the United States.  It is a beautiful area, a windswept grassland that meets a rugged coast that features some cliffs, big waves from the currents that collide here, and some historical sites, including the ruins of a heiau, a fishing shrine and holes cut into the rocks that the ancient Hawai'ians used to moor their canoes.  It also features a nice view of Mauna Loa.  Because it is the part of Hawai'i closest to Tahiti, it is believed that the first Hawai'ian settlements were located in this area.

Visitors come to claim the "southernmost point" site, to fish, to dive off the cliffs (swimming is not recommended here due to dangerous currents), and the fishing.  There are some green sand beaches nearby, too.  I watched the cliff jumpers for a bit, and then walked eastward along the coastline, checking out the various sites, and dodging waves when I investigated some tidal pool life.  The waves were bigger than last time I was here, so getting hit by one could do some serious damage along the rocky coast.  I eventually made my way over to the Pu Ali'i royal burial site.

Clouds soon came in, and the would generally stick with me for most of the rest of the day.  

I headed back to the main highway and headed further east.  My next significant stop was at the town of Na'alehu, which bills itself as the "southern most in the U.S.A.".  There I saw the Shaka Restaurant "and most southern bar in the U.S." and a few more "most southern" sites.

Heading northeast now, I hit my last major sightseeing stop along the southern part of the island at Punaluu Black Sand Beach.  Not only is it quite pretty for its interesting black sand beaches, it is also a stopping point for Hawai'ian green sea turtles.  Several were bobbing in the water just offshore - a handful came up onto the beach itself to rest and relax.  They are endangered and susceptible to human illnesses, so approaching them too closely - let alone touching them - is prohibited.  I did some turtle watching as I slowly walked along the beach, taking in the pretty scenery.  A few glimpses of the sun popped out, brightening the scenery for bits at a time.  

It began raining as I headed back towards Kona, but it stopped by the time I had reached the Manuka Wayside Park and Natural Area.  Signs indicated that there was a nature trail through the wooded area, so I decided to check that out.  It took me just a little over an hour to complete the hike.  There were a few points of interest, which made it worthwhile, but nothing really all that interesting to report.

Back to Kona for some dinner.  No rain, but enough clouds that I got only one decent sunset picture. 

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Tuesday September 26 -

Continuing my clockwise tour around the island, today's sightseeing focused on the northwest portion of the Big Island.  I headed north out of Kona on Highway 250 and then west briefly on Highway 19 before continuing north on Highway 250.  A parking area along the highway provided some outstanding views of the Kona coast area, Hualalai peak, Mauna Kea and the area scenery.  Although the common image of Hawai'i is very tropical, the views from here are almost high desert-like.  The volcanic peaks on some of the islands are rainmakers, wringing the moisture out of the air as it climbs up one side of the mountain, leaving the other side in the rain shadow.  Even not counting the parts underwater, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are huge mountains, rising up almost 14,000 feet above sea level, which usually leaves the Kona side of the Big Island very dry.

Usually.

By the time I reached Highway 270, I was getting some off and on rain.  I stopped at Halawa to check out the Kamehameha Rock, a small boulder alongside the highway that King Kamehameha I carried out of the Pololu Valley.  Kind of like when I first saw Plymouth Rock, I have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by it.

Next stop was the village of Kapa'au, which features a statue of King Kamehameha.  In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Captain Cook's discovery of the Hawai'ian Islands, this statue was commissioned.  Except that it was lost at sea when the ship it was on was wrecked near the Falkland Islands.  A copy of the statue was commissioned, and today that copy stands in Honolulu in front of Ali'iolani Palace.  The original was recovered and soon found its way to Hawai'i.  Today it stands near Kamehameha's birthplace.  Two more copies have been made; one is in the U.S. capitol rotunda and the other is located in downtown Hilo.

I then headed to Upolu Point, the northernmost point of the Big Island.  A muddy dirt road heads off to the west, but I parked the car at the small airport and began walking (good thing, too, as the road had several wet, muddy areas and broad pools of unknown depth).  With some photo stops along the way, it took me about 40 minutes to reach Kokoiki, the site where tradition holds that King Kamehameha I was born.  It features two rectangular low rock walls, one inside the other, with a small number of boulders - birthing stones, according to tradition - enclosed in the middle.  The newborn future king was then secreted away; prophecy had foretold his birth and his becoming a killer of kings.  He would eventually grow up and fulfill the prophecy, conquering all of the islands and unifying Hawai'i into a single kingdom.

I then headed for the Mookini Luakini Heiau site.  This ancient heiau, which dates back to about 480AD, is huge, 125 by 250 feet, with outer walls that still reach as high as 30 feet.  According to oral history, it was constructed in one night with water-worn rocks that were transported from Pololu Valley, 14 miles away.  It was used by Hawai'ian royalty for fasting, prayer and sacrifice, including human sacrifice.  Remains of the house of the victim catcher, the bone pit and the altar are still visible inside the walls, and people still leave offerings (none of the human variety, though), something I'd note at several sites in the islands.

The area around the heiau is well-maintained, with responsibility for its care falling to the latest in a very long line of the Mookini family.  In 1978, she lifted the kapu (sacred laws) on the site so that people could visit the site.

I made my way back to the car and headed for my next stop, Lapakahi State Historical Park, site of the ruins of a 600-year-old fishing village.  A trail through the village site leads to the remains of houses, shrines, burial grounds, game areas, heiaus, fire pits, salt pans and exhibits on early Hawai'ian life and culture.  It is a highly interesting historical site, and it can be quite pretty, but I had overcast skies again, which didn't help the picture taking.  I spent about an hour exploring the village.

My next stop was a bit further to the south, Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site.  Built in the 1790s, this large heiau was one of the last major sacred structures to be built in Hawai'i before outside influences and Christianity took root in the islands.  King Kamehameha's conquest of Hawai'i had stalled.  A prophet advised that Kamehameha should build a heiau dedicated to his family war god.  It took a year, with stones passed from hand to hand along a chain of men that stretched for 20 miles from the Pololu Valley.  In the years afterward, Kamehameha did indeed consolidate all of Hawai'i, becoming kind of the unified islands in 1810.

The heiau measures 100 by 224 feet and housed a number of structures.  Ceremonies continue to be held there, although the interior is closed to the general public.

Nearby are the remains of a second heiau, the Mailekini Heiau.  Built by Kamehameha's ancestors, it was converted to a fort during Kamehameha I's rule.  At the bottom of the hill at the water's edge is an area that once served as a royal courtyard.  Kamehameha I's son came here to prepare for his role as king after his father died. 

Just offshore and underwater is the Hale o Kapuni Heiau,  a temple dedicated to the shark gods.  Reef sharks are common in these waters; swimming is not permitted.  The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail passes through the park, following the waterfront.

I capped off my sightseeing with visits to a couple petroglyph sites:  the Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Reserve at Mauna Lani Resort and the Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve at Waikoloa Resort.  Many of the petroglyphs date from 1400-1800AD.  Westerners also left their mark at the Waikoloa site.  I'm always interested in petroglyphs - I don't think I saw any when I visited the Big Island back in 1993, but I had better information about the island this time and was quite pleased with my finds.

I spent the better part of an hour at each of the two sites.  I did have one more stop on the agenda as I continued south towards Kona, but by the time I got there I knew it would be just about closing time at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, a NPS site I think I missed during my last visit - it wasn't developed back then.  One of my goals for this trip was to finish off all of Hawai'i's NPS sites, so I'd have to make sure I hit the park tomorrow.

I ended up sitting in traffic as I neared the park.  It's a two-lane highway, and with traffic lights in Kona, vehicles were backed up for a couple miles.  I eventually reached town, headed for my hotel to drop off my stuff, and then headed out for dinner.  Once again I spent most of the evening back at the hotel checking out my photos and preparing for tomorrow's sightseeing.

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Wednesday September 27 -

My last full day on the Big Island had me checking out the sites along the northeast coast of the Big Island, including Hilo.

I began the day like I did yesterday, driving north on Highway 190.  However, when I reached Highway 200, the Saddle Road, I headed east on that.  The narrow but paved road provides the most direct route east across the island to Hilo, crossing the saddle area between Mauna Kea to the north and Mauna Loa to the south.  Along the way I had several good views of the Big Island's peaks as well as distant views of Maui.  

For one fairly long stretch, the highway passes across a relatively fresh lava field, a broad, rugged expanse of black rock and cinder cones with just a few hints of new plant life taking root.  

It was surprisingly sunny in Hilo, located on the rainy side of the Big Island.  I wasn't sure how long that would last so I started my sightseeing right away.  My first stop was Rainbow Falls in Wailuku River State Park.  I hiked around there to get some different views of the falls as well as to check out some of the flowers.  I then checked out the nearby Peepee Falls.

From there I headed into town, stopping first at the library.  In front of the library is the Naha Stone, a 500 pound rock.  Tradition held that the person who could lift the stone would unite the Hawai'ian Islands.  Kamehameha not only lifted it but flipped it over when he was 14 years old.  He united Hawai'i by 1810.

I then found a place to park and took a photo walk through the Hilo city center, which looks more like a real city than tourist-oriented Kona.  After that it was on to the site of Shinmachi, a densely populated Japanese neighborhood that was was wiped out in a 1946 tsunami.  The area is now a park that separates the more developed areas of Hilo from the waterfront.  Another statue of King Kamehameha I is located here.

Finally, I made a few waterfront stops for photos, picked up some snacks, and then hit the road north on Highway 19, which I planned to take around the north side of the island back to Kona.

I stopped at Akaka Falls State Park, home to a couple pretty waterfalls and a nature trail that passes through a lushly tropical forest.  It's not very far back to dry, arid Kona, but Mauna Kea wrings the moisture out of the air as it comes in from the northeast and rises as it hits the mountain.  This accounts for all the rain on the Hilo side as well as the arid conditions on the Kona side of the island (not that Kona was particularly arid during my visit).  I enjoyed the views of both Kahuna and Akaka Falls, but the tropical vegetation and flowers were every bit as interesting.

My next stop was Laupahoehoe Point, a rugged stretch of waterfront where the local community had been hit hard by the 1946 tsunami.  A tsunami memorial is located at the site.

I only made a few minor stops after that as I still needed to visit one of the National Park Service sites on my list.

It was overcast when I finally reached Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park shortly after 2PM.  The park gates were scheduled to close at 4PM during the off-season, so I had enough time for a walk through the woods, past some ruins, to check out the beach.  I even had my swim trunks on under my shorts today, figuring it was my fifth day in Hawai'i and I hadn't hit the ocean at all.  But after getting a bit of sun poking thorugh the clouds at one ruins site, I suddenly found myself in stormy weather.  I took shelter at, of all places, a restroom.  But the weather passed after about twenty minutes, and I finally hit the waterfront.  I checked out a reconstructed thatch roof shelter, the ruins of a heiau, some fish ponds and even some more green sea turtles resting on the sand.  But with the rain delay, there was not much time left for sightseeing, let alone hitting the water.  

So I stood on the beach under the gloomy skies and then zoomed my camera in for a picture of a small boat sitting well offshore, hit by a little pocket of sunshine.  And that is when I saw it.  

A funnel cloud.  

The stormy weather that had passed over me and trapped me at the restrooms had kicked off the funnel cloud.  I watched it for awhile, but it never reached the water, and eventually it broke up.  Then a second one formed, but it broke up before it got itself completely organized.  The evening news reported that more funnel clouds had been spotted over the area to the south of Kona, too.

Kona is supposed to be the sunny, dry side of the Big Island, certainly what I had experienced back in 1993.  The overcast skies, frequent rain and, yes, the funnel clouds, were not the kind of weather I was expecting when I decided to stay on this side of the island for the duration of my Big Island visit.

This wrapped up my Big Island sightseeing.  A last night in Kona, with dinner, checking out the shops, reviewing my photos and packing for the next segment of my trip filled the evening.

The Big Island continues to be my favorite of the islands.  I suppose that part of that is due to its being as big as the other islands combined, so there's just a lot more to see.  It's not the prettiest of the islands, but I love volcanic landscapes, and I'm a big history buff - between the active lava flows of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the sites related to King Kamehameha I, and other sites that preserve ruins and petroglyphs associated with early Hawai'ian history and culture, I had plenty to keep me busy.   

Kaua'i

Thursday September 28 -

I had a 10:15AM flight to Kaua'i.  Even knowing how small the Kona airport, I diligently made sure I was checked in at least 90 minutes before my flight, but I took advantage of the wait to get something for breakfast.

It was a small plane, which would be the case for most of my island hopping.  We flew into Maui and got rid of a lot more passengers than we picked up for the Kaua'i leg of the flight.  Although we pretty much followed the island chain, there were enough clouds that I didn't get much in the way of views.

Kaua'i doesn't have any National Park Service sites on it, so visiting this island was as much as anything a county visit.  Beyond that I really didn't know much about it, but I have to say that it was probably the best part of the trip.  I finally had a nice stretch of sunny weather, and the island is simply gorgeous.

It was midday when I finished up at the airport.  So after picking up some pop, I hit the road for some sightseeing in the area between Wailua and my hotel at Waimea.  I followed a narrow road up to Wailua River State Park, home to Wailua Falls.  The falls were pretty, and the sun brought a rainbow out of the mist, but the lush landscape and mountain views along the road were actually prettier.

From there I headed to the south coast community of Kukui'ula.   This was an oceanfront resort area, but there were a few sites I wanted to see.  At Po'ipu I checked out the site of the Prince Kuhio Birthplace Monument, now little more than a roadside park.  Next up was Spouting Horn Park, where erosion from the pounding surf created a blowhole in the rocky shore.  I also caught sight of Kaua'i's wild jungle chickens.  Well, that's what I called them.  Wild chickens roam much of the island, so it was not unusual to find them in forested areas and along the beaches, especially since I don't think that they had any natural predators on the island.  Other than maybe Colonel Sanders.

A few miles inland is the village of Koloa, site to Hawai'i's earliest sugar plantation and processing plant.  It is a classic old Hawai'ian village, and while tourism now seems to be its main business, it wasn't overrun with tourists while I was there.  I checked out the village, some historical displays, ruins of an old sugar mill, and a monument to the sugar plantation and mill workers.  

After a snack break, I hit the road again, heading back to the main highway and then west towards Waimea.  I made a photo stop at a lookout for views of the spectacular Hanapepe River valley.

Near the village of Hanapepe, I checked out the salt ponds at Salt Pond Beach County Park along with the local cemetery.  Just east of Waimea, I checked out Russian Fort Elizabeth State Park.  The Russian-American Company supervised the Hawai'ian construction of a fort here.  The Russians had promised to help Kaua'i break free of King Kamehameha I's rule.  However, when it was discovered that the Russian czar was not on board with this agreement, the Russians were expelled in 1817.  Eventually Kamehameha supports took control of the fort, which they eventually used when they put down a Kaua'i rebellion some years later.

The site includes historical information and the rather impressive ruins of the fort itself.  By now I was losing the sun, so I'd return here first thing Saturday morning to get some sunny shots.

That ended my sightseeing for the day.  My lodging was on the edge of the village of Waimea, the ResortQuest Waimea Plantation.  I actually stayed in an old small cabin-like plantation house once used by workers on an old sugar plantation.  It featured a full kitchen, eating and living areas, a couple bedrooms and a bathroom.  For a family looking to save money on dining out, it'd be a pretty good choice.  It was my favorite lodging of the trip.  The resort complex was also right on the water with a nice stretch of beach that featured distant views of Ni'ihau.  After dinner at the resort, I watched the sunset from the beach and then walked into town to pick up some munchies and pop for the refrigerator.  Later in the evening, I headed back out to the beach just to listen to the incoming waves and check out the stars from this southern latitude perspective.

Friday September 29 -

Today's goal was to hit sightseeing stops along Kaua'i's north shore, from Wailua to where I ran out of road at the north end of the Na Pali Coast.

My first stop was at Lydgate State Park, home to the ruins of Hikina a ka La Heiau and the Pu'uhonua o Hauola (Place of Refuge, similar in function to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau on the Big Island).  There wasn't much left of either set of ruins, though.

From there I took Highway 580 up into a different part of Wailua River State Park, where I checked out the ruins of Holoholoku Heiau, the Pohaku Piko Royal Birthstone, the ruins of Poli'ahu Heiau, and Opaeka'a Falls.  All quite interesting, although the ruins sites weren't as impressive as those I found on the Big Island.

After some driving, I made my next stop at Kilauea Point, home of Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and a lighthouse.  The stretch of coast from Kilauea Point east to Mokolea Point is made up of the southern rim of an extinct volcano.  Erosion has given the coast a number of distinct features from sea stacks to arches.  In addition to the great views, I saw a monk seal resting in the rocks near the water.

The tradewinds come to Kaua'i from the northeast.  Fortunately I had a terrifically sunny day.  Kilauea Point, on Kaua'i's northeast coast, receives on average about 40 inches of rain per year.  But as the winds climb more than 4000 feet up Kaua'i's central mountains, a lot more rain is wrung out of the clouds.  Just 8 miles uphill from Kilauea Point, rainfall averages more than 400 inches a year.  In fact, the center of the island receives an average of 451 inches of rain every year, making it the rainiest spot on Earth.  Indeed, as sunny as the skies were where I was, some darker clouds had gathered over the middle of the island.

I stopped in the town of Kilauea to get some lunch and then headed east to Hanalei, located on the famous Hanalei Bay.  This is one of Kaua'i's major resort areas.  I stopped for a few pictures and to stock up on some pop and water, but my target was Ha'ena State Park, where the highway ended.  After Hanalei, the road narrowed quite a bit, but the scenery was quite pretty.

I reached the park - and its crowded parking lot.  Ugh.  Fortunately a spot opened up almost immediately.  I wasn't all that interested in the beach.  According to my map there were a couple heiaus in the area.  I took a hike to find them, but I only came across one of them on that hike.  

With all the rain that Kaua'i gets, it tends to carve steep narrow canyons into the volcanic landscape.  These are called pali.  A number of these are located on Kaua'i's northwest coast, which explains why the highway ends where it does.  This rugged stretch of coastline is preserved as Na Pali Coast State Park.  The Kalalau Trail runs the length of the park, but a permit is required for anyone going beyond Hanakapi'ai Beach, making that a popular hiking destination.  That said, the trail is rough in places, there's a fair amount of elevation up and down, and people who don't like heights may find that parts of the trail make for some uncomfortable hiking.  

It was a great, spectacularly beautiful hike in both directions, probably my favorite single activity of the whole trip.  The beach was far less crowded than the one at Ha'ena State Park, and all in all it was a great way to fill most of my afternoon.  After 3 1/2 hours along the trail and loafing at Hanakapi'ai Beach, I made it back to my car at about 5PM.

As the crow flies I was only about 20 miles from my lodging, but the road route is much longer, with slow traffic and a sun that sets shortly after 6PM.  It was dusk by the time I reached Lihue.  The sight of all those wild jungle chickens put me in the mood for Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.  Afterwards, I stopped in a local market to pick up some provisions for tomorrow's sightseeing and then headed back to Waimea.  

Saturday September 30 -

For my last full day of exploring Kaua'i, I stuck to the west end of the island, much of it spent exploring the spectacular Waimea Canyon.  

After breakfast and picking up some snacks, I got some pictures around Waimea, including some sunny day photos at Russian Fort Elizabeth State Park.  Then I hit Waimea Canyon Drive, climbing the hill north out of the village of Waimea.  I stopped at several turnouts along the way, taking photos of the increasingly beautiful canyon, the village of Waimea and distant Ni'ihau Island, the smallest of the eight main inhabited islands.  I even got a few glimpses of Lehua, the tiny islet just north of Ni'ihau.  

Soon I was getting some views that offered a taste of the rugged interior of Kaua'i and some of the colorful volcanic soil.  After a stretch of drive where all views were obscured by trees, I reached a parking area and lookout that offered one of the greatest views you'll find in Hawai'i, that of the heart of Waimea Canyon, with its multicolor walls and distant waterfalls.  It is nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and I could see why.  Kaua'i is the oldest of the Hawai'ian Islands, and it gets the most rainfall, so water has had plenty of opportunity to carve the volcanic rock, and it has.  Just outstanding views from every angle and viewing stop.

The road ends inside Koke'e State Park.  With some road construction underway, I had to park about a mile from the trailhead I wanted, but that kept a lot of the tourists away from my next stop.  The Kalalau Lookout and nearby trails position visitors at the top of Kalalau Valley, one of the pali along the Na Pali Coast.  It looks as beautiful and rugged from this perspective as the pali I passed through yesterday when hiking along the Kalalau Trail.  

Some years ago, a friend of mine returned from a visit to Hawai'i and recommended that if I were to go back, I should bring my hiking shoes to Kaua'i.  He was right.  With another day in Kaua'i, I would have spent it on the trails accessible at Koke'e State Park.

But this was my last day in Kaua'i, and I had a bit more sightseeing to do.  So after getting an early afternoon lunch, I reversed my drive through the parks, and then headed back down to the coast, this time following the Koke'e Road.

I picked up some more pop and water and then followed Highway 50 west to Mana and then some local roads back into Polihale State Park, on the west coast of Kaua'i.  Broad sandy beaches, lots of dunes, and according to my map some more ruins sites, all at the southern end of the Na Pali Coast.  I think I found the ruins of Kapa'ula Heiau - they were the ruins of something, and I found evidence of some offerings, but there was no sign - but the beach dead-ended at a very rocky stretch of coast.  I may have seen Polihale Heiau ruins, but the written descriptions have suggested that much of it is now covered by sand, and the only photos I've come across so far are from a boat's perspective and don't show much, either.

In any event, it was another area of spectacular scenery, and as nice a place as any to wrap up my Kaua'i sightseeing.

I headed back to my lodging at the Waimea Plantation Resort, and set out on a photo walk to capture some of the old plantation buildings.  I then headed back into town for another photo walk until I lost the sun, and then picked a local restaurant for dinner.  I spent the evening packing and then enjoyed reviewing my photos of Kaua'i.

Kaua'i has turned out to be my second most favorite Hawai'ian island.  It is easily the prettiest, although it was helped along on that front with the great weather I enjoyed while I was there.  The gorgeous Na Pali coast hike and the spectacular Waimea Canyon were major highlights of the trip, and there some interesting historical sites and of course some great beaches.  And although it is a tourist destination, it is not so overrun with tourists the way Maui is.

Maui

Sunday October 1 -

My flight to Maui left at 10:50AM, but I was staying a ways from Lihue, and with the distance and slow traffic I had experienced earlier, I got an early start.  It turned out that traffic was almost non-existent that early on a Sunday morning, which gave me plenty of time at the airport for breakfast and to read the Sunday paper.  An uneventful flight, but an endless line at the Maui airport rental car office, which killed a full hour.

Maui has a Figure 8 shape to it, looking like two volcanic islands have joined in the middle by a flat plain, which is apparently what happened as erosion filled the low space between two volcanoes.  The airport, the city of Kahului and farmland fill this middle area.  This afternoon's explorations would focus on the west side of Maui.

My first target with 'Iao Valley State Park.  The valley was the site of a key battle in 1790.  It was here that King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army in his efforts to unite Hawai'i under his rule.  But it is a geological feature that gets a lot of attention today.  Kuka'emoku, a 2,250 foot high peak, commonly called 'Iao Needle, is known as the phallic stone of Kanaloa, the Hawai'ian god of the ocean.  Maui warriors would use the peak as a lookout.  Unfortunately it started raining heavily, so I decided not to stay too long, figuring I might make it back on a sunny day later in the trip.

I then headed into the village of Wailuku where I checked out the Ka'ahumanu Church, built in 1837, before heading into nearby Waiehu where I explored Haleki'i-Pihana Heiaus State Monument.  The ruins of the two heiaus are located on a hilltop surrounded by a bit of suburbia.  Interesting, but not nearly as impressive as the ones I saw on the Big Island.  

The Kahekili Highway  heads northwest from here, the start of a road loop around the western part of Maui.  The first several miles are generally winding, narrow, unpaved in places, and one-lane in places, so it is slow going, but my map listed a number of historic sites and geological features that I was intent on seeing, so speed was not much of a concern.

I actually made good time with the driving, as I am used to driving on winding mountain roads with steep drop-offs.  Unfortunately, part of the reason I made good time was because there were few places to turn off for views, and not one of the sites on the map that I was targeting was marked by signage along the highway.  The historical church and Kahakuloa Head at Kahakuloa were obvious.  I stumbled on views of a sea arch and a blowhole by accident.  But by the time Moloka'i came into view, it was apparent that I had missed most of the sites marked on my map.

The highway turned into the Honoapiilani Highway, which was much easier driving.  After stopping for some pop in one of the resort complexes, I hit the road, heading for Kihei where my hotel was located.  I made a few photo stops when Lana'i, Kaho'olawe and even Molokini islands came into view, but it was overcast and I was losing the daylight, so I wasn't missing much by not stopping.

It was after dark when I finally reached my hotel, the ResortQuest Mahana Kaanapali in Lahaina, the nicest of the four traditional hotels I stayed at on this trip.  After checking in and dropping off my stuff, I headed out to get a pizza, which I brought back to the room.  I spent the evening watching TV and making my sightseeing plans for tomorrow.  And eating pizza.

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Monday October 2 -

I had a couple main targets for today's sightseeing.  After breakfast, I headed north and then east as I made my way towards the Haleakala Highway and Haleakala National Park.  Along the way I stopped to check out a sugar mill and the fields where sugar cane was growing.  The Haleakala Highway was slow going, both because it is rather winding and narrow (which a lot of drivers aren't used to), but also because folks like to bring cyclists up there for the ride down.

But the drive was well worth it.  After a stop at the Park Headquarters Visitor Center, I checked out the views from a couple turnouts before reaching the Leleiwi Overlook, which features views into the basin, Ko'olau Gap and Ke'anae Valley.  The upper reaches of Haleakala looks like a giant crater filled with cinder cones.  In reality, the crater is actually a basin caused by erosion when valleys on opposite ends of the volcano grew together.  Subsequent volcanic activity has filled the basin with a number of cinder cones and fissure cracks.  Clouds were just edging into the basin from Ko'olau Gap, which was interesting to see from above.

I continued on to the Haleakala Visitor Center, which features direct views into the basin.  It also features a trailhead for hiking or horse rides down into the basin where there are several miles of trails.  I spent a couple hours hiking down into the basin and back so that I could get a different perspective on the basin and close up views of some of the cinder cones.

At the park's edge is the Pu'u'ula'ula Summit, the highest point in the park at just over 10,000 feet elevation.  I checked out the view from there, but clouds had come in and obscured most of the views by now.  That wrapped up my visit to Haleakala NP, at least for today.

I headed back down the Haleakala Highway and then headed south on the Kula Highway and then east on the Pi'ilani Highway, that headed east along Maui's southern coast.  The Pi'ilani Highway provides views of the location of Maui's last eruption (1790), the coast, and according to my map a natural arch, a petroglyphs site and some ruins sites.  Much of the road isn't paved, but it is a lot easier driving than the Kahekili Highway was, in spite of some information I had that suggested otherwise.

I saw some ruins of something at Manawainui, a stretch of parallel lines of rocks, and a sea arch at Pakowai Point, but none of these were actually marked with any signage, and I missed other targeted sites along the route for that reason.

I hoped to catch a nice sunset at Kihei, but the clouds did not cooperate.  Dinner followed by the evening in my room. 

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Tuesday October 3 -

For my last day of sightseeing on Maui, I decided to follow the Hana Highway across Maui's northeast coast out to Hana and back.  My map showed that the route was lined with a number of parks, ruins sites, waterfalls and viewpoints, so it looked rather appealing.

Everyone on Maui apparently made the same plans.  The highway was paved and mostly two-lane, although it narrowed to one lane at several tight turns.  And it was packed, feeling more or less like a traffic jam.  Not just because the turns made for slow driving, but people would literally stop in the highway at places where it narrowed to one lane, so they could get a photo of some mundane falls, never mind the fact that they were holding up traffic in both directions.

It made for some ridiculously slow going, and it made it hard to find the sites on my map that I had wanted to see, especially since once again they generally were not marked along the highway.

I did make one substantial stop, though.  The Kahanu Garden is home to Hale o Pi'ilani Heiau, the largest heiau in Hawai'i.  Built on a hillside, it features stair-step retaining walls, a flat platform area on top that measures 320x450 feet.  It is believed that construction began as far back as 1200AD, and estimates suggest that it was built in 128,000 man-days.  It is a fascinating structure in a beautiful setting.  And the gardens featured a lot of signage informing me of what the various plants were that I'd been seeing during my trip.  All in all, a great place to visit.  Which I had almost entirely to myself, which was a bit surprising given all the traffic on the highway.

Back to the highway and on to Hana.  The road straightened out a bit at this point, so the driving was easier and there were fewer mundane waterfalls to distract drivers with.  

I took a look around Hana and then continued on to where a bit of Haleakala National Park reached the coast, this at 'Ohe'o Gulch, site of the Pools of 'O'heo.  This was apparently where everyone else had been heading, because a large grassy area was being filled up as a parking area, and dozens of people filled the pools - and others had hiked up to some falls.  

It was already pushing 2 PM, and I was less than thrilled with the prospect of driving back along the Hana Highway.  But after I had passed through Hana, I was actually back on the Pi'ilani Highway.  According to my map, I could take this back to the stretch of highway I was on yesterday, although the road would become narrow and unpaved for a stretch.  But I recalled that the road was nearly deserted yesterday, so I figured that might actually be fine as a drive, especially since it wasn't that far to get to where I had turned around yesterday.

That turned out to be a great plan.  Except for the occasional tour mini-van heading towards Hana, I had the road to myself for the most part, and the driving wasn't any worse than what I had found along the Kahekili Highway two days ago.  In fact, most of the time it was a lot better.  I stopped for the views at Lelekea Bay, the Kaupo Store, and St. Joseph Church, built in 1862.  I also got some great views of the Kaupo Gap, one of the valleys that had merged with Ke'anae Valley to create the basis I had explored yesterday at Haleakala National Park.

I saw an area that might have been the Koa Heiau site, but there was no signage to confirm it.  This was about where I had turned around yesterday, but the sunnier skies made it a lot easier to notice rock piles down along the coast.  

This route was indeed a lot faster than than Hana Highway had been, so it was still daylight when I reached Kihei.  I headed south to Makena Landing County Park, once a key port, which marked the end of my sightseeing.  I headed back to Kihei and found a spot along the beach from which I watched the sunset.  That was the end of my sightseeing.

Dinner and packing, but tonight I also took in a bit of nightlife, checking out the Ultra Fabulous Tuesdays at Hapa, gay night in Kihei.  It was a nice place, but with an early flight tomorrow, I headed back to my hotel before the club had reached its full fabulousness.

I'd certainly rank Maui above Waikiki when it comes to recommending places to visit in Hawai'i, but I left the island mostly feeling frustrated about my visit there.  The resort aspects of the island don't appeal to me, but they were easy enough to avoid.  However, the utter lack of signage for most of the historical sites on my map was a constant source of irritation, as I ended up missing the vast majority of sites I had hoped to see.  This happens occasionally in my road trips, but never even close to what happened here.  Driving the Hana Highway amounted to sitting in a 2 1/2-hour 30-mile traffic jam to get to a rather ordinary bit of waterfront.  Haleakala National Park was well worth visiting, as was the Pi'ilanihale Heiau site at Kahanu Garden, and I enjoyed the drive along the Pi'ialni Highway (except for the signage problem).  But whatever other charms Maui might have, they were lost on me.

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Moloka'i

Wednesday October 4 -

My day began pretty early as I had a 7:45AM flight to Moloka'i.  Traffic was a lot lighter than it was at my arrival, so I made it to the airport with lots of time to spare.  The flight to Moloka'i from Maui is only 25 minutes, so I was on the ground at the island's Hoolehua airport shortly after 8AM.  Maui gets a lot of tourists, and that is apparent at its airport.  Moloka'i is just 8 miles from Maui, but it is well-off the beaten path, which was quite apparent at its airport.  The non-descript building is about the size of a small bungalow.

I ended up second in line at the rental car counter, and the couple in front of me was dumbfoundingly indecisive.  There is pretty much one main road on the island, running from one end to the other, so I'm not sure what all the fuss was about, but it took them forever to get through the line.  I took my Dodge Stratus without question and hit the road.

It was far too early to head to the hotel, so I figured I'd investigate my primary reason for visiting Moloka'i.  But en route I saw a "Post-a-Nut" sign in the window of the local post office, and I couldn't resist.  I stopped there and picked out a coconut to mail to my folks just for kicks (you pay postage, of course, but the coconuts are free).

I stopped in Kualapu'u, where I spotted a grocery store.  I wanted to pick up some pop.  The village was once a pineapple plantation town, but now it is surrounded by coffee fields.

From there I took Highway 470 to the end of the road.  My main reason for visiting Moloka'i is that it is home to the Kalaupapa National Historical Park, located on an isolated peninsula, created as a shield volcano at the base of the steep cliffs on Moloka'i's north side.  Because of its isolation, Kalaupapa became Hawai'i's leper colony.  In the 1850s, Hawai'i was hit by Hansen's disease, or leprosy, and the worst cases were sent here to isolate them from the broader population.  In 1873, Father Damien came to Moloka'i and worked among the people at Kalaupapa until he himself succumbed to Hansen's Disease.  Father Damien continues to be revered in Hawai'i because of his dedication to the people of Kalaupapa.  

People with leprosy are no longer sent to Kalaupapa, but for some people, the peninsula is the only place they have called home.  So although the peninsula is now a National Park Service site, access is limited.  A guided donkey ride or a walk down, and once down there visitors must stick with a ranger for the guided tour.  No casual exploring on your own, at least not until the last of the residents dies or moves away.

Unfortunately, I exceeded the weight requirements for the donkey ride, and I can't say that I wanted to give up a full day of Moloka'i to the tour.  But in addition to being a National Park Service site, it is also its own county.  So I had two reasons for making at least some visit.  There is a viewpoint that looks out over the peninsula.  There is a small village, a landing strip, a lighthouse that has one of the brightest lights in the Pacific, and the Kauhako Crater marked with a cross.

The viewpoint also provides an introductory look at the cliffs along the north shore of Moloka'i.  At 2000-3900 feet, these are the highest sea cliffs in the world.  Access is primarily by boat.

From there I took a walk through the woods and slightly downhill.  My maps differed as to whether or not I had actually crossed the county line and park boundary at the viewpoint, and I wanted to ensure a visit.  I didn't come across a fence or any sort of marker, though, and the route I took soon became too steep to hike.  But it did provide me with some great views of the peninsula.

I walked back to the parking area and then headed into Pala'au State Park, following one of its trails to its most famous feature, Phallic Rock, once regarded as a symbol of fertility.  Such rocks had existed on all the islands, but this one was hand-carved and it is regarded as the best example of a Phallic Rock in Hawai'i.

I decided to check out the highlights of the western end of Moloka'i.  I headed west on the Maunaloa Highway until I reached Kaluako'i Road, which I followed down to a resort area and the isolated Kawakiu Beach near Ilio Point, the northwest corner of Moloka'i.  I was looking for a heiau marked on my map, but I didn't find it or any related signage.

After taking some photos at the beach and of distant Oahu, I headed back to the car and drove to the village of Maunaloa.  My travel agent had suggested a tent resort there as a place to stay, but between my snoring, the problems I have sleeping when there is any noise, and my concerns over things begin stolen (and I really didn't want to store a laptop in a car trunk under a tropical sun), I chose an actual hotel closer to the center of the island.  But there's not a lot to Moloka'i, so I figured I'd check out Maunaloa anyway.

Now finally to the village of Kaunakak'ai, a very small town, but the biggest town on the island.  I checked out the town, taking a short photo walk, and then found a place for lunch.  After lunch I headed over to the visitor center so that I could check out my options for visiting Kalaupapa National Historical Park.  This was where I learned just how severely limited access is, and that I exceeded the weight limits for the donkey ride down there, the primary way visitors enter the park.  I picked up a few other brochures and then headed off on my afternoon sightseeing.

I basically followed King Kamehameha V Highway along Moloka'i's southeastern coast to its end in Halawa Valley, the only one of Moloka'i's great valleys that is accessible by car.  My map identified a number of heiaus, other ruins sites and historical sites along the highway.  Unfortunately, as was the case on Maui, almost none of these were marked, and even when I did figure out the likely location of some of these, there either was no place to park the car or the land was fenced off with No Trespassing signs.  Although I did make a handful of interesting sightseeing stops, all in all this made for a rather disappointing visit.

Stops included Ali'i Beach County Park, the Kamahu'ehu'e Fishpond, the Old Kamolo Wharf, St. Joseph Church, the Smith-Bronte Landing Area, the Kalua'aha church ruins and Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church.  The Kalua'aha church ruins were part of the first Protestant mission established on the island back in 1832 by Reverend Harvey Hitchcock.  Father Damien, the Belgian-born priest who served the lepers at Kalaupapa, built four churches on Moloka'i to serve others on the island.  These included St. Joseph Church and Our Lady of Seven Sorrows.  St. Joseph Church features a sculpture of Father Damien, and markers provide additional historical information about him.  The fishponds were created to support aquaculture; some have been restored and are still in use today.  The Smith-Bronte Landing Site was where Ernest Smith and Emory Bronte crashed their plane on July 15, 1927, the end of the first civilian trans-Pacific flight.  They were a bit short of their destination in Honolulu.

The further east I went, the more narrow the road, the more winding the route, and the better the views of Maui, across the Pailolo Channel.  After stopping for some decent views of Moku Ho'oniki and Kanaha Rock, I followed the road as it left the coast and climbed over a ridge before descending into Halawa Valley.  It was certainly a pretty area, so I spent about 45 minutes there walking around and taking advantage of some photo opportunities.  I could see a distant waterfalls, Moa'ula Falls, I think.  Some folks like to hike out to the falls, but the route crosses private property, so fees and apparently a guide are required.

With the short October days, I didn't have time for the hike regardless of the circumstances.  I started making my way back towards Kaunakakai and my hotel, Hotel Moloka'i.  I checked into my room, which featured rather basic but acceptable accommodation.  Well, except for a fan rather than air conditioning, and folding glass flaps rather than true windows, which let in all the music from the bar and the cigarette smoke from neighbors.

With few dining options in town, I decided to have dinner at the hotel lounge, an open area right on the shore, with decent views of Maui and Lana'i.  I'd head back out here later in the evening for awhile, too, but after dinner I spent most of the evening going through my photos, watching TV and checking my maps to make sure I'd come up with plans for the morning that would ensure that I reached my primary objectives for my visit to Moloka'i.  No late night of it.

Thursday October 5 -

I got breakfast at a diner in Kaunakakai and then took a walking tour of the nearby village of Kualapu'u.  

I then headed back towards Kalaupapa National Historical Park.  All the maps I found indicated that the park's boundary aligned with the cliff tops, so I needed to find a spot that would get me significantly below the cliff tops to a geographically recognizable feature that I could verify with more detailed maps once I got home.  I found such a spot, verified the lack of "No Trespassing" signs, and set off on my steep downhill hike, eventually reaching a dry creek bed.  That would be my recognizable feature, and once I got back to Seattle, I indeed verified that it was well into the park.  Mission accomplished.

It was late morning and my sightseeing goals had generally been met.  I decided to head east again following the coast.  Perhaps on a second pass I might see signs or markers for some of the sights I had tried to see yesterday.  Alas, my luck wasn't any better today.  I only went as far as the Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church before giving up.

Back to town to get some lunch, followed by a stop back at the hotel.  This was my 13th day in Hawai'i.  I figured it was high time for me to spend some time relaxing on a sunny beach.  I figured I'd go to the west end of the island to Papohaku Beach, a 3-mile-long stretch of sand that dropped off into the waves of Kaiwi Channel.  Some people were leaving the beach just as I was getting out of the car.  By the time I found a nice spot in the sand, I had the beach to myself.  Not another person was in sight.

Alas, this is Hawai'i, so that didn't last long.  A couple people showed up and parked themselves about a quarter mile from me.  But fortunately they left after half an hour.  I did make it into the water a couple times, and I probably got more sun exposure than I should have (I've been treated for skin cancer before), but I've been good with the sunscreen the whole time and didn't get a single sunburn on the trip.

I'm not really much of a relaxer when I travel, so once I got bored I started thinking about what I might do with the rest of the afternoon.  My map had indicated that there was a heiau near the northwest corner of the island, so I decided to try to find it.  No such luck, but the hiking around was a nice way to end the afternoon.

And that was pretty much it for my Moloka'i visit.  Another unadventurous dinner at the hotel.  TV.  Photo sorting and labeling.  Packing.  TV.

Two days was a nice amount of time for me on Moloka'i.  I might have been able to fill another day if the sites on my map were actually marked along the road - and accessible.  Same with Kalaupapa.  Those into golf or snorkeling or simply relaxing on isolated beaches could probably fill a few more days.   They say that Moloka'i is the most Hawai'ian of the islands.  From a tourist trap standpoint, it is also the least "Hawai'ian" with its lack of deluxe accommodations, souvenir shops, ABC Stores, and, well, actual tourists.  

Moloka'i in fact is the exact opposite of Waikiki, which would be really apparent to me starting tomorrow.

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O'ahu/Honolulu

Friday October 6 -

Another morning flight, my last island hop of the trip, as I headed for Honolulu on Oahu for the last two nights of my trip.  No rental car here.  But I did have a reserved driver.  Who joined me as we waited and waited for my suitcase to appear.  It was a small plane, and probably mostly locals, so I was the only one with a checked suitcase.  After a long wait, we finally headed for customer service to find my suitcase.  Didn't even have to ask the person.  There it was.  I had gotten to the airport early enough that they had put my suitcase on the earlier flight.  But since no one bothered to tell me, I just lost a half hour of my morning.  This happens every once in a while - I wish the airlines would come up with a way to let folks know.

I was dropped off at my hotel near the east end of Waikiki's hotel strip, the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel.  I figured it was too early to check in, but I'd be able to drop off my suitcase and start my sightseeing.  Turned out that they had oversold the place for the weekend, and I ended up losing more of my morning in a lengthy discussion with a clerk who really wanted to convince me to locate to another hotel that was well out of my way, offering me some additional freebies that they apparently think appeal to tourists, and highlighting its access to the beaches.  But I didn't come to Waikiki for the beaches, I don't like Waikiki's beaches - they're wall to wall people - and I didn't come here to shop.  So I held my ground.  I choose hotels based on locations for walkability, easy access to transit (where appropriate) and easy access to nightlife, and actually will pay more for location convenience.  Being 1 1/2 miles out of my way either means I give up an hour's round trip of walking to get back to the locations that I chose this hotel for or I have to spring for a cab.  

They finally relented and agreed I could stay, although it was too early to check in.  I left my suitcase with them and set off on foot for my first bit of sightseeing.  I targeted Diamond Head State Park, which was a long enough walk on a hot day from my hotel, and would have been another three miles of walking had I relocated to the other hotel.

Diamond Head is the rim of a large extinct cone just to the east of Waikiki, one of a series of craters that define Oahu's landscape.  From Waikiki, its profile looks like a mountain ridge that rises from the flat landscape.  But it is actually a rather large crater with a flat interior that has been useful for various government installations.  My walk to the crater followed its north side for a ways until I reached a tunnel that had been cut through the crater wall.  I passed through the tunnel and entered the crater, where I soon reached Diamond Head State Monument.  A trailhead near the parking lot marks the beginning of a 0.7 mile trail that leads up several hundred feet, climbing 271 steps and passing through a couple more tunnels until it reaches the rim of the crater.  You get a good sense of the kind of shape that most Americans are in on such a walk as you pass people - well, as I passed people - young and old on the way up.  The route climbs up the south rim, so the trail features several nice views of Oahu as you work your way up to the viewpoint.  The viewpoint itself features outstanding views of Diamond Head Crater itself, the ocean, a lighthouse, the Waikiki skyline and Kawaihoa Point at the southeastern corner of Oahu.  I could even barely make out Moloka'i and Lana'i in the distance.  Sure, it's a really touristy thing to do, but I highly recommend it for its excellent views.

I began making my way back down.  It had taken me two hours to get here from the hotel, and I was taking a longer route back, this time following Diamond Head Road with its ocean views.  I stopped at a few overlooks to watch the surfers, but mostly kept to a steady pace.

Back at the hotel, I checked into a nice room with a decent view of the beach.  I'd watch sunset from up here tomorrow night.

I then headed out for a Waikiki photo walk.  Get some character photos of Waikiki while I checked out nightlife locations, bought a Hawai'i souvenir, and picked up some munchies for the hotel room.  I ended up at the beach just before sunset and watched some small crabs play with with incoming waves on the rocks as I waited for the sun to sink in the ocean behind the silhouettes of surfers, swimmers and sailboats.  I did get a dazzling sun shot, but distant low clouds would hide the sun before sunset.

I dropped my stuff off in my room and then headed back out again, this time to find some dinner.  Evening in the hotel room as I readied for tomorrow's plans and sorted today's photos.  I checked out the nightlife at Angles, but I wasn't impressed.  So I then headed for Hula's Bar & Lei Stand, which had relocated since my 1993 visit.  With a full day planned for tomorrow, I decided not to stay too late.

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Saturday October 7 -

After two weeks, I awoke to my last full sightseeing day of the trip.  I got cleaned up, grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds, and then took a taxi to the USS Arizona National Memorial.  I had been here in 1993, but wanted to update my photos.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor and severely damaged or sunk 21 vessels of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which were at the harbor, many with their soldiers on board.  The surprise attack also smashed much of the country's air power that was stationed on the island.  Almost 2400 Americans were dead, and hundreds more were wounded.

The USS Arizona Memorial is a 184-feet-long structure designed to sit across but not to touch the sunken USS Arizona battleship, which remains the final resting place for many of its 1,177 crewmen who died on December 7.

The memorial park includes a visitor center, theatres, a good museum, and limited visitor services.  Access to the memorial itself is by boat (get tickets at the visitor center).  Even though it was only mid-morning when I arrived (and waited in a long line to get through some pretty tight security - no bags, no back packs), the next available timeslot for the trip to the memorial itself was at nearly 2PM.  That would have wiped out most of my plans for the day.  Since I had made the tour in 1993 (with a much shorter wait for whatever reason), I decided to skip it this time.  I did get some good pictures of the memorial and other sites in the harbor, and I did enjoy touring the museum, which does a good job of telling the story of Pearl Harbor.  But after seeing everything, I would have had nearly three hours more to fill had I bought a memorial ticket.

Instead I caught another taxi and headed for the Hawai'i state capitol, where I would begin the remainder of my sightseeing.  The building is one of the more unusual state capitols.  It has an open air design - the area that might be the rotunda in a more traditional capital is open to the elements here.  On the grounds is a somewhat abstract sculpture of Moloka'i's Father Damien.  A statue of Queen Lili'uokalani stands nearby.

My next stop was the adjacent 'Iolani Palace.  It is the only royal palace used as an official residence by a reigning monarch in the U.S.  King Kamehameha V commissioned a new building in an effort to put Hawai'i on equal footing with the other monarchs of the era, but the resulting Ali'iolani Hale would instead become a government administration building.  King David Kalakaua ultimately would raze the original 'Iolani Palace and commission the construction of the building here today.  It served as the official residence for two Hawai'ian monarchs until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893.  It would eventually serve as the capitol of Hawai'i until it was replaced by the building I had just visited in 1969.

I then checked out Ali'iolani Hale.  Commissioned as a royal palace and opened as a government building, today it serves as the home of the Hawai'ian Supreme Court.  It also features the Judicial History Center, a museum focused on the history of the administration of law in Hawai'i.  Out front is a large sculpture of King Kamehameha I, a copy of the one located on the north edge of the Big Island.

I checked out a nearby World War II memorial and then the September 11 memorial at Honolulu Hale, or Honolulu City Hall. before heading over to the Kawaiaha'o Church, nicknamed Hawai'i's Westminster Abbey as it would become the church and final resting place for some Hawai'ian royalty.   It was built using 14,000 large coral blocks, many of which were a thousand pounds or more.  They were carved from an old reef by workers who had to dive 10-20 feet down in order to chisel out the blocks, which was a lot of work for a building this size.

On the grounds of the church is the tomb of King William Charles Lunalilo.  When King Kamehameha V died without having named a successor, Lunalilo was next in line but was willing to put the choice in the hands of the people.  He died just over a year after his coronation at the church, and had chosen to be buried there.  He hadn't named a successor either, again leaving the choice of the Hawai'ian king up to the people.

That more or less ended my major sightseeing.  I headed to the waterfront and then more or less followed that back to my hotel, about a four mile long walk in all.  This gave me some marina views as well as the classic views of Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background.

I watched the sunset from my hotel room balcony and then headed out for dinner.  Nightlife at Hula's Bar and Lei Stand, but I just wasn't into it, so I didn't stay long.

Heading Home

Sunday October 8 -

It was a rather uneventful end to the trip.  My flight was scheduled for 1:15PM, so I had an easy start to the day before I caught my airport transfer.  With the time zone changes it was nearly 10PM when I reached Seattle.  Hawai'i was behind me.

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Souvenirs