I thought I'd continue sharing some of the things we did during the three short, but magical years on Oahu. Hiking quickly became one of our favorite things to do. Some of them were pretty steep, but once you arrived at the top, the view was well worth it!
This one is called Hamama Falls. Let me put a disclaimer out there and say that at the time, we did not know it was
illegal to hike this trail. Most of the time, the state makes these places illegal because they do not upkeep the trail for the public's safety. If you are going to hike it, know that I warned you! I'm not responsible for any citations that you may get if you get caught. That being said, let me tell you about this hike.
That's the trail in the image above. It's about 3.2 miles round trip. Time to complete depends on your athletic ability, but it took us about 2.5 hours. We did spend some time at the waterfall and of course I had to take a zillion pictures. Now, PLEASE Print out a map of the trail. Also, check on other trail sites for tips and path markers as I did not post about those. Just do your research people. You don't want to be stuck on a trail over night because you veered off the trail and didn't know how to get back! Safety first, even when it annoys your Husband like it does mine! :)
This trail is on the east side of the island. Remember the gorgeous building, Valley of the Temples, I posted about
here? It's in the area, so if you want to get two beautiful spots in one day, I'd go to the Valley of the Temples first, then hike after.
Directions to Hamama Falls: Get on either the Pali Highway or the Likelike Highway and drive toward the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park in Kaneohe. You’ll pass the historic Hygienic Store, near the intersection of Kahekili and Kamehameha Highway. Right past the Hygienic Store will be Waihe’e Road, turn left here. The road ends at a metal gate. This is the trail head. You’ll park in the neighborhood, but be respectful of the folks living there, don't block their driveway or get too close in their yard.
OK, this is the info you'll need, directions above and a couple of tips, ALWAYS bring water and any other first aid kit anytime you go out on a hike. I have a small backpack that I bring (thanks to The Mr. for always taking it when I get too hot) and I have a printed out map of the area, as well as a small compass/orange whistle and a granola bar in there with our cell phones. OH! And for this hike, bring mosquito spray. They are HUGE in the jungle parts and they will attack! Also, this trail is pretty wet, so use common sense here. Don't take your kids or elderly or even someone with a condition on this hike. It does get pretty steep in some spots. Just be smart out there, folks.
Now, on to the pictures! WARNING: as with all of my travel posts, this is very picture heavy with 2 short videos of the waterfall.
A 30ft waterfall doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you are standing right underneath that sucker, it's massive! And that water was colder than ice! They had just a puddle under it, and you had to stand in the cold puddle to get close to the rocks.
Even after all of the trouble of hiking, mosquito bites, and the ice cold water, it was a hike of a lifetime!
So sorry this video is sideways! I don't know how to fix it.
I hope you enjoyed your virtual hike and waterfall experience!
Have any of you ever been to a "real" waterfall?
