Oahu & Maui - The Gathering Place & The Valley Isle
Hello there! Welcome to my first journal entry! I’ll be posting notes about travel adventures under Destinations to document things that I’ve learned and want to share with you over my travel / photography career. Hopefully this will be a helpful guide!
This trip was about a week long. I spent about 5 days in Oahu and 2 days in Maui. The trip was about spending time with friends and do as much crazy activities as possible (photo content first, then safety. jk.). I included activities including kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, helicopter riding and more in various spots. I would highly recommend these for thrill seeking adventurers out there.
Day 1 (Saturday, May 22, 2021): Flying out to Oahu and Settling Down
Get ready for a 6 hour flight and expect a chill day.
I flew out to Oahu the morning of the 22nd with a friend and met up with others that day. Nothing incredibly exciting that day but we wanted to make sure that we checked into the Airbnb, got our car and buy supplies (water, shampoo, random snacks to stay alive). It was also a good idea to get a quick meal at Momosan Waikiki after running errands. The tuna poke donburi was delish.
After stuffing ourselves with amazing food at the restaurant, it would be best to walk around for a bit and perhaps get into the waters of Waikiki Beach and swim around…lightly. Interestingly enough, there were a couple of cool animals that was sighted underwater (including a small eel).
Following the beach activity, we drove over to the trailhead of the Makapu’u Lighthouse. It was starting to get late so the picture below was the only viewpoint that we stopped at before returning the next day to finish the hike.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Airplane ride to Oahu
Second Photo: Halfway at Makapu’u Lighthouse
Third Photo: Tuna Poke Donburi at Momosan Waikiki…nomz
Fourth Photo: Gear that I brought to Hawaii
Day 2 (Sunday, May 23, 2021): Kayaking to Mokoli’i / Kaneohe Sand Bar and finishing the hike to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse
This day was an arm and core workout. We also mounted 3 kayaks on a small rental car and drove around 30 minutes to get to Kualoa Regional Park (and we may have dented the rental…yikes).
Mokoli’i (aka Chinamans Hat) was about a 10-15 minute kayak time over from Kualoa Regional Park. Once we arrived to the island, we docked the kayak against the shore of the island and started taking photos. There was a clear path to hiking Mokoli’i but with flip flops, probably not a great idea against rocky terrain and grassy areas.
Kaneohe Sand Bar was about a 30-40 minute kayak ride over to the destination from Hei’eia Pier. What was cool about this spot was that once we got off the kayaks, we could actually stand on a plot of land with the water level up to my stomach area. The floor was made of sand with some amount of coral reefs on the bottom. One of the few things my friends and I saw was a dormant sea slug in the reefs.
Finishing the day off with the last bit of hike at the Makapu’u Lighthouse Hike.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Drone view of Mokoli’i
Second Photo: Trying to model in front of the Kualoa Ranch. Can’t really do it.
Third Photo: Lookout from Makapu’u Lighthouse Point
Fourth Photo: Makapu’u Lighthouse Point
Day 3 (Monday, May 24, 2021): Rainbow Helicopter Ride and Hiking Olomana Trail
Nothing but views that day.
Thanks to Rainbow Oahu Helicopter for showing us an amazing time around Oahu. There were moments where I felt nervous but overall, I was happy that it ended really well. The ride around the island was all around amazing with views of Waikiki, Haunama Bay, Olomana Trail, Stairway to Heaven, Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, Diamondhead Trail, and Sacred Falls. It was a 45 minute ride with an amazing tour guide speaking over the mic with fun facts about each location. The cost was around $275 per person but it made the experience memorable. Even with a drone, it would be hard to capture the same experience.
The last activity of the day was hiking Olomana Trail. This trail consisted of 3 peaks and as I spoke with other hikers along the way, almost all finished the first peak, some did the second and none attempted the third. This trail was quite brutal but rewarding at the same time. The trail was almost a stairway hike up through a rainforest with a couple rope climb up some rocky terrain and narrow pathways. Once I reached the top of the trail, I noticed a large amount of bugs at the peak. It was a bit annoying dealing with them landing on me as I was trying to take pictures and may have received a couple departing bites from them as well. I would consider the rest of the two peaks but with the humidity, short supply of water and lack of bug spray, next time would be preferable.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Hanauma Bay
Second Photo: Honolulu
Third Photo: Mokauea Island
Fourth Photo: Olomana Trail
Day 4 (Tuesday, May 25, 2021): Road to Hana in Maui (Visiting the Garden of Eden and Hanawi Falls)
Note: So many turns…
This road had a sorts of turns and elevation adjustments. From sharp turns to a wide range of elevation changes to unexpected stops from traffic / construction. Be cautious on driving this road. But overall, this was a fun adventure if a relax day is needed. The previous days were filled with painful but fulfilling hikes and kayak workouts that made a car ride through scenic areas sound pleasant.
The first stop was the Garden of Eden - There was a $15 entrance fee into the garden and a map included around the area. The Garden of Eden had a diverse amount of plants, trees, and scenic views in different areas.
Second to last stop before reaching Hana was the Hanawi Falls - I parked the car off the side of the road and climbed down a small ledge. I put my foot into the water and my first impression was, it was very cold. There were rocks at the bottom of the waterfall and it was a bit uncomfortable to step into. I noticed that as I got closer to the waterfall, the floor was creating some distance with my feet and I had to start treading water to stay afloat. Realizing that this was fresh water, it took a bit more energy to keep my head above the surface than with the ocean water. Or maybe the delicious food was weighing me down…that does sound a bit more realistic.
Photo Description:
First Photo: Bamboo Forest (Garden of Eden)
Second Photo: Keopuka Rock Overview (Garden of Eden)
Third Photo: Waterfall (Garden of Eden)
Fourth Photo: Hanawi Falls
Day 5 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021): Snorkeling at Molokini Crater
Damn. Wow. Unbelievable. Yeah.
Aqua Adventures took my friends and I out on a boat to Molokini Crater from the dock of Maalaea Harbor early in the morning. The boat ride was roughly an hour long with breakfast served in the morning on the ride there. It was nice to casually get to know others on the boat and the crew broke out a few jokes to bring the passengers together.
Once we arrived at the crater, the crew gave instructions on how to snorkel and had the available option to snuba. We put our fins on with the snorkel mask and jumped into the open water. With a quick glance looking down, there were fishes and coral reefs everywhere beneath our feet. There were two locations that the boat took us around within the crater itself. Different species lived in different spots of the crater.
Mahalo to Aqua Adventures for the memorable experience.
Day 6 (Thursday, May 27, 2021): ATV Ride at Kualoa Ranch
Just going to say it straight up, lots of dirt everywhere. It wasn’t a bad idea to keep the mask on aside from the pandemic still going on…
This was my first ATV ride and no better place to try it out other than in Oahu. This was located in Kualoa Ranch where directors filmed movies like Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island and more. It was roughly a 2 hour ATV ride throughout the valley. There were other activities including riding an e-bike and horseback riding as well. The ATV tour had an ample amount of time to allow for pictures and a small opportunity to act out a terror scene from Jurassic World and be eaten by dinosaurs. What a wild act.
Photo Description:
First Photo: ATV’s
Second Photo: Scenic Views from the ATV
Third Photo: Cool little hill during the drive
Fourth Photo: Jurassic World Scene
Day 7 (Friday, May 28, 2021): See you next time Hawaii…
This day was meant to be…buy last minute souvenirs and get to the airport…like asap.
This was a rather quick one as our flights were at 2PM that day. We drove off to get acai bowl as our morning breakfast and drove directly from the east side of the island to the Dole Plantation to buy souvenirs.
We arrived around 9:30 AM and the Dole Plantation was packed. I looked around and tried to buy as much pineapple products as quickly as possible (this may have included putting my arm at the back of the shelf and sweeping all the snacks into my basket). This included pineapple cookies, chocolates and shortbread.
Final Remarks:
Overall, this was an absolute blast as my first trip. There were of course things that I missed out on but I can always save it for the next adventure back. Perhaps be better equipped for next time as well. Lessons learned: buy bug repellant and water shoes to not get my feet hurt from rocks.
