Blustery Day at Keaua Beach

One of the best kept secrets on Oahu is the Leeward Side.  Numerous articles have told me to stay away from Waianae.  And true, they do have more than their fair share of economic and social problems, but the people I have met over there are brimming with aloha.  Strangers smile at me and children call me "auntie".  And the beaches...ah, the beaches.

This past weekend, it was storming on the North Shore so we decided to go to the Leeward Side--the windless side, the desert side, the side that didn't get the memo on this particular day. 




Stiff winds tore over the Waianae (why-a-nigh) Mountains.  They blew the tops off the 7-10 ft seas and thrashed the coconut palms.

The Waianae Mountains were formed from a single shield volcano some 3.9 million years ago.  The west side (as seen here) has suffered much erosion, creating numerous landslide slopes and caves.








Just north of Waianae, the gusts of wind sandblasted those of us on the Keaua Beach.  It was not a good day for children to be in the water.

Behind that tumultuous surf is a cadre of body-boarders.  They took turns riding the beast before getting pummeled.  This particular wave had just swallowed one brave soul.









After he fought free from the current, the body-boarder rested on the beach.









A surfer collects his broken board and goes home.

Ka'ena (ka-eh-na) Point is in the background.

When the waves got too rough to be near the shore's edge, we drove farther north to Ka'ena Point.

Here the waves pounded the ancient lava ledge, forcing water up blow-holes.









Not wanting to end up like the guy on the sign, we stayed clear of the edge.

 



They say after every storm is a rainbow.  This photo proves that sometimes rainbows occur in the middle of the storm.

A life lesson, perhaps?

Magnificent Manoa Falls Trail

  Manoa Falls is an easy hike surrounded by a lush jungle.  The well-maintained trail is only .8 miles and goes up a gentle 800 ft. slope. 

There was only one spot where the trail got muddy and slippery, possibly making it tricky for people with walking issues.  But even if you don't make it all the way to the falls, it is worth the effort.





 

The trail winds through a vine-draped forest to the to eucalyptus trees.  Passing the eucalyptus, we found ferns that were well over 15 ft. tall.

About half-way up the path, a ficus benghalensis arches over the trail, creating a perfect place for a photo-op.

The bamboo grove was cool and quiet.
 
When the wind blew, the trees tapped each other in beautiful acoustic harmony.

The trail ends at the waterfall.  At this time of the year, the flow was rather small, but still pretty.
 
All the side trails in this area have been closed due to landslides.  And the pool at the bottom, though very picturesque, is cordoned off and purported to have the leptospirosis bacteria which can can cause liver and kidney disease.

Needless to say, we stayed out of the water.








On the way back down the trail, there was breath-taking view of Manoa Valley.  This view alone was worth the hike.

Bonus:  Buy the shave ice at the snack shack next to the parking lot.  Arguably, it's one of the best shave ices on the island. 

Sublime Submersion

What's that bubbling out of the waters of Honolulu?

 

It's the Atlantis!  A passenger submarine that runs out of Honolulu.  Now, I have often thought about going into a submarine, but never seriously.  As a surprise, my husband booked us a trip.  Even on the boat ride out, I was thinking, "Yes, well, this will be pleasant."  But as soon as I saw the submarine magically emerging from the ocean, I got little-kid clapping-my-hands-together, hopping-up-and-down excited.  Michael said I got all sparkly-eyed.

  

I got lucky and sat up front next to the tour guide and captain.  Both were very interesting men and told some great, informational stories.  By the way, the captain's chair is actually a very comfortable office chair bolted to the floor.

 In most of my photos, everything appears blue because by 16 ft below surface level, the "warm" colors such as red, orange, and yellow begin to fade.  Contrast and image sharpness also becomes a problem the further we go down.

Water, it seems, is 800 times more dense than air.  By the time we reached 98 ft, all colors except blue will be blocked. 

 This is the view out of my porthole as our shuttle boat drives away.

Waikiki has such white sand that even when we reached our lowest depth of 120 ft, the sunlight was still reflected off the bottom.  All my photos have natural lighting with no flash.

 

Along the trail, were two airplanes and a fishing boat that were put there as artificial reefs for the fish.  At this depth, there were a LOT of big fish.

 A school of triggerfish near a submerged fishing boat.

A green turtle (honu) hanging our on the boat's wheelhouse.

A very big fish hiding out under an airplane wing.  I'm glad Iwas INSIDE the submarine.  Though I am looking a little smurfy.

Rising bubbles mean the end to an absolutely unique experience.  It was not on my bucket list, but, boy!, am I glad I did it.  In fact, two weeks later, I sent my children to ride on the Atlantis.  They had a great time, too.

It was definitely a two thumbs-up experience.