Just Another Mountain

To me, Hawaii seemed like an unreachable destination given that it’s just so far away from Ireland, and my perception was that only the wealthy could afford to vacation there. I never thought I would ever be able to visit, but low and behold, I was fortunate enough to spent five days in Oahu, and I can now understand why it is often referred to as paradise.

We booked our flights in November around Black Friday for about $600 CAD return with WestJet. Our Airbnb was just under $700 CAD for 4 nights, it was the perfect location as we were a 2-minute walk from the Waikiki beach strip and there was also an underground car park charging $20 USD a night for parking (it wasn’t that big, so we did have to park elsewhere some nights, but some of the larger hotels offer overnight parking for non-guests).

My assumption that Hawaii was a wealthy person’s holiday wasn’t too far off as it was very expensive there. We got our flights/accommodation at a reasonable price but between renting a car (which is necessary to explore the island), food/drinks and activities, we ended up spending quite a bit. Seeing prices that seemed a little expensive in CAD, but then remembering to convert it to USD was never fun. We visited in mid-April, a gamble with the weather but flights were cheaper, so we thought it was worth the risk.

We arrived early morning and had to Uber from the airport to get to Enterprise which is located in an underground parking lot so it’s a little difficult to find. We spent the first day just wandering around Waikiki. We ventured outside of the main strip too, opting for some local food at Guava Smoked. Wandering around the outer city was a more realistic insight into life in Honolulu. In fact, the beach strip seemed like a different place completely compared to the streets a little further out. On the strip, palm trees towered over the streets and it was noticeably clean and well-kept with a huge selection of stores you’d find in any city and a lot of fancy looking hotels/resorts.

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Day 2: Hikes in the south/east of Oahu

Our first morning, we woke up early to torrential rain. It was pounding down at such force but there was still so much heat in the air. We went for breakfast at Guieb Cafe who are famous for their mascarpone Ube pancakes. We didn’t let the downpour stop us and decided to continue our plan of exploring the south of the island. Our first trail was the beautiful Waimea Falls. The cost of entry to Waimea Valley is $26.50, which is expensive for such a short hike of 30 minutes, but it was one of my favourite places that we visited. We bought some ponchos and set off in the rain which honestly made the hike so much fun. It was extremely muddy but it was a very enjoyable hike in the trees where we eventually found the waterfall. There are some other trails that continue into the tropical forest which we followed for another 20 or so minutes, but because of the rain it was very slippery and although it was really cool walking amongst the Koa trees, we turned back as we had more places to explore. In Waimea, you may encounter some dark-grey colored waterbirds with a dark red shield over their yellow-tipped beak. These are an endangered species known as “‘Alae ‘Ula Bingo”. There are also lots of Junglefowl that hilariously run around the place.

The rain stopped as we took off for our next hike. We were in between hiking Koko Crater Trail and Diamond Head, but we opted for Koko as it was a different type of hike given that you’re walking up the 1,048 steps of an old WWII tram track. It’s a 2.6km out-and-back trail with 278m elevation. The steps get steeper the higher you go and about halfway, you reach the Koko Crater bridge where you have to walk directly on the steel track lines as it’s just a drop between the wooden steps. Going up was okay, but on the way down my legs were shaking so much trying to pass this part only to realise there was actually a path to avoid it just on the left! (known as Murphy’s Bypass).

The view going up vs going down

There was a nice view of the ocean and the city, and on a clear day you can see the other islands. We figured Diamond Head would be much the same view and decided to hike elsewhere.

We headed to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail next, a 4km out-and-back walk with panoramic views along the coast the entire way to the lighthouse. We could see water shooting up in the distance and although it was too far away to see a whale, it was cool to spot the blow! The trail is well-paved and therefore a very busy destination as it is so accessible and family-friendly.

Day 3: The North Shore

We drove north to Haleiwa (1.5 hours from Waikiki) as we had booked a tour to dive with sharks. We reserved this in advance with North Shore Shark Adventures as they offered a 20% online discount. The sun was shining and the skies were clear, so there were great views all around. We spent about 2 hours in total on the water. As soon as our boat stopped in the middle of the ocean, the sharks appeared around us. These sharks are nocturnal, so although they’re not actively hunting during the day, the noise of the boat alerts them as they are used to crab/fishing boats which provide an easy snack for them with minimal effort. We opted for the cage dive option, so we got to go in the water for about 20 minutes and watched the sharks swim around us which was surreal! We also saw a barracuda in the distance. The snorkelling equipment we were given was of great quality, and it was a really enjoyable morning that I highly recommend. (You can go without the cage, but that sounded crazy to me).

Haleiwa is a really nice small beach town that’s home to the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice and Kono’s who make delicious wraps. The roasted pulled Kalua pork is a must-try. We also stopped at Ted’s Bakery to try a Hawaiian cream pie that was delicious.

Some notable stops along the north shore include ‘Ehukai Beach Park, Sunset Beach Park, Kawela Bay, La’le Point, Waimea Falls, Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site, Kahana Bay Beach Park and Kualoa Regional Park.

You could spend hours at any of these places, just relaxing on the beach or swimming/snorkelling as a lot of beaches have washrooms/picnic benches. In Kawela Bay, there is a beach called Turtle Bay where we did in fact see some turtles in the water! Kahana Bay was really quiet so we pulled over and spent some time there, as the other beaches can be pretty busy. Another notable stop is Banzai Pipeline, with waves larger than I’ve ever seen!

Beach day every day

Kualoa Regional Park 

This was a standout for me, it was really quiet when we were there and the water was so clear. We saw a mongoose running around as there’s a large grassy area that’s perfect for a picnic. You’re also able to camp here which I wish we had realised before booking an Airbnb!

Kualoa Ranch is just a few minutes drive from here too, a popular filming location. There are lots of different activities you can do at the ranch, from horse riding to Jungle Expedition tours, it’s a really unique spot not just for movie-lovers, but the ranch itself is gorgeous. We did the Movie Sites & Ranch Tour as it was one of the cheaper options at $60 for 1.5 hours. As we were driven around by a local guide, we learned about Hawaiian culture whilst also seeing some amazing views of the lush landscape. Our guide pointed out a plant known as “sleepy grass” (Mimosa pudica) because when you touch it, the leaves quickly fold inward and it shrivels up. She also taught us a lot about the four main deities – Kāne (god of light/creation), Kū (god of war), Lono (god of peace, agriculture, fertility), and Kanaloa (god of the ocean/underworld).

The island of Oahu was different to anywhere I have ever been before. The deep green of the tropical trees surrounds you as you’re driving along the island and the sand on the beaches feels so soft beneath your feet. We gave surfing a try too at Waikiki beach which I would say is not the best spot to try it on Oahu, the waves are much better on the North shore. While it was an expensive trip overall, it was definitely worth it!

Some more special mentions for food

Island Vintage Coffee Waikiki for acai bowls & lavender lattes

Leonard’s Bakery for malasadas (donuts)

Maguro Spot for poke bowls