Walk around Oahu (Maili to Makua Cave)

Met up with Aida, Akira, Chico, Mari, Susan, and Tessa under the shadow of the Maili Pillboxes to get our morning constitutional.

The cap heads are in the majority for our group photo.

Akira explaining the size of the nigiri sushi he had for dinner last night.

The scarecrow has taken up residence in the house.

Walking through the pebbly town that has the highest percentage of kanaka maoli or native Hawaiians on the island.

I didn’t know Groot was for sale.

CB soon caught up with us after parking at his brother’s place and test drove his 2D muscle car. If it only had one more dimensional layer.

Chico volunteering to be the human water gauge on the non-existent ledge that was also 2D as well.

No shopping cart rides today. The plight of the homeless on this side of the island is especially glaring. Not getting into politics and policy, but the fact that the majority of the homeless are Hawaiians is a pretty sad commentary on the state of affairs. If they want to get the ball rolling, they should camp at the State Capitol and all the key political leaders place of residence. That would get national news and force the levers of political power to start moving and actually do something that benefits not just the kanaka maoli but all the local residents that call this place home. Just my two cents.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

This particular canine did not want to sleep or lie.

Looking for seashells or at least fragments of them.

Nobody said “You Rule” or offered a cardboard crown. Ask and you shall receive.

Say Yes. Yes I can climb on the sign. Yessah.

Artwork or graffiti seen on the streets.

Taking a photo with the 200 pound bronze bust of Braddah IZ, one of Hawaii’s most influential and successful singers.

Chico failed to get a HFD T-Shirt so he ran across the highway to join back with the group as the flags flew at half mast to honor former Representative Gene Ward who passed on April 4, 2025.

I guess this particular bus shelter avoided compliance with the sit-lie ban. No complaints from Chico.

Cotton is the new Rogaine.

Hey, those are my exact size!

The pilot showing how the helicopter chair is executed. Something may have been lost in translation.

The Flying Filipino not to be confused with Shane Victorino.

Stopping at the last outpost of snacks and refreshments before resuming our walk.

We decided to do a detour and climb the world’s smallest mountain. But first somebody took their medication for clarification of their mind.

It was Chico’s first and Mari’s second attempt at climbing this relatively diminutive peak.

Akira guiding the girls up a relatively less steep section of the trail.

This angle illustrates why it’s also called thin mountain in English.

One step at a time takes one closer to the top.

Leaving all the relatively steep climbing behind us as we plateaued near the summit.

Aida overlooking Papaoneone Beach and its aging condos.

We all made it to the 230′ summit with its panoramic views of the coastline and mountains.

Leaving the summit behind along with Chico’s ex-sixth wife as we scrambled our way back down.

We soon dropped back down to the base along with the volunteers who were hauling out all the rubbish that somehow finds its way here.

Just one question. Is this a silent or loud alarm?

Can you see the hikers for the flowers?

Picking the not so low-hanging fruit that was first introduced to the islands in 1824 by Captain Meek from Manila.

In search of shade.

Strolling around the beach which is where big wave surfing was born.

We decided to skip the arch at Kea’au Beach Park as the waves were hammering the coastline.

Akira balancing on the concrete dividers that separated the road and boulders from coastal erosion.

We escaped the sweltering heat and cooled off by entering the roughly 150,000 year old cave that was once underwater.

The cave reputedly is roughly 450′ deep and there are branching tunnels for those with a yearn to explore and headlamps. We had neither in stock today.

Legend has it that this was once home to the shark god, Nanaue who would lure unsuspecting travelers to his lair and have them for dinner. Not wanting to be shark bait, we soon exited the cool cavern.

Thanks to Dave for shuttling us back to our cars.

Our hot as heck walk strolled us around 10.6 miles today. Fun walk with good friends. Post hike meal at Denny’s, where there was something for everybody.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Dale Yoshizu, Mari Saito, Susan Katz, Tessa Bugay and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

Tagged as: braddah iz statue, farrington highway, kaneana, keaau beach park, lualualei beach park, maili, makaha beach, makua cave, mauna lahilahi