Walk around Oahu (Punalu’u to Kahuku)

Rain showers failed to rain on our parade as Aida, Chico, Ferlino, Mari, Tessa and myself started on our fourth perimeter walk.

Kualoa Beach Park

Waiting for the bus as a couple friends failed to wake up in time. The show must go on.

Route 60

Chico catching up on the news.

Chings’ Punaluu Store

Walking on the right side of the road. Or is that the left side?

Punalu’u

Why did the hiker cross the road? To climb a tree.

Kaya’s Store

Sampling the blueberry cheesecake at the family store that was founded in 1946 and started as a hardware and butcher store.

Wat Lao Buddha Sacksith

Praying at entrance to the Laotian Buddhist temple.

Punalu’u

I don’t think there are enough trees in the day for Ferlino to climb them all.

Punalu’u

Bridge walking when there are no sidewalks.

Sacred Falls Park

Taking a photo in front of the park whose trail leads to the now shuttered Sacred Falls. Back on Mother’s Day in 1999, a rockslide killed 8 people and left dozens injured. It has been opined by some that gulch hikes are vastly more dangerous than ridge hike due to the enclosed environment and unpredictable weather and terrain conditions. I am in total agreement. That is why I mostly stick to ridge hiking.

Ching Tong Leong Store

She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely sea shells. So if she sells shells on the sea shore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

Hau’ula

Tessa testing her balance on the tree.

Hau’ula

Group photo on the coconut tree.

Hau’ula

360 degree view of us coconuts sitting on the tree.

Hau’ula

If you can’t climb onto the tree, might as well hang upside down from it.

Hau’ula

It was time to make like a coconut, and fall out of the tree.

Hau’ula

Somebody needs to get with the program.

Slurpee Stop

Thanks to Chico for the free carbonated frozen beverages first made by the chain back in 1966.

Hau’ula

Passing by a red hibiscus flower that was the original flower of the territory of Hawaii, until 1988 when the yellow flower was designated the official state flower.

Hau’ula

I’m guessing the slurpee didn’t sit well with Chico.

Hau’ula

Passing by one of many wooden carved statues that represent certain figures that in turn represent their mana or power.

Laie

Somebody said it tastes like dirt and besides, it wasn’t the type of free samples he was looking for.

Laie

I thought his last name was Tongi? His first name is actually William. The singing phenom was the first Pacific Islander to win the 2023 American Idol. Priced out of paradise was the reason his family had to move to Washington. Maybe now they can afford to move back.

Laie

Bunch of swingers.

Laie

No open house today. We are not descendants.

Laie

There’s more than one way to husk a coconut.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Posing in front of some tiki statues in front of the tourist attraction that was built in 1963 to promote the Polynesian culture.

Laie

Bathroom break.

Laie Shopping Center

The security guard made sure we operated the shopping cart in a safe manner. No alcohol was involved as this was a “dry” town.

Laie Hawaii Temple

Passing by the first Mormon temple built outside the mainland back in 1919.

Malaekahana Bike Path

Stepping foot on the bike path that links Laie with Kahuku and was built to encourage exercise in the communities and keep people off the roads.

Malaekahana Bike Path

Looking over at the huge 568′ rotating wind turbines that have been a source of controversy due to the hoary bats being killed by them and the close proximity to homes.

Malaekahana Bike Path

The path was long and hot, but at least it kept us out of harms way. No horses came out to play.

Kahuku

Taking a break at the bus stop from the withering heat.

Kahuku

Hello 911? I need to speak to the po … never mind.

Kahuku

The poke was overrated, but the garlic shrimp lived up to its billing.

Kahuku

Admiring a restored VW Beetle that had its origins in Germany when Adolph Hitler instructed Ferdinand Porsche to design and produce a people’s car (volkswagen) back in 1934. The end of WW2 could have spelled the end of the Beetle, had it not been for the British Army that needed cars during the post war era and thus started up the production line to fill the demand.

Kahuku

Group photo next to the train that the termites will eat.

Kahuku

Passing the “other” shrimp place, that a lot of people say taste better than Giovanni’s. Gasp. Blasphemy. Well, depends on who you talk to.

James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge

This area that was established in 1976, protects one of the few remaining wetlands on the island that are home to a host of endemic and endangered marine life. I’m not sure these two are on the list.

All pau

Everybody got three dollars?

McDonald’s

Ending the day with a McDonald’s McFlurry to cool ourselves off.

GPS Tracks

Our hot as heck walk covered 10.3 miles with a fun group.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Chico Cantu, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, 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: ching tong leong, hauula, iam tongi, james campbell national wildlife refuge, kahuku, kamehameha highway, kaya's, laie, laie temple, malaekahana bike path, polynesian cultural center, punaluu, sacred falls, wat lao