After a breakfast of poi, ulu, and banana, we walked down to Hana Pier in the morning to see the unusually rough water there, and see the sun start to warm Ka'uiki Head, the large red cinder cone that dominates the area.
After passing several more rushing falls and serene pools, you enter The Bamboo Forest. This is the crowning jewel of the hike. The trail leads you through tall hallways of large smooth green bamboo stalks.
Mom and I went off trail to wait for gusts of wind to blow, making large sections of bamboo sway and swirl above us, giving us peaks of bright blue sky, creating an energized rustling of leaves and then an orchestra of deep hollow knocking of the stalks. Most of the trail through the bamboo portion is on a charming boardwalk to keep you above the mud. In some places you wouldn't know it was a bright sunny day because the canopy's coverage was so complete it felt like nighttime!
The 2-mile trail terminates at the base of 400 ft Waimoku Falls. You have to rock hop across two streams to get there. The falls are so tall you almost fall backwards craning your neck just to get a look at the top of it. We had lunch there enjoying the breezy mist of the plunging water. Now I am covered in mosquito bites (literally, my right arm has at least 30 bites).
On the way back to Hana we checked out surfers at Hamoa Beach, and then stopped at Koki Beach to press our tired overheated feet into the soft cool moist sand. This beach has an arresting cinder cone at the far end, and when I reread my guidebook it said that Oprah Winfrey owns it!
Stayed at Aloha Cottage a 2nd night. Ducked in just in time to take refuge from the rain. It comes down hard here! And the wind seems to kick up at the same time. After it cleared Mom and I lounged outside talking story in a breeze that was warm but not hot, cool but not cold. In other words, perfect. I pondered the fact that my parents stayed in Aloha Cottage 30 years ago. I thought, hey, I'm 30! Perhaps I was conceived here!
Then we drove further south to Kipahulu to hike the Pipiwai Trail. This has to be one of my favorite hikes in all of Hawaii - actually it's in my Top 5. It starts out climbing past ferns and smooth brown-skinned branches of guava trees.
Then you get to visit huge old mangos and one majestic banyan tree. The air is thick with the sweet smell of fallen guava and mango. A half mile up there is a view of 200 ft Makahiku Falls, fed by Infinity Pool. You can get to the pool by a short detour from the trail and gaze down the falls all the way to the ocean.
After passing several more rushing falls and serene pools, you enter The Bamboo Forest. This is the crowning jewel of the hike. The trail leads you through tall hallways of large smooth green bamboo stalks.
The 2-mile trail terminates at the base of 400 ft Waimoku Falls. You have to rock hop across two streams to get there. The falls are so tall you almost fall backwards craning your neck just to get a look at the top of it. We had lunch there enjoying the breezy mist of the plunging water. Now I am covered in mosquito bites (literally, my right arm has at least 30 bites).
Stayed at Aloha Cottage a 2nd night. Ducked in just in time to take refuge from the rain. It comes down hard here! And the wind seems to kick up at the same time. After it cleared Mom and I lounged outside talking story in a breeze that was warm but not hot, cool but not cold. In other words, perfect. I pondered the fact that my parents stayed in Aloha Cottage 30 years ago. I thought, hey, I'm 30! Perhaps I was conceived here!
2 comments:
Conceived! haha, the Pipi trail goes all the way back, perhaps...
your blog is making me hungry :)
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