Parking was $5.00, so we found a spot right at the bottom for free, and walked up to the main parking area. Good thing too, because it was full. Some people were in line for a spot, and others were turning around to head back down.
Walking up, you have to pay $1 each to get in. So we only saved $3 on the parking.
It was packed... we have never been on such a busy hike.
Starting to get a view.
The "trail" is paved for about half of the route.
Then there is a rock path with a rail.
The sign at the parking lot said that it should take an hour and a half round trip. We made it to the top in 25 minutes, but we probably would have been faster if we hadn't had to try to pass so many people which was difficult to do with so many other people headed the opposite way.
People on the trail.
Yikes. Too busy!
A tunnel at the top.
View from the top.
Waikiki.
Looking out to sea.
Heading back downhill.
Scenery along the way.
At the bottom, at the suggestion of one of our facebook fans, Ruth splurged and bought a whipped pineapple (like a sherbet?) for $6.00 USD ($8.00 CAD). She enjoyed it, which is a good thing for that kind of money! I was going to take a photo, but by the time she got back to me it was half eaten, and half melted!
We decided to head over to the Hanauma Nature Preserve. But when we got there, the parking lot was full, plus they charge $7.50 USD per person to get in. We decided against it, and carried on.
This is another hike we would have liked to have done.
But it's straight up! And it was baking hot already.
These folks found a nice spot to cool off.
Looking the opposite way.
Blowhole!
Hawaii selfie.
Makapu'u Beach.
The water colors are gorgeous.
From there, we were going to go head back to Honolulu on highway 61 that goes through the mountains, but we got to the intersection and it was closed! We ended up back on the Interstate and made our way to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center.
Still, it was interesting reading about the whole event in the museum, and a worthwhile stop. We did not pay the money to do any of the extras.
Today's drive, 74 miles (118 kms).
We have to have the car rental returned before 9:00am tomorrow (Thursday) morning, so we will be up early to do that. Then we will spend the day in and around the touristy Waikiki Beach before hopping on our Thursday evening flight to the mainland. We will update you again from the airport before we leave Hawaii.
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Nice price drop on the black Camco Footpath Stepping Stones.
And in Canada...
Always amazed at the number of people on a hike in hot weather not wearing a hat!
ReplyDeleteHat and sun glasses. I burned my eyes at White Sands, NM because I didn't wear sun glasses. I wear a hat when I venture out here in Phoenix & sunglasses.
DeleteWe were surprised too to see people without hats on as well. We find the Asian people are the ones that keep themselves covered up the most, including hats when they are in the sun.
DeleteDo you still climb up through the gun turret to get to the top of Diamond Head?
ReplyDeleteWe climbed up on the outside and then went back down through the gun turret. We would have missed it, if I wasn't just a little curious.
DeleteWhat a coincident an article about the private Hawaiian island popped up right after I read your blog post. Apparently that island Niihau is also called the Forbidden Island. I never knew this.
ReplyDeleteLove the hike up to Diamond Head Crater. The views are beautiful. I remember feeling claustrophobic seeing all that water and being on a tiny island. I'm not a water person...I'm a desert rat LOL I didn't learn to dog paddle until I had my first born. I went to mom/tot swim classes and learned to dog paddle and float. anyway beautiful hike you had even tho it was crowded.
Yep, it is amazing how the internet tracks you and then shows you ads with products geared to what were looking at. They call it "behavioral retargeting".
DeleteWe prefer the mountains but being on an island is a nice change for a short time.
That is great area, we need to go back....Enjoy:))
ReplyDeleteIf you go back take lots of money with you and we hope you don't mind lots of people, unless you stay on the other side of the island, there are a few quieter places over there but not many.
DeleteEnjoyed seeing your photos of the busy Waikiki beach. We honeymooned there in 1985 and stayed in the beautiful "pink hotel" (aka the Royal Hawaiian) that looks totally out of place among the beachfront skyscrapers. That was the nicest hotel I had ever stayed in to that point, and I felt like a 24-year old princess! We weren't into hiking back then so didn't do the Diamond Head hike. The only thing I really remember from Oahu was going in a bus to a luau, which was a lot of fun. However, Oahu was far too busy for us, and our second honeymoon week in Maui was much more to our liking, and we did a lot of exploring in our rental car. Went back to Maui for more six years later, for my 30th b-day. But that's our last time in Hawaii, and I doubt we'll ever return, due to the high cost. There are so many other beautiful spots that are much less pricey, like right here in Mexico! Still, glad we got to see it and check another state off our bucket list. Only Alaska yet to go!
ReplyDeleteWow, looks like you were living in luxury at that hotel. No doubt you would have felt like a princess, I would have been too.
DeleteWe do miss not doing a luau, but we just didn't have time. Not sure that we will ever be back to Hawaii but if we do, we may just try going to one then, I know they are touristy but it does look like fun.
We agree with you, that there are a lot of other beautiful and tropical locations to visit that are much cheaper with less people. We are glad to that we stopped and visited Hawaii and we did have a good time and yes, we can now say we have been to all 50 states. :-) You need to go to Alaska but spend more time in Yukon, again it is cheaper and there are less people around and it is gorgeous as well.
Too many people! I bet the museum was great!
ReplyDeleteYep, definitely lots of people, too many for us!
DeleteThe museum/memorial site was very interesting and had lots of information both from the Japanese side of the attach and from the American side. We learned quite a lot from that visit and can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like in real life.
I'm surprised that all these hikes (or parking at the hikes) cost so much money. After spending 4 months in the Maritimes and doing a LOT of hiking, not once did we pay for anything. Can't believe the number of people on the Diamond Head hike. I wonder if, at some point they will start to limit the number of people, like many other places around the world.
ReplyDeleteThat hike to the waterfalls was on private land so they can charge whatever they want to, especially if they are getting people to pay and they certainly weren't having a problem with that but it wasn't going to be us. We traveled for 2 1/2 months in Australia and I think we only paid to hike once and it was a very nominal fee.
DeleteIf you hiked in any of the National Parks in Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island you did pay to hike! You either had to buy the yearly pass or pay the daily fee, as you can't just go into the park and hike for free.
Yep, it was pretty busy at Diamond Head and who knows maybe one day they will have a limit to the number of people hiking it per day.