(no subject)
I promised a better travel entry for Oahu. . .I spent most of my time inside Honolulu, which is a fascinating, crowded city that is uber-glossy in some places and kind of third-world-looking in other places. Overall, I'm not really a fan, but I did have some very good food.
The highlight was the day that I got to hike out to the farthest northwest point of the island (Kaena Point). There is a wildlife refuge on the very tip that is only accessible via a rocky dirt road about three miles in. You might be able to take a 4WD about half of the way, but there's a point where the road has eroded away and even a 4WD wouldn't make it. I had a rental car, so I parked and hiked in. The road runs right along black volcanic rock cliffs that remind me very much of the Oregon Coast. Hiking out there was challenging, as it was extremely hot and the road is pretty uneven. A guy who hangs out and sells stuff to tourists at the end of the paved road warned me several times that there wasn't any shade and I'd better have water. I asked me a few times if I had a hat. I had a hat, water and sunscreen, and since I worked most of the two and a half weeks that I was in Honolulu, I was deadset on a hike.
After what seemed like an incredibly long time on this hot road, I came to the wildlife refuge, which contains the last bit of native dune ecosystem left on the island. The refuge is the home of three endangered species: the albatross, the Hawaiian shearling (a fluffy-looking bird) and the Hawaiian monk seal. It didn't seem like anyone was home, though there were a lot of dugout nests in the sand and bird poop. Much of the endangerment of these birds is due to the introduction of mongooses and domestic cats (which rapidly became a large population of feral cats). Birds nesting in the sand are easy takes. My guess is that the other reason is loss of habitat to development, since much of the white sand beaches that these birds like is taken up by resort hotels.
I trundled on through the dunes and wasn't sure quite where to go or what to do, though I had a strong desire to sit down and take a break. I figured I'd head to the shore since there would be cool breezes coming off the water. I came over the last dune and found a beach consisting of 2-inch size chunks of white seaworn coral broken up by boulders of black volcanic rock. There were tidepools with crabs sidling around and waves crashing against each other (due to the pointy tip of the island). It was intensely beautiful, and I had some time to just sit and appreciate a place that receives very few visitors on an island full of people. I certainly wasn't the only one there that afternoon--I saw two other hiking groups along the trail (plus a man fishing illegally), but it felt strikingly quiet compared to the bustle of Waikiki.
When I reluctantly headed back, I came upon a shearling nesting in the sand. It just looked at me, and I took a few pictures and tried not to gawk. ("Wow! So you're endangered! What's that like?") Then I hiked back along the road with the sun setting over my shoulder. The tide was coming in and the waves were crashing fantastically along the cliffs. It was hard not to dawdle even though the light was quickly fading and I needed to get back to the rental car before it got dark. Still, I managed to take a few pictures of the setting sun and just to breath in how special of a place I was fortunate enough to visit.
The highlight was the day that I got to hike out to the farthest northwest point of the island (Kaena Point). There is a wildlife refuge on the very tip that is only accessible via a rocky dirt road about three miles in. You might be able to take a 4WD about half of the way, but there's a point where the road has eroded away and even a 4WD wouldn't make it. I had a rental car, so I parked and hiked in. The road runs right along black volcanic rock cliffs that remind me very much of the Oregon Coast. Hiking out there was challenging, as it was extremely hot and the road is pretty uneven. A guy who hangs out and sells stuff to tourists at the end of the paved road warned me several times that there wasn't any shade and I'd better have water. I asked me a few times if I had a hat. I had a hat, water and sunscreen, and since I worked most of the two and a half weeks that I was in Honolulu, I was deadset on a hike.
After what seemed like an incredibly long time on this hot road, I came to the wildlife refuge, which contains the last bit of native dune ecosystem left on the island. The refuge is the home of three endangered species: the albatross, the Hawaiian shearling (a fluffy-looking bird) and the Hawaiian monk seal. It didn't seem like anyone was home, though there were a lot of dugout nests in the sand and bird poop. Much of the endangerment of these birds is due to the introduction of mongooses and domestic cats (which rapidly became a large population of feral cats). Birds nesting in the sand are easy takes. My guess is that the other reason is loss of habitat to development, since much of the white sand beaches that these birds like is taken up by resort hotels.
I trundled on through the dunes and wasn't sure quite where to go or what to do, though I had a strong desire to sit down and take a break. I figured I'd head to the shore since there would be cool breezes coming off the water. I came over the last dune and found a beach consisting of 2-inch size chunks of white seaworn coral broken up by boulders of black volcanic rock. There were tidepools with crabs sidling around and waves crashing against each other (due to the pointy tip of the island). It was intensely beautiful, and I had some time to just sit and appreciate a place that receives very few visitors on an island full of people. I certainly wasn't the only one there that afternoon--I saw two other hiking groups along the trail (plus a man fishing illegally), but it felt strikingly quiet compared to the bustle of Waikiki.
When I reluctantly headed back, I came upon a shearling nesting in the sand. It just looked at me, and I took a few pictures and tried not to gawk. ("Wow! So you're endangered! What's that like?") Then I hiked back along the road with the sun setting over my shoulder. The tide was coming in and the waves were crashing fantastically along the cliffs. It was hard not to dawdle even though the light was quickly fading and I needed to get back to the rental car before it got dark. Still, I managed to take a few pictures of the setting sun and just to breath in how special of a place I was fortunate enough to visit.