Hawaii

Hawaii! What an unreal little place. The primary purpose of my trip to Honolulu, Oahu was for hiking. On the island of Oahu alone there are over 140 hikes. In this itinerary I will cover someof my favorite hikes and and places to eat while in the wonderful city of Honolulu.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

The legendary stairway to heaven. This trail has been deemed illegal for safety and tresspassing reasons. Dozens of people still complete the trail daily. There is a security guarded posted out front basically 24/7 and if you get caught you could face a fine of up to $1000. If you feel you are brave enough, then crack on! The details of how to get to the trailhead are widely available online. A friend I met on the island and I went to do this hike for sunrise so we travelled in the dark. It's worth noting that you have to traverse an entire bamboo forest for about 45 minutes before even getting to the trailhead that, again, has a guard. If you manage to get past all this it's a direct 3922 steps to the top! There are 3 rest stops along the way (every 1000 steps or so) and the view from the top is unreal. You can see the entire island on a clear day. Defintley recommend.

WILLIWILLINUI RIDGE

Another beautiful hike located in the mountains of Oahu. With just enough room for you to walk, it's defintley not for the faint of heart. It's a pretty simple out and back trail from the beginning. At the top is where the ridge is and if you so choose you can cross it and back. In the right season a thick fog will envelope around the mountain giving you what seems like a shield from the sites far, far below. Unreal one.

PALI PUKA

Pali Puka in Hawaiian actually translates to "Hole in the mountain". This is another death-defying hike. This one is much shorter than Williwillinui Ridge however much more dangerous. There is a steep drop to your right and to your left leaving you feeling very exposed especially with the wind going. At the end of the trail is a hole in the side of a mountain that was used as a lookout point for invaders from early days. Truly not for the faint of heart but if you love adventure this one is for you!

FOOD
There were sooo many nice restaurants around the Waikiki area of Honolulu where I stayed most of my trip. The area itself was cheaper than I expected however because it is still the USA you have to do the conversion to USD and for my Canadian dollar it didn't give me the best deal. But I still induldged! There are plenty of amazing and authentic restaurants around that won't break the bank. A good example was surf n' turf tacos. Just a little taco shop near waikiki beach offering a small simple taco menu. If you were looking for something a little more upscale there was also Kraken Kitchen which housed some of the finest seafood I have ever ordered. You basically get a lobster, crab, and countless other seafood morsels boiled and cooked to perfection and then tossed around in a sauce of your choosing in a bag and that bag is then dumped out on the table. No plates. Sounds barbaric, actually fantastic.

I spent my entire 3 weeks in Hawaii completing various hikes around the island. If you have any questions at all on any hikes feel free to get in contact with me, cheers!