Pu`u O Hulu Kai is the large, rocky hill which looms on the Waianae coast at Maili Point, separating the town of Maili from Nanakuli to the south. Driving north along Farrington Highway it cannot be missed.
Pu`u O Hulu Kai from Farrington Highway (looking north)
It is separated from its sister hill, Pu`u O Hulu Uka by a low saddle, where a prominent water tank is located.
Pu`u O Hulu Uka
Views from the bunker complex on the peak are beautiful, and worth the effort it takes to get there. This outing is more of a climb than a hike, and it is not for children, pets, or those nervous about heights. The climb is steep in places, and arms will get almost as much of a workout as legs. Also, because the way up is more of a route than a trail, the hike should be done with someone who knows that route. A good solution is to accompany the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club or the Sierra Club when they schedule the hike, which is about four miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 850 feet.
There are two ways to climb the hill. The first, from its south side, begins from Hakimo Road near the water tank, and follows the ridge line to the summit. The second, which is described here, starts at Heleuma Street, ascending from the north side. It is also possible to go up one side and down the other by positioning cars on both sides.
To reach the trailhead from town, take the H1 Freeway to its end, and continue along Farrington Highway. After passing through Nanakuli and rounding Pu`u O Hulu (photo above), take the next street to the right, which is Heleuma. Depending on the route selected by your hike leader, you will park somewhere near the fifth light pole on the right side of the street, and begin an immediate ascent.
The climb begins in tall grass,
soon steepens at rock outcroppings,
and quickly reaches the ridge line,
where there are rocky ledges to climb over.
After about 45 minutes, the summit bunkers come into view.
Hikers pause on lower peak just before bunker complex
We took time to explore the bunker area.
The bunker complex
The inside of most bunkers were covered with graffiti.
Inside bunkers we found graffiti "art" and old gun mounts
An old winch used for hauling supplies by cable car
There are sweeping views from the summit,
View to the north,
to the south,
and to the west
Finally, it was time to start down the west ridge.
As we continued downhill, we had a good view of Pu`u O Hulu Uka
Pu`u O Hulu Uka curves below the descending hikers
Hikers approach the saddle between O Hulu Kai and Uka
Once in the saddle between the two pu`u, the route follow the water tank fence line for a short distance. Note the road in the photo below, which is the approach to the climb from Hakimo Road, mentioned earlier.
Water tank with approach road
A lone hiker surveys the last stretch of rock
As the hikers near the bottom, grass and shrubs replace the rocks.
Nearing the bottom
Once off the hill, there is a relatively long walk along a drainage ditch before the route finally rejoins Heleuma Street. Along the way, care must be taken not to intrude upon private property - another reason to have someone along who knows the route.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. John D. Bennet, a retired City and County of Honolulu employee and member of the Coast Defense Study Group, has reported that the raised octagonal concrete piers found in the "bunkers" that are prevalent atop Puu O Hulu Kai in-fact did not mount guns, but supports for cast iron pedestals that supported optical instruments used in determining azimuth and range of seaborne targets. These "bunkers" were known as fire control or base end stations and were a part of Oahu's seacoast defenses that provided target information to plotting rooms of seacoast gun batteries to which they were assigned to support. Puu O Hulu Kai sports five base end stations. These so-called "bunkers" (fire control/base end stations) are to be found on many peaks, ridges, and crater tops around Oahu. An example of the cast iron pedestal is found atop Makapuu Head in the first base end station encountered on the hike from the approach road. The vertical galvanized pipe that appeared in two photos atop the ridge at Puu O Hulu Kai was used to support a light machine gun, most-likely a .30 caliber, and was one of several hundreds built around Oahu during WWII as close-in support weapons manned by the troops assigned to nearby installations. Several examples are found around Oahu, although to look at them, one has no idea what they were used for in the past. Thanks, John. |
NEXT MONTH: WAHIAWA HILLS.
