Waimea Falls
Visitors to Waimea Valley Audubon Center on the north shore of Oahu are familiar with the beautiful waterfall and pool that lie at the upper end of the botanical park But very few people have ever gone farther into the valley, following the stream that feeds the falls. Now, a hike offered by the Center does exactly that, opening a little-known part of the valley rarely seen by the general public. Scouted and cleared by members of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club earlier this year, the hike is now offered regularly by the Center staff (see end of this column).
A “motley crew” of HTMC members en route to clearing the trail
The route covers about 6 miles round trip, with a moderate degree of difficulty, except for a strenuous 400-foot climb from the stream to the return ridge. The trail follows Kamananui Stream from a point above the falls for about 3 miles, crossing the stream 9 times (plan on getting your feet wet), then climbs steeply to the ridge for a pleasant stroll back to the starting point.
Meeting us at the entrance to the park, was our guide, Jaime Raduenzel, the Center’s program director. After a short orientation, Jaime led us through the lush botanical displays to a service road above the falls, which took us to the first stream crossing. On this day the stream level was unusually low, and most were able to cross maintaining dry boots. The photo below shows this crossing at an earlier, more normal water flow.
Once across, hikers regrouped in the mixed, secondary growth forest.
After about 10 minutes the trail reaches a large hau thicket, extending from the steep stream bank on one side, to a rocky cliff on the other. Here, Peter Kempf of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club spent many hours chain-sawing a passage more than 150 feet long through the otherwise impenetrable barrier.
Peter en route to the hau thicket, with Bill Gorst carrying spare fuel.
Even with all the cutting, passing through the hau requires much stooping and twisting.
Leaving the hau, the trail in some places becomes wide and relatively open,
while other sections are narrow, and covered with tunnels of Christmasberry.
At another stream crossing, Jaime points out tiny endemic moth pupae hiding in small fissures in a large rock.
Still ponds along the way contain native o`opu and introduced freshwater prawns.
Even though the stream level is low, large rocks can still make crossing difficult.
Finally, at a point where the stream forks, the trail leaves the valley and begins the uphill climb to the return ridge.
The going is steep and hot,
but there are broad views from the top.
A special treat is a bumper crop of strawberry guava, ripe and bright red, all along the trail.
Hikers munched happily and stuffed guavas into empty water bottles and lunch boxes to take home.
Once on the ridge, we passed through a stretch of spindly guava mixed with large koa.
We also noted a large pig wallow.
No swimming here!
Soon after the piggy swimming pool, the ridge narrows and opens up.
Views are now extensive.
Waianae Mountains appear shrouded in the distance
Looking toward the North Shore, with Kaena Point
The gap in the next photo is the entrance to Waimea Valley, where we began our hike, and where it will end.
The ridge soon begins to descend, and at a large grouping of rocks, we turn off to the right, and drop steeply back down into the valley and Waimea Falls. There is nothing better than a cooling off swim at the great pool.
Cooling off after the hike
Traversing the botanical garden once more, we return to our starting point.
If you would like to do this hike, check the next time it is scheduled by going to the Audubon Center’s website at www.waimea.audubon.org. Click on News & Events, then scroll down to Summer Hike Series (or Fall, etc). Reservations are required, and the spaces fill quickly. Call, 638-9199. The fee is a modest $3 per person, plus the park entry fee.
NOTE: For a description of another unusual hike in Waimea Valley, read my Hidden Waimea Valley column of May, 2006.
| The best way to hike the trails on Oahu is with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club and the Sierra Club. Both have permission to hike many routes not open to the general public. Neither one requires membership to join most hikes, although non-members pay a small fee, and they restrict certain hikes to members only. For info on membership and hiking schedules, see the following web sites. HTMC & Sierra Club. |
