Taking in the Scenery

Having gotten in after dark, we looked forward to exploring the island in the daytime. It was a little hazy out. Our waitress at breakfast told us that it was expected to be a little hazy all week long because of the volcanic activity on another island. Diamond Head was so close that we thought that was the perfect place to start. We planned on hiking the trail to the top and getting a bird's eye view of the area. Except, this sign was waiting for us when we got there.

The trail was closed. But, it would be reopening just a couple of days before we were to leave, so we weren't too disappointed. We were able to stop at a lookout point outside the rim and get this picture. I think it's Koko Head. We didn't climb Koko Crater. Next trip?

We drove to Halona Blowhole. Rich remembered having seen it on his visit to Hawaii 28 years earlier. See the little pool of water in the rocks? When the waves are just right, water shoots up like a geyser from lava tubes that extend into the ocean. The day we were there, just a fine spray was coming up, but I'm told that with the right conditions water can shoot up 30 feet.

The waves along the north shore are at their highest this time of year. Driving to the north shore was going to take over an hour from where we were at the southeastern point of the island. So, instead of going to the north shore, we drove up the eastern coast to the Marine Corps Base near Kaneohe Bay, where because of the shape of the island, the waves come from the north.

We made it back to the hotel in time to snap this pic of the sunset.