Hawaii 50 - O'ahu Part 2

The storm had passed by the second day and the slightly overcast but warm weather was perfect for the two hikes we had planned. 

First we fuelled up with a really good breakfast at Rainbow Drive-In. Lee had spotted an advert for this place on the plane, and it didn't disappoint. The food was local, reasonably priced and amazing quality. The restaurant was opened in the 60's and it maintained a retro vibe which wouldn't have been out of place on Route 66. 

We then headed to our first hike, Diamond Head State Monument. Diamond Head is part of the Ko’olau Range of volcanoes. A single eruption around 300,000 years ago created the 350 acre Diamond Head crater. The US military bought the crater in the early 1900's to strengthen coast artillery defences and some of the installations remain today and can be explored as you'll see from our video. The trail up the crater was built by the military and at the top, there are amazing views of Honolulu, the famous Diamond Head Lighthouse, a United States Coast Guard facility that has been featured on a U.S. postage stamp, and the Pacific Ocean. In the very distance, you can just about see the island of Molokai. The hike was only a 1.6 mile round trip but that felt longer than it actually was thanks to the many switchbacks, the uneven rock, massive puddles (from the storm the day before), and the 99 steps to finally reach the top. 

We grabbed a quick refreshment break in Kona Brewing before deciding to tackle our second hike of the day, the Koko Crater Railway Trail. Maybe the alcohol break boosted our confidence, or maybe we were just high from the success of the Diamond Head hike, but we completely misjudged just how hard this hike would be. It's only a 1.4 mile round trip, up 1,048 railway sleeper steps at a very steep incline, but 20 steps in, I knew we were in trouble and not because my legs were burning yet (they were by step 100) but because of all the incredible fit people coming down looking like they needed to grab a ride to the nearest hospital! It was exhausting, with everyone feeling leg, hip, knee, burn like you've never felt before. It was so steep in places, it was hard to climb without using your hands, and the sleepers were big and sometimes with nothing between them but a big gap down. But the comradery on the hike was amazing. You ended up cheering each other on, giving targets, taking breaks together to 'take in the view', and encourage each other to keep going. There were of course a couple of crazy locals who were running up and down the steps like they were on a Sunday jog but the vast majority were tourists like us, completely unprepared for the pain but desperate to see the view at the top. The view was worth it (eventually, when the pain eased) and we explored some of the old World War 2 buildings. 

Once we were back in the car, we explored some of the southern beaches and scenic drives, stopping off at Halona Blowhole Lookout - we didn't see the blowhole as the swell wasn't strong enough, but it was a cool view, and then Kaloko Beach. 

For the evening, we decided to explore Downtown and Chinatown. Both were a little dead but it was a Tuesday before Christmas and we were told on a 'normal night' or a weekend, both areas would be much busier. We did stumble on the oldest bar in Hawaii, Smith’s Union Bar, aka Smitty’s. It wasn't exactly old by our standards or even USA standards: it was established in 1934 and served whiskey and entertainment to the sailors of Pearl Harbor. I think it was probably a dive bar back then like it is now!

For dinner, we went to the Pig and the Lady for one of their speciality pho. I had found out about this place before our trip and heard it was a favourite of Barack Obama, who grow up in Honolulu. We both went for the PHO75, their signature spiced beef broth with fresh rice noodle, rare steak, stewed brisket, aromatic herbs, citrus, fermented chili. It also came with a massive bone sticking out of the bowl. The food was lovely, reasonably priced, and it was much needed after all our exercise. 

The next day, we headed back to Honolulu airport to board our Hawaiian airlines flight to Hilo on Big Island. 

Awesome picture Lee took of Diamond Head State Monument from the plane out of O'ahu which didn't make the cut for the video: