Ahuimanu Hike in Kaneohe
Ahuimanu – October 22, 2011
I wanted to do this hike with my kids a few months ago with the HTMC. That Saturday passed and I kept this hike in the back of my mind. Ahuimanu is a short 2 mile loop foothill hike in the town known as Kahalu’u. Very little elevation is gain and it’s a great hike for the family and kids.
We headed towards H3, onto Kahekili Hwy. and turned left onto Hui Kelu Street. I parked on the side of the street and looked into a vacant area loaded with what seemed like impenetrable brush. I figured that this should be the trailhead. To the right of the thick brush was a concrete wall. I told the kids to stay back while I walked on the concrete wall, the stream was right below me. Adjacent to the wall was the trailhead. The drop from the concrete wall was considerable, so I knew the kids wouldn't be able to do it. I thought to myself, how can I get across the stream to the trailhead? I walked back to the kids and decided to lead us into oblivion. The kids and I did some stampeding over and through the thick brush. In about a few minutes we got stuck. I told the kids to turn around and head back towards the road. From my vantage point, I knew we were on the correct side of the stream. So from the road, I analyze the vacant area again. I focused on every little detail in the thick brush. After a few minutes, I saw a ribbon. I push through the area and got to the ribbon. There were these concrete posts and the trail started.
It was a hot day; I was surprise that the area was extremely damp. We walked on the slippery trail. I wish I had knowledge of plants because there were so much native plants in the area. The only plant I could identify was ginger. The trail is also home to a taro patch complex. I guess we would see the taro later on. We walked for about 20 minutes until we reached the base of a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was a small hole in which water was trickling out into a shallow pool. The cliff is about 60 feet high. It was also very wide. The kids threw rocks in the shallow pool. Just then an idea popped into my head. I wanted to climb the cliff to a point where Malia would take a nice picture of me. There was a vine which looked sturdy. I grabbed it to pull myself onto the base of the cliff. Just then it snapped and I fell. I broke my fall with my right hand; however I hit the ground so hard that I sprained my pinky. The pain was sore, but I held the emotion in front of my kids.
After a few minutes we continued the loop. Only 5 minutes later, a junction appeared. Going right led to Heno Place. I guess we were supposed to go left at the junction. That would have led back to Hui Kelu Street (which is the correct route). Any way, we walked down Heno Place and to our car. We hiked a total of 1 mile. We were hungry, so I drove down the road to Manalani Restaurant, but it was closed. Frustration set in on my part, so I drove down the road to the Waihole Poi Factory.
There was this guy making poi. My kids entertained the guy and asked him all kinds of questions about poi making. My kids are good at asking questions. In the meantime, I ordered a Pork Laulau. It came with lomi salmon, brown rice, and haupia. Your traditional Hawaiian plate. I shared the plate with my kids since they don't eat too much.
Though my kids may not enjoy the adventure of hiking, I just hope they get enough experience to become good hikers. Who knows, they might grow up and enjoy it!
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