Doing the Ka'a'awa fun run in Ka'a'awa Valley

 Ka’a’awa Valley – April 27, 2013

This valley can be considered one of the finest the Ko’olaus have to offer. Don’t get me wrong, there are many beautiful valleys all over Oahu, but Ka’a’awa is one of the best. The valley is mainly used to showcase its beauty to tourist. The valley is also known for its movie props because many movies and tv shows were filmed here.

I signed my family up for the Ka’a’awa 5k, a fun run which goes in a loop throughout the beginning part of the valley. To add sugar on top of this run, I joined my fellow OAG members as they would partake in this event.

sitting down Ohuluhule beckons

I wanted to do this run a few years ago, but it wasn’t until fellow OAG member Daniel asked us if we would enter the fun run as he is spreading the word for a friend. The fun run is a deal, $25 gets you into the valley, a free shirt, bottle water, and all the pictures you can take in a 2 hour window of time.

We woke up super early to make the 8am start time. We entered the valley, got ready, and exited the car. As we were walking, I went to go check my phone, but it wasn’t in my running belt, so I went back to the car. As I tried to open the door, I forgot my key. Aww Shit! I always remove the car key and attach to my running belt for every run, leaving the rest of the keys locked in the car. This time I attached the wrong car key to my belt, damn it! We thought of solutions, but my only solution was to call my mom and have her drive across the island to open the car. The way it works is that my mom is the doer of any plan; she sets the plan in motion. My mom wasn’t answering the phone, so I called my dad. He said that he was in a middle of a jog and will relay the message to my mom. I also called my mother in law at our home, but she is visiting from the big island and doesn’t know the island too well, so she would have a hard time finding this place.  

We started the run. Erik and Aprille started running. Michelle, Jared, and I decided to run/walk. Malia joined Daniel and Janice in the back. The walk through the valley was enjoyable. I told myself, “at what time in the year would I be able to enter and enjoy the walk in the valley without a care in the world”.

During the run, I tried to get in touch with my mom. However, reception in the valley was minimal, so I could only communicate through text. The valley has props from movies, but most of the valley has signs of movies and tv shows that were filmed in the valley.

After about 45 minutes, we were done. The kids were proud that they earned a blue ribbon. After, they asked Erik and Daniel for some shaved ice since my wallet was in the car. OAG is awesome, they always are.

As we were waiting, Michelle asked one of the workers of Kualoa if they had a slim jim, which they had. As they open the door, I wanted to call my dad to tell him to turn around, but it was too late, he was already here. I took the key from my dad, had Jared say hi to him to make his drive worthwhile. Something about seeing the kids makes my dad very happy.

After the event, we went to Heeia Kea Peir Restaurant and Deli to eat cheeseburgers and french fries by the ocean.