Tag / photography

True Manamana (Puu Manamana proper) is an advanced/extreme hike, which continues from the turnover/junction from the popular, shorter Puu Manamana or Kahekili Ridge Trail. Hiking on a cloudless day with the absence of the northeast tradewinds is a mistake I’ll never make on this hike again. We (Troy Takara, Jenelyn Castillo and Jeremy Kreis) started […]

In addition to shorefishing, tide-pooling and reef walking have been one of my favorite outdoor recreational activities. Tide-pooling can either be done during the day or at night, as some fish and invertebrates are active at different times of the day. However, I find it easier to wrangle the day-time critters at night… since their […]

Since the heavy Koolau rains forced us to abandon our original hike on Kalahaku; Jeremy, Reanne, Jenelyn and I opted for a drier hike on West Oahu. Puu Ohikilolo is located a little more than half-way up Ohikilolo Ridge, which terminates at the area of the Waianae Summit known as “Three corners.” Already on late […]

Located < 1/3 mile offshore of Kuuloa Beach Park, Chinaman's hat (Mokolii Islet) is a common place for kayakers, stand-up paddle boarders and snorkelers/swimmers to travel to either explore or just to have a fun day in the sun... With a crew 15 strong (Justin Ugalino, Clayton Childs, Jennifer Liu, Lance Fujioka, Angie Ou, Jason […]

Lahilahi Point (or Black Rock) is a well known fishing spot to locals, and there is also a popular surf site adjacent it’s west side. The significance of the name is due to the rocks at the westernmost point are “black,” as opposed to the rest of the rock which appears brown. Lahilahi has considerable […]

Waiakeakua Stream is one of the most scenic valley hikes in Honolulu. Rumors of there being a ridge extension beyond the falls were validated, as we (Stephanie, Kay and I) continued up the ridgeline between the two stream forks of Upper Waiakeakua. We then intersected the Koolau Summit Trail, headed north towards Konahuanui and came […]

A bit fatigued from Warrior Dash (in head-to-toe fleece) the previous day, I was more in the mood for some leisure hiking today… Like a chapter right out of the Goonies movie, Maunawili Falls to the Maunawili Moss Slides was an adventurous but leisure hike. We started our trek at the familiar Maunawili Falls Trailhead, […]

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE INFO AT THE END OF THIS WRITE UP BEFORE ATTEMPTING I have noticed people trashing this trail (pack out what you pack in) in an in attempt to ruin this adventure for others, so I will not be giving any further info than what is described in this write-up. […]

Like me, you probably haven’t heard of Iolekaa Falls, at least that is before this past Saturday. Apparently, there are two waterfalls in the back of Iolekaa Valley in the Waiahole Forest Reserve, just above Heeia. Using the Ulupaina trail as an initial guide, we bushwhacked through Iolekaa Valley to find one of the two […]

A great hike with a lot of scrambling, Puu Kawiwi to No Name to Tiki is definitely one of my favorite advanced hikes in West Oahu. This particular hike is nostalgic to several of us as it was the first hike we did together as the “Lost Trailblazers” (Troy Takara, Jennifer Liu, Seth Eason, Jenelyn […]