Travel Tuesday: Diamond Head Trail hike, April 12, 2025

view of Lēʻahi from our balcony

I love hiking when I travel, and hiking to the top of Diamond Head was top of my list for our time in Honolulu.

Non-Hawaiian residents have to reserve times to hike to reduce crowding. A construction closure limited availability. So we would either do the hike the day before the half marathon or the same day as the half, but in the afternoon. I knew we'd want to be relaxing and celebrating, so I booked a 7am hike for the Saturday morning. 

Our Lyft dropped us off at the outer entrance to the Kahala Tunnel that runs through the crater wall. (Coooool.) We checked in at the entrance, made sure our water bottles were topped up, and started to walk. 

It's only .8 of a mile to the summit, but it climbs 560 feet very quickly and switches from paved to dirt to stairs, and a long tunnel. 

see that line of people at the top? yikes!

Up up up we went, at one point looking up to see the last stretch PACKED WITH PEOPLE -- like, Everest-style queuing to get to the top. I hoped they were the tail end of the previous hour...

But we just kept going up, hitting the switchbacks...

and looking back into the crater ...

and admiring the views of the ocean.

We found a nice, uncrowded spot near the top to take a selfie...

and we stumbled into the apparently prime spot where people were waiting for 15 minute to take a selfie with Honululu behind them. So we took a selfie with the crowd and moved on. 

This is the lovely view of downtown Waikiki I think they were trying to capture: 

Down is always "shorter" than the way up, but stairs are always rough!

Near the bottom we passed a little garden with a sign asking hikers to pour any leftover water on the plants -- a nice idea. 

Of course we stopped at the gift shop and I picked up these very adorable pins:

The DLNR is quick to point out that with the heat and lack of shade, .8 of a mile up is a lot harder than people expect. We saw a lot of people struggling (I think that's what caused that backup we could see -- the 6am hikers still crawling uphill). But it's a gorgeous walk with amazing views. Just get your reservations in advance! 

PS: Diamond Head History, from the Hawaii State Parks brochure: 

It is said that Hi‘iaka, sister of the fire goddess Pele, gave Lë‘ahi its name because the summit resembles the forehead (lae) of the ‘ahi fish. Another translation is “fire headland” and refers to the navigational fires that were lit at the summit to assist canoes travelling along the shoreline. The heiau (temple) built on the summit was dedicated to the god of wind as protection against strong updrafts that could put out these navigational fires. Today, the Diamond Head Light, built in 1917, provides a visual aid for navigation. In the late 1700s, Western explorers and traders visited Lë‘ahi and mistook the calcite crystals in the rocks on the slope of the crater for diamonds. Thus, the name Diamond Head.

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog. 

Travel Tuesday: The Polynesian Cultural Center, April 11, 2025

When we went to Hawaii for the Hapalua, the other things we wanted to do was to climb Diamond Head, go to the big island, visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and go to a luau. I read about a few different luau options and heard good things about the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

It had activities, recreated villages, shopping, a luau, AND a nightime show. Sure, it was a long day out, but we could take a bus back and forth and it seemed both fun and weird. 

And we LOVED it. 

First we caught a bus from near our hotel -- nice, easy, and comfortably air conditioned. It's also possible to book a circle island tour option, but that leaves at 6:30am and the day was going to be long enough. We therefore drove straight there, but hey, in Oahu it's pretty once you get out of town!

We had booked the Aliʻi Lūʻau package, largely to guarantee good seats at the show. After grabbing a quick lunch in the Hukilau Marketplace (yep, now you can probably hear Bing Crosby, too), we went into the center itself. 

I don't think I realized how big the center is, and I didn't really understand that a "group guided tour" was, well, a big group guided tour. 

We rode the canoe to the far end of the park with our very, very nice guide. It was pretty, of course, but we were itching to explore on our own. 

We told the guide we were just going to do our own thing. Let's just say she did not seem surprised. 

We visited villages, saw a big beautiful boat, lots of carvings, and watched different dance performances and even a drumming competition that had everyone in stitches. 

One highlight for moe: one of the areas had a display on Hawaiian quilting. I'd never seen any close up and it inspired me to get a pattern and give it a go. (Okay, give it a go SOMEDAY.)

Eventually it was time for the luau. Now, when we were planning the trip I looked into ordering a lei greeting -- but it just seemed like a hassle. So this is a genuine grin because we were greeted with a lei before the luau!

The performance told a story about Liliʻuokalani, the last queen of the Hawaiian kingdom. There was a royal procession and a beautiful elder woman walked on stage in Victorian dress. A teenager at the next table gasped, "The QUEEN of Hawaii is HERE?!?!?" Full disclosure: the same thought flitted across my mind for a second before I remembered she had been dead for over a century.

Fun fact: Liliʻuokalani wrote "Aloha ʻOe"

There was excellent dancing, too, and the food was great -- lots of vegetarian options, including tofu poke. Oh, and we were served smoothies IN PINEAPPLES. We are still using the souvenir bamboo straws!

two big smoothies, one in a pineapple

After dinner we took a trolley (think oversized Disney World parking tram) a mile or so away to Lāʻie, HI to visit the very pretty LDS temple. We learned more about the history of the center itself, and a fun story about the Hukilau song. 

In 1865 the Mormons purchased a 6,000-acre plantation in Lāʻie and dedicated a temple there in 1919 -- the first build outside of the continental US. When the temple accidentally burned down in 1940, the local church members decided to start a hukilau as a fundraising activity. 

A hukilau is an ancient Hawaiian fishing method in which a large net is laid in the ocean with lengthy ropes extending to the beach tied to each end. Long leaves, or lau in Hawaiian, which are bound along the length of the ropes, flutter in the water and help scare the fish into the net as the community pulls (huki in Hawaiian) the ropes, gradually bringing the net to shore. --polynesia.com

Hundreds of people attended the first Lāʻie Hukilau to watch traditional music and dance, feast at a luau, and even help huki the nets. The success inspired Jack Owens to write The Hukilau Song. 

What a wonderful day for fishing
in the old Hawaiian way,
where the hukilau nets are swishing
down in old Laie Bay.
Oh we're going to a hukilau,
a huki huki huki huki hukilau.
Everybody loves a hukilau,
where the laulau is the kaukau at the big luau.
We throw our nets out into the sea,
and all the ama-ama come a-swimming to me.
Oh we're going to a hukilau,
a huki huki huki,
huki huki hukilau.

These hukilau continued off and on for years, and helped inspire the creation of the Polynesian Cultural Center itself. 

After wandering the grounds for a bit, we took the trolley back to the center and went to the Pacific Theater for the HĀ: Breath of Life show. No photography was allowed, but the show was great -- storytelling, singing, dancing, great production values, and really well performed. A highlight in an already excellent day! 

pre-show view from our seats

Eventually we piled on to the bus for the long ride back to Waikiki. We'd had a fine, weird day out. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Do I need to go again? Nope. Was the Aliʻi Lūʻau Package worth it? Absolutely. 

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog. 

Travel Tuesday: New England, September 6-9, 2024

To quote the adorable Jonathan Richman, "Oh, New England"....

Finishing my 50 States Challenge was a long-erm goal -- and for states 48 and 49 we needed to go all the way across the country to Vermont and Maine. Wil and I made it an extra long weekend, had some fun, but in the end were very happy to go home to our kittens. 

We flew into Boston, picked up a rental car, and then drove to the outskirts of town and stayed in a nondescript hotel in a tech office park. How nondescript? Wehave no photos or any memories apart from a late night visit to a food courts / self-pour place where we had decent pizza and enjoyed playing with the pour-your-own machines.

Next morning we drove to Vermont, stopping off at Skyline Drive, a private toll road to the top of Mount Equinox. It seemed just silly enough to do, so we paid the toll and drove up. 

The road climbs 3,848 feet over 5.2 miles, but driving up didn't seem very steep, or even very long. We got to the top and got out to stretch our legs and enjoy the views. 

Their season runs from Memorial Day to the end of October -- with the prices highest in October. Why? Leaf peeping. I bet there is a lot of autumnal glory on display at that time of year!

When you buy your token to go up, they hand you a little "Driver Safety Checklist". It notes that for the descent, you should put your car in the lowest year, stay under 20 mph, pump your brakes, and stop at the rest areas.

they were NOT lying

Not gonna lie, it was a little scary going down -- because we could smell the engine and brakes getting hot. But we made a lot of stops, luckily didn't have a lot of other drivers, and made it to the bottom safely. 

Then to Manchester, Vermont -- a super cute town. But we really just picked up some provisions and went to our gorgeous little hotel, the Manchester View. With views like this from the balcony, why would we wander around town? 

The next morning I struggled through the Maple Leaf Half Marathon - ugh - and then we headed on to Maine. Of course we had to stop at the Vermont Country Store -- in part because we were a little surprised it existed. It was huge and sprawling and of course we bought some cheese straws...

... some mac and cheese ...

and had a photo op at the Kissing Bridge.

Soon we arrived in Ogunguit, Maine, which is a delightful seaside town. We stayed two nights at the Ocean Acres Ogunquit Motel, and loved it. The rooms were clean and comfy, and they had TWO pools -- one indoor, one outdoor, and both had HUGE INFLATABLE FLOATIES. My main goal for the day was to relax and refuel, so we pretty much hung out at the pool (why, yes, I would like to sit on the inflatable unicorn thank you) and went down to Billy's Chowder House for a very delicious dinner. I think we got the best table in the house -- a corner in the bar area, surrounded by windows. 

Billy's Chowder House

perfect spot for the sunset!

Next morning we headed out early to run the Pumpkinman Half Marathon -- a much much nicer experience, which left us on a bit of a high. 

We came back to the hotel, cleaned up, and then rode the Ogunquit Trolley all around town. We went all the way out to Perkins Cove so we could stop at Barnacle Billy's for their famous rum punch.  

this is stronger than you might think...

Now, maybe it's because it has been a couple of years, or maybe it's because of the rum punch after running a half marathon... but I don't remember anything else about this meal. I assume we ate? Maybe? Or maybe we just had the drinks? But we wandered around the very cute shops of Perkins Cove for a while and then caught the trolley back to our hotel. 

Later we walked the 7 minutes to the footbridge and relaxed on the beach. 

I bet it would be PACKED in sunner! 

Next morning we headed slowly back to Boston. You know I always say the journey IS the destination, and I love looking at maps for oddly named points of interest. We stopped in York so we could cross the Wiggly Bridge: 

it is, indeed, Wiggly

We also stopped in Salem and visited the surprisingly moving Salem Witch Trials Memorial (as well as a kitchy gift shop...). 

We got to Logan airport, enjoyed the Sapphire Lounge (oh how we wish we had one in Seattle...), and even got upgraded on our flight home. 

note that I'm wearing my 50 States jacket!

For a trip designed for completion, this was perfect: nice independent hotels, cute side quests, and STATES 48 & 49!!!

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog.