A good friend of mine from college moved to Hawaii a few years ago. After missing her fairytale wedding in Hawaii, she has been asking me many times to go visit. I knew a vacation to a warm and sunny place is very much needed for me right now (especially after a really cold winter in Seattle). Without much planning, I booked my tickets in bed one night and here I am. Aloha!
Not sure if it was a good idea, I started the trip with a morning hike to the Diamond Head. For those of you driving to the area, keep in mind that there is usually a 30 minutes of wait line for the parking lot. We were lucky enough to find a roadside parking spot BEFORE entering the tunnel. It was actually a fun walk cutting through the crater...
The entire hike is about 1 to 2 hours round trip depending on your pace. The first quarter of the hike going up was pretty flat. However, as soon as you get to the crater's rim, you will be walking on an unpaved trail along with rocks of different sizes. Since you won't get the panoramic view of the ocean until you get to the top, it is one of the most rewarding hikes you will get, especially under the 90 degrees weather.
// Tips for First Time Visitors //
#1. Wear comfortable shoes. When my friend told me it was an easy 1-2 hour hike, I decided to just take my Converse instead of a normal pair of sneakers. Bad mistake. With majority of the hike on an unpaved road uphill, you really need proper shoes. Since it is a short hike, I did not need to wear a formal athletic outfit. You don't get to see this kind of view too often, why not dress up a little bit to prepare for the scenic pictures at the top? :)
#2. There are two concrete STEEP stairways with a total of 173 steps (!!!). My friend told me a trick before I went (which for some reason I did not listen...) that after you climb up the first stairway (74 steps) and walk through a tunnel, TURN LEFT. It will take you to the most scenic lookout point of the hike. Otherwise you would be like me, continue with the second stairway (99 steps), and then another narrow spiral stairway, to get to the summit, which is a very small observation station that you won't be able to stay too long and enjoy the views anyways due to the crowds.
#3. After you finish the hike, you might want to cool down a little bit and recharge. I recommend the juice stand right next to the parking lot, or if you want to wait 5 more minutes (driving), there is a very very good acai bowl place just right outside the Diamond Head park. Just search Da Cove Health Bar & Cafe on Yelp!
#4. I mentioned in the beginning that I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to start my Hawaii trip on a hike. If I could plan again, I would definitely do this somewhere in the middle of the trip. It was hot and dry hiking up. You only see the beautiful ocean far far away but cannot jump in immediately. You waited and planned for so long to come to Hawaii but now stuck on a mountain. How does it feel? :) I would definitely suggestion you to plan your first activity to be somewhere on the ocean and just...relax.
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