Adventure – Lulumahu Falls

The weather has not been the best recently in Hawaii.  I mean, rain and wind is what we consider bad weather.  And yes, it does seem cold!  Regardless of this bad weather, Sid and I were determined to get out and do our hike as planned to the Lulumahu Falls.  Our journey on Sunday was much shorter than we had planned.  

We are just starting out here and we were already wet. There is water on the lens from the beginning to the end. We got to break in the new GoPro Hero+ Black Edition!

I had found a few blogs that gave some general directions as to how to get to the reservoir but not really great information on how to get to the falls.  We decided if we left early enough we would be able to find our way and if not we would try again another day.  

We parked off the Pali, after coming up Nuuanu Pali Drive and turning into the opening just as it connects back with the Pali.

There was an entrance with signs that I didn’t pay much attention to (pictured above) since it was raining.  Once we went through there it let out into an area with some bamboo.  We continued to go straight, following some of the foot paths that were worn in the grass and dirt.  We then went through a forest of bamboo, which was beautiful.  Honestly, in the rain and with the wind, the tall bamboo was swaying and knocking, making noises that were a little disconcerting.  The path was marked with pink tape as well as it was easy to follow the foot paths.  Out of the bamboo forest, we came to a gravel road and we turned left.  Following straight on the gravel road for a bit which then brought us to a fork in the path.  We went to the left.  

The mud made what normally would be an easy walking path a little bit more challenging.  The rain was starting to let up a little bit, and there was hope that the sun would come out to allow our adventure to continue.  But no such luck.  We passed a few people returning from their hike and they wished us luck with all the mud!

We followed the path and came out to where the big hill is and we continued to follow the path and go up the stairs to where we saw the reservoir.  I have seen many pictures taken by friends at the reservoir and on a sunny day it is beautiful.  There was different kind of beauty in the rain.  We took a moment to pause, and take a selfie!

It was surreal standing at the reservoir surrounded by vast spaces of greenery and mountains.  There was no one around. Just Sid and I standing there in the rain. 

We made it to the first river crossing.  The water was flowing quite quickly.  Being cautious, we decided that since we were in unfamiliar territory, we would need to head back to the car and try the hike again on another day.  As we began to make our way back, it started to pour and the wind started up again.  

We traced our steps back.  There were bigger and muddier puddles that I playfully splashed through.   When we got back to the opening to go through the bamboo, we had noticed that there was a gate that seemed to go out to Nuuanu Pali Drive.  There was a hole in the fence and we just went through there to get back to the car. 

This was definitely fun.  A perfect Sunday activity. 

I am always looking for suggestions on hikes and interesting things to do and see in Hawaii.  Please share your experiences and make recommendations. 

Best,

MJ