We ate our breakfast in the hotel and waited for our car to be brought up. It is valet parking! In a way that is nice as there isn’t much free parking anywhere! It isn't cheap but isn’t too bad and we can come and go as we please.
We headed to Diamond Head Crater for a hike. We thought we were early but MANY others were there before us. We paid our $5 park admission, and then had to wait in a line for parking as the lot was full. We wondered why so many people were walking into and out of the park but they parked further away. There are SO MANY people everywhere! We actually didn’t have to wait that long as the hike is not too overly long as some don’t actually go the entire way up and a space cleared up for us after only a few minutes.
After a quick stop at the restroom we headed UP. And UP and UP. It was paved for a short time and then it was rock but like a giant one, not like a rock driveway. Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who mistook calcite crystals on the adjacent beach for diamonds! The crater itself was formed over 300,000 years ago with a single brief eruption after 1.3 million years of inactivity. With its view, the summit was an ideal site for the coastal defense of Oahu. In 1904, Diamond Head was purchased by the Federal government and designated for military use. The trail to the summit was also built in 1908 as part of the defense system. The trail is .8 mile oen way and we climbed 560 feet from the crater floor, where we parked. We hiked a number of switchbacks, climbed 74 steep steps leading into a narrow tunnel, which was 225 long. Once upon top the view was amazing! We then squeezed into the former station and descended down 54 metal stairs (circular!), And walked to our tunnel again, but this time went down 99 steep steps!! Woo Hoo! It was all downhill from there!
We then went to see Diamond Head Lighthouse, a short drive away. We could see it but couldn’t get too close as it is an active duty lighthouse.
We then drove to and parked to see a 2nd lighthouse, the Makapu’u Lighthouse. We were lucky to find parking (There are SO many tourists everywhere!), and then hiked UP 1.5 miles but it was sooooo worth it. The views were spectacular, blues and more blues from up there. We couldn't’ go into the actual lighthouse as it was also an active one!
We drove around this part of the island and meandered through little towns. We saw some people making the best Of it, living in their cars (even though their cards didn’t look too drivable) and more tent cities.
We headed back to Honolulu by driving through a volcano/mountain via a tunnel. We opted to change and headed towards another Hilton hotel that had a lagoon as part of their attractions. Since we were staying at one of the family hotels we got a discount on a paddle board. I could do it!! I literally did not fall a one time. I’ve always wanted to paddle board but didn’t want to invest in one until I knew could actually stand on one. Andrew tried as well and ultimately handed it back over after a bit. He thoroughly enjoyed back-floating and swimming around the lagoon.
We then swam in the ocean before heading back to our room to change for dinner. We decided on a Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, started by 2 woman in 1989 in Maui but this restaurant was their 2nd location. It was tasty!
We have a big day tomorrow as it is our last day in Oahu. We are going to see if we can find some turtles and hike to some waterfalls. It did get pretty hot today, mid 90s, but the breezes kept it fairly comfortable.
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