Our first drive to Hanauma Bay ended with a discovery I probably should have made before we got in the car: it was closed on Tuesdays.
Naturally, we had chosen a Tuesday.
bapierson and LEGOexplorer got some mileage out of my failure to check first. I had made time to research geocaches in Hawaii. The opening days of one of the places we wanted to visit had somehow escaped the same level of attention.
We would have to come back another day. Fortunately, this vacation had plenty to keep us occupied in the meantime.
A new state on an evening walk
We arrived on Oʻahu on May 27, 2017, for a family vacation that carried us into early June. Our photographs begin with airport leis, views over Waikīkī, and the three of us outside Hilton Hawaiian Village. There were beaches, hikes, sightseeing stops, and plenty of reasons to keep the camera handy.
That first evening, Fort DeRussy Park (GC6TA1G) fitted neatly into our walk back to the hotel after dinner. My log gave it the honor of being our first cache in Hawaii. bapierson described it as being across from the hotel, and LEGOexplorer recorded the same vacation find.
A walk after dinner, a straightforward search, and a new state on my geocaching map. I was off to a good start. The opening-hours portion of my trip planning would receive its performance review later.
Into the rainforest, then around the island
On May 28, we headed out to hike the Mānoa Falls Trail and see the waterfall. The photographs follow us from the greenery and rocky stream into the valley, with bapierson and LEGOexplorer making an appearance at the falls.
We found Manoa Falls Plastic Pot (GCFE6B) and Jungle Love (GC599H9) along the outing. My logs describe enjoying the sights and sounds and having fun exploring. Both family accounts confirm the shared find at the first cache. It was a good example of a hike and a few searches belonging comfortably to the same day.
A sightseeing tour took us around more of the island the following day. At Halona Blowhole (GC1M18J), an EarthCache added a geology lesson to the coastal views. The overlook and nearby cove were already worth stopping for; I appreciated having a reason to pay closer attention to the landscape.
The vacation also included a ride on the Pineapple Express at Dole Plantation. Pineapple Experience (GC134PB) was conveniently nearby when we made our exit, and my log calls it a clever, creative hide. A train ride and a well-placed cache made a perfectly agreeable combination.
An evening of floating lights
On May 29, after the sightseeing tour, we walked toward Ala Moana Beach Park for Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi. Ala Moana - Atkinson St, Stairs (GC51DBT) was one of the finds that fitted into that walk.
The Memorial Day ceremony brings people together in remembrance, with candlelit lanterns set afloat on the water. My photographs show the crowd along the shore, the sunset, and then the lights spreading across the bay.
There were plenty of things to photograph in Hawaii, but this evening gave the collection something very different from another beach view. I’m glad we made time to be there.
Places that asked us to slow down
Our sightseeing included the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. These were visits to spend some time with, rather than hurry through.
The Puowaina Challenge (GC4786) Virtual brought geocaching into our cemetery visit. Punchbowl occupies an extinct volcanic crater, but the impression I recorded in my log was of a beautiful, somber and peaceful place. A rainbow stretched across the sky above the cemetery. I found that inspiring then, and the photograph preserves it better than another paragraph could.
At Pearl Harbor, we visited the USS Arizona Memorial, which spans the remains of the battleship sunk in the December 7, 1941 attack. The white structure, the water below it, and the names inside belong to a very different kind of vacation memory.
Geocaching was one part of the trip. There was no need to attach a find to every experience for it to deserve a place in the story.
Time on the water, and an early start
We also spent time on the water. The snorkeling photographs trade the trail and roadside views for masks, flotation vests and an underwater world. A June 1 photograph aboard the boat marks another side of the vacation.
June 2 began with an early hike up Diamond Head. We all enjoyed the climb and the exploring, and the view from the top earned enthusiastic mentions in my logs. The photograph of the three of us up there is one I would keep even if there had not been a single geocache involved.
There were several, though. The Virtual Diamond Quest (GCA4D4) and EarthCache Diamond Head Crater (GC2G67F) were among the finds associated with the hike. The summit trail dates to 1908, when it formed part of Oʻahu’s coastal defenses. Its stairs, tunnel and old military structures give the climb another layer beyond the view.
That day also included Geocache (GC23), Hawaii’s oldest cache. LEGOexplorer and I made time for the hike, found the container, and enjoyed getting away from the busier sightseeing stops. My log says we were short on time, but still took in the sights and sounds along the trail. That particular piece of geocaching history deserves its own story.
Later, while the others were shopping, I tried the Webcam Cache The Cheese Stands Alone (GCHNW8). Someone back home was still awake to help, although the camera itself provided some trouble. My log was quite clear that I preferred the hike and the webcam attempt to shopping. I doubt that surprises anyone who knows me.
Hanauma Bay, on an open day
We did make it back to Hanauma Bay on June 2. This time, we could actually visit.
The Hanauma Bay Earthcache (GC2YTGP) added more geology to a place that had already impressed me. The bay occupies volcanic craters whose seaward rims were worn away by the ocean. From the overlook, those curves and the water below them make quite a scene.
I described it in my original log as one of the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen. We enjoyed exploring, and the photographs of bapierson and LEGOexplorer above the bay show why it was worth returning.
By the end of the vacation, my Hawaii records held 31 credited finds: thirty Found It entries and one Webcam Photo Taken. Around those finds were a rainforest hike, lanterns on the water, a pineapple train, places of remembrance, snorkeling, and time together somewhere very different from home.
I brought home the photographs, a new state on my caching map, and a useful reminder that opening days deserve a place in the research, too.
Field Notes
- Vacation
- Oʻahu, Hawaii · May 27–June 3, 2017
- Companions
- bapierson and LEGOexplorer
- Logged Hawaii activity
- 31 credits: 30 Found It entries and 1 Webcam Photo Taken, May 27–June 2 in Hawaii time
- First Hawaii find
- Fort DeRussy Park (GC6TA1G) · May 27, 2017
- Historic cache
- Geocache (GC23) · June 2, 2017; detailed hunt reserved for a separate article
- Successful Hanauma Bay visit
- June 2, 2017; first attempt was on its Tuesday closure day
- Photographs
- Steven Pierson
No comments:
Post a Comment