Oneawa Hills

by welikehike

I thought this trail was going to be an easy 4-mile walk in the park, but with the sun beating hard on us, I found my hydration pack running low on water.  The trail started at the historical Friendship Garden along Kokokahi Place in the windward side of Oahu.  It follows the stone steps built before my time and eventually leads to a switchback section with various plants along the side.  It immediately takes you up to the ridge on several steep sections involving some light rope climbing.  The views at the top were beautiful with scattered clouds in the sky.  But beauty came at a cost for it was hot as hell without the expected overcast.  As we got to the ridge, it became a roller coaster ride from then on, I think there were about three to four dips along the ridge.  Along the way were views of the hidden Kapaa quarry, a sight rarely seen by many residents and tourists.  Even though it was an industrial area, the calm turquoise water looked so inviting.  As we made our climb to the final hilltop, there were some narrow sections which contributed to the enjoyment of this intermediate trail.  From the top, we made our steep descent on the right side of the ridge to check out Kaw'ewa'e heiau nestled at the base of the hill.  The second part of the trail loop was a bit cooler with shade from the tree canopies above.  But as soon as we began scrambling back up the hill, we got tortured by the heat once again.  The last downhill stretch was a cinch and the faster half of the group glided their way through.