Up and off to Christ Memorial Episcopal Church for their service. Today there was a guest preacher, The Rt. Rev. Richard Chang, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Hawaii. He was great. Used two sources we had not heard of before, but were perfect for the readings.....Da Jesus Book: the Hawaii Pidgin Bible and Sidney and Norman, the tale of two pigs. Great sermon!
Then back to change clothes and head to the very end of the North Shore road to pick up the Kalalau Trailhead. We got lucky and got a parking space right nearby! It was a gorgeous sunny day as we started up the rocky, steep trail but the view along the way were worth it!!
The trail cuts back and forth along these fin-like hills so there are beautiful beaches below you. There are wet spots, very steep spots and some in the hot sun, but stunning views waiting for you when you get to the point.....also a nice breeze!
And along the way some nice orchids, beautiful grasses and lots of guava trees (as well as smushed guava fruit along the trail...slippery stuff!).
Nice views, but watch the rocks and roots. The last half was more red clay so you could really enjoy where you were going.
Ah the Hanakapi'ai Beach....just have to get down to it! It didn't take long...a very steep drop and then volcanic rocks by the stream to cross before you actually got the this section of the beach.
Those black rocks. We actually cheated and skirted along the woods til we got to the beach on this side and then took off our boots and waded across where there was sand :-)
This is NOT a swimming beach, but the waves are incredible. They pound against the rock walls and then go back out to meet with incoming waves and you get these incredible towers of splash!
Mesmerizing! We had a delightful lunch on a huge volcanic rock while we watched these! What a show! After an hour or so we headed back up that steep trail to the first point and got more great views on the return trip!
And the return wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it would be. It was a wonderful day! Stopped at the viewpoint and the light was great on all the taro fields below. Hawaii is the largest producer of Taro in the US.
We're going to return here before the week's out and follow that little road to the left. There is a National Wildlife Refuge area down there. We headed home, changed into our pool duds and tried out the pool here....quite delightful! Then, dinner and off for ice cream at our favorite spot in Princeville....yum! Came home just as the moon was coming up. Super day!
