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Ehukai Pillbox Hike and North Shore Adventure
Brian and I had a whole Saturday with nothing to do which is quite the unusual event. After weighing our options we decided on an adventure to the North Shore. We started at Green World Coffee Farm which I’ve heard a lot of great things about but since I don’t really like coffee didn’t feel the need to check out. Brian loves coffee so we stopped. I got a iced mocha, a newly found coffee ish love of mine, and it was delicious. Brian got a blueberry latte for kicks and wasn’t a huge fan of blueberry. We also had a coconut turnover.
I would imagine they have tours or discussions normally as they had a coffee plant garden out back and a grinder inside but we didn’t experience that part.
Next stop was Laniakea to try to find turtles… and we didn’t see any (a miss for a second time…womp). Then to the Pillbox hike. It was a pretty steep ascent but very dry so it was easy. Overall I was unimpressed, not really a great view and the hike wasn’t very picturesque… but glad to knock another one off the list and gets some activity in.
Then we started our foodie tour… first stop a garlic shrimp truck. Giovanni’s is the “famous” one, however when we tried to go they were closed that day… so we ended up at Hono’s which is also highly rated. They are in a food truck plaza? I guess? You could pay $2 to park, it was pretty full by the time we got there and it was opened/closed as people left.
The options were garlic or spicy garlic… I asked how spicy it was and they said medium. Well, for the record, medium to them means get ready to cry… it was SO HOT. The flavor itself was delicious if you could get past the fire. Whereas Brian got the plain old garlic and I thought it was meh. Also, by the time we ordered it was so busy it was going to take 45minutes. There are some small stores nearby so we went and visited HE>I which is a Hawaiian based store who’s branding is centered around God is greater than I. I bought a sticker for my water bottle and an awesome shirt with mountains, water, and sun.
Stop two was a Mahuka Banana Bread. I bought banana bread and some cookies. I a little regret this stop-I didn’t realize these guys are the ones often at our local food markets and I ended up with too many desserts from the weekend. Oh well! On our way into the parking area, we had to wait for a peacock to cross the road… yup. A peacock.
Then, last foodie stop, was Ted’s bakery which is a famous pie bakery and reminds me of the Pie version of Mike’s pastries in Boston. I bought the Chocolate-Haupia cream pie, lilikoi cream pie, and chocolate chip macademia nut cookies. My favorite was the lilikoi cream pie.
I am very grateful Brian was willing to chauffeur me around to these places. We then meandered around the island back to home and relaxed the rest of the day, we earned it!
Pink Pillbox aka Pu’u O Hulu Trail aka Ma’ili Pillbox
Brian forgot his lunch I so lovingly packed him the night before… so I was trying to find a reason to head that way after work (he was on duty, too). I asked Jess if she finally wanted to get the Pink Pillbox in, which is just a bit North of base, and she said yes! It’s over an hour from where we live so it’s a “hike” to get there in the first place. We headed to bring Brian dinner and then to the pillboxes. This set of Pillboxes is known for its art (and one for being pink).
I really loved this hike and would frequent it more if it were closer. I wish we had gone on a sunnier day to really experience the beauty of the scenery, but the hike itself was a workout but not too much and the artwork was a lot of fun. Also, the parking was a huge plus… PLENTY of street parking.
There was this gorgeous tree along the way and there wasn’t a lot of scrambling or scary parts. Mostly gravel. I will say we caught a little rain at the tail end which started to make things slippery.
This next view is looking up toward Ka’ena point where we went whale watching and hiking.
Another one in the books for Jess and I! This nearly completes the list of highly popular hikes that everyone on Oahu talks about. I’m glad we finally got to it!
Lanikai Pillbox the backway
The short way to Lanikai Pillbox is right outside my door and takes all of 25 minutes, but includes a couple sections of rock scrambling. A friend, Jess, is past her due date and wanted to go for a hike to try to move things along. I was nervous about her doing the steep fast way, and have been wanting to do the back way, so we went for it.
To get to the back way, I can actually park on the other side of my complex and walk. (This comes in handy later).
The views from the back are incredible… dare I say better than the short way.
You’re set further back from the ocean, so you can see the bay a bit better. You also climb higher (maybe?) at some points… essentially we went over three-ish peaks to get to the ocean. You can see we’re kinda starting that section after doing a decent amount of climbing to get there in the first place.
You also get a really great view of Bellows and Waimanalo
And view after beautiful view of the mokes along the way.
If these pictures seem blurrier than normal… it’s because my lens stopped talking to my camera. I didn’t know that’s what was happening until I troubleshooted at home. I switched between manually focusing and trying to get the camera to do it. Oh well, good excuse to do it again. Here we are finally coming up to the first pillbox.
That took an hour to get there (It felt like two if I’m being honest), so we decided that we should go the “short” way home. It was actually the perfect amount of wet… it wasn’t super dry and slippery and it wasn’t muddy and slick. I’m really glad we picked that way. Then we walked through my complex back to the other side to get my car.
It’s kinda hard to get on the top of the pillbox… and by that I mean it’s hard for anyone scared of heights… but Jess did it so I figured out a way. It is actually kinda hard logistically to get up, takes a couple big steps. Anyway! This was my first time to the second pillbox and first time on it… lots of firsts for me this hike!
This is on our way back down.
And of course I had to get a selfie with the fantastic new signs on completion.
10/10 recommend doing the hike this way… if you have the in and can get into the fabulous community somehow. The views of the mokes just keep getting better and better… it feels more like a hike… you hit both pillboxes, it’s so much quieter (we saw two people until we got to the pillbox).
Pillbox Hike redeux
For lunch we got Banan, her first Acai bowl so far, and I was super proud I remembered reusable bowls.
Later that day we went and got massages (we were late due to Lanikai construction backup) and then to MCBH. I showed her secret beach and we went to another submariner’s house for dinner (She has base housing on MCBH.) She has the cutest 3 month old, Maeve. Not pictured to protect privacy, per usual. It was nice meeting her.
Lanikai Pillbox Hike
We live next to one of the most popular hikes in Oahu. In fact, we commonly encounter droves of people walking up our road to climb it. Imagine the sunrise view I get except ~1200 ft higher.
We haven’t gone on that hike… until today. I’ve still been having various health issues, but there’s a special occasion that pushed me to get this hike done (more on that in a later post).
The hike honestly wasn’t terrible. It has been really dry, so the biggest challenge is to not slip on loose soil.
There’s definitely some scrambling and it can get steep; but you have to slow down to scramble so you don’t really feel overly cardiovascularly challenged (except my poor lungs). I was more afraid about having to go back down and slipping. They do have ropes available at some (not all) dicey spots.
We of course couldn’t find our head lamps this morning *face palm* but managed to use our iPhones until enough first light was available. I am always practicing “composition”, and one really important component is leading lines. Leading lines are, if not already obvious, leading lines that direct your eye deeper into the photograph so it adds depth. I was trying to experiment with leading lines and the path. I did ok, but not like, WOW.
Here’s a photo dump.
Our condo is one of these.
Overall, will I do it on my own, I think probably no. Would I do it if friends were out here or groups were doing it? Probably yes.
I got pretty nervous because it started to sprinkle and get really windy, and I let fear win and didn’t get up on the actual pillbox and started to go back down and sat on a ledge for a bit. I didn’t even grab a picture of it… Brian got on it. I am a little disappointed in myself, but the next time we do it I’ll have a little more confidence and hopefully get on it. It’s right on the edge of the cliff… so don’t judge.
Those are our condos in the background of this next photo. I actually think the first scramble isn’t that bad, and when I got at the top of that I almost chickened out, but I couldn’t do that to Brian today. Maybe I’ll just get there and take pictures to mix up my beach sunrise walks. I think for now my doggo greets, sea glass hunts, and low pressure morning walk is perfect.
Elysha and Dan Visit!
Elysha and Dan were married in August, when I made a “quick” trip home for their wedding. They finally made it out here for their honeymoon. We started with takeout breakfast from our favorite place, Over Easy. Then we went and did the Pillbox Hike. I will say that I am way more comfortable, maybe even confident? With this hike now.
The LOVED this hike. Short and sweet, great rewarding views, a little bit of history.
They were happy to hit the beach for a bit after this. We went for a dip and just relaxed and talked in our chairs and on the towel with a couple beers. We saw turtles! Elysha loves them so I’m glad we did. They are off to Maui to finish their honeymoon today, but it was so nice to see them.
Backtracking a bit…On Thursday when they arrived I went to the airport to surprise them with a Lei greeting. I had enough information to track down which flight they were (airline and layover and date). But I wasn’t 100% sure… so I went to the airport and sat at the baggage claim I thought they’d be going to. I contemplated looking for their luggage and tried… but a lot of the bag tags were not easily read and I thought it might look sketchy. So I waited… and waited… and waited… and they weren’t coming… so I texted her a vague “are you here yet?” message and she replied she was waiting in the line to verify they didn’t have to quarantine… I didn’t even think they’d be in it! So they were pretty late getting their bag. Since the busy-ness of the baggage claim died down, I decided I’d try to find the luggage again. I found Elysha’s and held it hostage until they came. I think the stewardess thought I was trying to steal luggage. When they eventually came out they were so surprised! I also gave them a couple Hawaii brewed beers and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Elysha tried to keep the lei until the next day, but the refrigerator was so cold it froze it on accident, oops!
The next day we went to dinner at 604 (not my favorite… it was an hour and fifteen minute wait, and I didn’t think the food or drinks were great). After that we went and they got a tour of the sub from Brian, at 8:00pm once he was done all his work. The timing ended up working out ok. So I was able to see them almost every day they were here! It was really awesome and made me feel a little homesick (although they live in Virginia now, so it’s not like I’d see them much anyway). It was just nice to see an old friend. They are off to Maui to finish up!
Community Improvement
I live by arguable the most popular hike on Oahu called the Lanikai Pillbox hike. This causes all sorts of disturbances for our neighborhood. For one, the path used to start at a different point essentially up someone’s driveway, but it was moved to start right off the road instead. However, AllTrails (A popular trail mapping app) had outdated data. So I emailed them a few times to get it corrected, which thankfully it finally did. But, nonetheless, people must read old blog posts on the hike and still try going up the driveway. Hawaii is terrible at trail maintenance, which is kinda crazy, so there are no signs pointing to the start. OK, there was one, but it hardly counts and is now missing. On my sunrise walks people continuously try to walk up the driveway only to get yelled at, which isn’t pleasant for anyone. Or, they’re often asking for the starting point, and there’s not really a good landmark to tell them where. I have had it in my head I’d help correct this for a while, but the pieces didn’t fall into place until recently.
When Jess and I visited the Bishop Museum, they were hosting a pop up exhibit of sorts by Parley, a company working to repurpose microplastics found on the beach. They made these plastic slabs and weren’t sure what to do with them. Well, I didn’t think of it until later, but I realized they’d make GREAT signs. So I had Jess go grab a few on her way home from work one day. I don’t think I have the before pictures…but you’ll get the point.
Jess and I then borrowed a cricut from another officer spouse and cut out lettering to stick on to the signs. We also drilled holes and bought plastic zip ties. These are our results:
It was our first go around and I am proud with how they came out. However, with version 2.0, I think we’ll work a bit more strategically on color picks. (see a trend with my sign for my husband? Graphic design has never been my strong suit). I thought the bright blue would pop better. Oh well.
This is what they look like hung up, and the remnants to the frame of what was the other sign:
I tried to remind myself that this signage was better than no signage and it’s a great first go around. Again, you can tell we probably should’ve done better color pairing… it was deceiving though!
Anyway, we went in the cover of darkness to hang them. I am sure we will not get in trouble and they are very easily removed. However, our neighborhood is just uppity enough that something like this could cause a stir. I don’t know, I’m probably being dramatic, but with all the weirdness that is Hawaii I wouldn’t be surprised if someone complained to be honest. You’d understand this better if you lived here. I’ll just say Hawaiians are very protective of their lands, as they should be!
Well, we’re a few days in and they’re still there. That’s encouraging!
I’m happy with this little community improvement project and hope it lasts.
I also invested in my own cricut after pleading with Brian for a bit. We’ll see what projects I get my hands dirty with next…
Sarah’s definitive guide to Oahu
Activities
- Snorkeling
- Honolulu Zoo A- Twilight tour specifically A+
- Byodo in Temple C
- Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden (and again) A
- Kaneohe Bay Sandbar A++
- Manoa Chocolate Factory Tour B
- Halona Blow Hole B+
- Dole Plantation (and again) A
- Ho’okua’aina (Volunteering at a Taro Farm) A
- North Shore Swells A+
- Whale Watching A+
- Kualoa Ranch ATV Tour C
- High Tea at Moana Surfrider C
- Uncle’s Ice Cream Factory Tour A+
- North Shore Soap Factory (shopping only B)
Restaurants/Food
- Nico’s Kailua – Furikake Ahi Tuna A+
- Foodland Poke A
- Kono’s C
- Zippy’s F
- Morning Brew Breakfast Sandwich A+
- Cinnamon’s C-
- Hale’iwa Bowls A
- Lanikai Juice B
- Banan A-
- Easy Que’ B+
- Waikiki Brewing A
- Maui Brewing B
- Leonard’s Malasadas C
- Vintage Island Coffee A
- Tiki’s Bar and Grill A+ atmosphere/ambiance, B food
- Moke’s Bread and Breakfast A
- Thursday Kailua food market A++
- Buzz’s A+ Drinks, B Food
- Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop (Malasadas) B+
- The Hibachi (poke specifically) A+
- Stonefish Grill A+
- Lulu’s B-
- Mexico Lindo Kailua A++
- Valentina’s pizza A++
- Pizza Mamo A
- Slice by HB Baking A++
- Moku (food, delicious, not a huge fan of counter service) A
- Duke’s (A+ or A)
- Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches (A++)
- Waiahole Poi Factory B+
- Hale’iwa Joe’s (Hale’iwa location) A+
- Banyan’s Island Grill A+
- GOEN A
Hikes
- Lanikai Pillbox (and again) A
- Pu’u Ma’eli’eli (fully finished) B+, round 2 A
- Makapu’u (and again) A
- Waimea falls/Botanical Garden B+
- Old Pali Rd. (to pali lookout)A
- Aiea Loop Trail A+
- Likeke Falls to Old Pali Rd. A+
- Diamondhead C-
- Lanikai Pillbox from the back side A+ anytime other than sunrise
- Waipulani Falls A++++
- Manoa Falls B+
- Haunama Bay Ridge Hike C- effort, A views
- Lulumahu Falls A
- Ulupa’u Crater Hike B
- Friendship Gardens to Oneawa Hills A
- Ka’ena Point from the South A+
- Ka’ena Point from the North A
- O’hana Trail B
- Koko Crater Tramway B+
- Koko Crater Arch B
- Likeke Falls out and back C
- Ka’au Crater F
- Ma’ili (Pink) Pillbox A
- Maunawili Ditch Trail A
- Maunawili Falls via Pali Highway B+
- Pu’u Ohulehule C
- Mokoli’i (Chinaman’s Hat) C
- Makiki Valley Loop B+
Museums/Memorials
- Aviation Museum A+
- Submarine Museum A+
- Bishop Museum A
- USS Missouri A
- USS Arizona A+
- USS Oklahoma Memorial A+
- USS Utah Memorial A+
Beaches:
- Laniakea Beach (for turtle viewing specifically) A+
- Pyramid Rock Beach (more for surfing) A
- North Beach (more for surfing) A
- Ft. Hase Beach (general purpose) B
- Waimanalo Beach Park (general purpose) B
- Kailua (general purpose) A+
- Lanikai A+, biased-ly. As a non-resident, B
- Secret Beach
- Ehukai Beach (and again) (specifically for Bonzai pipeline watching people surf) A,A+
9SEP21 Sunrise
I have been neglecting sunrise posts on here, sorry! You can always find them on my instagram account, @lanikai_Sunrise_96734, or visit this web page on this blog. This lady was trying to get her dog more comfortable in the water and was carrying him in only for him to swim straight back to shore.
I also found a new washed up creature. Squid Ink pasta anyone?
There was a lot of commotion around the pillbox, turns out 100s of army soldiers were dropped off and did an exercise up it. God bless them doing that in that heat with those packs on. Phew! I just missed the tail end of them, so I’m bummed I didn’t get better framing or pictures. But these turned out ok.
Sunrise 9AUG21
Here’s me playing with some leading lines again. I still feel like for some reason I’m missing the “wow” factor. Maybe I’m just being too hard on myself. Anyway, I want to introduce you to the crew that I call the “puppy parade”
Apparently they more commonly found hiking the pillbox in the morning and she started an instagram called PillBoxPups. You can imagine what they’re all waiting for in this picture…
They’re such a fun crew and tag along behind their owner. Some of my furry sunrise friends!