The Old Pali Road Hike

Famous Pali Cliffs of windward Oahu
 Up until the late 1800's only a footpath, barely big enough for a horse, existed to connect Honolulu with the windward side of Oahu through the Ko'olau mountains. The path was steep and treacherous, especially on the windward side where the pali cliffs drop off suddenly in sheer walls. The path led past many spiritual sites as well as the site of one of the most important, and bloody, battles that ever took place on Oahu. At the very top of the pass, where the Nuuanu Pali lookout is now located, King Kamehameha's forces finally overwhelmed Oahu's last defenders. The stories say that hundreds of the Oahu warriors were forced, or took the leap to avoid capture, over the sheer drop off to their deaths.

Nuuanu Pali Lookout
  Then due to popular demand and an increasing population over in Kaneohe on the windward side, the 'old' pali highway was built at the turn of the century. It mainly followed the old footpath and was still treacherous as it hugged the cliffs. Many people believe the road haunted from the beginning as it was built over sacred areas and numerous ghost stories persisted.
  The old Pali highway could not hold up to the test of time and was finally replaced in the late 1950's by the current Pali highway. Tunnels going to and from the windward side were blasted through the mountain. As they were building the new tunnels workers uncovered over 400 remains, those warriors of that infamous 1795 battle defending the island. A little dynamite and those remains were finally put to rest and buried under tons of the earth they died trying to defend.

The old Pali road might be out of commission for car traffic, but intrepid hikers still venture on its overgrown path, hugging the cliffs, just like in old Hawaii. And it can still hold some wonderful surprises in the forms of rocky creek, beautiful flowers, incredible overlooks, and a hidden waterfall or two.

Old and New: Old Pali Highway on Top overlooking the New Pali Highway on the bottom



Looking out from the old Pali highway

Comments

Post a Comment

Leaving a comment is a great way to provide feedback, ask further questions, and inspire more answers...so go for it.

Popular posts from this blog

Secret Maui Waterfall

Image
  No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.
Read more

Hidden Ulupalakua Lava Tube, Maui

Image
  High above the crowded beaches of South Maui lies a hidden secret adventure that only those in the know will ever experience. Hidden only a thousand yards or so off a well traveled road around 4,000ft in elevation sits a massive cave which angles slowly down the side of Haleakala volcano. The amazing formations inside and the cave itself were formed by lava, creating an underground tube to transport the lava farther down the slope of the volcano. The same thing can be seen actively happening on the Big Island currently. Luckily this lava tube is all dried up making it much safer to explore. However the loose rocks and obvious cave ins leave some cause for concern.   Part of this adventure is just finding the entrance. This included a dirt road, a jeep trail, jumping an old stone wall, then bushwhacking through dense brush for about tweny-five minutes before finding the lava tube entrance. It was surrounded by ferns, just like the famous Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes National
Read more

Search for Chameleons, Maui

Image
  You never know what might be hiding in your backyard. Here on Maui there have always been tales of people finding Jackson's chameleons in their bushes. The trick is to travel a few thousand feet up Haleakala volcano to Makawao, Pukalani and Kula towns where the temperature is a little cooler and it is a bit wetter, perfect conditions for chameleons.   There are no native reptiles on Hawaii. These beautiful chameleons were released or escaped from the pet trade. Luckily they have not become invasive like many other introduced species, however they have increased in population and seem to be doing quite well in the higher elevation areas. Heidi and I went on a search the other day at our friend's house in Kula and were shocked to find a dozen different chameleons in her side yard hedge. They were mostly at eye level, and were curled up asleep for the night. We found them easily enough with flashlights since they seem to sleep near the outer edge of the hedge at night.   W
Read more