Family on Oahu // Likeke Falls
My Family’s Visit to Oahu • March 2018 • Part 6
My family’s vacation had come to an end, but with flights not leaving until 10pm that evening, they still had a full day to enjoy the island life before returning to reality. Since Curtis finally had a day off, we decided to hike to a waterfall that we hadn’t done yet. We drove to Kane’ohe and parked at the golf club, right at the base of the Ko’olau Mountains, and began the short hike to Likeke Falls. Well, it should have been even shorter and easier than it was, but half of the group (lead by myself) got separated from the front half (who had the directions) and ended up getting a little lost. We missed a turn that was hardly marked and continued into the tropical jungle. If you attempt this hike, the AllTrails app is helpful in avoiding our mistakes, the turn goes off to the right when walking down the cobblestone path and if you aren’t looking for it, it’s easy to miss.
The real travesty is that when the first half of the group arrived, there was no one at the waterfalls, but by the time Curtis found us and lead us in the right direction, there were lots of children playing in the pools. This hike turned out to be just like all the other waterfall hikes we’ve done on Oahu, unfortunately — we get there, the falls are pretty but crowded, so we don’t stay long and aren’t interested in revisiting. It’s not them, it’s us. Maybe we’d enjoy them more if we were the type to enjoy swimming in the pools or cliff dive. Or maybe it’s because we’ve seen some breathtaking waterfalls — Supai, you ruined all other waterfalls for us!
Either way, don’t let our experiences stop you from enjoying the waterfalls on the island. Hiking to Likeke Falls from the golf club is easy, mostly flat, and about 1.5 miles round-trip. There’s only one stream crossing at the very end of the trail once you reach the falls. Note that you cannot park at the golf club before 11:30 on Sunday mornings because a large church holds services here on Sundays. You can also hike to the falls from the Pali Lookout on the Pali highway. And as I mentioned before, the Alltrails app is a great reference for directions.
After the hike, we spent a few hours at Kailua Beach, and enjoyed our last few hours together. I’m so thankful my family came out and not only kept me company but also helped me to get out and enjoy the island every day for 2.5 weeks! I have to say, living in Hawaii is much more enjoyable when you actually spend time outside enjoying the beauty and the weather. They also totally lucked out with mostly good weather, because it seems that this spring has been very rainy and cool. It probably wouldn’t have been quite as enjoyable if we’d been stuck inside my tiny house for the majority of the time.
A few other highlights I hadn’t mentioned were making new recipes for my family that we’ve learned since moving to the island, including poke bowls, Thai summer rolls with peanut sauce, garlic shrimp, and pork katsu don over udon noodles. All of which are recipes I’d gladly make for anyone who comes to visit! In case you hadn’t picked up on it, all these family vacation posts are really just advertisements to get you to come see us. 😉
We love you family, thanks for making the trip to come see us, and come back soon! 🙂
