36. Hawaii Kai Overview Very soon after Hanauma Bay we descend from the formation around Koko Crater to the Hawaii Kai plain. On the right side of the road is a pulloff where we can look over the Honolulu community of Hawaii Kai. In the distance is the southern end of the Koolau Mountain Range. The ocean is out of the picture on the far left. 37. Hawaii Kai Three views of Hawaii Kai from Kamehameha Highway named Kalanianaole Highway from here to the expressway closer to downtown Honolulu. A unique feature of Hawaii Kai is the large marina approximately in the middle of the community. At one time, this entire plain was marsh. Dredging was undertaken by the noted developer and entrepeneur Henry Kaiser of Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser automobile, and Kaiser Permanente fame. Kaiser had an oceanfront estate in Koko Kai on the ocean side of the highway on the downslope we just passed. The high school here is named after him. Hawaii Kai is primarily a residential community where the majority of people commute to downtown Honolulu jobs, but recently there is more commercial development here. Costco located here a few years ago, Home Depot is currently negotiating to locate here as well, there are two large grocery stores, three shopping centers, an stadium-type 8-plex movie theater, etc. 38. Maunalua Bay Beach Park On the Hawaii Kai waterfront is Maunalua Bay Beach Park. This is a "beach" park, but essentially there's no wide area of sand and practically no swimming. The beach is quite pebbely, and this beach serves more as a boat launching and parking site. There are picnic tables and restrooms (shown in the photo at the right) but only limited shade next to the busy highway. The parking area has been paved for only a few years now, and other improvements, hopefully including shade trees and planting to visibly separate the park from the highway, may be made. The view, however, is outstanding. In the distance on the left is Koko Crater. Hanauma Bay is on the other side of the hill. The body of water directly in front of Hawaii Kai is Maunalua Bay, and water sports originating from the marina are popular here -- including snorkeling, parasailing, jet skiing, etc. 39. Hawaii Loa Ridge 40. Kawaikui Beach Park Right below Hawaii Loa Ridge is Kawaikui Beach Park, a fairly small park with restrooms, picnic tables, and great views of the ocean. The photo on the right is a view back toward Hawaii Kai and Koko Head. 41. Kahala Kahala is mostly a residential community on the eastern side of Diamond Head. Because of its proximity to Waikiki and downtown Honolulu and to the expressway that extends across Honolulu and starts here -- also its fairly flat terrain and oceanside location, it's about the most expensive neighborhood on the island. It's also close to the University of Hawaii. Kapiolani Community College, the newest two-year college on the island, is situated on the Diamond Head edge of Kahala. An interesting home in Kahala is the one shown at the right, but most homes are more elaborately conventional. 42. Kahala Mall Turning toward the ocean just before the expressway to downtown, we pass Kahala Mall, a relatively small but attractive mall with a very pleasant, upscale ambiance about it. The anchor department store, Liberty House, accompanies more than 90 other stores -- travel agencies, fast food establishments, a grocery store, boutiques, and an eight-screen movie theater. Closer to the ocean, we'll visit a few exceptionally interesting places in the Diamond Head area nearby. 43. Kapi'olani Community College A relatively new college behind Diamond Head on Oahu, Kapi'olani Community College is the aesthetic jewel among the University of Hawaii community colleges. Lush and beautifully maintained landscaping, buildings that blend well with the site and that were designed at about the same time with a congruity in mind, and an interestingly sloping terrain combine to make KCC an absolutely splendid environment and a great setting for an educational experience. As we approach KCC on Monsarrat Drive, a shady sidewalk (photo on the left above) catches our eye. Directly in front of the college is the sign (photo on the right). A spacious courtyard in the center of the campus (photos above) provides a good focal point for a number of surrounding buildings -- the sciences classroom and lab building, the student center, the campus library, and others -- and a popular place for special outdoor events. Across the courtyard is the school library in Lama, a long building that takes up almost an entire side of the courtyard. Proceeding counterclockwise around the courtyard, we see the library building entrance close up. A few other images of the campus before we leave to continue our tour of the Diamond Head area. Still a few more photos of the campus. 44. Diamond Head Crater Across the street on the ocean side from Kapiolani Community College is the entrance to Diamond Head Crater. Shown at the right (#1) is the sign at the entrance on Monsarrat Drive. The drive is very short, and the incline is easy because we'll enter onto the floor of the crater. When we view Diamond Head from a distance, it appears to be simply a mountain, but in fact those are crater walls which rise much higher than the hollowed-out center, at one time the molten caldera at the center of the volcano. Diamond Head has not erupted in about 500,000 years, so the risk of an eruption today is "rather slight." At the top of the incline is a tunnel carved through the east wall of the crater (#2) in the 1940's. An earlier tunnel cuts through the north wall from Fort Ruger. Since the public approach is short and not very steep, many people enter the crater on foot or bicycle. The floor of the crater is very flat but surprisingly spacious. The entire crater covers about 350 acres. Here there is a military complex and Federal Aviation Administration headquarters. The picture at the right (#1) was taken from the crater floor toward the lookout at the top of the crater wall on the ocean side. It's on that side that the crater wall is highest. It's believed that Diamond Head was formed in just a single eruption, and the wall on the ocean side is highest because that's the direction in which the prevailing winds blew the spewing ash. A trail to the lookout (#2) leaves from here. The 0.8 mile climb takes only about 25 minutes. We'll have a concrete sidewalk for about the first five minutes. The trail rises about 560 feet above the crater floor (the crater floor is about 200 feet above sea level). The roughest parts are a long unlit tunnel, a steep 74 and 99-step flights of stairs, and unlit spiral stairs in a silo-like pit near the top. Hikers are well advised to take flashlights. A lookout (#1) is about halfway up the trail. In the early 1900's when Diamond Head was used by the military as a site for gun emplacements and batteries to house the artillery, materials were winched from the crater floor to this point. A little father up the trail is the steep 74-step approach to the first tunnel (#2). The photo on the right (#3) shows the uppermost part of the Fire Control Station at the summit. The multi-level Fire Control Station was designed for the purpose of directing artillery fire from five batteries around the crater to protect the southern coast of Oahu. From the summit are some great views of Waikiki on the west side (#1), Kapiolani Park and the Diamond Head neighborhood (#2), the ocean that's very close on the south side (#3 including the Diamond Head Lighthouse visited later on the tour), Hawaii Kai and Koko Head to the east, and the Koolau Mountain range to the north. Starting down from the summit (#1), we see the eastern rim where military bunkers were built in 1915. The next photo (#2) shows a slit in the Fire Control Station we pass through on the trail. It's low, so we'll have to practically crawl to get through to reach the spiral stairs to go down four levels. Originally the slits, one at each level, were covered with metal shutters. The next photo(#3) shows the flight of 99 stairs rising toward the station we're leaving. At one time, camouflaging covered the stairway. The photo on the right (#4) shows a typical section of the trail descending before us. A few more photos. After we leave Diamond Head we'll circle around it on the ocean side where we'll look up at the lookout one last time on the tour. There's also another view of Diamond Head from Kapiolani Park on the Waikiki Tour. 45. Diamond Head Drive Leaving Diamond Crater and circling around to the ocean side, we make our last stops on the tour before proceeding back to Waikiki. On the highest ground directly opposite Diamond Head promontory is a lookout where we can look down at the coast far to the left, and what an awesome view it is! The lookout is right next to the road (photo on the left), so we don't have to leave our route to get to it. Looking down from the lookout we see the beach (photo in the middle). To get to it, we'd have to walk down a fairly steep trail, so we'll just take in the sights from here and continue on our way. The ocean is in clear view straight out from the lookout, and there's usually at least one passenger or cargo ship making its way to or from the mainland U.S. or neighbor island. Looking to the left, we can see Koko Head and the Hanauima Bay promontory just beyond Hawaii Kai (photo on the right). Wind surfing at Diamond Head (15-second mpg video) Just past the lookout is the Diamond Head Lighthouse (left photo) built in 1917, and a little beyond that is Diamond Head Park (middle photo), a small gated neighborhood park. With a last glimpse up at Diamond Head (photo on the right) we conclude the Windward-East Honolulu Tour. Thanks for coming on the tour today. Enjoy your stay in Hawai'i, and please join us on the other tours currently online.