Kuhio Beach, Makapuu Point, Hanauma Bay
Kuhio Beach is one of the many beaches in Waikiki. Actually, Waikiki is really one long beach, but it’s demarcated into a number of sections. Kuhio’s distinguishing feature is that it has sea walls on each side that extended out into the water towards each other, at about a 30 degree angle. This makes for very calm waters that the kids can splash around in. Kai and I spent the morning building a complex of sand castles and mini canals along the shore, while Maria got some sun and caught up on some reading. I also worked on my sunburn.
For lunch we met up with Maria’s old advisor from Georgetown, Dan Unger (he’s also here for the conference). She hadn’t seen him for several years, so they had a nice time catching up.
Jen and her mother were staying nearby, and they had rented a car, so we tagged along with them for the afternoon. We drove to the Windward (east) side of Oahu, to Makapuu Point and Hanauma Bay. Kai and Maria stayed at the Bay while Jen, her mother, and I hiked up to the lighthouse atop the 647 ft. Makapuu Point. It’s about a half mile hike up a paved trail, so it’s not too strenuous (although it did get hot). As you can see in the pictures, the view at the top was spectacular (you can see Makapuu Beach and Sea Life Park, where Kai and I were a few days ago).
After the hike, we met up with Kai and Maria at the Bay, where we stayed for the rest of the day. It’s one of the most popular spots in Hawaii for snorkeling, as it’s filled with coral and brightly colored fish. We didn’t snorkel, but you could see the tropical fish even just wading in waist deep water (which made it fun for Kai too). Another distinctive feature was the wild chickens and roosters wandering around the beach. It was great to be there late in the day, as it wasn’t so hot and most of the tourists had already left.
