This is a trip where we've had to be flexible.
It wasn't the rain that derailed our plans today, but that things have changed
since 2016 when we were last here and now you need a parking reservation (in advance)
for the Hanea Park
and to hike the Kalalau trail to the beach or beyond to Hanakapiai Falls.
We'd been looking forward to this hike, but hedged that we didn't need to go all the way to the falls if it was too muddy (we'd read that some river crossings were waist high with all the rain).
Well, maybe the rainbow on our way predicted good luck in spite of the change of plans.
I'd wanted to see the Limahuli Botanic Garden, which is near Haena (the end of the road at the North Shore) but didn't have time for both the hike and the garden.
As it turned out, the Gardens still had reservations available!
So we pivoted and got excited about seeing the gardens instead.
As we arrived, for our 9:00 self-guided tour, it started pouring.
We waited in the car until the last minute, then made a run for it.
The woman at the front desk offered refunds, but she also offered ponchos.
We took the ponchos and loved spending an hour ambling throughout the area
on a guided route and reading about how the various plants and trees were brought to the area.
Most plants were brought to Hawaii from the Polynesians when they made homes here
so they'd have what the needed for food and healing.
Pictures DO NOT do the park justice or show the scale of these mountains in the background!
We were glad for the ponchos and took them off and on throughout the tour.
I don't think we would have enjoyed our tour anymore than we did had it not been raining.
Manini-Holo Dry Cave
I've been craving an Acai bowl from our first morning here.
(The hotel freezer is broken (does this sound accurate?) so they can't make Acai bowls.
We found a spot with fresh banana bread too.
The outdoor umbrella kept us dry while it poured.
We found another hike and were excited our plans weren't completely upended.
The Okolehao Trail with a couple of views.
The first .6 mile is up a jeep trail to an overlook by the powerline.
The next mile is on a more typical trail to a second overlook.
You can continue further but it requires using ropes.
The jeep trail was a MUDDY, slippery climb.
We did okay on the way up, but the few groups we passed going the other way
warned us it was very slippery coming down.
Apparently I almost stepped on this frog!
Dan noticed it after I walked past, but the frog wasn't in a rush to get away and sat there for a photo sesh.
He was so bronze, I thought he was a sculpture for a minute.
Dan had the idea to find walking sticks for the hike down on the Jeep trail,
and mine saved me multiple times. And didn't save me a couple times too.
It was precarious.
We were able to wash off in the canal by the parking lot when we were done.
And I pretended my underwear was just a bikini as I walked down the road back to the car
singing softly, "I'm walking down the road in my underwear!"
My review is, its a good hike for adventurous people.
I wouldn't say its a "must-do" for the view or the hike.
But, if you need something to do and you don't mind mud, then sure.
(Which is the camp we were in.)
The second half of the trail is pretty.
And it didn't rain at all while we were on the trail!
We got back to the hotel and in an hour, the sun came out (finally!)
We got a lounger by the pool and fifteen minutes later it started pouring again
and we high-tailed it back to the room.
Dinner tonight at Hideaways Pizza (the golf club right up the street).
We liked it and would go back.
But honestly, I don't think I'll be back on the North Shore in the winter.
The weather is too unpredictable. It's winter after all.
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