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Today, we had planned to drive up the west coast ("leeward side", as they refer to it). Time permitting, we also wanted to go to Kailua.
Our first stop on the drive up the leeward coast was Kahe Beach (or Kahe Point). It's supposed to be a good place to snorkel/dive, because there's a power plant here that ejects warm water, which attracts marine life. (Also nicknamed "electric beach".) We had our fill of snorkeling yesterday, so we just enjoyed the sights.
As we continued up the coast, we encountered a few tourist resorts, traveled through some tiny towns (Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha) and passed several beautiful beaches, eventually arriving at Kaena Point State Park, and the end of the road.
The beach out near the end of the road was nearly deserted, but there were plenty of people closer to the bathroom facilities. It looked like some of them were actually living there, with cots, air mattresses, pop-up canopy tents, etc.
On the way out of the park, we stopped to see Kaneana cave (AKA Makua cave?). It's actually two caves, the "upper" and "lower". We ventured into the lower, but neither remembered the existence of the upper, nor were properly shod for climbing the trails (behind the "area closed" sign).
While driving through Waianae, I decided that we should drive up into one of the inland valleys, to see something other than water and beaches. The leeward side of the island is very brown and dry, in stark contrast to the lush vegetation elsewhere on Oahu. The road got narrower and narrower, until we reached a locked gate with a sign that said something about "government property".
Time definitely permitted, so we crossed through central Oahu and aimed for the east coast. The ride through the middle was hilly and wet; those clouds that always seem to enshroud the mountains in the distance are indeed rainclouds. The "interstate" passed through several tunnels, one of which was almost a mile lone.
The view coming out of the tunnel (eastbound) was stunning, looking over Kaneohe and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (I think last time we were here, we accidentally ran into that at the end of H3.)
It was just after 3 PM when we got to Kailua Beach, which was simply incredible. The sand was the softest and finest of any beach we've been to on this trip, and the bottom was sandy all the way out.
Just to the east, there was a river outlet where you could rent kayaks, outrigger canoes, and paddleboards. Many people were making the short journey out to Popoia island, and some appeared to be going all the way to Moku Nui and Moku Iki.
After a few hours of swimming and beaching, we headed into town to find some dinner. We picked the Kalapawai Cafe, with the assistance of the guidebook, for our last dinner in Oahu. And it was delicious. If you're ever in Kailua, definitely make time to stop here. I got a Wagyu beef burger with pastrami on top, and Sabrina had Opah.
As the sun was setting, we drove through the hills back towards Waikiki. It was cloudy near the crest, but we stopped at the Nu'uanu Pali lookout for some photos. It was lightly raining, and started pouring as soon as we left.
There have been many, many strange sign pics on this trip, but I think we found the winner (bottom one):
On the way back down the hill, we stopped at one final scenic overlook while the sun set behind the skyline of downtown Honolulu. Tomorrow, we begin the long process of getting back to Pennsylvania.
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