I can confirm, my quads are sore this morning! It’s a good feeling though. Although it does remind me that I’m not in that great of shape. And old!
Today I visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It is located in Punchbowl Crater, which is in the northern part of Honolulu. It covers a 112 acre area and is the final resting place for over 50,000 U.S. war veterans and family members (including 13,000 from World War II). The crater was formed 75,000 – 100,000 years ago and historians believe the site once served as an altar where ancient Hawaiians offered sacrifices to their gods.
It took me about an hour to walk there from my apartment.
A view of Punchbowl Crater from my walk. That’s Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in the foreground. Great location for a school!Beautiful plantings near the entrance to the Cemetery.The military personnel on the steps are rehearsing for an upcoming intermentLooking back towards the entranceThe small chapelThe rehearsal is ongoing…A notable interment – Sgt Hansen was one of the original Flag-raisers on Iwo Jima (there is a grid system in place that makes it easy to find the markers – Sgt Hansen is located in Section O, Plot 397)The ever-present Diamond HeadThe Cemetery’s Overlook offered great views of Honolulu…… including downtown Honolulu, Waikiki, and Diamond Head (never gets old!)
You probably noticed the lack of other visitors at the cemetery. Besides in the Waikiki Beach area, I’m finding that to be the case here. A Covid benefit, I guess. And I’m liking it!
For dinner tonight I tried my first Poke Bowl. I stopped at a spot near my apartment that has received good reviews and is classified as “Poke Asian Fusion”. Okay…
The two staff members were a big help in guiding me through the various poke bowl permutations and combinations!I went with Kimchi Ahi with Crab Salad, Cucumber Salad, Seaweed Salad, and Fried Onion Bits. $12. Very good!
Thursday, January 27 – Honolulu
Time for another hike! Today I’m going to check out the lighthouse on Makapuu Point. This is the easternmost point on Oahu, and is located in the southeast part of the island. It’s just a little bit east of Koko Crater that I trekked a couple days ago, and took me about an hour and 15 minutes to get there via two buses.
It’s a pretty easy hike on a paved path – 2 miles round trip with a 500 foot elevation change. It was a little bit of walk though from the bus stop to the trailhead, which offered some nice views as well.
This is a view of two bird sanctuary islands from Makapuu Beach Park, which is across the street from the bus stopStill in Makapuu Beach Park; now looking towards the upcoming hiking spot – Makapuu Point. You can see the lighthouse barely poking up on the left edge of the cliff. Now walking up the road from the bus stop towards the “official” start of the hike. Below is Makapuu Beach.The “official” start! You can see the trail winding up behind the sign.Not very crowded!This is a great shot! On the left are the Makapuu Tidepools, and then the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, followed by Koko Crater in the center and Diamond Head in the background to the right.Okay, so this is a whale breaching (trust me!). Unfortunately my camera’s zoom isn’t very powerful. Hopefully I’ll have other opportunities for a more up close and personal whale experience at some point on this trip!Approaching the lighthouse from above. Notice at the bottom of the picture there is a trail with a white fence barrier. Sadly, this part of the hike is no longer maintained and off limits to visitors.The lighthouse was established in 1909 and has been automated since 1974. It is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.View from the top of the hike of Makapuu Beach Park on the left and the two island bird sanctuaries.Heading back down the path…After finishing the Makapuu Trail,, I decided to check out the Kaiwi Shoreline Trail as wellNo paved luxury here!The Makapuu TidepoolsA view of Koko CraterAnd this is a close up shot of the Hawaii Kai Golf Course that I pointed out from the top of the Koko Crater hike a couple days ago (that’s Koko Crater in the background). This also happens to be where the stop is located for the bus that takes me back to Honolulu. Perfect!
4 thoughts on “JE 68”
You are seeing so much of the island. I hope you will see more whales too!
You are seeing so much of the island. I hope you will see more whales too!
Me too! Thanks Kari.
What a beautiful hike! And so cool with the whale!
Thanks for the note Holly!