Nu'uana Pali Lookout

May 26th, 2014 (Memorial Day)

Offering a panoramic view of the Kāneʻohe Bay area. It is the sight of one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history. In 1795 Kamehameha I, ruler of the "Big Island",  gathered his troops and set about conquering the other islands. He landed at Oah'u with around 10,000 armed warriors. The defenders of Oah'u, led by Kalanikūpule, were routed and cornered at the cliff. More than 400 of the warriors were driven over the edge to fall to their deaths 1,000 below. Kalanikūpule was captured later and sacrificed to Kamehameha's god of war, making him King Kamehameha I, unifier of the Hawaiian Islands.

ALOHA!

Our adventure started with a drive to Cinnamon's Restaurant in Kailua for breakfast. For nearly a week there had been a lot of talk about Cinnamon's and their red velvet pancakes by our local guides, Jennifer and Dennis, as well my fellow travelers Lorene and Steve.

During the drive to the restaurant we were treated to one of many magical Hawaiian moments, brought on by a sudden rain shower. The rain clouds being blown by the trade winds get trapped in the mountain peaks all along the ridge line. After a few minutes of the rain, in the gaps of the mountains, waterfalls start to form.

The anticipation was nearly overwhelming as we got out of the car and headed into the restaurant. It turns out that nearly everyone on Oah'u thought that Cinnamon's was the place to get breakfast on Memorial Day, as the hostess told us it was a two and a half hour wait. Dennis put our name down and the hostess told him to come back in an hour or so and they would issue a buzzer to him. The disappointment on Matthew's face was nearly heart-breaking.

To pass the time, Dennis and Jennifer suggested we ride to the Pali Lookout which was nearby. We loaded up into the car and headed towards Nu'uana Pali Drive. It was a very short ride to the small parking area for the lookout. Grabbing the camera I headed up the walkway to the scenic view. Upon reaching the viewing area, it is obvious why this is one of the most popular destination for those seeking a scenic view in the area.

The little island in the back is called "China Man's Hat" by the locals

 

All over the islands I found it was easy to forget about the drastic elevation changes. You can be at sea level at a beach and then a 20 minute drive later you are at 3,500 feet (or higher). While looking around and snapping pictures in awe of the sights, the wind would change a little and suddenly I'd notice that the clouds were just barely higher than I was. A couple places they were almost level with where I was standing and on Kauai we actually walked through the bottom edge of a couple clouds.

All over the islands are the ʻōhiʻa trees with their red lehua flowers

 

Pali means cliff in Hawaiian, and the lookout is located on the edge of one in between a couple of very steep mountain peaks on the windward side of Oah'u. With the taller mountains all around the wind coming off the ocean through the valley gets channeled right into the gap of the lookout area, turning it into a natural wind tunnel. Looking at the plants all along the higher peaks you can tell which way the wind has been blowing majority of the island's history.

Now on to breakfast at Cinnamon's to fuel up for the rest of the day's exciting adventures!

MAHALO & ALOHA!
Jason