The trials and tribulations of climbing to the top of Diamond Head.
Written: May 24 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great view of Waikiki from the top.
Cons: Say no more ....
The Bottom Line: I walked to the top of Diamond Head.
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| hollynz's Full Review: Diamond Head |
'Do it early in the morning before it gets too hot ' is the most frequent piece of advice you pick up when researching the walk to the lookout atop Diamond Head.
I had intended to do the walk a lot earlier in the day but bad organisation and the urge to sleep in spoiled all that.
In fact I was so disorganised that all I can do is blame it on jet lag and chalk it up to experience.
We had planned to get an early start, pick up a rental car and have done the walk by midday at the latest, ... well ... the best laid plans of mice and men and all that ...
We drove out of the rental place around 11am , back to the hotel to get our gear, needed a bite to eat before the big climb and there you have it. We are entering the park around 12:45pm ~ in the heat of the day when only mad dogs and Englishmen and jet lagged New Zealanders are out.
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What is Diamond Head?
Look at any picture of Waikiki and you will notice a large hill in the distance ... that my friends is Diamond Head.
That hill is actually the remnants of an ancient volcano and the lookout is on the highest peak of the rim.
It is still visibly recognisable as a crater once you get inside the walls via a tunnel cut through the rock.
The Federal Govt purchased DIAMOND HEAD in 1904 and work was started in 1908 for military purposes. A tunnel was cut through the north wall and gun emplacements were constructed on the rim.
DIAMOND HEAD was prepared as a defense post but in actual fact, no artillery was ever fired in an act of war.
The trail to the summit was built in 1908 and mules were used to haul construction materials to the summit.
The modern day entrance tunnel to the crater was built in the 1940's.
How to get to Diamond Head.
If you have a car just drive toward Diamond Head on Kalakaua Avenue, left at Monsarrat Avenue which becomes Diamond Head Road.You can't miss the sign to the entrance Diamond Head State Monument, it will take all of 10 minutes.
Alternately, you can get a cab, bus or a trolley. The trolley will take you right to the gates at the carpark but I think the bus drops you back on the main road which is quite a walk.
Entrance Fees and Opening Hours
The park is only open between 6am - 6pm which is rather annoying really as it would be a great walk in the cool of the evening. If you do find yourself still in the park after 6pm be ready to sleep there because the gate to the tunnel entrance will be closed and there will be no way out.
There is a minimal charge of $1 per person for foot traffic or $5 per car.
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We paid our $5 and went looking for a car park. There are a few trees here and there but of course, the shaded parks were all taken but I spotted one with potential, it was in partial shade and with the movement of the sun I knew it would'nt be long before it was totally shaded ~ lucky us.
Walking the trail to the summit
As we gathered our stuff together for the climb I glanced at the leaflet handed to us at the entrance gate, this advised to have sturdy hiking boots, a torch, plenty of water and sunscreen and a hat.
I looked at our supplies ...
In my jet lagged addled mind I grabbed the 2/3rds empty bottle of water and left the full one chilling in the fridge at the hotel ... damn
I realised I had forgotten to put the sunscreen in the bag ... damn
I didn't have a hat ... damn
I don't know about hiking boots but I was sure my slip-on shoes would suffice.
Glancing at the people heading to and from the trail, I was somewhat appeased to see that not all had serious hikers getup. I was actually amazed to see some of the footwear people were walking in ... high heeled shoes were very common believe it or not.
We headed off with our ill prepared rations to the trail head, there is a sun shelter with Park Information on it about wild life, safety, flora and so on and restrooms.
A bit further along are a couple of tables set up where you can buy chilled water, rent a torch for $2 or buy a t-shirt that says "I hiked to the top of Diamond Head " or some such thing.
The trail in brief....
The trail is 0.8 miles (1.3km) of dirt and uneven rock which gradually ascends 560 feet in a series of switchbacks. Near the top are stairs and tunnels and then you get to the gun emplacement at the top. From here you have to climb out of the gun emplacement, take another short climb up stairs to the Observation Station at the top.
The long version....
The climb starts out okay, the walkway is concrete and even though it is hot, the sunburn and fatigue hasn't really kicked in too much and it's relatively easy going.
The concrete turns into dirt and the trail starts to winding it's way, gently at first, around the hillside. There is a constant stream of people heading down the trail, all in various degrees of exhaustion that make you start to question whether you really want to carry on or not but you will.
It starts getting really hot in this section of the trail, there is no wind and the sun beats down, the water has to be rationed and you start wishing you had a hat to keep the sun off your face.
Occasionally you come to shaded areas or rest stops with seats, we took advantage of all these stops to get our breath back and to cool the body temperature down a bit before moving on.
The trail gets a bit rough and rocky in places but it's still a moderately easy climb ... it's just the heat.
As you gain height you also gain a cooling breeze which is worth it's weight in gold.
There are various lookouts on the way up and they were all catching a breeze so it made the climb alot more bearable.
Everyone we passed had encouraging words but some warned of the 100 steps at the end. I was beginning to hate these 100 steps but plugged on relentlessly.
We came to the first stairway which lead to the first tunnel. I was handed a torch by a young woman who was heading down, she said to hand it in at the rental place at the bottom so that was very nice of her.
Into the tunnel we went and the cool darkness was a real treat after the heat, we took our time through here and didn't need the torchlight as we could see well enough.
At the end of the tunnel we were at the bottom of the 100 steps ... these are rather steep steps but if you take your time and pace yourself, you will make it to the top eventually.
Just try to ignore the people who jog past you, hey, I would've been able to do that 20 years ago too.
At the top of the stairs you enter another cool tunnel which leads to a darkened spiral staircase, you might need that torch here but you will still get there safely without one.
You emerge from the stairway and find yourself in a gun emplacement with limited viewing access.
Up a short ladder and crouch down so you dont whack your head and you are outside again, another short series of steps and you have made to the summit ...
The views are spectacular, the wind is blowing and your body temperature is dropping back to somewhere safe again and where's my camera ....
I don't believe it....
I left the camera in the car ....
My god....
How could I be so ....
I'm over it now but it was quite a moment I tell you!!!
We stayed up on the lookout for about 45 minutes just soaking up the views below us. It was like we could see forever it was so clear, all of Waikiki was laid out below like a scenic postcard and blissfully, Mr H had put the digital camera in his pocket but just delayed telling me about it, letting me angst for awhile ~ he's so charming !
We headed back down again and it was pretty easy going at first but once we got back into the floor of the crater the heat struck once more, my water bottle was all but empty, my shoulders were sun burnt, I had my shirt draped over my head to provide a bit of shade, Man oh Man it was hot.
When we got back to the car it was thankfully covered in shade, off came the shoes, out came the pineapple (courtesy of McDonalds) and I can tell you in all honesty, that was the sweetest, juiciest pineapple I have ever, ever eaten.
Was it worth the climb
Most definitely !
The view at the top is well worth the effort it takes to get there and even with my level of fitness it is not such a hard climb.
I am glad I did do the climb as I know it would have been very easy to talk myself out of it. The other folk on the trail were all ordinary folk just like me, puffing and ruddy faced but doing it nonetheless.
What is my level of fitness?
I used to be very fit but over the last few years I have turned into a bit of a blob..
Giving up smoking, hitting my 40's and spending too many hours sitting at the computer have done terrible things to me.
I'm kinda outta shape but even so, I would rate it a level 5 for effort ( out of 10 ) and if it wasn't so hot, it would have been a bit easier I'm sure.
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If you do make the hike, a couple of words of advice ... make sure you grab the full water bottle and double check to make sure you have got your camera ...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
Reviews written: 142
Trusted by: 190 members
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~ In memory of Barbara ~
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