Round to the ends of the earth....or at least the end of Oahu

Before Christmas (I know, I'm way behind) we rented a car and took a trip around the island. Our main idea was to get out of town and away from the crowds. We also wanted to hike to the north west point of the island called Ka'ena Point.

There used to be a road that circled the whole island, but this part of it has fallen into disrepair and is no longer accessible by vehicles. Even four wheelers have a hard time getting through some area, and now the final point has been turned into a nature reserve and sanctuary. We started the hike at the Dillingham airfield side.
This photo is as you first set out



From what I can gather, there are two main reasons the area is now a nature reserve and sanctuary. The first is that the dunes, which once covered large parts of the coastal areas in the islands, are now in danger of disappearing because of tourist building and development along the shoreline. The dunes were lovely - and they also protect inland areas from the crashing surf - the waves in this area can hit 50 feet in the winter!

The other is that it a nesting ground for the laysan albatross...and yes I had to stop and recite a little of Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge when I saw them, though the only part I can remember these days is:

Water, water everywhere
And all the boards did shrink ;
Water, water, every where
Nor any drop to drink.

I think Mr Clatworthy, 3A1 (?) at Alderman Cogan would be proud that I can still remember that much 30 years later!

The albatross have a huge wingspan. According to http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/laysan.htm it is over 6 feet.

They were a beautiful sight soaring through the air, but quite ungainly once they made land. Not surprising really since the website also indicates that the birds only come to land to nest: they usually spend their time at least 30 miles out at sea. So for the first five years or so, the chicks never come to land. We had timed our visit with their nesting period, and it was pretty cool to see them swooping around overhead and squawking to each other from the nests. We even had to duck a couple of times as they seemed to be coming a little too near! Unfortunately this photo doesn't really do them justice, but if you click on it, you may get an idea of how long the wing span is.




This photo is of the nests...again if you click on it, you should be able to see the birds a little more clearly.





The hike was about 6 miles round trip. It was pretty easy going and mainly flat; but the huge pot holes and ruts sometimes gave us problems because they were so big to get around and so muddy! It was great to get out and get wind blown though. Just what we needed. The views from the point were also gorgeous. These are looking to the south. Next time we want to try the hike from that side.






We were also fortunate enough to see some whales blowing off in the distance for the point and are now hooked on trying to spot the every time we go out. It is a pretty amazing sight to see them blow and then flip.














The rest of the day was pretty stormy, though we had a great lunch at Pizza Bob's in Haleiwa as always, and got to see some good sights off the road that we wouldn't have reached if we had been on the bus. The last photos were taken on the windward coast on the way back down to Honolulu. We know know why it is called the "windward" side - it was ferocious!