'Ahuimanu offers a complex hike with historical sights

By Richard McMahon
Special to The Advertiser

Occasionally we will spotlight a camp site, trail or other hiking information, courtesy of author Richard McMahon.

The trail begins on Hui Kelu Street in Kahalu'u, on the windward side of O'ahu, between Lile Place and Heno Place on the left side of 'Ahuimanu Stream (facing mauka).

DESCRIPTION: This relatively easy, family friendly loop rises gradually over a series of ancient taro terraces, ending in a sheer wall at the foot of the Ko'olau Pali. It then descends through the forest via a different route to return to the starting point. The total distance is about two miles.

After parking, enter the field on the mauka side of Hui Kelu, at a point where eight, round concrete posts form a line about 50 feet off the road. At the right end of the line of posts, look for a sign at the edge of the woods. It describes the trail and gives a history of the terraces, which predate the arrival of Captain Cook by at least several hundred years.

Entering the woods, you will begin to climb over a series of rock walls with the aid of small ladders made of rebar. The walls define former taro paddies, which rise in a successive series along 'Ahuimanu Stream, which provided their source of water.

A second descriptive sign soon appears, and the trail forks.

Take the left fork, and follow it up a short rise to a third sign describing the auwae (irrigation ditch) beginning on the right. The trail follows the auwae for a short distance, ending at a high-walled terrace.

Return to the second sign, and this time take the right fork, which crosses the stream's gulch, exiting by another ladder.

Turn left and follow the stream mauka. After about a quarter mile, the trail crosses to the left bank of the stream and makes its way over another wall, where a fallen tree has crushed the rebar ladder. After crossing the stream two more times, and climbing a small rise, turn left at an old water pipe, which leads to what appears to be the remains of a dirt road. You are now very close to the base of the precipitous, almost vertical Ko'olau Pali. Turn left along the road, and the water pipe appears again. Follow it to the sheer dike wall, where water gushes from the bottom, the source of 'Ahuimanu Stream.

Return to the dirt road and continue along it. The road soon becomes a trail that descends through a partly open forest, where large mango trees form a high canopy. At a prominent fork, go left, and the trail breaks out into the open, widening to a jeep track with fields of uluhe on both sides. The trail returns to Hui Kelu Street alongside a vacant lot.

SPECIAL COMMENTS: Despite its educational and cultural interest, this trail is apparently no longer maintained, and parts of it may be overgrown. Watch for ribbons, which may aid in route finding.