WHERE: Moanalua (Kamananui) Valley, Honolulu.

This lovely shady hike through one of the Ko'olaus' prettiest valleys is a great weekend outing.

You don't have to be a hardy hiker, either, unless you choose to walk to the end of the valley. Mostly, it's dirt-road walking alongside Moanalua stream, and you can't get lost since the road follows the stream into the valley. If you go the full distance, it's an 11-mile roundtrip, but you can easily shorten the hike to three, four or five miles.

Moanalua Valley is a gentle roller-coaster trail, rich in historical sites and stories. The trail criss-crosses several lovely old stone bridges. If you do hike to the end of the valley, the steep final ascent to the spine of the Ko'olau summit is around 1,680 feet elevation.

Down on the flat, hau trees border the trail, littering it with yellow and deep-orange blossoms; there are guavas, wild orchids, shampoo ginger, fragrant white ginger, red 'ohi'a, fan palms and dozens of different species of ferns. It's comfortable walking, and the dirt road moves in and out of shade. Occasional gaps in the trees gave flashes of those Ko'olau peaks; birds chatter in the silence.

HIGHLIGHTS: Along the first two miles or so are brown wooden posts with yellow-painted numbers on top. At marker No. 3 a driveway leads to the site of the Douglas Damon house site; the house is no longer there, but the steps and foundations remain, giving a clear idea of its aspect.