[Makena, Maui/Honolulu, Oahu Nov 26, 2022]

And just like that, it was my last day on Maui! I had a little bit of time before my flight to Oahu, where I was set to spend a week at a friends’ house. I decided to squeeze in one last little hike. La Perouse Bay was just south of my AirBnB in Kihei.

To get there, I drove through yet another narrow winding road through the ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u reserve. It was designated a Natural Area Reserve in 1973 and it contains lava fields from the last eruption of Haleakala 200-500 years ago. Soon after, the pavement ended and I was on a dirt road full of potholes yet again. I was only the second car in the lot when I parked.

My sunrise walk at LaPerouse Bay was beautiful. I passed a series of tiny beaches with small forested paths in between. I even saw the infamous La Perouse Bay wild goats but they disappeard into the lava field too fast for me to get a good photo or video.

I continued on to Hoapili Trail, aka King’s Highway. It was a footpath built for the ali’i (royalty) primarily so that the king could survey his lands. It was completed around 1550 by King Pi’ilani – the same one that the south Maui highway I took out of Hana was named after. Much of the original trail has disappeared over the hundreds of years, but this fragment remains. It is a hot, exposed slog through a lava field, a challenge for the ankles. I did not take the whole trail. I did, however, make it to Hanomanioa light standard. I took some photos here and headed back the way I came.

My flight to Honolulu was quick. The highlight was the fantastic view of Moloka’i from above.

My friends in Honolulu met me at the airport with some traditional lei. Back at their house, Vanya had made baklava from scrach! It was delicious and quite the inspiration to keep hiking while on Oahu.