Hawaii On A Hog

Best view of Honolulu and Diamond Head from Tantalus Lookout.

As a high school principal, my varsity volleyball girls travel to Oahu every other year to play in an invitational. Yes, they are that good. My husband travels for work quite a bit, but took off to travel there with me twice.The first time, three vans were rented and we rode with the girls to various outings: the Dole Pineapple Plantation, shopping at North Shore and beach time at Waimea Bay.

Our coach selected the above beach because it is less populated and in a cove making it much easier to keep an eye on all of the girls. However, there is cliff diving. The girls begged the coach to let them do it and he said no. Their purpose in Hawaii was to play volleyball, not to jump off a cliff. My husband was standing there as they begged and then he looked at me and said “I want to cliff dive!”  Of course he did; he is Mr. Adventure. On his first dive the girls watched in awe. On the second (yes, he did it again), one of the girls equipped him with a go pro to record for them. As he jumped, they cheered him on and chanted his name.

Cliff diving, the Dole Plantation and Waikiki Beach

The second time we traveled to Hawaii to watch volleyball compete was a different experience entirely. For one, it was in August of 2021 and COVID impacted everything. We had to wear a mask on the eight hour flight, in the gym and the girls had to play masked up. My superintendent told me that if one of our players were to get quarantined, I would have to stay longer… uh, ok! Due to COVID, fewer girls attended so only two vans were rented. As a result, there wasn’t enough room for my husband and I to travel throughout the island with the team.  We solved the problem and rented a motorcycle for three days.

Our bike in Hawaii, a Harley Heritage Softail.

Seeing the island on a bike is the way to go. Riding counterclockwise from Honolulu, our first stop was Diamond Head, a volcanic cone that provides an incredible view of the city. We arrived at 6 am and began the hike. My research said it would take about 30 minutes to get up to the top and it was a relatively easy hike that anyone could do. Lies!

In the hiking world, “easy” generally means paved, flat or both. Diamond Head is an unpaved, uneven and rocky trail.  While only 1.6 miles round trip, the hike includes two sets of steep stairs (99 stairs in the middle and 76 stairs at the very end). In addition, there is also a 225 foot lit tunnel. I personally did not like that I couldn’t see light at the end of the tunnel for a bit and felt very trapped. Once at the top, it is indeed a beautiful view. In the end, I am glad we conquered Diamond Head. Feeling accomplished, the descent was much better. We had smiles on our faces that were not present on our way up.

We jumped back on the bike and made various stops to include the Daimond Head Lighthouse, Kualoa Ranch (Jurassic Park filming site), Tantulus Lookout, and met the girls at North Shore. Coach took the girls back to the Waimea Bay, but we headed back to Honolulu for a sunset cruise.

Jurassic Park film site.

The trip around the island straight through is about 3.5 hours.  It was closer to a full day with all our stops. Seeing the island this way is an incredible experience. The ocean breeze, floral scents, and hippie vibe (outside of Honolulu) is relaxation at its best. Years before, we traveled to Maui and rented a car. Next time, I want see it through the inside of a helmet.

Hawaii on a hog was much better than Mexico on a moped. In our mid 20's, we rented a moped in Cozumel to go see the ruins. That was our first and last time on a moped.  If it is an island, a motorcycle is the way to go!

The Blonde Backpack