Oahu Day 10

Our last morning on Oahu, we were up early and making our way a few miles down the road to Diamond Head State Monument. Diamond Head is an old volcano and hiking the crater gives great views of Waikiki.

It was a warm walk, and surprisingly busy at 6am as we walked down the Waikiki beachfront. We had a quick stop at the Duke Kahanamoku statue before continuing on. Duke was a Hawaiian and a famous surfer who brought awareness to surfing as a sport. He also took part in two Olympic games in the early 1900s. He's a pretty interesting guy.

Once we got to Diamond Head, we got our tickets scanned and then began the hike. The sun was already feeling pretty brutal, but luckily Diamon Head isn't a difficult hike. The path is paved or dirt with little rocks. The only annoying things are all of the switchbacks on the way up and many slow people as you get further up the hill. We made good time on the way up and were walking through the tunnel in less than an hour. Then it was a climb up some stairs before we got to some of the viewpoints. It was pretty busy at the top, but we found some room to enjoy the view. It was a relatively clear, sunny day, and the views are still very much worth the walk.

After taking our time at the top, it was a walk through the crater, down some steps in an old building, and then back down the switchbacks. Instead of walking the whole way back again, we decided to wait for the bus which in an annoying and surprising change of events to every other bus we got, was early and we watched it drive away unawares that it was the one we were planning to get on Google maps. We had to wait a while for the next one, but we still got back to the hotel with plenty of time to shower and change before checking out.

Mom and dad were getting a flight at a similar time to us, so they picked us up and everyone was ready to head to the airport. First, we dropped Hannah off at a hotel for the night before her flight tomorrow and we had to get gas before dropping off the rental car. At the airport, Allan and I helped mom get her bags through customs while dad dropped the car off. Then, it was time to say goodbye and see you later (in like two weeks). We then made our way to our check in desk, got our bags taken care of, and then made our way to the gate to begin our journey to the Big Island.Læs mere