| Description - More Details |
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The trails of this area are referred to as the Puu Manamana trails because several proximal ridges merge into a sole ridge on which stands the infamous Puu Manamana (1,600-feet) - the most inaccessible peak on Oahu. Any one of these three "do-able" trails can bring you "close" (since they all merge prior to that peak) although the "official" Puu Manamana Trail involves using the Crouching Lion (Kauhi) Trail up then Graveyard Trail down creating a loop. The topography above the small town of Kaaawa is a stunning mash of precipitous cliffs and dike ridges which skyrocket into the clouds. They venture into a relatively small complex of terrain which "bumps" out toward the ocean like a stubby appendage. As previously mentioned, all ridges and cliff faces here, initially about 1.3-mile in width, merge together into a single ridge in a distance of about 1.5-mile. Though they don't reach sustained heights like typical Koolau crest-reaching ridges (i.e. 2,500 feet), the severity of ascent is awesome and the narrowness of these ridgelines are not for the acrophobic! |
| What to Expect - More Details |
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First, the trail slams into the side of the ridge alternating between switchbacks and straight-up scrambles. When you finally top-out onto the ridgeline (approx 500-feet) at an abandoned military bunker you're treated to a windswept and wonderous ocean view above the town of Kaaawa. After enjoying the gentle but narrow, ungraded ridge-walk for about 10 minutes the trail returns to its intense, sometimes-exposed hand-over-hand climb with occasional "level-out" spots. Pass a level, but exposed, vegetation-less, rocky dike section about 1,320-feet up. Shortly after and just before reaching a rather ominous-looking 1,680-foot-high peak the trail veers to the right off the ridgeline. This is the gentle descent along a narrowly-graded path toward Makaua Valley. The trail becomes more enclosed by thick jungle-like foliage and its muddiness significantly increases. At the base of the descent is a small waterfall (about knee-high) and tiny pool (about the size of a large kitchen sink). Makaua Stream is normally just a trickle. The trail to the Kauhi/"Crouching Lion" junction begins immediately after the stream crossing. Be sure to continue upstream about 30 seconds before crossing the stream - don't take the first foot path that enters into view as you near the stream for the first time. Finally, the heavily-overgrown (and little used) ridge spur climbs steadily through thickets of uluhe fronds toward a broader, taller ridge standing above Makaua Valley (opposite of the ridge you just climbed to get into Makaua Valley). About 45 minutes later, this connection ends at a "T"-intersection with the Kauhi/"Crouching Lion" Trail. The trail to the right heads back to Kaaawa (down an extremely precipitous path). To the left is the continuation toward the "Turnover" benchmark (2,027-feet) and a clearing which stands near the junction with the "Graveyard" Trail (which heads down into Kahana Valley) and marks the Puu Manamana trail terminus. |
| Cultural Notes / Hawaiiana |
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The Ancient Lands According to Revised Laws of Hawaii of 1925, the collection of Puu Manamana trails, including Kahekili (Makaua), Crouching Lion (Kauhi), and Graveyard, reside in two ahupuaa's, Kahana and Kaaawa, which comprise the southern tip of the Koolauloa Moku (land district).(3) 1 - Summers, Catherine C., "Koolauloa" Map (1959), Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, 1962. Studies suggest the larger "moku" and smaller "ahupuaa" are congruent to ancient land divisions used hundreds of years ago. See the "Hawaiiana" page for a discussion on district and ahupuaa boundaries. |
| Did you know...? |
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That beautiful valley just south (east, actually) of Kaaawa is called Kaaawa Valley (and sometimes referred to as Kualoa Valley since Kualoa Ranch owns the entire thing!). It is a hidden, often overlooked valley which ironically happens to be one seen by millions of people around the world! This is because Kaaawa Valley is where many notable American movies have been filmed. Most well-known of flicks is "Jurassic Park" while others include "Mighty Joe Young" and "Windtalkers" (2002). The lands of Kaaawa Valley, including Kualoa and Hakipuu and all fishing rights offshore including Mokolii (Chinaman's Hat), were transferred into private hands when King of Hawaii Kamehameha III sold that tract in 1850 to Gerrit P. Judd. Thenceforth, the land remained in the Judd Family, except for a two-decade stretch when the Wilder Plantation existed, until 1927 when the lands became Kualoa Ranch, Ltd. (2) 2 - Ii, John Papa, Fragments of Hawaiian History, Vol. 5, p. 82, Bernice Pauhi Bishop Museum, 1959 |