Diamond Head
On one of the days we decided to skip the beach and visit some local attractions.
It was to be a test of the two most unreliable things on the trip so far.
Google Maps and Mrs H’s knee.
We first set off to walk from our hotel to the Ala Moana shops.
It was about 30 minutes in the tropical heat.
From there we would catch a bus to the Moana falls.
After about 20 minutes the bus arrived and when the doors opened it was as though we were wearing caps that said “idiot tourists”.
“Where are you going ?”enquired the driver with a slightly smug look.
“Up to the falls.” I said casually, trying not to sound like a tourist.
“They’re closed.” she replied, then added “...landslide last week. They’ll be closed for a while.”
As the driver closed the doors to the bus I didn’t need to turn around to see Mrs H’s reaction.
I could see in the reflection she wasn’t happy.
Miss H then declared that she needed a loo.
It was a perfectly timed intervention.. the air conditioning of Macy’s across the street took the heat out of Mrs H’s range.
I used the delay and the wifi to plot a new route to Daimond Head.
By now it was around 1pm and the hottest part of the day.
I briefly considered aborting, but then I remembered the rest of the family opted to sleep in that morning.
And by opting to sleep in they were also waiving their option to walk in a cooler part of the day.
So we took the bus to the base of Diamond Head volcano and set off.
To give some perspective to those who haven’t been to Hawaii, this is the view from our new hotel room to Diamond Head:
The volcanic cone only rises 232m above sea level, but it’s incredibly steep and to climb it you must first get into the crater, and walk across the crater floor.
At the ticket booth, Mrs H asked how long it would take.
“45 minutes is the average”, said the ticket lady with a slightly evil look.
Then she put down her bag of chips, looked over the rim of her glasses sizing up Mrs H, and added, “maybe longer.”
It was either an insult or a challenge.
But in that instant I decided that neither Mrs H’s bad knee, nor having a child along for the ride, would stop us.
The Halliday clan would reach the top in 44 minutes or better!
After buying our tickets, we made a tactical error, stopping at the food van in the centre of the crater.
After filling our bellies with an over-priced mango smoothie, I hit the stopwatch and we set off for the climb.
From the start of the path it didn’t look too bad.
Ten minutes later that changed and the inner crater wall suddenly looked steep.
A viewing area about half way up revealed the coastline to the north and a new threat on the horizon.
I thought I heard a rumble of thunder in the distance, but it was just the mango smoothing beginning to curdle in my stomach.
We passed through the dark, 225 foot tunnel inside the crater wall, then climbed more than 100 stairs that were almost as steep as a ladder.
At the top there were five more stairs to a viewing platform which was the highest point.
I grabbed my wrist and hit stop!
41 minutes, 10 seconds.
I clenched my fist and shouted “yes” as though I’d just slammed an ace past Roger Federer.
We took our time to enjoy the view, and our victory.
North west to Waikiki where another storm was brewing.
To the North were mountains with the storm already rolling in.
And when I looked to the south and saw yet another storm, I wondered if we might need the helipad for a quick getaway.
But we made it down safely and without getting wet... that is, if you don’t count the monsoonal downpour of sweat!
As were were leaving I was delighted to see the same woman at the ticket booth.
The chips had been replaced by a can of soft drink.
Humility was a option, but she’d insulted my wife, so I felt I needed to step in.
“41.10” I said, “Better than average.”
Mrs H gave just a hint of a smile, trying to play it cool.
Deep down she’s just as competitive as me.
She hobbled away from her mighty victory and back to the hotel for ice and painkillers.
