Wailua Headwaters

I wish we knew what the Hawaiians called this place at the foot of Mount Waialeale and Kawaikini, now called the Blue Hole. That name was invented recently by haoles, but I don’t like it because it’s inaccurate and not lyrical. Nor is it the Waialeale Crater, as another purist points out, because it was not the site of an eruption, though it may be the gorge that has eroded out from under the crater.

To further complicate matters, people are starting to call the terminal cliff a “weeping wall,” which is just too lyrical.

Whatever it’s called, it’s a very unique place where a river springs forth at the bottom of a cliff 3000 feet (roughly 1000 m) straight down from the highest point on the island and carves a deep but short canyon out into the eastern lowlands. It’s also a very difficult hike combining 2 miles of slippery boulder hopping and 1 mile of difficult route finding. But it’s always an incredible trek, and I finally took a camera on this hike to share the experience. But first …

WARNING: crossing rivers, boulder-hopping, and swimming in waterfalls are dangerous activities. Rivers can flood quickly and may sweep you away easily or to trap you on the other side. Waterfalls sometimes carry rocks and branches with fatal consequences and the nearby cliffs are unstable. Hiking where there is no trail is also dangerous due to steep slopes and drop-offs. Exercise caution and proceed at your own risk.

For this hike, you’ll need tabis, felt-soled shoes sold at fishing supply stores. The best kind are the black and gray kind that look like little boots–the green sock-like ones are too flimsy. Other water shoes may work but will all slip to some extent on the wet and slimy rocks.

The forest road from the Wailua arboratum ends at the weir at the entrance to the gorge. From there, you just follow the river, alternatively hopping over boulders and walking in the water. Sometimes, there are little side trails in the forest, mostly on the right side as you make your way upstream.

As you progress, you get the feeling you’re entering a very special place, isolated from all the rest of Kauai.

While the forest road passed through groves of replanted foreign trees, a lot of the vegetation here is native, starting with the colorful ‘ohia lehua. I don’t know if it’s true that picking its flowers brings rain, but I do know I didn’t pick them and I didn’t have rain. After what seems like a long time, you reach the first waterfall on the river. Up until now, you’ve seen a few waterfalls on the side walls, but now you have to start climbing over and around them. And you’re only one third of the way there, the easy third.

But what a waterfall it is, with two streams falling into the same pool, and a third flowing in from a narrow gorge, off to the left not visible in the picture below. I call this the three-way convergence, but I’d be open to a better name. The right-most waterfall is fed by the falls you can see above it.

After climbing over the first waterfall, you follow the middle stream of the convergence, which is actually a sidestream to the main stream that carved the gorge. It has some nice little pools and falls of its own, as it collects various runoff coming down the wall to the right side. As you climb over these falls, you get a view of the main waterfall feeding this stream from the top. At around 300 feet, it is probably the most prominent waterfall in the whole gorge.

Now you leave the side-stream and begin the last third of the hike, climbing over several small ridges towards the back wall. From the first ridge, you get a great view of the inner gorge (above). Looking backwards (below) you can see a 4-tiered waterfall, the one that fed the rightmost falls at the 3-way convergence. This picture also shows one of the helicopters that came in to hover for a few seconds and fly back out.

Over another ridge and you can finally see the destination of this adventure, the springs at the back wall that are the headwaters of the Wailua river.

As we finally got close, we had a single ray of sunlight shine on the waterfall making it sparkle.

Of course, I had to go up and touch the back wall, as far as you can go upstream. It just boggles the mind to think that this is probably the oldest rock that you can touch in Hawaii (unless you have a permit to access the Northwestern Hawaiian islands). I like to stand there and imagine a timelapse movie of the rock’s existance: erupted and solidified when the island was half as old as the Big Island is now, covered over by thousands of layers, laying beneath a mountain until tremors and water carried away half the mountain to the lowlands. All that and the rock is only 4-6 million years old, the blink of an eye on the geological scale of the contients.

Also, you can now see the scale of these falls, which are about 40 feet high and 80 feet wide. Most of the water comes from springs above the nearest ledge, some from springs higher up, and a small trickle from all the way at the top of the mountains. Looking up, you can almost see the top, at least the top of the drainage coming from near the summit.

On the hike back, I was less distracted by the waterfalls and focused on the faint path that led over the ridges. It was easy to get lost in places, but the occasional trail blazer proved to be reliable.

Even so, the worn path is not easy, here going up a very steep incline with only a few hand and footholds. More dangerously, the path crossed above some small gorges on tiny ledges half hidden by vegetation.

Finally, if anyone knows of the Hawaiian name for the Wailua gorge and back wall, please share it because I would love that it be reinstated. “Headwaters” translates as Waipo’o, which is the name of the waterfall at the head of Waimea canyon, I doubt it’s just coincidence that both languages have the same imagery.

The fine print: The information and photos in this article are for illustrative purposes. For example, some photos are taken from side trails, so you can’t rely on them to find a route. If you do not have extensive off-trail and backcountry experience, please find a local guide or hike on a maintained trail.

Backcountry Waterfall

Imagine you’re exploring Kauai’s backcountry and you come across a stream with some little waterfalls:

Source: Eric R.

Tantalizingly, you can see more falls upstream. You follow the stream further, feeling grateful it’s not too steep.

Source: Eric R.

Further yet, and you’ve found a little slice of paradise:

Source: Eric R.

As you can see from the attribution, I didn’t take these pictures, nor I have seen these falls myself. A friend of friend loves to explore all over Kauai and has found some awesome places. He gave me permission to post these images.

Wailua Falls Fenced Off

Every now and then, I like to visit the tourist spots on Kauai, the places locals almost never go anymore. So back in January when I had an hour in Lihue between appointments, I drove to the famous Wailua Falls overlook. The falls were as pretty as ever, with plenty of runoff from the winter rains:

I also discovered the secret to catching the rainbow in the spray below. You have to go when the sun is near the point directly behind your head as you look at the falls. In early January, this happens around noon. In late fall and early winter, the rainbow should still be visible in the morning, but during spring and summer, the sun is in the wrong place. This time, I knew something was different even before I arrived because much of the road to the falls had been repaved. There is still a small section with potholes, and the rest is still narrow and curvy, but it makes the driving much easier. But I wasn’t aware that the State Parks department had entirely rebuilt the lookout area. The parking lot beyond and viewing area haven’t changed that much, but the addition of the rock wall and striping on the road give more security to pedestrians.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that to see the pool below the waterfall, as in the photo above, you need to stand on the wall. I suppose it’s easier to stand on the wall than the old fence, but it would be better if they trimmed the vegetation back instead. Come to think of it, if the State went to all this trouble of fixing the lookout, they should’ve acquired another acre of land nearby and created a small loop with more parking and a physical barrier between the road and the walking area.

Another noticeable difference is the proliferation of warning signs. From the wording on them, they just left the old ones that mention the fence, and added new ones that mention the wall.

You can see in the photo above that there is a fence that begins just to the right of the wall. This fence existed before, and it blocks off an impossibly steep gully that you’d have to be crazy to think you can get down it to the base of the falls.

So far so good, there’s no harm in having more signs, and it may even do some good. But then I started exploring around, as I’m prone to do, and was quickly thwarted.

To the right of the chain link fence is one of the very steep trails down to the waterfall. This is not an official trail, but scores of people have made their way down using directions from the guidebooks. Now, there is a low, temporary-looking fence that runs along the whole area. It doesn’t really keep people out, and indeed the fence is flattened in one spot giving easy access. But it really sends the message that the State Park administration doesn’t want people going to the pool at the base of the falls.

No problem, I think to myself, I prefer the other trail down anyways, it’s more scenic. A 1/4-mile back on the road is a large turnout, now nicely paved with a shiny new guardrail. But the State Parks fenced this whole area off as well, and put up some new signs for good measure. Again, the barrier is more psychological then physical, but it does make the conscientious hiker pause and reconsider.

Just for fun, I went to see the top of the falls instead. I really must emphasize that standing at the top of waterfalls is dangerous, the top of the cliff can be slippery, and trying to cross the river there has deadly consequences if you fall in. But the hole in the old fence was still open, so I went to check it out. This area is more secluded and less interesting than the pool, and there is no real trail. But sure enough, there was a new fence going all the way down to the river and more than enough signs for the State to cover its liability.

Update: A reader wrote to say that the little fences were not present last November when he hiked down to the falls from the turnout. He also makes it sound as if the wall was not built yet either, so all the work was probably done in December 2007.

Opaekaa Falls Trail Still Closed

Paul writes to ask:

We were also hoping to hike to the bottom of Opaeka’a Falls via the short, standard trail/route that starts just upstream of the falls. However, I recently found out that the state closed this trail because two women fell to their deaths from the top late last year. Are folks still using this trail? Is the state serious about enforcing this closure? I have never been a fan of blanket trail closures by the authorities in an attempt to “save competent outdoors folks from ourselves”. Any insight you could provide on the status of the Opaeka’a Falls Trail would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a Honolulu Star Bulletin article about the closure.

The public land around Opaeka’a Falls is still closed by special decree of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Personally, I feel the closure is unwarranted, though I have been too busy to address my concerns to the state or even to blog about it. I don’t know what it would take to get it open again. When it was open, it wasn’t even a real trail and certain sections are hazardous, I guess it was just too close to the road and too easy for non-experienced hikers to get into dangerous situations.

The photo above shows the fence and signs that the state installed all along the trailhead area (with a memorial to the women—click to enlarge). I have seen state rangers there enforcing the closure, and I assume fining the people they find. However, looking at these photos I took a while ago, there is no mention that the area is off limits. I have heard that residents nearby, for whatever reason, report cars parked there, so you don’t have much of a chance of sneaking in.

I think the DLNR made a big mistake installing the fence. It is obviously easy to hop over or go around. If you went around on the left side, you’d end up on the right trail. But if you went around on the right side as it looks possible to do in the photo above, you would find yourself on the steep slope with slippery vegetation that is precisely the spot where the women fell to their deaths.

One website I found suggests hiking to the falls from the bottom, after kayaking up the Opaekaa stream from the Wailua River. I have paddled up there, but the stream is blocked by trees in a way that seems to make it impossible to just get out and walk. There may be a way to hack through or maybe land elsewhere and walk up, but I haven’t found it.

Kaapoko Tunnel Hike (part 2)

Read the beginning in part 1.

Most people have heard there’s a second tunnel, but its wherabouts are not very clear. The Ultimate Guide barely mentions it, and some think that the curvy parts of the first tunnel count as the second. Others correctly conclude it lies on the other side of the Hanalei river, but don’t know where to look. The first time I did this tunnel hike, I started too late to even go looking for it. This time, my friend Adam and I were determined to find it.

So let me repeat my disclaimer warning, and then follow me:

WARNING: hiking off-trail, crossing rivers, and entering abandoned tunnels are dangerous activities. Unmaintained use-trails have many hazards including eye-level sticks, slippery mud, drop-offs concealed by vegetation, and more. Rivers can flood quickly to trap you on the other side. Waterfalls sometimes carry rocks with fatal consequences. Never free-climb volcanic rock because it is unstable. Take plenty of water (or a water filter), don’t forget your flashlight, and turn around to return before dark. Exercise caution and proceed at your own risk.

Across from the house-sized boulder on the Hanalei River, look for a use trail up onto the river bank. Walk past two distinctive clumps of bamboo (I’m starting to think that hunters plant it for sticks), and on up into some really dense grasses (Job’s Tears, actually). The trail really gets lost in here. If you bear left towards the sound of the river, you’ll come out near this waterfall. It is in fact the weir that used to catch some river water and channel it into the first tunnel.

Again, find a use trail that heads away from the river and up the bank. At one point, you’ll be on a ledge over a big drop-off to your left, half-hidden by vegetation–I think that is the ditch or channel coming out of the second tunnel. Alternatively, if you bear right in the Job’s Tears, you should find a use trail that will also lead to this cement wall without the danger of the drop-off. The ladder is on top of the wall and takes you down into a water and grass-filled ditch.

Inside the second tunnel, the roof was lower and the water was deeper than the first. The average height is around five feet, meaning you have to walk completely hunched over for 3/4 mile (1.2 km) each way. The water is about a foot deep (30 cm) or calf-height at the beginning. It also has a mucky bottom, and I was glad to have the tabis (they soak through, but they don’t let mud in).

I had also heard there were some obstacles that caused some to turn back, although one source pointed out that the rockfall was old and implicitly stable. Not very reassuring, but that was in fact the case. As shown in this photo, the fallen rocks have been piled on the side of the tunnel, and the path snakes easily through the piles. I did not see any evidence of fresh rockfall.

The rockfall, however, raised the floor of the tunnel so the water in the middle third of this tunnel is deeper and muckier. You have to walk a long ways in 2-foot ( 65cm) deep water, and it’s cold, which almost gave me cramps. The deepest is around 3 feet (1m) deep, almost waist-deep for me, when you have to climb over the first series of wooden braces. They seem sturdy, but they are obviously holding back more crumbly rocks. The second set of braces are in shallower water already (photo above), and they are easier to step over.

This tunnel is also perfectly straight, so you can see a light the whole way. The tunnel is actually shorter than the first, but the light is fainter because the opening is smaller. I don’t actually remember if there was waterfall at this exit, but I think not. Again, turn left before the exit and the tunnel continues, then it goes up a short slope before really ending. If the TV show “Lost” could get to a place like this, I’m sure they’d be tempted to use it in some strange plot twist. In any case, take note of the exit so you can find it again.

Go straight ahead from the tunnel exit over some rocks to the stream—this is the waterfall you’ve been waiting all day to see. The Ka’apoko stream bounces through a moss-covered cleft in the rock, with water raining down from the overhang.

The overhang is quite impressive, a couple we met this day who also made it through the second tunnel said it reminded them of the cliffs and waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest. The rainfall in this part of the island is probably equivalent.

The constant dripping creates a sort of fern grotto, quite like the more famous one on the Wailua river, only prettier because of the orangish colors and the stream cascading down the rocks.

Climbing up the stream, you can easily reach the waterfall and small pool. The pool looks nice and refreshing, but after walking for so long in the cold water, I didn’t feel like swimming.

We then climbed up a little until we could get a view out of the valley. Here you can see a peak called Kekoiki (2874 ft, 876m) that is part of Mount Namahana, an inaccessible mountain above Kalihiwai (between Kilauea and Princeville). The ridge in between is the one with the Powerline trail, you can barely see some of the white poles in the high-res photo (click photo above).

Back beneath the overhang, we found the entrance to the mythical third tunnel. This one is more roughly-hewn, nowhere near as well-shaped as the other two. It does have 3 windows, as it seems to run parallel to the valley at first.

The tunnel turns left to go under the ridge, but is blocked shortly thereafter by a large rockfall. The rock that has fallen from the ceiling is soft and spongy, not a good material for tunnels. You could climb over it, but the water on the other side is deep and no exit is visible, so my preservation instinct told me to turn around here.

On the way out of the third tunnel, the opening framed the waterfall beautifully.

By then it was 2 pm and time to head back. From the clock on my camera, the second tunnel takes about 30 minutes to walk through. Back at the Hanalei River, we found the trail that takes us straight through the Job’s Tears back to the house-sized boulder. This photo is looking across the river at the side-stream with the pink flags that lead back up to the first tunnel.

The first tunnel is longer but easier and took us just under 30 minutes. Then we put back on our wet pants and wet socks, laced up our muddy boots and faced the mud again. The mud was actually worse than before because we met at least 9 people who had churned it up and trampled the small footholds.

The hike out took us over 2-and-a-half hours, so be sure to save time, energy, water, and snacks for this difficult section. Soon after exiting the tunnel, on the slope down to the big stream, there are some nice views across the eastern lowlands. The closer knob is Hanahanapuni, a small volcanic cone that you drive past on the dirt road. In the distance is Kalepa Ridge and the point above Hanamaulu with the antennas. This area does have cell phone reception because it’s a direct line of sight to the cell tower.

Other Hike Reports

• There are two short YouTube movies (1 and 2) of the Ka’apoko waterfall after the second tunnel.
• Tripadvisor.com has some threads of people asking for information, only this one had useful information. Another one has more details, but the author was confused by the pink trail markers. I found the markers very helpful and, as mentioned above, only lost them in the dense Job’s Tears grass—but don’t rely on them because sometimes the hunters remove them.
• This hike report has some nice photos from the first tunnel, but this photo has me believing they exited early, took the little trail, reentered, and counted that as the second tunnel.
• This review also criticizes the Ultimate Guide for its inadequate description of this trail and its recommendation to wear Tevas.
• Here’s another trip report that also does not recommend open sandals (Tevas) for the mud. He has some photos and an anecdote about a helicopter rescue on this trail.
• This guy was even worse informed: he went with flip-flops and ended up hiking barefoot. To his credit he tried again (twice) and finally made it through. However, he seems to be the source of the misinformation about exiting and reentering the first tunnel instead of following it to the left—do not follow his advice.
• This one has some good pictures, and he obviously found the 3 tunnels, though he counts them differently. However, many of his estimated measurements are inaccurate.
• And finally, just because I love ditch, tunnel, and waterfall hikes, here is another one (and somebody else’s photos) that I found on Madeira, the Portuguese island off the coast of Africa. Most of Hawaii’s Portuguese immigrants came from Madeira because the sugar industry that sponsored them realized they would already be familiar with living on a tropical island. It also seems like they were adept at creating irrigation works, which may explain the genesis of the Kaua’i tunnels in the first place. In any case, Madeira is definitely another beautiful island.