Next to The Spitting Cave, the Ka’ena point hike was my second-favourite feature of Oahu. While the rest of the family spent the day (the last for the Oregon contingent) snorkeling the North Shore, I went in for this somewhat rugged, seriously spectacular (what turned out to be) eleven-mile jaunt.
Ka’ena is the western-most point of the island, accessible either from the east or from the south, only by foot. The terrain ranges from majestic Palis…
…to roaring, roiling surf pounding the rocky shore…
…to a beautiful desolation one might term “moonscape-ish”…
…to (believe it or not) dunes.
Met a guy, at the point itself, who was that day traversing the penultimate leg of a ten-mile project to hike every inch of the Oahu coastline. Not sure why it should have taken so long, but that leaves as his final leg the one I had just completed (which was, natch, the first patch of Oahuan coast I’d ever trod). Go figure.
But mostly, do go up to the northwestern corner of the island and give this one a shot. You’ll be glad you did.