Nuuanu Pali: Likeke Falls and The Notches

Nuuanu Pali: Likeke Falls and The Notches

Posted to OHE on 7 March 2001 by Kirby Young

I was in town for two weeks visiting my mother, but am only now getting off my butt to write about it. Following a bad cold of one week I used Wednesday, Feb. 21, for a recovery hike of sorts by walking down the Old Pali Highway to the small waterfall near the base of the Nuuanu Pali Lookout. This was a first for me, as I'd never walked more than about 1/4 mile from the Lookout.

At about 10 AM I negotiated my way around a phalanx of five tourist buses to begin my walk under a nearly cloudless blue sky and light breezes. After about 3/4 mile, I passed the old hairpin turn, stepped down beneath the new Pali Highway, and continued descending back towards the base of the Nuuanu Pali. I soon passed several highway pillars adorned with graffiti art showing a clown face and a scary skull.

Where the Old Pali Highway connects to the apex of closed A'uola Road, I turned left onto the obscure beginning of the Likeke Trail and, crossing over a low ridge, descended through a dark forest to join a cobblestone right-of-way. Turning left at a junction to follow the Likeke trail up for a couple of minutes, I came to a refreshing waterfall already adorned by a 4-person eco-tour. Perching on a rock, I could look out and see Kaneohe Bay and the distant pointed peaks of Ohulehule and Kanehoalani.

I continued on the Likeke trail to a large clearing where I could look up at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout and the mighty pali fronting Lanihuli. I caught up with two people looking for Jackson Chameleons and met Ronny, who described a nearby platform as the site of a ranch house ruin. Ronny mentioned he parks at the golf course to reduce the chance of auto vandalism. I eventually retraced the Old Pali Highway steadily upward until I reached the Lookout and my car 20-30 minutes later.

The Notches

Having a hankering for more walking, I headed up the ridge on the Konahuanui side. I emerged onto an open ridge with a precipitous 300'+ drop to the Old Highway below. Higher up, I encountered a pair of hikers who related that after passing a couple of "notches" in the ridge, they reached a point where it was "essentially impossible to go further," likely a vertical nose guarding the ascent to the main mass of Konahuanui.

I continued up to a level point where the ridge drops vertically and exhilaratingly on the windward side for 600+ feet. Walking toward Konahuanui brought me to the first notch, a significant 12-foot drop requiring serious scrambling down good rock. Ten yards further, I was confronted with a second notch—a much more formidable obstacle with a drop of over 15 feet of near-vertical crumbling rock.

As rain began to fall, I decided to get back past the first notch before the rock and dirt became dangerously slick. These notches are mentioned in Stuart Ball's hiker guide as being used by ancient Hawaiians for lookout posts. While the imposing rock band on Konahuanui may make it nearly impossible to reach the summit from the Lookout, these "little" notched obstructions are certainly significant obstacles.

Next up... Kamaile'unu is forever...

Kirby