Hanauma Bay Toilet Bowl

Toilet Bowl

Posted to OHE on 21 July 2014 by Wing C Ng

Have not done the Toilet Bowl for probably 20 years. Since it poured on Sat. night, I figure this might be a good dry place to go.

Completely correct. Did not seem to have rained one drop. Parked at the pay parking lot for $1, plenty of parking. If you go down the beach, it's $7.50 each for tourists, none for locals. We decide to go the end of the parking lot to find a way to go down.

Fierce, prominent signs are there, saying no trespassing, $500 fine. Similar signs exist on the ocean side of Diamond Head, but there was no $ amount mentioned there, and so this is considered more ominous. However there is no apparent enforcement, and I chose a path where I can plausibly claim "I didn't see the sign" and went down.

There seems to be a gulch on the left, and so that is likely the site of the famous scenic spot of Toilet Bowl. Went down to gulch, and it's a vertical cliff of at least 30 feet. Backtracked slightly and there is a platform across, and some visible swath on the other side. So did just that, picked our way up the swath, and after a bit of clearing, emerged on a wide open jeep road.

Followed that jeep road down towards ocean. Could see big sign at the ocean's edge. But veered right to observe the gulch, and sure enough, there is view of the famous Toilet Bowl, still surging with ocean water as it's been doing for eons.

On previous excursions, which I did several times at least 20 years ago, the footpaths were crawling with hikers, and the Toilet Bowl was also crawling with swimmers. I was appalled that we saw not one soul during our entire adventure.

Govt. is the enemy of enjoyment of Nature. The $500 is surely a mighty deterrent. I suspect that swimmers probably got to Toilet Bowl via the end of the shoreline of Hanauma Bay itself. There must be some similar signs ensuring that NO ONE dares to get to Toilet Bowl these days.

The current HTMC newsletter states that Bishop Estate requires HTMC to sign a contract binding its members from sharing any info on the internet on various hikes B.E. allows HTMC to access. I am surprised to see Koko Crater. As far as I know, K.C. is owned by Govt., probably City & County. Inside the crater is a Botanical Garden that's clearly C&C. B.E. is of course the arch-enemy of enjoyment of Nature. Two easy hikes to the top of Koolau are totally enclosed, Auschwitz style.

I did have a plan when I descended from the parking lot: I noticed an easy ridge rising on the other side of the Toilet Bowl Gulch that reaches the highway, and so we looked at the Big Sign (list of things people may not do), and admired the huge waves (strong winds aftermath of tropical storm) smashing the rocky shores, before we picked our way up this gentle ridge.

Did reach the highway, and we came down the Hanauma road. A little ways down there is paved steps on the left that goes to the parking lot as shortcut. We took that paved path, and I am surprised Govt. expended money to make that path, that seems to facilitate hikers going from parking lot to Toilet Bowl by way of that gentle ridge like we did when we returned.

-Wing