Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Trail

Last week Evie and I enjoyed another hike with Hiking with Keiki. This time we went to the Kawai Nui Marsh and were given a guided tour of the Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Trail (don't ask me how to pronounce any of this!). The name of the trail translates to "The Rocks of the Hauwahine" and the area itself is 12-acres of volcanic rock formations that is currently being replanted with native Hawaiian plants. The tour was given by a member of the Ahahui Malamaika i ka Lokahi (Hawaiians for the Conservation of Native Ecosystems) and consisted of a couple trails, hills, marsh, and beautiful views of Kailua and the Maunawilli mountain ridge.

Trailhead

We met up at the trailhead, which is on a busy road off of a major highway. The only parking was gravel on the shoulder of this busy road, so it was a bit dangerous getting out and crossing with the children. Future projects for the group and site include putting in a parking area for tourists and hikers.

We met our guide at a small, shaded area, and after everyone in the group signed-in for the hike, we left. I had a hard time hearing everything he was saying because Evie wanted to get going on the trail, but I think I caught a lot of the interesting stuff. We started with a steep incline that I had to carry Evie for- guess she's not quite ready for steep hikes just yet. The sun was blazing overhead but luckily we stopped at a set of benches underneath a tree, and we had a few minutes to snack, hydrate, and rest. The guide pointed out Kawai Nui Marsh, which is at the base of the land we hiked. Right now, volunteers are excavating non-native plants from this marsh and planting native species. Progress is currently at a halt as the water levels are up to chin-level from the recent rains.

Next, we traveled downhill to great views of the marsh and the Maunawilli mountains to the south.

The peak to the left of center is actually what's left of a volcano that created the valley we were hiking in. The mountains behind that separate the windward side of the island from Pearl Harbor.

Next, we hiked around several rock formations that were significant to ancient Hawaiians (why, I don't know. Evie was not interested in this part, so I didn't get to listen). We were able to touch a carving stone, which was very smooth from where Hawaiians had used it to sharpen tools and weapons hundreds of years ago. Next to that was a "classroom", as the guide called it (pictured below). It was a series of rocks set into a hillside. The central rock was a basin that held water, and Hawaiians were able to teach and learn about astronomy through the night sky's reflection in the pool. The hillside had a perfect view east, and the sunrise was noted for every day of the year and rocks were placed accordingly on the hillside, so that the summer and winter solstice could be identified using the rocks and sunrise. This is the little I heard while chasing Evie, but it was very interesting.

We were nearing noon, which meant hungry  kids and incredibly hot temperatures. I had a chance to chat with the guide on our way back to the trailhead (as Evie was now leading the hike and we were following), and he said this is one of the hottest summers on the island that he can remember, and he's been here 45 years! He said it's lack of tradewinds due to global warming that has the temperatures so high with no relief. It certainly has been much hotter this summer versus last.

Evie and I had a good time on this quick, guided trail, and we look forward to our next hiking adventure!