“Time flies when you’re having fun” is the old adage and it’s quite accurate isn’t it? Suddenly it was our last full day on Oahu and we were sad that the trip was almost over. I had a half day of lessons scheduled on the North Shore so we headed north that morning and unfortunately had to forgo our usual morning beach walk because I had an early start time.
Scott played Uber driver for me again and hung out and waited in the car while I was teaching at my first location which was Dillingham Ranch. He then took me to nearby Kawailoa Ranch where I had quite a few lessons lined up and wouldn’t be done until a little after lunchtime. He dropped me off and then headed to do a more in depth hike at Ka’ena Point. He had done a quick “reconnaissance” hike there a few days before while I was teaching and he was looking forward to being able to do the full hike this time.
My lessons all went well and were all people that I had met and taught earlier in the week. It was fun to be able to build on what we had worked on previously. I gave everyone “homework assignments” to do after their lessons for continued improvement and talked with several of them about how to reach their Pony Club goals and be successful at their next certification. I fully expect to see this promising batch of riders signed up for national certifications in the upcoming years. One of the rider’s moms got lunch for us all and it was from Seven Brothers where Scott and I had stopped a few days prior. I had a delicious burger and their signature home fries and we all shared some of their famous banana bread that was topped with toasted coconut and chocolate sauce.
Scott picked me up and told me about his Ka’ena Point hike. It was 7.5 miles and it took him about 2.5 hours. The surf was much calmer today although it was still quite windy. When he finally came up on the actual point he encountered a fenced in area that was initially perplexing. It became apparent when he saw some other hikers that entered the enclosed area via a gate that this was a way to protect the wildlife and ground nesting birds from the invasive species (cats, mongoose, etc) that might threaten them. He came across a napping monk seal and chose this spot to stop and eat his lunch. He then exited the western exit of the enclosure to determine if there was another path that went around the point outside the fenced in area. He saw more nesting birds and it was stinky because of their presence. He continued along that trail until he came to a washout and then realized he had missed a spur that went around this impassable area. He took the spur for a bit before calling it quits and turned around since he had to come collect me. On the hike back he saw some off-road vehicles, some people fishing, and a few campers. I was glad that he had been able to do something fun while I worked and I enjoyed hearing about his hike. 
A side note about Ka’ena Point: This is the area where there are no real roads which makes it so that you cannot truly drive around the perimeter of Oahu. We had been on the westernmost edge of the Point the day before when we were exploring that side of the island. I had opened up Google Maps and put in directions for Hale’iwa Town (the nearest town to the east) and it was funny to see that while it was just a few miles away, to reach it via car would require going back into the interior of the island before going back up towards the North Shore. Evidently at one point in the past there was a railway line that ran along the Point to connect Honolulu and Kahuku to transport sugarcane (and later during WW2 troops and supplies), but was destroyed in 1946 by a tsunami. The Ka’ena Point hike parallels the old railroad bed and Scott saw some remnants of the railroad along his way.
Karen and I were scheduled to conduct a “Standards and Certifications” clinic and talk at a dinner on the North Shore hosted by the Hawaii region later in the evening so Scott and I had some time to kill before heading there. We walked right across the street from Kawailoa Ranch to Laniakea Beach, or “Turtle Beach” for some beach time and for hopes of catching a sighting of the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles that are known to hang out there. (Parking was a nightmare here so it was nice that we were able to stay parked at the Ranch and just walk over!) While we didn’t see any turtles, we were able to hammock for a bit, and Scott was able to take a quick swim. It was overcast and chilly at times and we packed up and headed out when rain showers started. We were treated to a brilliant rainbow on our way out. 
We headed north into Hale’iwa Town to explore. We found a surf shop and stopped in and I was floored when Scott said he wanted to check out their swim trunks. This boy hates buying clothes and usually I have to fight him to get him to add anything to his wardrobe, so I was rendered nearly speechless by this declaration. They had quite the selection of board shorts, all on sale, and he got several pairs to try on. As he walked into the dressing room, he turned to me and asked: “So what am I evaluating here when I try them on?” I had to explain to him all the things you’re looking for when you try on a potential new article of clothing such as fit, feel, the general vibe you get from it, etc. Both I and the clerk that was helping us got a laugh out of his inquiry. He found a pair he liked and I found a hat that was calling my name.
We walked through the town some and stopped to watch some locals jumping off the bridge over the Anahulu River. We then drove to the park in town that was right on the beach. I was able to change and get ready for my presentation and dinner that evening. It was now sunset and this was the perfect spot to watch it and we were treated to a stunning light show before we headed to the Standards and Certifications talk.
The talk was well attended and I thought Karen and I did a good job tag-teaming it. I had quickly pulled up some videos on my phone to be able to show examples of riders at the D-1 through A levels and luckily one of the girls that I had taught several times this week was willing to be my tech help and walk me through how to pair my phone and the TV so they could be shown. I used a video of Scott riding Walter from a few years ago as my example of a D2 rider and everyone got a laugh. Normally I am observing Scott do his job since he works from home so this was a fun change of pace for him to be observing me do mine. When it wrapped up we took Karen back with us and dropped her off at her Airbnb since she had returned her borrowed car to its home on the North Shore so we wouldn’t have to do that tomorrow.
Our last day was finally here, and while we were sad about having to leave, we had one last fun half day of adventure planned since our flight wasn’t until that evening. We packed up, said goodbye to our Airbnb that had served as our home during our trip, dropped Karen off at the airport, and then headed just a ways east of Waikiki to hike Diamond Head Crater. Diamond Head Crater is probably the most popular hike on Oahu. You start at the crater floor of the ancient dormant volcano and hike up the paved (and crowded) pathway up to the top of the mountain. It took us a little over an hour and a half to do the 4.5 mile round trip hike. At the top we had 360° views of Honolulu, Waikiki, and the ocean. We got to check out some more of the WW2 era bunkers and it was obvious why this peak was used as a lookout by the military. All in all our consensus of this experience was that it was beautiful but very peopley.
Scott has a serious aversion to paying for parking and we had parked outside the park and walked in. On the way back to our rental car, I as usual was enthralled with all the roaming wild chickens and remarked that it was unusual that we hadn’t seen any nests or eggs, despite the thriving avian population. Scott then reminded me that it was the mother hens that were hiding their eggs, not our mothers hiding them for an Easter morning Easter egg hunt. I suppose he had a point.
We found a pancake house to have lunch at, ate way too much, and remembered why big meals pair poorly with adventure when we felt bloated and lethargic after. We decided to make one more visit to Waikiki Beach for a final hammocking before we had to headed to the airport. Scott jumped in the water for a farewell dip in the Hawaiian surf and we napped and digested. Sadly it was time to pack up and head to the Honolulu airport and we did so reluctantly, not wanting our trip to end. We did one final pack and repack of our stuff so that we were ready to grab our bags and go when we dropped off the rental car, and jettisoned any of the food that wouldn’t be allowed through customs (apples, sandwich meat, etc.). We dropped off the very sandy rental car, having put close to 900 miles on it during our 10 day stay, and headed to our gate. As the plane lifted up over Honolulu we were treated to one final and stunning Honolulu sunset as we bid a hui hou to Oahu.
While “aloha” is used both for greeting and goodbye, A hui hou is used as a form of goodbye. It means “until we meet again,” and I sure hope that is the case because we fell in love with the island and hope to see it again someday.
Epilogue:
Remember when I told you that I had turned down the role of chair of the National Testing Committee back in September? Well, they pleaded with me again in October to serve. Feeling somewhat guilty about accepting the Hawaii certification and trip, in a moment of weakness I accepted. I am now one of the co-chairs of the National Testing Committee which means that Christina K. and I will be the ones leading our fellow examiners, helping rewrite the Standards of Proficiency for the upper level tests during the upcoming revision, conducting the annual national examiner seminar, and putting out the fires and snafus that inevitably pop up during certifications. Wish me luck.
