Hello to all of our faithful followers. We traveled to Daytona Beach and had a wonderful visit with our friends.We made the river trip down to the Gulf of Mexico with them. We traveled off and on with these two couples from the first of Sep…
Tag Archives | trawlers
#64 Springtime in O’ahu
Crazy to say, but the season is definitely changing. Winter is giving way to spring providing an occasional taste of how predictably glorious summer boating will be in Hawaii. Debbie and I have been busy with guests and some travel commitments, but are now ready to get back at it. Our goal is to explore the whole state, land and sea. After spending some time cruising around this island, I’m convinced Eliana is perfectly suited for Hawaiian waters and anchorages. I’m working through a couple modifications to our routine which I’ll report on later. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy a few of our day trips on land! Remember to click on photos you want to enlarge. Several are hard to see the detail unless you do.
Meet Hale’iwa. I named her after the town, pronounced “Holly Eva”, or just Holly for short. She has been a welcome, permanent addition to Eliana’s bridge. I’ve noticed she is happily agreeable to everything I say!
The small town of Nanakuli in the distance.
Hale’iwa
Wintertime on the North Shore is beautiful and spectacular. Winter waves can be gargantuan. It’s a surfer’s paradise unless the wind is also blowing hard, then it gets too dangerous. A narrow two lane highway follows the pristine coastline all the way around. Other than a couple of isolated developments, the North Shore is still rural and beautiful.
As we drove northeast up state route 99, Kamehameha Highway, we crossed the fertile O’ahu central plateau. Then as we crested a slight rise from high elevation, a view emerged of blue sea to infinity and what appears to be a frothing white band separating water from land. Soon we arrived in historic Hale’iwa. “Hale” means house in the Hawaiian language and “iwa means Frigatebird. Don’t ask, it’s a long story.
Hale’iwa is nestled at the intersection of Anahulu River and Waialua Bay. The original hotel is long gone, but the town is quaint with B & B’s, restaurants and a few friendly residents. The landmark to look for is the Rainbow Bridge which crosses the Anahulu River.
Hale’iwa Joe’s is situated right at the small harbor and serves some of the best fish around.
The famous double arch “Rainbow Bridge” crossing the Anahulu River.
Some big waves, too messy to surf or swim due to wind.
The beaches were closed.
Diamond Head
Overlooking Waikiki is Diamond Head mountain. We love to hike, and Diamond Head boasts the most visitors each year due to it’s proximity to the tourist district. We went up just to say we did it and came away more impressed than we expected. We arrived by car through a tunnel leading to the volcano’s crater where the hike begins.
Diamond Head was the last active volcano of O’ahu, most think about 100,000 years ago. It’s only about a mile up the trail, with the summit at 761’ over the ocean and Waikiki.
The bonus for me was the artillery batteries built into the volcano rim. Apparently these were put in about 1910 for defense of Honolulu Harbor. There are a total of 5 bunker levels making up the total fire control station. They are almost invisible when viewed from the ground, but artillery would have excellent range. You have to hike through a 225’ tunnel, then up 99 steps before entering the service tunnel on the lowest of the five bunkers. Very interesting.
The view of Honolulu from the rim of Diamond Head.
Artillery bunkers were almost invisible from a distance, but offered a clear shot across the leeward shore of O’ahu.
Diamond Head lighthouse is the main navigational aid approaching Honolulu. Just beyond the reef we saw Humpback whales cavorting in the water.
Manoa Falls
I may have already mentioned O’ahu’s annual rainfall ranges from less than 10” / year on the Southwest side of the island, up to 280” / year in the Ko’olau mountain range on the eastern side. It’s no surprise that just north of the desert like Diamond Head is the lush Manoa Valley. Within 10 minutes of driving, we were amazed at the change in climate from arid to rainforest.
Centered in the beautiful Manoa valley is the University of Hawaii’s flagship Manoa campus. The town is also well known for its marketplace and farmers market since much of it is richly vegetated and has a history of sugar cane, coffee and produce of all kinds.
The head of the valley is defined by Manoa Stream which begins at the 160’ Manoa Falls. I thought it would be interesting to hike up the trail to the falls, maybe a mile and a half in. Wow, the rainforest was beautiful and appropriately was raining the whole time. I got back with muddy shoes, but invigorated.
U of H, Manoa Campus.
The trailhead going up to Manoa Falls.
The trail is very muddy from rain.
The 160′ Manoa Falls at the head of the valley.
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet
Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, Aloha Stadium puts on a swap meet completely encircling the stadium. It’s unbelievable, really. Venders line two sides of a track that seems to go on forever. These are the best deals in Hawaii on everything from Ukelele’s to Kava Root. The facility works perfectly because it has all the stadium parking adjacent, and restrooms just inside the stadium doors. Weather’s almost always nice!
Beautiful Aloha Stadium
Prospect trying out a Ukelele.
Woven wind chimes hand made entirely of shells. They were pretty neat.
Hawaiian fabrics. Debbie liked this one to make a table cloth.
Before Signing Off
We would like to thank you for following our blog. If you have questions or comments, I encourage you to follow the links below directly to our web site to post. I try to answer all questions and appreciate having your comments permanently attached.
Rick Heiniger
N7617 Eliana
Lying: Ko Olina Marina, Kapolei, HI
Mileage: 11,198 Nautical Miles
#64 Springtime in O’ahu
Crazy to say, but the season is definitely changing. Winter is giving way to spring providing an occasional taste of how predictably glorious summer boating will be in Hawaii. Debbie and I have been busy with guests and some travel commitments, but are now ready to get back at it. Our goal is to explore the whole state, land and sea. After spending some time cruising around this island, I’m convinced Eliana is perfectly suited for Hawaiian waters and anchorages. I’m working through a couple modifications to our routine which I’ll report on later. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy a few of our day trips on land! Remember to click on photos you want to enlarge. Several are hard to see the detail unless you do.
Meet Hale’iwa. I named her after the town, pronounced “Holly Eva”, or just Holly for short. She has been a welcome, permanent addition to Eliana’s bridge. I’ve noticed she is happily agreeable to everything I say!
The small town of Nanakuli in the distance.
Hale’iwa
Wintertime on the North Shore is beautiful and spectacular. Winter waves can be gargantuan. It’s a surfer’s paradise unless the wind is also blowing hard, then it gets too dangerous. A narrow two lane highway follows the pristine coastline all the way around. Other than a couple of isolated developments, the North Shore is still rural and beautiful.
As we drove northeast up state route 99, Kamehameha Highway, we crossed the fertile O’ahu central plateau. Then as we crested a slight rise from high elevation, a view emerged of blue sea to infinity and what appears to be a frothing white band separating water from land. Soon we arrived in historic Hale’iwa. “Hale” means house in the Hawaiian language and “iwa means Frigatebird. Don’t ask, it’s a long story.
Hale’iwa is nestled at the intersection of Anahulu River and Waialua Bay. The original hotel is long gone, but the town is quaint with B & B’s, restaurants and a few friendly residents. The landmark to look for is the Rainbow Bridge which crosses the Anahulu River.
Hale’iwa Joe’s is situated right at the small harbor and serves some of the best fish around.
The famous double arch “Rainbow Bridge” crossing the Anahulu River.
Some big waves, too messy to surf or swim due to wind.
The beaches were closed.
Diamond Head
Overlooking Waikiki is Diamond Head mountain. We love to hike, and Diamond Head boasts the most visitors each year due to it’s proximity to the tourist district. We went up just to say we did it and came away more impressed than we expected. We arrived by car through a tunnel leading to the volcano’s crater where the hike begins.
Diamond Head was the last active volcano of O’ahu, most think about 100,000 years ago. It’s only about a mile up the trail, with the summit at 761’ over the ocean and Waikiki.
The bonus for me was the artillery batteries built into the volcano rim. Apparently these were put in about 1910 for defense of Honolulu Harbor. There are a total of 5 bunker levels making up the total fire control station. They are almost invisible when viewed from the ground, but artillery would have excellent range. You have to hike through a 225’ tunnel, then up 99 steps before entering the service tunnel on the lowest of the five bunkers. Very interesting.
The view of Honolulu from the rim of Diamond Head.
Artillery bunkers were almost invisible from a distance, but offered a clear shot across the leeward shore of O’ahu.
Diamond Head lighthouse is the main navigational aid approaching Honolulu. Just beyond the reef we saw Humpback whales cavorting in the water.
Manoa Falls
I may have already mentioned O’ahu’s annual rainfall ranges from less than 10” / year on the Southwest side of the island, up to 280” / year in the Ko’olau mountain range on the eastern side. It’s no surprise that just north of the desert like Diamond Head is the lush Manoa Valley. Within 10 minutes of driving, we were amazed at the change in climate from arid to rainforest.
Centered in the beautiful Manoa valley is the University of Hawaii’s flagship Manoa campus. The town is also well known for its marketplace and farmers market since much of it is richly vegetated and has a history of sugar cane, coffee and produce of all kinds.
The head of the valley is defined by Manoa Stream which begins at the 160’ Manoa Falls. I thought it would be interesting to hike up the trail to the falls, maybe a mile and a half in. Wow, the rainforest was beautiful and appropriately was raining the whole time. I got back with muddy shoes, but invigorated.
U of H, Manoa Campus.
The trailhead going up to Manoa Falls.
The trail is very muddy from rain.
The 160′ Manoa Falls at the head of the valley.
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet
Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, Aloha Stadium puts on a swap meet completely encircling the stadium. It’s unbelievable, really. Venders line two sides of a track that seems to go on forever. These are the best deals in Hawaii on everything from Ukelele’s to Kava Root. The facility works perfectly because it has all the stadium parking adjacent, and restrooms just inside the stadium doors. Weather’s almost always nice!
Beautiful Aloha Stadium
Prospect trying out a Ukelele.
Woven wind chimes hand made entirely of shells. They were pretty neat.
Hawaiian fabrics. Debbie liked this one to make a table cloth.
Before Signing Off
We would like to thank you for following our blog. If you have questions or comments, I encourage you to follow the links below directly to our web site to post. I try to answer all questions and appreciate having your comments permanently attached.
Rick Heiniger
N7617 Eliana
Lying: Ko Olina Marina, Kapolei, HI
Mileage: 11,198 Nautical Miles
#64 Springtime in O’ahu
Crazy to say, but the season is definitely changing. Winter is giving way to spring providing an occasional taste of how predictably glorious summer boating will be in Hawaii. Debbie and I have been busy with guests and some travel commitme…
#64 Springtime in O’ahu
Crazy to say, but the season is definitely changing. Winter is giving way to spring providing an occasional taste of how predictably glorious summer boating will be in Hawaii. Debbie and I have been busy with guests and some travel commitme…
We’re landlubbers "on the dirt"……………
Tide Hiker has sold! A thorough cleaning and minor fixing, an extensive marketing campaign (including a comprehensive on-line description) coupled with unending time commitments to telephone and email inquiries and personal tours …
East Coast of Florida
This was one of the towns that we anchored near, Cocoa Beach. It is a charming little town with very interesting and unique shops. This next picture is the beautiful park at the waterfront of the Intercoastal Waterway.We had a great time wa…
S&B’s theory of Extended Deckhead Bashing.
Recently we’ve been engaging in the process of using stuff up.Turns out the white pine floorboards that got re-milled into deckhead planks have gone a bit further than I thought. They now line the bedroom, forward accommodation and lately this part o…
The songs of birds
Have you ever just stopped looked and listened around at your surroundings? Since the beginning of 2012 the Summer Wind has been safely docked behind a private home in South Florida. Each morning we open the windows wide and listen to the var…
Strahan and Gordon River
King Island was in our wake and the waypoint to Three Hummock Island was 65nm away. At 4.45pm that afternoon our path crossed with the one that we had made on the 28/2/2009 at 12 midday. We let out a cheer and congratulations to Us!!!! Yippee!! This was the unofficial/official point that we mark as our Complete Circumnavigation of Australia. From here on we will be crossing our tracks!!!!
Friends, Dannielle and Alyn, Lets Go, had left Lake Macquarie on Boxing Day to come and help us celebrate and cruise Tasmania with us. They were on shore when we rounded the point with the caretakers of Three Hummock Island, Beverley and John and we were given a Hip Hip Hooray!!!! Also another yacht in the bay Bass Voyager, Michael and Caitlan extended their congratulations. Happy Hour was on Opal Lady and all came to celebrate with us. Danny and Beverley gave a speech and we accepted a beautiful certificate from Lets Go! We made our start and finish point Hobart as there would be more opportunity to celebrate! How wrong!!
With winds expected to increase tomorrow we had to do a circumnavigation of Three Hummocks just to stay safe. As the westerly was due early in the morning we shifted around to the east coast and anchored in East Telegraph Bay until the predicted SE came in that afternoon, we shifted early to avoid the 30-40 knt winds. Anchored in Shark Bay, just east of the North West Cape. Lets Go were near us but they apparently had broken sleep all night as they were watching the anchor. We sheltered here for 2 nights before heading south.
We timed the tide beautifully to enter Hunter Passage and via Bird Island then passed The Doughboys and Cape Grim close enough to see the wind farms high on the cliff. We used the notes from the RYCT Anchorage Guide 2007. Excellent source of information.
We anchored in Ann Bay for the night, whilst Lets Go continued through the night to Strahan, arriving at 12.30pm. We entered Hells Gates at 6pm and anchored in Strahan at 7.50pm.
Strahan has all the services needed for small provisioning. It’s a lovely small fishing port that is really the tourist gateway to the Gordon River. Seaplanes take off and land right in the harbour and the large tourist catamarans depart daily for the trip to Sarah Island (where you can hear the stories of the convicts who logged the Huon Pine for shipbuilding), Hells Gates and up the Gordon River to view the magnificent World Heritage Area wilderness.
Strahan was also the 1980’s base for one of the most significant environmental campaigns in history – the successful battle to save the Franklin River.
We had a crayfish dinner with Danny and Al and spent a few days re-provisioning and preparing for our trip up the Gordon River. Quite a few stories can be told of our antics in Strahan. Ask the boys about Bananas ??? Or Danny and I about our weather briefing????
Above: Danny and I enjoying Cocktails from the bar, high on the hill above Strahan whilst the boys found Bananas!!!!
On the Sunday we arrived inshore by 8am to depart by bus for Queenstown. There we boarded the West Coast Wilderness Railway for the 35k journey that follows the route once travelled by trains carrying copper from rich Queenstown mines to the port at Strahan.
Travelling aboard original steam locomotives and coaches, we crossed high trestle bridges over river gorges thick with rainforest and stopped at restored original stations along the line. Knowledgeable local guides revealed the railway’s rich heritage throughout our journey. The faithfully reconstructed line features a unique Abt rack-and-pinion section on the 1:16 inclines and steep grades and is a testimony to the skill of pioneers who hand carved this railway from the wilderness over 100 years ago.
We enjoyed delicious refreshments aboard the train and with tickets for the Premier Carriage, indulged in fine cool-climate wines, fresh local pastries and Tasmanian cheeses accompanied by excellent cabin service. With only 8 people in first class that day we were certainly treated well, this is the second time we have done this trip First Class and it is highly recommended. Mind you we did have a few stares as we rolled off the train at Strahan and walked back around the bay with our bags in hand picking fresh blackberries on the way!! Alan and Alyn were looking forward to fresh Blackberry Pies for dessert!
We purchased our National Park Pass before leaving Strahan and it was a 5 hour trip across Macquarie Harbour and up the Gordon River 5nm to Heritage Landing, timed perfectly to arrive when the tourists boats had left. We knew we would need to depart tomorrow before 10am. We tied to the landing first and Lets Go treated us like a big fender and rafted up. We enjoyed the walk through the rainforest along the boardwalks.
Next day, a further 13nm upstream we tied to the old timbers of Warners Landing. We stayed here for 3 nights, took the tinny up as far as we could go, passing through several sets of rapids all with lines dragging in the water. The Gordon River is well known for it’s reflections and it did not disappoint. Danny and Al followed in their tender and we had a beautiful picnic lunch at the junction of the Gordon and Franklin Rivers.
The fishing payed off and we caught several trout as well as a 5lb and 3lb one, Alan also caught a 9lb Atlantic Salmon, he was very happy.
The weather window to head south was opening up for the next weekend, so we reluctantly headed back down the river and anchored at St Ledgers Point. Early next morning we ventured off in the tinny to explore the forgotten settlement of East Pillinger. Here we looked around the remains of the old town and its equipment, including the remains of riveted steam boilers and the skeleton of some brick kilns that supplied not only Pillinger but also Strahan and Queenstown.
On our way back we enjoyed catching small Australian Salmon off the point!
Back to Opal Lady housekeeping and maintenance, since leaving the power lead connection on the wharf at Currie Hbr we have experienced a low battery alarm in the pilothouse at somewhere around 4am each morning, very annoying. I turned the genset on and it stopped! By using our Battery Tester we figured out the Electronics battery was dead! Before we left Strahan Alan bought a new one from the service station and installed it. Problem sorted!
