There are three craters (or, “tuff cones” if you want to be nerdy about it) around Honolulu. The famous and iconic Diamond Head, the infamous Koko Head (notorious for the steep 1,048 step hike) and the lesser known Ka’au Crater. Unlike the first two, you can’t drive up to Ka’au Crater. You gotta hike through a valley just to see it. But, wow, what a hike.

Over the course of 5 hours, you’ll walk through the forest, cross streams, see three waterfalls (scrambling up the side of one of them), find the hidden crater and hike it’s ridgeline.

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Up until a couple weeks ago, I thought the cliff section in Portlock over the spitting cave was called China Wall. Oops. That area is Portlock Point. This (above), is China Wall. It’s just around the corner from the Portlock Point and overlooks a kamikaze style surf break. The view is most amazing at dusk and at this time of year, you can watch the sun set over Diamond Head.

China Wall is one of the most beautiful places on Oahu. Go there to hang out, soak in the view and watch some intense surf.

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You know that drive up Kalanianaole Hwy from town to Makapu’u? I do that pretty often but I’ve never stopped at all those lookout points. I recently decided to drop by each one to check them out. There’s some some really great views out there.

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The moon was full this past weekend. You could already see it glowing bright in the sky in the late afternoon. And when the sun went down, it was still pretty bright out. It was ideal conditions for a nighttime BBQ.

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The 3rd Annual Surf Film Festival is playing at the Honolulu Academy of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre right now. They’ll be showing surf films from July 9th to the 30th. Last week I caught Hanging Five: Five Surfers – Five Artists. It’s about, you guessed it, five artists that surf and create surf inspired art. The movie was entertaining and inspiring but what really stuck with me was the work of one artist in particular – Wolfgang Bloch.

He paints waves. But, they aren’t just any waves, they are moody waves. In the film, they show him scavenging through piles of old wood looking for textures that could create the foundation for a landscape. One piece forms the sand, one forms the sky. Where the two pieces meet, he paints a wave.

The textures, tones and scale of the work sells it. For surfers, there’s nothing better than seeing a perfect peeling wave, with absolutely no one else around.

www.wolfgangbloch.com

It’s nice to have friends with organization skills. A few weeks ago I was informed that a house had been rented for the long 4th of July weekend. It was up in the North Shore and right by the beach.

So why would people that already live in Hawaii, many of us with places walking distance from the beach, rent a house? Well, most of us don’t live in houses. And if we did, it wouldn’t be by the beach (unfortunately I don’t hang out with any millionaires) and it wouldn’t be okay to have 25 people stay overnight. We mostly all work downtown and live in modestly sized apartments around Honolulu. Getting away to spend time in the country is a great respite from the rigors of work. And, sharing a house = better bonding.

This house here is in a small town on the North Shore, just south of La’ie, called Hauula. It’s a good place to rent a house for the weekend. You’ve got some nice beaches around (La’ie Beach Park, Kokololio Beach Park), a Tamura’s Market up the road and most importantly, you’re really far from the city. I’d recommend going in the summer months though as dangerous pounding waves hit the North Shore in the winter.

You can rent out standalone houses in this area for a reasonable price (see craigslist). It just depends on how many bedrooms you’re looking for. Look for something with a backyard and nice porch. You’ll likely want to spend most of your time outside.

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