On our third day of the backpacking trip we said goodbye to Waimanu Valley.

We made our way back to Waipio Valley on the Muliwai Trail.

The return hike, in my opinion is much harder than the hike in. The section of the Muliwai Trail that takes you out of the valley is steeper and more rugged than the Z-Trail. It’s a serious thigh burner and cardio killer. By the time you get to the top of it you’re pretty tired and you still have 8 more miles to go.

But, that might just be me. Now that I think of it, most of the group powered through the hike and looked pretty fresh-faced afterwards. So, your experience may be much different than mine.

Getting out of Waimanu Valley involved a bit more effort than just the hike though. First, we had to cross a stream that had grown significantly from heavy rain the night before.

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We came back from Waimanu with a lot of footage. For a couple of weeks after the trip, you would see videos come out one by one. Each person captured the trip in a different way.

We produced four videos in total, all with a different vibe.

The Waimanu Series

This is the final post in a five-part series on Waimanu. See more:

• PART 1: Waimanu Valley via the Muliwai Trail
• PART 2: Waimanu Valley Waterfalls
• PART 3: Waimanu Valley Camping
  
• PART 4: Waimanu Valley to Waipio Valley
  

Shelter.

The beach.

Fishing.

Eating.

There are 9 campsites in Waimanu Valley. They sit just off a beautiful black sand beach that spans the opening of the valley. Rock walls (about a couple feet high) outline each site.

Camping in Waimanu Valley is different for everyone. Your experience all depends on what you bring. Those that kayak over will have much more luxuries than backpackers. But even if you backpack to Waimanu Valley like we did, I’d encourage you to bring some treats for yourself. It’s well worth the extra weight in your pack.

In this post I’ll show you what you can see and do around the campsites in Waimanu Valley.

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On the second day of our backpacking trip to Waimanu Valley, we set off to check out some waterfalls. We found two.

Wai’ilikahi Falls, with its enormous swimming pool.

And Kaka’auki Falls, with a smaller enclosed pool.

All of the falls in Waimanu Valley are huge as they start a couple thousand feet up from the top of the valley walls. Some are broken up into multiple drops however, so you can’t always see the full height. If you stick to the West valley wall, you should theoretically hit four main falls, in this order: Wai’ilikahi Falls, Kaka’auki Falls, Lahomene Falls and then Waihulu Falls. (See details on the World Waterfall Database.)

But finding the falls past Wai’ilikahi Falls could be a challenge. Once you get past Wai’ilikai Falls, the trail gets faint and is very poorly marked. Some of the trails we followed may have even been pig trails. If you have time and determination though, you may be able to see them all. Just be prepared for some rugged hiking and have enough food and drink in case you get lost.

If nothing else though, you must go to the very accessible Wai’ilikahi Falls. It’s amazing.

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