Kaniakapupu Ruins

The actual Kaniakapupu Ruins of King Kamehameha III are a beautiful historical landmark associated with Hawaiian culture. However, in our excursion to the site, we discovered much more than the stone ruble.

What to Bring:
*Mosquito repellant (strongly suggested!)
*Sunscreen
*Water- very hot/humid in Nuuanu
*Respect for Hawaiian culture

This is actually more of a nice walk than an actual hike. It is a great hike for those who are not looking for a vigorous workout and the trail itself has a lot to offer. As we said before, the ruins are of the late King Kamehameha III so please be considerate of the land. It is important that we take care of the beauty Hawaii has to offer. Please keep that in mind when hiking not just to this site, but anywhere.

To get to the start of the trail, take Nuuanu Pali Drive (or the "Old Pali Road" until you reach the HECO water supply building (on the left if heading toward Kailua, on the right if heading into town). You can park along the side of the road. A minute or less of walking and you will see this opening on the right side of the road (if heading toward kailua).

Please note: there are many trailheads that look very similar to the one below.  Most of the trails in this area meet up so you should be able to find it very well.  There is also a potential threat of flash floods.  Be sure to check weather conditions before you go (Nu'uanu is known to be a very rainy place!).

 Our first time here, we actually entered through a similar looking "hole" in the bamboo that we thought was the real entrance, only to realize our mistake a couple of hours later.

 Our first shocking sight were the lovely remains of what looked to be an animal. How welcoming...

We made our way through an extremely thick bamboo forest. We followed what appeared to be marked ribbons, however, they do not lead to the ruins. Do not follow the blue/pink/orange ribbons if you are trying to get the the stone ruins. 

Not to worry- the wrong path we took led us to encounter cool sights we might not have seen on the correct path, such as these roots shooting out of bamboo.

Nature is pretty cool...

Branches trying to grow toward the light.

We followed this dried river bed, thinking we were heading the right way.

Little did we know, it would lead us to the Nuuanu Reservoir.

Taking another route, we enjoyed the scenery.

A cool tree

Walking along the perimeter wall of the ruins (still not sure of where we were going), we made our way through even thicker bamboo.

After many wrong turns, and starting over three times, we finally made it- a little embarrassed as this trail is supposed to take 10-20 min at most.

Playing in the king's backyard.

Panorama of the ruins.