Waimea Valley, Oahu Hawaii

If you ever find yourself in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, you'll soon discover there is way too much to do and see than you can fit into a weeks vacation.  However, their are a few spots that you can get a little of everything.  Waimea Valley is one of those places, that offers Hiking, Swimming, Beauty, History and a little bit of everything.

How do you get to Waimea Valley?  It's located on the famous North Shore of Oahu.  There are plenty of signs from the main road along the North Shore drive to get you there.  It's actually right across the street from Waimea Bay.  Just take a break from the big waves and head into the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens.

You will have to pay for admission at the toll booth.  When I visited, prices $16 a person, but they do offer a good Military Discount for $10 each, as do most places on Oahu if that applies to you.

You can take the direct route to the waterfall, which is about 3/4th a mile.  However, if you have more time I suggest taking the full loop so you can take your time and enjoy the walk/hike and see the sights along the way, the full loop is I believe a 1.5 mile walk.

The Botanical Garden's are actually home to over 5,000 different kinds of tropical and subtropical plants.

There are also hula demonstrations, crafts, games and story telling for those visitors who are interested in additional activities.

There is quite a good amount of unusual tree's that you just don't see in other places!

The valley is also home to 48 archaeological sites religious shrines and other places.  If you take the full walk, you can actually see some of these.

There is lots of wildlife to see if your looking.  I often thought that if you lived in Oahu, you could seriously never go hungry.  There are wild chickens everywhere.

Waihi Waterfall, a beautiful 45 foot falls into a small pond.  For those who enjoyed the past TV show Lost, this was actually one of the settings they used and a lot of the filming was done in this valley.

There is actually a lifeguard on duty at the pond, just in case.  I wondered if they ever actually had to do much there, but sure enough while I was there a tourist thought she could swim and couldn't and needed to be rescued.  That or maybe she just wanted a cute lifeguards attention:)

That would be me taking a swim.  I lucked out, on the day I visited it wasn't crowded and after the other lady
had to be rescued it pretty much cleared everyone out of the water.  So I was able to enjoy it to myself:)
For a little while that is:)

Me again:)  You can actually swim all the way up to the falls and climb up the rocks around them.
The water is a little cooler, but not cold, more refreshing than anything!
It's freshwater too!

So if you need a day to escape the beach and try something new, I recommend beautiful Waimea Valley!  It's a place you an visit for a few hours or an entire day, whatever fits your schedule!
There are also places to eat, and shops to browse while your there!