Road Trip: Farrington Highway, West Oahu

When it was confirmed that I would leave Hawaii, in all its multiple-rainbows-a-day glory, for the acrid clime of Bahrain, there was, aside from cramming all the surfing one could possibly do without morphing into Laird Hamilton, one road trip left to do.

The western part of Oahu has always been regarded as the wilder, less commercialized part of the island.  All the kitschy souvenirs, ABC stores and bikini-cheek-to-boardshorts-jowl of Waikiki might as well be on the moon when compared to the unspoiled beauty of Waianae and Makaha.  Now, the funny thing about Oahu is that one can't drive all the way around the island (well, not us run-of-the-mill civilians, anyway.)  There's a break in Farrington Highway on the northwest corner between North Shore (near Dillingham Airfield) and Kaena Point State Park.  One has to then approach this Leeward Coast via Highway 1 and drive north for 28 kilometers, past many public beaches and state forests.  Not that I have to, but I still can't decide whether my favourite views on this drive are of the Pacific ("I hope it is still as blue as it has been in my dreams") or of the magnificent Waianae mountain range with hundreds of ridges extending from its dramatic spine to create beautiful valleys and vistas.  Yes, it's always nice to have a choice as fine as this one.  Aloha oe.



Emma and me stopping to view the Pacific Ocean.

(All photographs by Weng Ho.)