Lower Lulumahu Falls & King Kamehameha III (Kaniakapupu) Summer Palace – August 21, 2011

*This hike is on private property, sometimes they ticket people. The Summer Palace is a historic site, treat it with respect. 

I knew this waterfall existed. I knew what valley it was located in. I knew which road it was on. I knew that one day I would find it. And I also knew it was near the King Kamehameha III (Kaniakapupu) Summer Palace. Well, two years of waiting became a reality today.

There were a variety of reasons why I did not attempt this hike. 1) It is on private property (I heard it's monitored) 2) There are many sub trails 3) If you get lost, how will you get out? There were also numerous stories on the Internet about hikers who’ve been lost on the Lulumahu trail.

Enter Caveman, a big time hiker on Oahu. He has done some of Oahu’s most notorious trails and has even accomplished some amazing hiking feats, (i.e. transversing the Kalihi saddle from Lanihuli). Some of his hikes are nearly impossible to do and need constant watch out for your safety mentality. On this day, he decided to do an easy hike and take a crew to see Lower Lulumahu falls and King Kamehameha III Summer Palace.

Lulumahu is said to cascade from Konahuanui (the highest peak in the Ko’olaus). King Kamehameha III Summer Palace is said to be a meeting place where the king would make important decisions. One important decision that the king may have made at his summer palace is the brainstorming of the Great Mahele in 1848. The Great Mahele  was a division of Hawaiian land to the Hawaiian people. This was set up to keep foreigners from obtaining Hawaiian land. However, a lot of the land ended up being sold to foreigners.

The trailhead is on Nuuanu Pali Drive. We parked on the road near the hunter’s check in and walked through a Board of Water Supply fence. You initially hit a bamboo forest. As you walk along, there are numerous side trails that may lead to nowhere. I’m reasoning that the side trails must be a Board of Water Supply business. Not only were there numerous side trails, but there were multiple stream crossings. If you went alone and got lost, good luck! The one good thing was the different colored ribbons laid out on the trail. There were pink, red, green, blue, and orange ribbons to assist. Thank god for these ribbons and Caveman. When we took a wrong turn, Caveman guided us on the correct path.

Only about 1 mile in was Lower Lulumahu falls. A relatively short hike compared to some of the long ones I’ve done recently. The falls are beautiful and cascades from multiple levels. We rested at the falls for about 30 minutes, took beautiful pictures, and headed back towards the trailhead. We walked on Nuuanu Pali Drive for about 10 minutes before we hit a trail going left.

This trail was to King Kamehameha III Summer Palace. At about the two minute mark is a junction going straight and left. Left leads you to the summer palace and straight according to Caveman it leads you to Luahaka falls. Okay, I never knew Luahaka falls existed, but it looks like more exploration in the future.

The summer palace is amazing, all that history. We hung out there for a little while and took pictures. I felt the aura of the Hawaiian spirits at that place. Luckily there were so many people. I felt like I should be on ghost hunters. Just then a fellow hiker named Jon asked his 11 year old daughter to bless our guest appearance at the palace. She sang a beautiful chant of old Hawaii. After that, I felt safe. We headed back on Nuuanu Pali Drive and to our cars. 

It was great to go hiking with a group. I did my best to be quiet and respect everyone and their stories of socialization. People seem to like you that way. And I am likable. It is true that the last guys finish last, but they have the least amount of enemies. Likability is one of the most underrated personality traits for socialization.