Mau'umae Trail Hike & Shimazu's Shave Ice

hidden crater

After pouring over the O'ahu hiking books at Barnes & Noble we finally picked one that seemed to suit our hiking desires.  However, since the book was printed in 2007 we have to cross reference each listing with an Internet search that hopefully leads to something reputable.  The first hike we picked was the Lanipo Mau'umae ("wilted grass") Ridge Trail.  The book promised a challenging hike, with a narrow and steep ridge walk.

We didn't think the trail was too difficult and we didn't see all highlights mentioned in the book in part because some of the directions were a little confusing (e.g., "turn around at the three Cook Pines", but no description or visual so we could find these trees).  We were glad to spot a waterfall on a lush green crater in the distance (see crater above.  The waterfall is there, too, but you have to trust us on that; our camera is not that good.)  This might be one of the only places to view this hidden waterfall.  (Glad the book sort of mentioned it.) We were fairly close to a residential neighborhood with few other hikers and we were truly alone high up on the ridge.  Eventually the trail was too narrow and muddy to press forward so we decided to turn around.  Despite not reaching the summit of this peak we got a good workout, got soaked in a rainstorm, and got our sneakers dirty.  It was an enjoyable morning tromping through nature.

cactus flower spotted on the trail

Every hike must be rewarded by a shave ice.  Since we are on the quest to try as many "good" shave ice places in Hawaii as possible, on our way home we stopped for Shimazu's shave ice in the Liliha neighborhood of Honolulu. We discovered the store while reading Honolulu Magazine's "Best of Honolulu 2010".  The shave ice didn't disappoint.  We are discovering that the key to a good shave ice is the size of the ice shavings - the finer the shaving, the better the shave ice.  No chunky ice crystals, please!  Shimazu's also had some interesting flavors that we haven't seen anyplace else.  Shave ice is a good, cheap treat.  You get a lot of bang for your buck and a size small is nearly always enough to satisfy most adults.  But Shimazu's sizes go up to extra large, which A was extremely tempted to order.  We were told it is about the size of adult human head.  He didn't order it this time but is threatening that he'll order it on his next trip.

shave ice ready for syrup	size large

And the excitement for the day was not over yet.  On the drive home, R shouted suddenly for A to make a U-turn.  Aside from the tanning salons (a subject for a different blog post), one of the last things we expected to see in Hawaii were people dressed up in medieval clothes and fighting with swords and other medieval weaponry.  We cannot imagine how hot it must be in the costumes on a typical Hawaiian afternoon. According to BIL, the people we saw were larping.