Honolulu, HI

My friends and I were traversing the island when we decided to stop off at Kualoa Park. When my friends and I were in high school, we would often make the trip all the way out to the East Side to potluck and have a great time in each other’s presence. The great thing about Chinaman’s Hat/Kualoa Park is the amount of things you can do there. The park itself is pretty large and there is also a beach, so you can pretty much do whatever you want (within the realm of reason of course) at Chinaman’s Hat.

It takes a while to get to the Kualoa area from any point in town. You can go on the H-2 freeway and take exit 8 towards Wahiawa and go the North Shore way, or you can take the longer “tracing the outline of the island” way. That route will take you through Kaneohe via Likelike Highway then taking Kahekili Highway which turns into Kamehameha Highway. Keep going until you see that famous Chinaman’s Hat and you’re pretty much there.

I remember going to Kualoa Park as a kid every summer for summer fun and that was always a highlight for me. We went to the beach and swam and had fun, we had relay races on the grass, we played pick up soccer games with whomever; I also learned my first paddling lesson at Kualoa Park. It’s a great place to take a kid in the daytime because it gives them options, such as the beach or picnicking or playing in the grass. You can also bring pets so that’s a plus.

As I got older, my purposes for going to Kualoa Park changed. While I still had fun going to the beach, my friends and I mostly went there to barbeque and do some overnight camping. It’s a great area to camp at because there isn’t any forest, so there aren’t those little pine cones that could disrupt sleep. Also, it’s a very mellow area, so there is hardly any disruption. You can lie on the grass at night and literally count the stars, it’s amazing. It’s definitely my favorite place to camp.

Kualoa Park is a great place for any age. The possibilities there are literally endless. You can have a family party there or you can bring your guitar and find inspiration to write a song there, or you can swim to Chinaman’s Hat (on a good, low tide day). It’s a great alternative to the parks in town or in your neighborhood. Sometimes even the scenic drive makes it worth it.