Waimalu Ditch – March 12, 2012

I have wanted to do Waimalu Ditch for a long time now. I missed the club outing a few months ago. Waimalu Ditch, the name itself does not sound too appealing, however it was given that name because of the irrigation ditches to transport water.  The trail should be named Waimalu Valley because it is a beautiful valley hike with some great swimming holes.

I dropped the kids off at school and drove to the Pearlridge area. Who would have thought that you could actually do a hike in the morning and drive down the street to shop at Pearlridge in the afternoon? It can be done. I had a place to eat in mind; I’ll talk about that later.

I drove on Moanalua road and made the left going up Keonihi place and then parked on Onikiniki place near the gated community. The rain was coming down hard. I felt like not doing the hike because of the elements, in addition, I was hiking alone. Nevertheless, passion and spirit is able to trump all doubt.

I started going down the hill, it was surprisingly steep. A little too steep with very little hand and foot holds. After about 10 minutes of hiking, I decided to turn around and rethink this trail. 

According to reports on the internet, people walk their dogs on this trail and there is no way a person can walk their dog down this steep hill. I went back to the top and walked further up the street near the gated community. As I walked, I could see a clear trail to the left.

There was a sign dedicated to John Parsons. He was a hiker from Australia and got lost on the Waimalu Ditch trail in 2008. His remains have never been recovered until it was confirmed in last month's Star Advertiser that reported medical examiners have found and confirmed the skeletal remains of John Parsons. Article https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/705200/john-parsons-family-searches-on/

That sign can scare a hiker away. A thought of turning around entered my mind, but I thought otherwise because there I say passion and spirit triumph all. I started walking on the graded trail. Just like Aiea loop and Kahana valley, Waimalu Ditch meanders throughout the valley. In about 30 minutes, I encountered Little Waimalu Stream. It’s called Little Waimalu Stream because there is a bigger stream further down in the valley. Little Waimalu Stream had a waterfall flowing. It was unexpected, for I thought there were no waterfalls in this valley. Little did I know what surprises would eventually come.

After admiring the falls, the trail continued on with water pouring down from all these chutes. Not sure if this is Little Waimalu overflowing or the irrigation ditches overflowing. Either way, the water needed to be coming from somewhere. I saw about 10-12 waterfall chutes going off along the way towards Big Waimalu. It was a sight of beauty.

The trail eventually heads down stream and at a little under the two hour mark; you arrive at Big Waimalu Pool. The current looked strong, probably from the flash flood from last week. The rocks which probably poked their head above water were completely submerged. I tried to find another way to cross the stream, but tangled hau blocked any path. The stream is wide if you compare it to Oahu stream standards, so I decided that the only plausible thing to do is turn around. I didn’t want to, but better turn around than drown.

I headed back towards the trailhead. Along the way are these massive rock structures. I seen them on the way, however I didn't really pay attention to any of them. A cave was carved out of one of these rock structures. It looked like a caveman lair.

I completed the hike and was hungry as hell. In Waimalu, there is no better place to get Hawaiian food than Marujyu market. The laulau and kalua pig plate is so good. Knack in a hurry, no doubt.