Taking the high road to Honolulu

Taking the rise, I am struck by the scene unfolding to my right: The Pacific, today flat and aquamarine a mile to the sheltering reef, seems welded without a seam to the morning sky. It glistens in the sunlight as it washes onto the sand, which stretches more than two miles in a graceful palm-fringed arc from Kailua Beach Park to the crocodilian promontory of the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, now peaceful but in 1941 the target of Japanese bombs.

This is the beginning and end of my commute. I drive Hawaii’s Pali Highway from Kailua Beach, where I live on the windward shore of Oahu, to downtown Honolulu.

It’s no ordinary drive to work. The Pali Highway, officially designated State Route 61, flows nearly 11 miles through the most spectacular scenery on the planet and cuts a swath through multiple layers of the island’s natural, cultural and political history.

Each direction on the Pali gives a different perspective of the island, but if you’re making a day trip of it, drive the highway southwest to Honolulu. The views are spectacular. Pali means “cliff” in Hawaiian, and the road is aptly named.

If you are staying in Waikiki, there are two ways to get to Kailua and enjoy the drive back on the Pali. You can take the Pali Highway exit off the H-1 freeway west from Waikiki and drive the highway in both directions. You won’t be disappointed. I enjoy my commute home from Honolulu, and part of my pleasure comes from leaving the city and returning to the more rural side of Oahu. The distant view of Kailua and the ocean as you exit the tunnel just below the Nuuanu Pali Lookout is enough to take your breath away.

But the best way is to take the circular route, heading east from Waikiki on H-1 (which you can reach on Kapahulu Avenue near the Honolulu Zoo) and rounding Oahu’s eastern edge. Drive until the freeway ends in Kahala and continue on Kalanianaole Highway past Hanauma Bay and around Koko Head. Then drive northwest along the windward shore past Makapuu Lighthouse and Beach, the Sea Life Park, the Makai Research Pier and finally through the town of Waimanalo until you reach the end of the highway at Castle Hospital. Turn right into Kailua here.

Stop anyplace along the way. There is a lot to see and do, and you will certainly be distracted by the sweeping vistas of open ocean, rough even on the calmest day. But save most of your time for Kailua, whose best-known attractions are the four miles of Kailua and Lanikai beaches, two of the world’s best. Favored by a calming reef, Kailua Bay’s 80-degree waters are gentle and safe for swimming. But when the trade winds blow, conditions also are ideal for sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing.

Small-town flavor

I’ve always thought Kailua perfect for those who want a less hectic sojourn in the sun than what Waikiki offers. A week here is like a vacation on a neighboring island, except you don’t have to pay extra airfare and you won’t feel like a tourist. Kailua has no hotels, so it isn’t heavily promoted. But rental cottages and bed-and-breakfasts abound. It is a quiet town of 36,000, and its modest but pleasant downtown holds a Macy’s, movie theaters, quite a few decent restaurants, a couple of shave-ice stands and even a Starbucks.

Situated on an ancient sandbar, Kailua is nestled between the bay to the northeast and Kawainui Marsh on the southwest. Beyond the marsh looms the Koolau Range, rising precipitously from sea level as a serrated green wall to more than 3,000 feet. When you’re ready to head back to your Waikiki hotel, it’s through this spectacular countryside that the Pali Highway will take you.

Not long ago the only road connecting Kailua with Honolulu was the Old Pali Trail, little more than a switchbacking horse path across the mountains until it was paved in 1897. The completion in 1961 of tunnels near the Nuuanu Pali lookout eased the journey, but the contrast between Honolulu and the windward side is still sharp.

Come along with me on my drive to work, in a figurative sense, at least. There are just two rules to follow: Keep your eyes open and don’t carry any pork. Why no pork? Hawaiian legends tell of hungry spirits inhabiting the Nuuanu Pali, and many folks today believe your car will stall if you try to sneak that can of Spam back to town.

Leaving Kailua in the mauka (mountain) direction, Kailua road, which leads to the Pali, crosses tiny Kawainui Stream and widens into an expansive boulevard bounded on the right by the marsh, partly contained by a levee topped with a paved bike path.

A few blocks from the stream lies Ulupu Heiau (pronounced hey-ee-ow), an ancient Hawaiian religious site hidden from street view but accessible from the parking lot of a YMCA. Perhaps 500 years old, this 140-by-180-foot structure, with walls of volcanic boulders reaching 30 feet high, was used by Hawaiian kings to conduct animal sacrifices.

As the Pali abruptly leaves Kailua and enters a tropical wilderness, it dips under the canopy of a huge banyan tree, and through this foliage frame emerges the full grandeur of Puu Konahuanui, at 3,105 feet the highest peak in the Koolau Range, and the rest of the corrugated, knife-edged cliffs that seem cloaked in green velvet. This fleeting image may be one of the most dramatic on Oahu, and I often pull over just to gawk or vainly attempt the perfect photo. Weathered more rapidly by windward rains, the sheer face of the Kailua side provides one of the most memorable mountain views anywhere.

To the right is the full sweep of Kawainui Marsh, 830 acres of protected wetland. The ancient Hawaiians used it as a fishpond and cultivated crops such as taro and raised livestock in it. The marsh continues to be a haven for rare species of plants, fish and animals. An American plane shot down during the Pearl Harbor attack is supposedly hidden there, but I’ve never seen it.

On the left extends the lush Maunawili Valley, a riot of green with a curious mixture of trees, from ironwood to banyan to Norfolk pine. Overshadowing the valley is the imposing peak of Mt. Olomana, rising 1,643 feet with the Koolaus as a backdrop. The highway stretches ahead for a mile or so, cutting through Oahu’s ochre volcanic soil in places, then quickly climbing almost a quarter-mile to the tunnels. The push to the heights is punctuated by expansive, distracting views, but fortunately you can safely savor the windward scene at Nuuanu Pali Lookout, close to the tunnels on the right. The eastward turnout offers the trail head for the Maunawili Trail, snaking 10 miles along the base of the Koolaus and ending in Waimanalo.

At 1,186 feet, the lookout provides what Mark Twain described as “the most beautiful view in the world.” It’s hard to fault Twain as you take in a panorama of windward Oahu, from the verdant Koolaus to the azure Pacific Ocean. Hold on to your hat, though. The trade winds howl through the notch.

Here, in 1795, King Kamehameha I of the Big Island consolidated his control over Oahu by defeating his rival, Kalanikupule, ruler of Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Lanai. The battle, which led to the unification of the islands, cost the lives of thousands of warriors and ended with the last of the losing army dashed on the rocks below. The bones of more than 800 were discovered during the highway’s construction.

You don’t have to get to the office, so walk the remnants of the Old Pali Trail near the lookout, a hike of less than a mile. You can climb some of the nearby peaks, but be careful: The volcanic rock is treacherous.

Just after the lookout on the Honolulu side is Koolau Forest Reserve, a tropical rain forest right in the city, with thick stands of ironwood, ohia, some koa and bamboo. This is sacred land for traditional Hawaiians. Here the ancient rituals of hula have long been taught. And on rainy days look for small waterfalls, often blown straight up by the wind.

A mile from the tunnels is a turnoff on the left for Old Pali Road, a densely forested byway running parallel to the highway and eventually rejoining it at Waokanaka Street. Old Pali Road leads past the old houses and estates of Nuuanu. It also offers access to the Judd Memorial hiking trail, an easy walk that crosses Nuuanu Stream and leads to a swimming hole.

From mountains to mansions

Suddenly, after miles without any hint of urban influence, we round a curve and take in the view of downtown Honolulu, with the ocean as backdrop. In a few more blocks the country is just a memory.

Past the Waokanaka Street traffic light the Pali becomes a stately boulevard, the location of some of Honolulu’s largest mansions -- many housing consulates and churches -- and the city’s only synagogue.

Dropping from the mountains, the Pali is flanked by precipitously steep hills -- the back of Tantalus and Pacific Heights on the left, and Alewa Heights and Kamehameha Heights on the right. The homes perched on the edges of these ridges have wonderful views of the mountains and ocean.

The descent into Honolulu is abrupt not only in geography but also in culture. While the downtown skyline of skyscrapers is much like that of any American city, it’s clear we’re not in Milwaukee. Most Honolulu residents are of Asian or Polynesian descent, and you’ll see their influence in some of the buildings along the Pali.

The Queen Emma Summer Palace, about halfway into town, is worth a stop. This six-room Victorian house with a distinctive colonnaded front porch was, as its name implies, the summer residence of Queen Emma, born in 1836 of Hawaiian and English ancestry and later the wife of King Kamehameha IV. The house is maintained as a museum by the Daughters of Hawaii and has showcase gardens and a collection of Victorian antiques and Hawaiian quilts.

Closer to town, in the shadow of condominiums, are some of Honolulu’s oldest cemeteries. Hawaii’s rich ethnic history is reflected in these parks, and they are worth a turnoff at Nuuanu Avenue. The most distinctive landmarks in the area are the pagodas of Kyoto Gardens, built in 1966 and part of Honolulu Memorial Park, a Buddhist cemetery. Next to Nuuanu Stream, in a restful and picturesque setting, the Kinkaku-ji (“Golden Pavilion”) and the Sanju Pagoda are replicas of structures in Kyoto and Nara, Japan, respectively.

The nearby Royal Mausoleum, tomb of Hawaiian nobility, on land never ceded to the United States, flies the Hawaiian flag and no other.

Aside from the skyscrapers, the most dominant landmark in the downtown area is the volcanic cone known as the Punchbowl, the site of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, containing the graves of more than 30,000 servicemen and servicewomen. The crater’s rim affords sweeping views of Honolulu.

As we approach downtown, buildings crowd together. Close to the H-1 freeway overpass, the road is flanked by the imposing Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. As we cross Vineyard Street, the Pali Highway ends and we enter the business district, with its mix of skyscrapers and vintage office buildings.

My office is nearby. You’re welcome to come to work with me, but there are other roads to follow.

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An unusually nice commute in Hawaii

GETTING THERE:

From LAX, American, United, Hawaiian, Northwest, Delta and Continental offer nonstop flights to Hawaii. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $461.40.

The drive from the airport to Kailua is easy: Get on the H-1 Freeway at the airport and head east or west. It’s quickest (about 25 minutes) to go west (toward Waianae) and turn off after a couple of miles onto the H-3 Freeway toward Kaneohe; there is an exit for Kailua. Or you can go east toward Waikiki and turn off at the exit to the Pali Highway (Route 61), which goes to Kailua northward over the Koolau Mountains. Both routes are spectacular.

A taxi from the airport to Kailua should cost $35-$40.

WHERE TO EAT:

Dining in Kailua is informal (you can wear shorts everywhere) and inexpensive. It’s difficult to spend more than $30 for a meal.

Jarons, 201-A Hamakua Drive, (808) 261-4600. Offers entrees such as bay shrimp Lanikai and crab cakes. Has Hawaiian entertainment on Sunday afternoons and rock and reggae music on weekend nights. Dinner for two, $30-$50.

Saeng’s Thai Cuisine, 315 Hahani St., (808) 263-9727. Features garlic prawns and such dishes as “Evil Prince with chicken” and mee krob noodles. Dinner for two, $20-$30.

Assaggio, 354 Uluniu St., (808) 261-2772. A high-end Italian place known for its chicken garlic olio and Caesar salad made at your table. Dinner for two, $45-$60.

Buzz’s Original Steakhouse, 413 Kawailoa Road, (808) 261-4661. President Clinton once dined here. It serves steak and seafood. Dinner for two, $45-$60.

TO LEARN MORE:

Kailua Chamber of Commerce, 600 Kailua Road, Suite 103, Kailua, HI 96734; (808) 261-2727, fax (808) 262-0867, www.kailuachamber.com.

-- James Dannenberg