Every time I watch a Lord of the Rings movie, it’s not so much for the Hobbits or Elves or the other mythical beings, but more for its stunning locales — the endless rolling greens of Hobbiton, the lush greenery of the Trollshaw Forest, the unique landscape of Middle Earth…
After each LOTR movie, New Zealand moved higher and higher on the bucket list. Little did I know that I wouldn’t have to travel all the way across the globe to experience the magical beauty of Middle Earth. Just half way on the Pacific, would do!
We started our vacation in Hawaii with 4 days in Oahu, with plans to spend a whole week after that on the island of Kauai. We’d done all the usual research and a hike up the Diamond Head crater was on top of our list. By the second day, we had conquered Diamond Head and the experience was a bit underwhelming. The night before we were leaving Oahu, I was looking for something to do the next morning since our flight to Kauai was only later in the afternoon. I found a travel blogger talking about a moderately easy hike to the Manoa Falls and convinced M that we should give that a shot in the morning.
We had read a little bit about it but nothing prepared us for how stunning the lush green trail was. It was a cloudy morning and the trail was damp with morning dew. We started our journey across a small bridge, and slowly hiked up along the sides of the deep rainforest valley.
The first part of the trail is covered with gravel and slippery rocks, but that just adds to the rustic, magical beauty of the place. I felt like we were suddenly transported to the TV show Lost. Turns out, I was. Later, I found out that Manoa Falls was used as one of the locations for the filming of Lost as well as the jungle scenes for the 1993 Jurassic Park film.
Parts of the trail are canopied with guava, eucalyptus, banyan trees, and lots of tall bamboo. Guava and wild ginger sweetened the air and the sound of a gushing brook followed our gradual ascent, leading through a bamboo thicket.
The last 100 yards or so was more of a challenge. It involved climbing up and over large boulders ….and suddenly, you are right there. By the time you hear the cascade rushing down its steep 150-foot rock face you’ll practically be standing in front of it.
Here’s a video of my approach to the falls.
After hanging out at the falls for about 20 minutes, climbing rocks, perching on a fallen tree ledge and generally goofing around, we realised there was another trail hidden behind that rocks that seemed to go further up and deeper into the rainforest. The signboard said it was the Aihualama trail. If we had more time, we would have loved to explore that trail as well. Alas, we had to get back, pack up and get to the airport to catch our flight to Kauai. So, Aihualama trail will have to wait for the next time.
By the time we got back to the trailhead back through the enchanted forest, we were both starving!
The Treetops restaurant knows how to market to their target audience. They had a Hikers Special breakfast for $10.99. The food and the view, totally worth it!
The one way trip up to the falls probably took us 30-35 minutes. It’s fairly quick. We passed several nature groups and other hiking groups stopping at specific locations to discuss the native flora throughout the trail. Guided tours of Manoa Falls with shuttles to the trail are also available.
My Top Recommended Hikes in Kauai
(click on the trail name below to go to the post about it)
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