Technically, Olomana is the name of the highest of the three peaks only, which is also the first peak along the Olomana Trail that links all three. The second peak along the trail is Paku’i, better known as Olomana’s “second peak,” and the third is Ahiki, better known as (surprise) Olomana’s “third peak.” The striking peak has been called “Oahu’s Matterhorn” by Stuart Ball in his book “The Hikers Guide to Oahu” while the translation of the Hawaiian name is roughly “divided hill.”

Legend has it that Olomana was a renowned warrior that was over 30 feet tall and ruled the lands from Makapu’u to Kualoa. The mountain was formed when the King of Oahu, Ahuapau, sent one of his foremost warriors, Palila, to confront Olomana. During the ensuing battle, Palila, gifted with supernatural powers, sliced Olomana in half with the top portion landing near the ocean while the bottom portion became Mount Olomana.

Geologically it’s in the center of the Ko’olau caldera, remnant of the giant shield volcano that makes up this part of the island of O’ahu. The mountains in the distance are the rim of the caldera, and these three peaks of Olomana are left over from lava that pooled in the caldera in it’s heyday, perhaps 2.7 million years ago.

The hike to the first peak and back takes about a 1/2 day but is very steep most of the way…with some climbing/scrambling involved. The view at the top is totally worth the effort though. I’ve heard the other two peaks are even harder…with the third peak bordering on extreme.

When I was at the top I took a 360 degree panorama shot and stitched them together in photoshop:

Map of trailhead, parking, and access:

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The Manoa Falls portion of the hike is a piece of cake…it has a nice groomed trail and is flat most of the way. Once you get to the falls (about 1 mile up the trailhead), the Aihualama Trail starts. The falls is a great point to relax and admire the beauty of the falls. There is a small and shallow pool you can swim it where the falls dump into. Water falling over 100 feet generates a nice misty breeze at the bottom.

The Aihualama Trail is about 2 miles each way, but is uphill the whole way and has a couple rounds of switchbacks. During this hike you know that there is an amazing view beyond the thick foliage, but it never really presents itself. You get a tiny glimpse at a couple of the spots along the way, but nothing to write home about. There are however a few really thick bamboo forests on this trail and a couple of the biggest banyan trees I’ve ever seen as well.

Round trip both trails took about 4 hours. Overall it was an amazing experience.


Manoa Falls – Aihualama Trail Location:

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