All posts tagged Beach

Waikiki Historic Trail: Conquering the Educational Honolulu Urban Hike at Night

by Marvin on April 14, 2013 in Beaches, Hikes, Photography, Sights with 8 Comments

Marker 1 of the Waikiki Historic Trail

Throughout the most popular spots in Waikiki exists 23 markers for an urban trail. While it is easy to stumble upon a few of them simply by chance, visiting all takes some effort. Most of the markers are wooden surfboards with both images and text that narrate the history of Waikiki. Building upon the efforts of Troy Solano, I was able to finish the whole trail over 2 days while also practicing long exposure night shots.

Troy became interested in the urban hike a few months ago after finding an essay documenting all the markers. Despite becoming the laughing stock of the hiking community for his ridiculous mission, Troy would finish the trail over 3 days. The final day of his hike also included me and allowed me to see a few of the markers before attempting the whole thing at night. The following will list all the markers’ locations as well as images from nearby locations. Detailed information about what is found on the markers can be found here and here.

The first marker, pictured above and titled “Beaches”, is found where Monsarrat Ave. and Kalakaua Ave. merge. This marker details the four nearby sections of Outrigger Canoe Club, Sans Souci, Kapi’olani Park and Queen’s Surf.

Walkway next to Marker 2

Continue walking West on Kalakaua and soon you’ll find another surfboard. “Waikiki” explains the popularity of surfing in the area as well as the importance of streams leaving the Ko’olaus. While on the walkway taking pictures of that patio thing, a local became interested in what I was doing and let me know about some dark areas on the Windward side as I was here trying to get some star shots near the current New Moon. He would also let me know my pronunciation of Hawaiian names was very good. Just wanted to let everyone know.

Marker 3 near Ala Wai canal

This marker has you leave Kalakaua temporarily to visit Ala Wai canal. Walk up Kapahulu Ave. then head left on Ala Wai to reach this marker. “Queen Liliuokalani” shows how Waikiki began as an agricultural community to become what it is today.

Waterfall near Marker 4

Head back down to Kalakaua and head West again. Soon, you will find a statue of Prince Kuhio, along with an urban waterfall just a little more West. The marker here will tell you the story of Prince Kuhio. Continue reading →

The First Hawaiian Sunset of 2013

by Coty on January 5, 2013 in Beaches, Photography with No comments

Having spent most of the first day of 2013 cleaning house, Michelle and I were itching to get out and do something. We decided to try and catch the sunset from Keawaula Beach (Yokohama Bay). Sunset hunting would be our first adventure ouf 2013.

We started our drive toward Waianae at around 4:30pm. The sun was scheduled to set at 6:01pm. We drove past Nanakuli, Maile, and Waianae. We noticed a crowd of people at Makaha Beach, but continued to drive forward. Past Kea’au, Ohikilolo, and Kaneana Cave. At this point, the rain really began to fall. We decided to turn around and head back toward Maile.

We stopped first at Makaha Beach, but it was way too crowded with surfers and onlookers. All we wanted was the sunset. We decided to jump back into our car and drive toward Maile. Then, we found a random beach that was quiet and empty. We parked next to a big truck. Sitting inside was a son on his mother’s lap, watching dad surf a few feet away. Michelle and I rushed to the rocky beach and proceeded to snap away. The first sunset of 2013 was indeed beautiful. Let’s hope that the rest of the year is just as stunning.

Waves crossing. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Wave against rock. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

A boom of orange just before the sun sets. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Hipstamatic Inspired Vol. 2: Camping at Malaekahana Beach

by Coty on November 23, 2012 in Beaches, Photography with No comments

Hipstamic is a strangely satisfying analog-inspired app for the iPhone that I’ve really found a renewed interest in. This series of posts aims to place the focus a bit more on the photos rather than the words. In Volume 2, we feature a collection of Hipstamatic photos taken on a recent camping trip to Malaekahana State Recreation Area. This was actually our first time camping as a group, and my first time camping in many years. It was outrageously fun.

The first order of business was getting our camping spot set up. I had picked up a nice shielded canopy tent that fit perfect around out picnic table. Hipstamatic Settings: Jane Lens, BlacKeys SuperGrain Film, No Flash. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Ahnate’s fancy and minimalist ZPacks Hexamid Solo Tarp. Hipstamatic Settings: Buckhorst H1 Lens, Blanko Film, No Flash. Photo by Ahnate Lim.

The second order of business was getting our drink on. Primo, Pacifico, or Sapporo anyone? Hipstamatic Settings: Bettie XL Lens, Blanko Freedom13 Film, No Flash. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Fun in the dark. Can you figure out who is who? Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Masked superhero or villain? Hipstamatic Settings: Jane Lens, Ina’s 1969 Film, Cherry Shine Flash. Photo by Ahnate Lim.

For dessert, Ahnate brought a watermelon. I love how this photos looks as if it could have been taken in the 60′s. Hipstamatic Settings: Bettie XL Lens, Ina’s 1935 Film. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Morning Sky. Hipstamatic Settings: Jane Lens, Blanko Film, No Flash. Photo by Ahnate Lim.

Continue reading →

Turtle Spotting at Japanese Beach on the North Shore

by Coty on October 22, 2012 in Beaches with 2 Comments

A few weeks ago I had the chance to attend a going away beach party at Japanese Beach on the North Shore. The beach party was great, but the underwater party was even better. I brought along my snorkeling gear and GoPro and decided to do some exploring. What we discovered was beyond what we expected. We thought that we would see one, maybe two, turtles if we were lucky. We were more than lucky on this day.

While snorkeling, Joel and I encountered what seemed like a family of turtles. Joel’s 10-year-old nephew, Isaiah, on the other hand, was struggling with his snorkeling gear and fins. He complained that he couldn’t see any of the turtles. During our hour or so of snorkeling, Joel and I saw at least 15 different turtles. Some of these turtles we small, baby turtles, while others were very large and probably very old turtles. These had to be some of the largest turtles that I’ve ever encountered. It was an amazing feeling to swim alongside these gentle creatures.

As we were swimming back to shore, Isaiah, finally encountered a turtle. It got up close and personal. It freaked him out and he quickly swam to me. As he latched on to my leg, he jumped out of the water exclaiming that he finally saw one and that it was huge! He was stoked.

Photos by Joel Sabugo.

Turtle in the distance.

Turtle Up Close.

A whole turtle.

A turtle’s behind.

A turtle runs away.

Chasing Waves by Kenji Croman

by Coty on September 27, 2012 in Beaches, Photography with 1 Comment

I’m a little late to the game on this one, but I thought it was a project that was too good to pass up writing about. His name is Kenji Croman and he’s a professional photographer, based in Hawaii, who specializes in wave photography. Kenji loves to shoot waves. He’s also very ambitious. Kenji recently started a Kickstarter project with the hope of traveling to different countries in South America to photograph the perfect wave.

“My goal is to travel with my wife to South America and photograph some of the worlds most beautiful and untouched waves…Most of the waves in South America that I plan to go to have never been seen because of their remote locations, and they certainly have not been photographed the way I would like to do it. Different beaches have different breaks, and each wave is unique. With my experience and my unique style as an artist, I’m confident I’ll be able to photograph these stunning waves in a creative and picturesque way. I also am eager to print these images on metal print, which holds the vibrant colors and gives the images a distinct and realistic feel. I’m looking forward to the adventure and challenge.”

You can view Kenji’s Kickstarter page here. There’s only a few days left for the project on Kickstarter. Support local. Support Kenji.

Wave photography by Kenji Croman.

Wave Photography by Kenji Croman.

Cliff Jumping at Waimea Bay: Extreme Belly Flopping Hawaiian Style

by Mike on August 12, 2012 in Beaches with No comments

Hi guys. I’m Mike and this is my first post on Exploration: Hawaii. To be perfectly honest, I prefer to do crazy, fun, and adventurous stuff instead of sit in front of a computer and type stuff up. So I’ll keep my posts short. Sound good?

If you like to get your adrenaline pumping, then there’s no better place to do just that than at Waimea Bay. No, don’t go swimming with the sunburnt tourists. Instead, look to your left and you’ll see a giant rock protruding out of the ocean. You’ll also probably see lots of locals jumping off of it. Jump off of that rock and see if you survive. I dare you.

“Jumping Da Rock” at Waimea Bay from Coty Gonzales on Vimeo.

Back flip off of “da big rock” at Waimea Bay. Photo by Mike Armstrong.

Jumping in and praying to God that I don’t break something. Photo by Mike Armstrong.

OMG Belly Flop. Photo by Mike Armstrong.

Yep, I am pretty much Superman in board shorts. Photo by Mike Armstrong.

Directions to Waimea Bay: Get on to Highway H1 West. Continue on H-78 W/H201 W. Take the exit onto H1 W toward Pearl City. Take exit 8A to merge onto H2 N toward Mililani/Wahiawa. Take exit 8 toward Wahiawa and then merge onto S. Kamehameha Highway. Continue on Joseph P. Leong Highway. Make a slight right at Kamehameha Highway. Waimea Bay will be on your left.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay on Memorial Day 2012

by Coty on June 7, 2012 in Beaches with 7 Comments

To me, holidays are all about fun, food, and friends. Memorial Day 2012 was no exception. A handful of close friends and I made our way to the most popular snorkeling spot on the island of Oahu – Hanauma Bay. The bay is the neighbor to what a friend of mine has called “The Stairway to Hell.” That stairway being the tracks at Koko Crater. As we were driving to Hanauma, we noticed that a lot of people were climbing up and down the Koko Crater tracks. From a distance, the little humans specks could be seen making their way to the top of the crater. Hanauma Bay was busy as well. Fortunately for us, security re-opened the gates to the parking just as we approached the entrance and quickly closed the entrance off not too long after we entered. Yes, our hunt for fish was on.

Joel getting wet. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Ahnate getting wet.

Inspecting a shallow reef section. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

45% Water, 45% Sky, 10% Joel. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Whenever I plan a day at Hanauma Bay, I am sure that someone brings a box of manapua from Royal Kitchen. Amongst our friends, Royal Kitchen manapua is required eating whenever snorkeling is to be done at Hanauma. That’s just how it is. Monette is the friend that has (un)officially been assigned as the manapua harvester. With that said, when I reminded her of her manapua duties that morning, I had asked if she in return had any requests. Of course, she had a very specific request of strawberry Diamond Head soda. The Strawberry Diamond Head soda ended up being the first adventure of the day.

Before we headed for Hanauma, we made a stop at the new super large Safeway on Beretania for some fresh poke. Hey, Safeway actually has some good poke! Being a holiday, I wasn’t surprised that the poke prices were outrageous. How outrageous? Try $18.99 for a pound of spicy ahi poke. Yikes! We ended up getting some spicy ahi, salmon, and oyster sauce ahi. Yes, we love our raw fish. It turned out that the trickiest part would be finding Monette’s strawberry Diamond Head soda. Since Safeway had none, we decided to check the 7-11 down the street. No strawberry Diamond Head soda at the 7-11 either. Third time was a charm though, as we found a six pack at the nearby Foodland. Now our Hanauma Bay adventures could officially begin.

Hey, look at that! Palm Trees. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The much sought after strawberry Diamond Head Soda. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Royal Kitchen Manapua. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue reading →

14th Annual Memorial Day Lantern Floating at Ala Moana Beach Park

by Coty on May 30, 2012 in Activities, Beaches with 3 Comments

I’ve never seen Ala Moana Beach park so packed with people. News reports mentioned that more than 40,000 people converged on Ala Moana Beach Park for the 14th annual Memorial Day lantern floating. The event, which is officiated by Shinnyo-en and presented by the Nā Lei Aloha Foundation, started in 1999 as a way to remember and honor those who have died in service to their country. And the significance of the lanterns?

“Lantern floating ceremonies symbolically ferry the spirits of the deceased back to the spiritual realm to mark the completion of Obon, the Buddhist tradition of welcoming spirits of family members back to celebrate with and be honored by the living.”

While enjoying the day at Hanauma Bay, Ahnate mentioned the lantern floating event. I had never heard of it and therefore I was interested. We even passed on a night hike so that we could mingle with the 39,996 other people that would be there. I didn’t know what to expect and was surprisingly shocked when I crossed Ala Moana Boulevard, made my way to the sand, and saw rows upon rows of people.

Some of these people were holding lanterns, some were not. Most people were standing, while a few sat on their beach chairs. There was a large stage that was set up, equipped with large projector screens. This was a massive event with huge production value and I had no idea that it even existed.

Eventually, we made out way to the Ewa end of Magic Island. We tried our best to squeeze our way through the crowd and eventually we scored an awesome vantage point. Check out some photos of the event below.

Can you spot Joel? Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The view looking toward the main stage from Ala Moana Beach park. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Ready to release lanterns. Photo by Flickr member Lantern Floating Hawaii.

The lanterns being prepared to be released. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The people in the canoes were there to collect the lanterns at the end of the event. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Once the sun set, the scene was amazing as the lanters began floating away. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue reading →

Kauai: Always Returning by Philip Bloom

by Coty on April 14, 2012 in Photography with No comments

I recently stumbled upon an awesome short film shot by Philip Bloom, titled Kauai: Always Returning. The short was shot by Bloom 2 years ago for the Kauai Visitor Information Channel. The footage caught by Bloom is absolutely breathtaking. Bloom was able to capture the essence of Kauai through his camera lens. Oahu might be the island that I call home, but, Kauai is the island that I consider to be the most beautiful. Blooms footage reaffirms this. The footage was shot completely on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II (I am sure that if it had been shot today then he would be using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

“So a couple of days ago I took it out for the afternoon with Ryan Pointer from the Kauai Visitor Information Channel. They had hired me to come out for a week to take a look around with the idea of coming back for a much longer trip.

I did some shots of the Taro fields, a few shots of the river, a few shots of the beach and some high shots…Because some of the clips were long “timelapses” I used up my 32gb pretty fast.

It’s a relatively steep learning curve, especially coming after using the Panasonic Lumix GH1 for a couple of weeks. The video mode of the 5dmk2, as many of you already know, it a bit of a b**** to use! Lack of manual controls, 12 minutes clips, inability to lock exposure between takes…the list goes on. One way around the lack of manual controls to start with is don’t use Canon glass. I used all my Nikon lenses that I normally use with my Letus Ulitmate. My fast Zeiss primes, my f2.8 Nikon zooms and my shift tilt Hartblei. All I used was a £15 EOS to Nikon adaptor from ebay and it worked a treat. Obviously all auto controls for stills are lost with these lenses but for video they are perfect as they have manual aperture so you can stay wide open and the camera compensates with shutter/ ISO (ISO can be locked, as far as I know shutter can’t)”

After watching the short, I did some research on Bloom, which led me to his personal blog. It turned out that Bloom was a filmmaker, having directed and edited numerous short films and documentaries. He is also known online for his film tutorials and training videos. I dug a little deeper and found a short film that he shot at Skywalker Ranch and then edited the following day and later screened to George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino. They had invited Bloom over to the Ranch to show them what the Canon DSLR’s could do and whether the footage would hold up on a projected screen. Both Lucas and Tarantino were blown away by Bloom’s footage that Lucas would later hire him to shoot Red Tails. So rad.

Music: Always Returning by Brian Eno from the album Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. Buy now from Amazon.

While shooting on the beach, Bloom simply asked Reagan's dad if they would be models for his film and they said yes. Photo by Philip Bloom.

Timelapse of Sunrise Over Makapuu Beach and Sea Life Park

by Coty on November 21, 2011 in Hikes with 2 Comments

This sunrise timelapse takes place somewhere along the Ko’olau Summit Trail, just above Sea Life Park and overlooking Makapu’u Beach. To get to this point Team Exploration: Hawaii hiked up the Makapu’u end of the Ko’olau Summit Trail at 5am in pitch dark and then reached this destination an hour later. We stopped at a lookout point just above Sea Life Park but before the puka that Marvin mentioned in this post. This is what we saw:

Music: Us Against The World by Coldplay from the album Mylo Xyloto. Buy now from Amazon or iTunes.

This timelapse is a bit more personal and interactive than my previous timelapse videos. You’ll notice us moving around throughout the video. Andy (red jacket and hat; lanky haole) makes his first video appearance on Exploration: Hawaii. You might remember him from the kayak adventure to Mokoli’i Island (Chinaman’s Hat). His dad was also visiting from Pennsylvania, so you’ll see Timbo, as Andy affectionately calls him, pop up in the video.

Coty OWLing over Sea Life Park and Makapuu Beach. Can you spot him? Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Marvin hasn’t stopped talking about this spot ever since he snapped this photo. And although I hate to admit it, I really enjoyed this location and the view. From this vantage point we had excellent views of Manana and Kaohikaipu Island, both of which are located just off of Makapu’u Beach. You can also see Makapu’u Point Lighthouse as well. Look closely in the video and you will see the lighthouse flickering.

A curvy panorama of Makapuu. Marvin's playing around with a new technique. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

The trek in was a bit more strenuous than I tend to like for early morning timelapse sessions (lugging around a full-size tripod is heavy business). However, when we finally reached the final lookout point and I had realized how beautiful the view was, my complaints vanished. Kudos, Marvin.

Explorers: Marvin Chandra, Andy Dewald, Coty Gonzales, Joel Sabugo, and Timbo.