Now this
is camping
New outdoor adventures
By Tim Ryan
take the dirt and the danger
out of the camp experience
Star-BulletinI'm sitting on a surfboard alone in an empty bay a hundred yards off a beach where palm-size opihi thrive on shoreline lava rocks and a hand scoop of white coral sand yields dozens of puka shells.
Near the water's edge stands a dense forest of kiawe armed with inch-long thorns. Three axis deer unconcerned by my offshore presence wander between the trees nibbling at brown grass and dry leaves. It's quiet except for the tumbling surf and tradewinds that hum through branches.
The sea, as clear as spring water, reveals sea slugs edging along the coral bottom, wrasses darting between black rocks, yellow tang grabbing pieces of floating algae near my dangling feet. And the waves? Yes, Virginia, Molokai does have very good surf.
Molokai Ranch
A Kaupoa Beach Camp "tentalow."
Near the north point where I sit, some waves are head high, glassy, long and empty. Two other breaks lie a few hundred yards south in this unspoiled bay near Kaupoa Beach on Molokai's west shore.The silhouette of Oahu shimmers some 26 miles distant, a blurry reminder of big city, crowds, traffic, plastic puka shells.
Theoretically, I'm "camping" on Molokai. My wife and daughter are sleeping in their "tentalow" at the Molokai Ranch Kaupoa Beach Camp, one of three camps on this 53,000-acre property that includes 26 miles of coastline.
There are few places for public camping on Molokai, though some people -- mainly locals -- do set up large family tents at the rugged, windy and isolated Hale Olono Harbor. On Oahu, though campgrounds are numerous, many are considered too dangerous, while others are too run down to enjoy.
That may be why camping for a fee on private property is slowly increasing, beginning at Molokai Ranch and recently Oahu's Waimea Valley Adventure Park -- formerly Waimea Falls Park -- which opened part of its facility to camping this summer.
This is roughing it?
Molokai Ranch last year opened "The Great Molokai Ranch Adventure Trail" near Maunaloa Town with Paniolo Camp and its inventive tentalows -- a combination tent and bungalow. Kolo Camp opened this spring on the island's rugged south side using large yurts for accommodations; Kaupoa came on line last month.Kaupoa Beach Camp is Molokai Ranch's top-of-the-line destination, offering lots of space, solitude and activities. No other visitor destination in Hawaii can offer what is essentially private surfing. Although the beach is public, like all Hawaii beaches, access is only over Molokai Ranch roads -- unless you come by sea -- and that's only with special permission. For the nonsurfing crowd, Kaupoa, Molokai's safest west-side beach, also has snorkeling, shoreline fishing, tide-pool
exploration, kayaking and beachcombing.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Afamily enjoys the solitude of Waimea Valley.
An Ewa Beach man spending several days at Kaupoa camp only fished from shore during his stay. He said he caught -- and released -- more fish in three hours than he would have in a week on Oahu. Two other guests on a ranch fishing boat caught a 25-pound ono and a 30-pound mahimahi, which ended up as lunch for all the campers.But this is camping only in the loosest sense of the word. And though it may at first seem pricey, everything is included: meals, transportation on and off ranch lands, an ice chest at your tentalow refilled daily and all activities.
Technically, you're in the woods and in a tent, though these tents have queen-size beds. Water is solar-heated; lights photo-voltaic; the toilet is self-composting.
The emphasis at Kaupoa is ocean sports. Surfers travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars to surf camps in places like Fiji and Indonesia. Though the waves on Molokai Ranch don't equal Tavarua or G-Land, they're probably as good as many Oahu surfers will ever ride.
When I asked Molokai Ranch water sports guide Kaola Kanaka to take me surfing I assumed it would be near Hale Olono Harbor, some 40 minutes from Kaupoa. Kanaka had another destination in mind, one that was "closer and better."
The first morning, Kanaka loaded surfboards on a four-wheel-drive truck for myself and two Pearl City police officers, also guests at Kaupoa. The ride over a badly rutted road strewn with boulders took about 20 minutes. The only tracks in the soft red dirt were of axis deer and quail.
When Kanaka stopped at a small clearing overlooking the beach, we "guests" sat there in disbelief. Empty waves one after another rolled in for 100 yards.
After four hours of surfing we headed back to Kaupoa -- strangers just a few hours earlier, now friends bonded by water and "discovery."
Pulling into "camp," the aroma of grilled ono brought more smiles. By the time I got to the barbecue, chef Irwin had handed me a plate with two large pieces of broiled fish. Now this is camping!
Overnight in Waimea Valley
There are lots of good things about Camp Waimea on Oahu's north shore: neighbor-island beauty and serenity without having to get on a plane, safety and it's walking distance to Waimea Bay. But you don't even have to walk to the beach. Just rent a kayak -- $15 an hour -- and paddle from the campsite at Palm Meadow on the Haleiwa side of Kamananui River.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Camper JoAnn Cesar washes her hair in Waimea's
camp sink. It's preferable, she says, to the cold
water in the camp showers.
For $45 a person a day (double occupancy) you get a tent that holds up to four people, queen-size air mattresses and the site. Campers also get admission to the 1,800-acre Waimea Valley Adventure Park, a guided night tour, an optional early morning stretching class and activities such as horseshoes and volleyball.There are separate showers for men and women (though right now it's cold water only), a single sink for washing up and doing dishes, portable toilets, a large gas barbecue grill and picnic facilities.
Several improvements are planned, officials said, including wooden platforms for the tents, gravel paths and hot showers.
Campers may cook their own food or buy meals. Dinners are $14.50 a day for adults; $8.50 for kids under 12. Breakfast is $8.75 for adults; $5 for kids.
Cots and linens can be rented for $8 a day; sleeping bags, $6; and a lantern, $5. If you really want to travel light they'll even provide a bath towel and wash cloth, flashlight, Camp Waimea ID button, first aid kit, shampoo, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste for $30.
Less than an hour after leaving our east Oahu home, my daughter and I were paddling a kayak from our campsite to the sandbar at Waimea Bay. The going was tricky, requiring maneuvering around rocks and shallow spots, but it just added to the adventure.
Along the way we saw ducks in the mangroves, tilapia skimming through the shallows and dragonflies flittering above the water's surface. Paddling back to camp was easy in the slow-moving stream.
After a dinner of steak, chicken, salad, rice and cookies, we played "picnic" volleyball with another family, stopping after the sun slipped behind a canyon wall and the volleyball became invisible.
It's at night when Camp Waimea really shines. The sky fills with stars, the croaking of frogs echoes through the narrow valley. It's great to sit back in a beach chair -- bring your own since the camp has none yet -- and talk, or search the sky for shooting stars.
Our campsite coordinator Gary Cox did pretty much everything for us: filled air mattresses, got rid of a spider that scared the kids, gathered wood for a campfire, hauled the kayaks onshore, repaired a broken flashlight.
One evening Gary spotted a stranger walking up the road leading to the park. He sprinted over to her and politely asked her to leave. Sad to say, but a Gary would be useful at a lot of campgrounds on Oahu.
Over our three days at Camp Waimea we played horseshoes, took the escorted nightwalk through the park, watched the dive show at Waimea Falls, kayaked again to Waimea Bay, stargazed and read.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Wendy Cesar plays a game of horseshoes at the Waimea
Falls campsite. The park also offers activities such as kayaking,
mountain biking and paintball.Other activities are available for fees ranging from $15 to $50, including paint ball, all-terrain vehicles, mountain biking, horseback riding and kayaking.
If you're looking for quiet, a beautiful setting, quick access to the north shore, the safety of a Gary, and don't mind paying for a night under the stars, check out Camp Waimea.
Camp Waimea
Place: Waimea Valley Adventure Park, North Shore of Oahu
Kaupoa Beach Camp
