Flea The Race

The Haiku Stairs are found on O’ahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands.  The steps lead from the foot of the Ko’olau Mountain Range starting at 160 meters above sea level to a summit of 800 meters where an old decommissioned naval radio station sits.  The horizontal ground covered when climbing to the top is only 1.5km from step 1 to step 3,922 but the climb is pretty steep and ladder like in places.  The views of the mountain and the surrounding island out to the ocean are amazing from the stairs, this is definitely one of the best hiking attractions this island has to offer.

There is but one catch, hiking the stairs is illegal, some of the reason proffered for this include the danger associated with the hike, complaining locals against the slew of tourists converging on their lawns, land usage right issues, the list goes on but whatever way you cut it the result is the same, you can’t legally hike it.  While on the island for a week a group of us came across a guide charging thirty bucks a head to take people to the stairs and hike to the top avoiding trouble with the law so a few of us set out at 1pm from Waikiki and made our way to the stairs, guide in hand, this was his second tour of the day to hike the stairs.

Below is information outlining the route taken including maps, GPS trace co-ordinates, images and other information about the hike to climb the Haiku Stairway at your own risk without shelling out $30 to a guide.

Stats:

Time Up (Car to Summit)…………….1hr 40mins
Time at Top……………………………….0hr 15mins
Time Down (Summit to Car)……….1hr 09mins
Distance (Horizontal)………………….5.4km
Distance (Vertical)………………………766m
Number of Steps……………………….3,922 (less first 200 odd!)
Hike Date…………………………………..1st August 2015 @ 13:30

 

Route Map

Take a look at the map above, you can click on it to enlarge it if it’s too small.  The map is a plot of the GPS co-ordinates taken by the group with some waypoints added to make following the route easier.  You can also download the route map file here and follow it in real time using Strava on your smartphone.

1. Start

If you’re driving make your way to the start and park up on Kuneki St, busing, biking, or hiking to the start may also work.  From this viewpoint you get a good view of the climb ahead viewed from beneath the freeway that wraps its way around the base of the mountain before disappearing into a tunnel on one side.  It’s probably best not to hang about here too long as the residents may try to eat you.

2. Trail Start

Walk over to Kuneki Place to a fence about 100m down on the right hand side.  The fence has a blue sign on it advising The Haiku Stairs are closed, to get past the fence there is a small gap on the left side between it and the wall so squeeze through it and jump down into the storm drain.  Continue through the channel and exit it heading slightly left and uphill until you come to a tunnel.  Check the map above for the route from the fence to the tunnel.  At this point you are only a few meters shy of being under the freeway.

3. Tunnel

When you get to the tunnel climb through it and exit at the other side to the right and keep walking following the freeway overhead until you hit a road, this road leads to the official step one of the stairway and the security that guards the entrance.

 

4. Bamboo Forest Entrance

Keep an eye out for the bamboo forest entrance on the left about 300 metres from the tunnel.  The trail through the forest to the stairs is the most difficult part of the hike, the ground soil is loose and steep in places without much to hold onto, keep an eye out for the orange markers tied to the trees to guide your way, there is somewhat of a path beaten that you can follow due to the volume of people still attempting the hike every day.

 

5. Security

From the stairs start take a look downhill and you should be able to see a car and a portaloo at the gated entrance to the stairs that you just bypassed, this is where the guard hangs out.

6. Stairway Start

This is the unofficial stairway access point from the bamboo forest, the access point is roughly at the same level as the freeway, once you hop over the handrail you’re on the stairway and the rest is easy!

 

Haiku Stairs

Once you get to the stairs expect it to take slightly over an hour to climb to the top, there are two or three level platforms along the way that you can stop and take a break while appreciating the view, the climb up is tough enough and quite steep in places, you will at points be concerned at how difficult it may be to descend the steeper sections on the way back down but the descent is much easier and quicker than you may think.  It is useful to wear gloves on the stairs otherwise you will most likely develop blisters from continuous contact with the handrails.  There were reports of storm damage in the Huffington Post to the stairs making the summit unaccessible but this is untrue, the damaged part is a level section along the stairway and it is still easily passable.

Remember on the way back down to exit the stairs at the same point that you entered following the same route back until you leave the trail.

Resources

Strava Activity – Hike with stats up and down

GPX File – GPS coordinates of the route up and down

Online Map – Plotted route map with waypoints

Disclaimer

I do not advocate any individuals break the law to make this hike, if you do so, it’s at your own risk, you may get arrested, fined, break a leg, loose your kids, die, etc, etc, etc, this is your game, play it how you wish.