Nachos in Paradise: Rainy Day in Waikiki with Impromptu nachos at Lulu's

Mother Nature was just not going to cooperate with us for our week 10 of 52 hike. The city closed all trails and it was not safe to go hiking anywhere during the weekend while we were getting hit with the outskirts of Hurricane Ana. It rained for a couple days straight, even breaking records on some parts of the island. Mānoa received over 11 inches of rain. Tom and I decided we would take my cheesy tourist book about Waikīkī and "urban hikes" you can do throughout it. Most of them were at least 2 miles which was longer than the Judd Trail so what the heck. We invited the whole gang, but encouraged people not to drive to meet us as the roads were pretty wet and dangerous. Tom and I just live a few blocks from each other so it was easy for us. We met at the Chateau and planned our route along the Ala Wai and then a second urban hike along the base of Diamond Head. It was actually a lot more fun than we expected. The streets were a lot less crowded because of the weather which was a nice change from butt loads of tourists usually filling up the sidewalks. It was cool to learn the history of not just the place names that are a part of our everyday life, but also the history of what the land was like before they created the Ala Wai Canal and forever changed the area. By the time we made it the 2 miles to the end of the first walk, it was really pouring out so we popped in for some nachos and to get out of the rain. After we decided just to head back. The walk back was not as fun since we were out of champagne.

Not cheap nachos...$18 to have them with the Kalua Pork.

Really fucking wet

First stop: ABC for a poncho

The Ala Wai was super full...and super nasty brown. Ala Wai mean 'fresh waterway' because of the streams that empty into it from the mountains and valleys. Originally it was to empty into the Pacific Ocean at both ends, but by the late 1920s funds for the project were exhausted so it was left as it is today.

Seaside is named for the Waikīkī Seaside Hotel which preceded the Royal Hawaiian Hotel from 1894-1927

Mānoa-Pālolo Drainage Canal drains water from the Mānoa and Pālolo streams.

Poor fishies having to live in such nasty ass water.

Nohonani means 'sit daintily' and is a poetic phrase often used in songs honoring royalty, in particular, Lili'uokalani

ABC stop #2...we were out of champagne

Tom informed us that his building, Island Colony, pictured with the triangle roof, was the tallest building in Waikīkī at the time it was built.


Nāhua means 'the fruits' and was named after a Hawaiian chiefess who owned land between Royal Hawaiian and Halekūlani hotels.

Can you spot Ninja Tom?! Walina means 'softness'

One of my favorite trees to see hiking in mountains. It is wonderful to see the same plants and trees growing in the city. This is the Octopus rubber tree, named so for its red blossoms that shoot out like an octopus

Tom has discovered an unknown species of grass

The bridged stream across the canal may have been a branch of Āpuakēahu Stream

Kānekapōlei is the name of a god of flowers. The street was named for Marion Kānekapōlei Guerrero Diamond, a resident of this area in the 1930s that was named for an uncle of a wife of King Kamehameha I.

Ka'iulani means 'the sacred height' and is named in honor of Princess Ka'iulani who lived near here with her parents. They called this area Āinahau

There was hardly another soul on the usually busy Ala Wai.

Lili'uokalani is named in honor of Queen Lili'uokalini whose name means 'smarting of the high-born one' because on the day she was born, her foster mother's aunt was suffering from ey pain.

Āpuakēhau Stream - The small, bridged stream across the canal may be one of the courses of the historic Āpuakēhau Stream as it entered Waikīkī . It means 'basket of dew' and may refer to the vast quantities of hau and palm trees and ti plants that lined its banks. The stream flowed from the mountains above Mānoa Valley, passed through the Āinahau property where Princess Ka'iulani lived, and emptied into the ocean ewa of the Moana Hotel. It also gave its name to the nearby heiau.

And then it really started raining...all of our phones went off at the same time for the emergency alert

Ōhua means 'retainer' or 'servant' and refers to the retainers of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili'uokalani who were housed along this street.

Serious water flowing out onto the street

Paoakalani means 'royal perfume' and was the name of one of Queen Lili'uokalani's homes located between Paoakalani and Wai Nani on the other side of Ala Wai Boulevard.

Super rad tree as we were walking along. It was jet black, most likely from all the rain.

Wai Nani means 'beautiful water' and most likely refers to the beautiful Kuekaunahi Stream which flowed thru the Queen's land. The water emptying into the canal across the way may be a remnant of Kuekaunahi Stream which flowed from the mountains above Pālolo Valley and emptied in the the Pacific Ocean diamond head of Kūhiō Beach Park. The meaning and even correct spelling of Kuekaunahi have grown obscure with the passage of time. Kue means fishhook.

Japanese orchid tree

ABC stop #3 - Again out of champagne...

Found a statue of Gandhi in the park by the zoo

The ocean was alive with the storm. But yet still warm.

Waves were crashing high at the end of the walkway

The rain really started to come down so we decided to forgo the second urban hike we were gonna do and just go eat nachos instead, out of the rain.

Yay! Delicious Cocktails

Tango Tango - RAD: Shelter from the storm, so many toppings. LAME: Chips are not as fresh as last time, I want more spicy. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, perfect by shy on jalapenos. Looks good to me!

Tom - RAD: Bloody Mary is spicy, yummy pork. Finding hidden jalapenos when you think they are all gone. LAME: Cheese is in one lump. Olives. Greasy. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, pretty good. Awesome view when it is not raining. They kinda look pretty in a weird "can nachos look pretty?" kinda way.

Shananigans - RAD: Fresh cheese, fresh onions, olives. LAME: Lack of spice, pork was kinda dry, only like 10 black beans, not fresh chips. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.5, lots of toppings for the chips, but the cheese is one big lump so when you try to take a chip, you take all the toppings for the entire plate with you. Need to use teamwork to eat them.