Kayaking to the Mokulua Islets (Moku Nui) – September 4, 2011

In honor of celebrating the Labor Day weekend, the Lost Trailblazers (David Chatsuthiphan [UnrealHawaii], Reanne Solomon, Jennifer Liu, Jenelyn Castillo, Troy Takara and I) decided to kayak and BBQ on Mokulua Nui (Moku Nui), the more northern islet of the two Mokuluas offshore of Lanikai Beach. We were fortunate a couple of the girls had racks on their cars so that we could easily transport two rented kayaks (courtesy of GoBananas) as well as a third that owned.

After loading up the kayaks, we piled into the two cars and headed out to Kailua over the H3 freeway.

Knowing that there were several beach accesses in Lanikai, we made sure to park near one that was the minimalist distance to the Mokuluas. We packed our gear in dry bags and in the internal compartments in the hull. Though not appearing geometrically possible, I packed a travel-table, canopy-tent, Weber Smokey Joe Grill, charcoal and a collapsible stool INSIDE of my kayak. Cheating? Yes, I know. haha. Collapsible coolers containing alcohol and food were carried on/in the other two kayaks… and we were off.

We reached the beach of Moku Nui within 30 minutes… and we were somewhat surprised to how many kayaks and people were already there. However, there was still space to set up our tent (see right)… though if we arrived 30 minutes later there may have not been.

Once settled in, the LT girls were immediately hawking/ogling the “meat market” on the beach…

Rib-eyes to be exact. C’mon… you’d be drooling too if you could smell these at the same time, hehehe.

I guess not only can we hike decently, but we can eat like champs as well, lol (Asparagus, left; and bacon-wrapped mushrooms / chicken, right).

We also made some Jiffy-pop… and who doesn’t smile for Jiffy Pop? Right “kid in the left photo?” lol. (Right photo, clockwise: Jiffy-Pop, Asparagus, Somen Salad, Garlic Mash Potatoes, Shrimp Kabobs, Smoked Sausage, Teriyaki Chicken, Bacon-wrapped Mushrooms and Ribeye Steak)

Time to do work!!!

…and time to address the subsequent kanak-attack (food coma for non-locals).

After the naps and digestion concluded, we decided to explore a trail to the backside of the islet.

The trail led us to a rocky coastline, where the water is ~ 20 feet deep, just offshore.

As we got closer, we were amazed by the landscape… rock crags, tidepools and an unusual U-shaped embayment.

The water appeared to sweep around the embayment from the left and exited around the rock-island to the right.

The rocky shoreline also had several high places for us to jump off of…

…this guy took it “another” 60 feet further and “free climbed” a huge, ~ 90-foot rock face (left). He later jumped off at a flatter, lower point that was still ~ 70 feet high (right). NOTE: watch the video in full-screen and a higher resolution, it doesn’t display well in the small video player above (don’t mind the goofball laughing at the end, lol).

After all of us jumped, we swam out to the little island in the middle of the embayment and immediately were up to our shenanigans.

Coming back to camp later that afternoon, we found that the majority of the people on the beach had left.

I guess it was time for us to pack up and head back to Lanikai… but not before having a few beers first, lol.

If you plan to kayak to the Mokuluas, you should know that:

– Moku Nui has a sizable beach to land (Moku Iki, the more southerly islet does not)
– It will be crowded on weekends, especially holiday weekends
– It is only open to the public during daylight hours
– As a seabird sanctuary, make sure to follow posted rules, e.g., no open fires, camping, dogs
– Make sure to pack out what you pack in
– You should be experienced with kayaking, or at least go with someone who is
– You can receive a $50 fine for not having/wearing your life-vest while kayaking
– Park as near beach accesses closest to the Mokuluas
– Make sure to pay attention to “No-Parking Signs” or “Tow Away Zone” signs/hours
– The distance from where you start and variable ocean conditions will affect how long it will take to reach/return to the Mokuluas

To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts and “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery. Make sure to check out David’s Unreal Hawaii site for his write-up about kayaking to the Mokuluas.