Our first journey around the island in a hire car – steering wheel on wrong side and car on wrong side of the road – took us to the Diamond Head crater, the head itself is as much a famed part of Honolulu as is Waikiki Beach. The walls of the extinct volcanic crater stand some 750 feet high and the lip is reached after a 40 plus minutes climb along and up a trail built by the US Army in 1910 to service military installations. The walk commences in the hot, humid centre of the crater and ends after climbing some 90 odd concrete stairs and a steel spiral staircase to emerge on the crater lip in cold, howling wind.
The name Diamond Head came into use around 1825 when a group of British sailors (some say they were slightly inebriated) found some rocks sparkling in the sun. Absolutely sure they had struck it rich, the sailors brought the "diamonds" back into Honolulu. Alas, the "diamonds" turned out to be calcite crystals. The sailors didn't become fabulously rich, but the name Diamond Head stuck.On reaching the lip of the crater, I paused for a rest and a photo opportunity and to my surprise there was Rotary International – complete with brass plate to announce that a concrete refuse container had been donated by RC Waikiki in 1992. I ceremoniously left some rubbish in the bin!! This is certainly the highest Rotary wheel I have come across!
The view from the point adjacent to the Rotary sign is magnificent; the views of the beautiful North Pacific, Honolulu, Waikiki and Pearl Harbour in the distance are well worth the climb - with rest breaks included.
Chris and Syd Gallagher
