'Aihualama Falls
A cache by Ahuimanu Hui Hidden: 11/1/2009
Size:  (Small) Difficulty: Terrain: (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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'Aihualama Falls isn't nearly as well known as Manoa Falls, but
the walk to 'Aihualama Falls provides an opportunity to experience
one of Oahu's lesser-known beauty spots—Lyon Arboretum. The
Arboretum is a branch of the University of Hawai'i, and is the only
university botanical garden located in a tropical rainforest in the
United States. For more information about the Arboretum, check out
their web site: www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum.
There are over 190 acres to explore, and we certainly encourage
you to try some of the many trails—either the day you search
for the cache, or at another time. By the way, this is not a
“manicured” botanical garden (except for the area
around the Visitor Center)—you can sink your teeth into
this!
Here's what you need to know:
- Hours – Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm; Saturday, 9am-3pm. Closed
Sundays and public holidays.
- If you need driving directions, link to this web page: www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/visiting_getting.php
- The Visitor Center is located at the far end of the parking
lot. Sign in (required!) and pick up a trail map. Although there is
no fee to visit the Arboretum, donations are encouraged to help
maintain this beautiful garden and support its programs.
- After signing in, walk back to the other end of the parking
lot, turn right, and head up the main trail (“jeep
road”). You will follow this trail for approximately ½
mile.

- Where the jeep road ends (at trail marker 6B), a smaller trail
continues on to the falls. Just after you pass marker 6B, the trail
forks—take the right fork, which will parallel the
stream.

- In a few minutes you will encounter an 'Aihualama Falls sign
next to the trail. You're not at the falls yet, but your GPSr
should be telling you that you're very near the cache!
- The cache is located just a few feet off the trail, and your
geosense should kick in--”Aha, that looks to be a likely
spot.” Although you will have to step off the trail a bit, no
bushwhacking is required. Please be careful to avoid damaging any
plants—and do your best not to leave a geotrail!
- After replacing the cache, continue up the trail to the
falls—it's only another couple of minutes. Depending on how
much rain there has been recently, there may or may not be much
water coming down the cliff face. But either way it's a lovely
spot...
Some final items:
- Sturdy shoes and mosquito repellent are recommended.
- There is a lot of tree cover (what, in an arboretum?), so you
may have trouble getting a good signal until you are near the cache
site. But we were getting pretty good readings there.
- Look around and enjoy the beauty! We placed the cache here
because we wanted you to see why we love this place. Look at the
pictures below for a sample of what you may see (all of these were
taken the day we placed the cache).
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7 user(s) watching this cache.
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Additional Hints (No hints available.)
(Decrypted Hints)
Find...
Aphelandra aurantiaca
Bromeliad
Ginger
Ginger
Ginger
Ginger
Heliconia
Heliconia
Iris
11
2
1
Warning. Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.
December 18, 2009 by troutcacher (2159 found) Great walk in the Arboretum this afternoon. Quick find once I ignored the GPS and just followed the good old geo-senses.
View This Log |
November 27, 2009 by GeoGerms (1419 found) Another caching Furlough Friday for 808ladybug and me ! Was happy to find the place open today, wasn't sure it would be. Checked in, made our donation , and headed for the cache and falls. Found the cache without any trouble and cleaned it up a bit, since it was a little wet inside. Replaced it and walked the last few feet to the falls. It was flowing pretty good today . Dropped a geocoin. TFTC!Infected by GeoGerms #1390
View This Log |
November 27, 2009 by 808ladybug (1385 found) Love coming here . Came ready for rain, but as always when you do it never does LOL. T: a pathtag, L: a bunny. Mahalo for the cache ! 808 >(:)
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November 14, 2009 by leeroyboy (963 found) A cool morining turned into a wet one. It just made the Falls more enjoyable. Lots of plants in bloom. This left me with the desire to return for a more thorough inspection of the grounds. Thanks for bringing me here for the 1st time. LRB
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November 14, 2009 by Konacoffee (751 found) I always enjoy coming to this arboretum- it is so green and lush and wet! The wild cockatoos and shamas greeted us with song on the way in and out- it was great! After we found the cache, we made our way to the fall, which were flowing today!! TFTC! Traded pathtags.
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Current Time: 2/9/2010 9:31:02 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (5:31 AM GMT)
Last Updated: 12/18/2009 5:31:06 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (1:31 AM GMT)
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum