Jul 6 - Get an early public bus to the southern end of the island. Here, there are several prominent but relatively small volcanic craters. The one we enter is also home to the Koko Crater Botanical Garden.
Most of the vulcanism on O’ahu occurred between 3 and 4 million years ago. However, the Koko Crater and several other cones in the area formed during a renewed period of vulcanism about 10,000 years ago.
The botanical garden has sections dedicated to North America, Hawaii, and parts of Africa including Madagascar.
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Rather than wait for the bus going west to Honolulu in the hot sun, we take the one continuing east, with the idea that it would reach the end of its route and come back. But this bus, upon reaching the east side of the island, stopped and changed its number (we could not see this happen from inside), and carried on to Kailua. At some point we stopped being convinced it would turn around, and I found out that in fact it had no plans to do so. We disembark at Kailua, find something cheap to eat, then get a different bus that cuts straight across the island back to Honolulu.
Kailua and the surroundings are interesting to see, as the towns over here look nothing like the suburbs of Honolulu or the housing around Koko Crater. Those places have expensive homes, while the non-rich live in the towns around Kailua. There is a sense of poverty here. The backdrop of cliffs in the island interior is quite scenic all along this coastline.
Arriving back in Honolulu, far from our hotel in Waikiki, we see a few sights of interest.
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In the late afternoon, spend some time at Kuhio Beach Park, which is about a three-minute walk from where we are staying.
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