Oahu Coastal Loop - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 221

lovely corals and the darting, inquisitive fish of Hanauma Bay, a surf-eroded crater that is
now a marine preserve. At Halona Blowhole, seawater compressed within an underwater
lava tube spews geyserlike into the air. Rising above the blowhole are the slopes of
1,208-foot Koko Crater.
The stunning 1,200-foot cliffs in Nuuanu State Park have a violent history—King Kamehameha I drove his enemies off
them in 1795.
3. Nuuanu Pali State Wayside
Rte. 72 arcs around Oahu's easternmost reach at Makapuu Point, where bodysurfers ride
the waves that roll in past Rabbit and Turtle islands, and marine-life enthusiasts seek close
encounters with the seals and dolphins on display at Sea Life Park. Heading northwest
between Waimanalo Bay and the steep side of the Koolau Range, the drive climbs Rte. 61
to Nuuanu Pali Lookout, a cliff-top vista that spans the coast from Makapuu to Kaneohe
Bay,takinginverdantforestatthebaseofthecliffsandaninfinityofocean.NuuanuPaliis
alsothesceneofoneofoldHawaii'sbloodiestepisodes.Here,in1795,KingKamehameha
I cemented his hold on much of the archipelago by driving his enemies off the spectacular
1,200-foot cliffs.