Ahu O Laka, The Kane'ohe Sandbar

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​Ahu O Laka, The Kane'ohe Sandbar

....Continued from previous post:
       The following morning, Monday, April 6, we took an excursion to enchanting  Kane'ohe Bay on the windward - or eastern - coast of O'ahu,​

...with a tour company called Captain Bob's Picnic Sail.
         The trip, as I imagined it, would involve sailing out to the middle of the bay to a sandbar, which in my mind would be a little Robinson Crusoe-esque spot of sand and palm trees,

...where we'd have a picnic, after which there would be snorkeling on the reef off the sandbar for those who wished, while the non-snorkelers (among whom I would surely be) lounged amidst the sand and palm trees.
     As it would turn out, the trip wouldn't be exactly as I imagined it. Neither would the sandbar. Probably because I didn't actually know what a sandbar was. 
       Our trip began as we set out from the Hale Koa and walked ten minutes to a designated point in front of the Ilikai Hotel on Ala Moana Boulevard,

...where we met up with our three friends from the birthday dinner the night before (see post from 5/5/2026, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/an-easter-birthday-no-egg-hunt-but-a-hunt-for-a-hat-and-a-restaurant).
       Here Captain Bob's bus picked up the eleven in our group along with the dozen or so other folks who would be our excursion mates for the day.
​         We set out from Honolulu, 

...and rode northeast over the Ko'olau Range, the remains of the ancient shield volcano that runs up the eastern spine of Oahu,

...until we arrived at Kane'ohe Bay.

         During the bus ride I got into a conversation with the folks sitting across the aisle from me. At some point the conversation turned to the sandbar. At the end of the trip our bus driver, whom I'd been sitting behind, told me me that the Kane'ohe Sandbar was called Ahu O Laka. When I asked him to tell me again the name of the sandbar he wrote it down for me.

       Later I would look up Ahu O Laka to learn that this was a sacred place in Hawaiian Culture.       
         When we arrived at the dock we were greeted by one of Captain Bob's welcoming  staff, who led us to our boat, which I believe was called a catamaran.

      What our boat looked like:

        Once on board, we made the acquaintance of our friendly guide,

...our friendly captain,

...and the rest of the boat's crew, all of whom were delightful and so very friendly.
      Soon after we were out in Kane'ohe bay, surrounded by breathtaking vistas of the Ko'olau Range. 

          We sailed for about 15 or 20 minutes, when up ahead in the distance there appeared a wide swath of lighter water.

       When we entered the area of light water the boat stopped and a ladder was lowered from the front bow. A couple members of the crew plunged into the bay, then our guide told us that the volleyball net would be up in a few minutes and invited us to have fun on the sandbar. 
        Wait, what sandbar?  I wondered, and what's with setting up a volleyball net in the bay? 
          The looks on the faces of at least some of my boat mates suggested that I wasn't the only one who was confused. But others were climbing down the ladder into the water - the knee-deep water, as it turned out.            

        "Ohhh," said my daughter, who'd initially been as puzzled as I was, "I think the sandbar must be under the water." That, in fact, turned out to be the case: Ahu O Laka, the Kane'ohe Sandbar, is a shallow underwater island.
         Soon most of the rest of the passengers were in the water, playing volleyball and appearing to have a good time.

        So pleasant a time did everyone out there on the sandbar seem to be having that I, the aquaphobe who doesn't know how to swim, decided to join them. I made it to the bottom of the ladder before I got a case of the butterflies. However, my daughters encouraged and guided me down the ladder and into the bay where the water was most shallow, calm, and nice. I sat myself on the sandbar in the shallow water, relaxed, and enjoyed the scenery. 

​     When lunch time rolled around our tour guide beckoned us back into the boat,

...where the crew had grilled us up a batch of yummy burgers - including meatless burgers for the vegetarians on board - accompanied by baked beans, salad and chips, with cookies and pineapples for dessert. It did hit the spot, and there were plenty of left-overs for those who wanted seconds.

        After lunch we sailed out to a reef for snorkeling. My daughters, who were among the snorkelers, said that this reef was the most colorful, most beautiful reef they'd ever seen. When the snorkelers came back on board there was coffee, tea and hot chocolate waiting, prepared by the staff.
         We then sailed around Kane'ohe Bay,  

...with our guide pointing out sights of interest,     ​

...such as a turtle playground,

...the cone-shaped island of Mokoli'i, also known locally as Chinaman's Hat,

...and Kualoa Ranch, used as a filming site for numerous movies, most famously for Jurassic Park.

       At the end of our Kane'ohe Bay picnic sail, Captain Bob's bus returned us back over the Ko'olau Range,

...to Honolulu.
         That evening we had dinner on post at Bibas, located in the courtyard of the Hale Koa.

...where one can eat outdoors,

...or, as we preferred, indoors,

...and where the food is so good.

      For dessert, however, we strolled  over to Happy's,

...for slices of their sublime cheesecake,

...and  coconut cake.

       We then walked down to the beach to watch the sunset, 

...the perfect end to a beautiful day.

        To be continued...