Bubble Tea Mania – The Hunt for Hawaii’s Best Bubble Tea – Part III

Part I | Part II |  Part III 

 

Not to be outdone by their “townie” counterparts, this collection of merchants all make the claim that the westside is the bestside when it comes to serving up ono bubble drinks for us country bumpkins. Let’s take a looksee for ourselves shall we?

Coffee or Tea? (Pearl Kai)
Hallelujah! Our prayers have been answered!

Outside Coffee of Tea? (Pearl Kai)

As westsiders, making the trek to McCully Shopping Center to get our Coffee or Tea? fix is like going to the moon. We’ll make it a point to go if we’re already nearby, but if not, ah, no can. The wife and I kept joking with each other saying, “Wouldn’t it be perfect if ‘Coffee or Tea?’ opened up another location closer to us? We should just ask the owners if we could start our own franchise!” That’s when we knew we were insanely obsessed. Thankfully, those dreams became realty when long-time employee Shuru Yang was awarded her very own franchise in the Pearl Kai Shopping Center by owner Hunter Chao.

“I worked there for 7 years since I was in high school.” says Yang. “The owners treated me like family and one day told me to look for a location for my very own store.”

Coffee of Tea? Pearl Kai Owner Shuru Yang with their popular Passionfruit Smoothie

The new Pearl Kai location – right next to Tadashi Japanese Restaurant – only opened its doors on May 21st of this year and we’ve probably already been there about half a dozen times! If you’ve been to the McCully Shopping Center one (see Part I to refresh your memory – http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyle/around_town/2014-05-bubble-tea-mania-the-hunt-for-hawaiis-best-bubble-tea-part-i.html), you’ll immediately recognize the layout. In fact, it’s almost an exact carbon copy of the original, only flipped (cash register on the right and seating area on the left).

Inside Coffee or Tea? Pearl Kai

Be sure and support Shuru and her team (Grand Opening special: 10% discount off all beverages through July 31st) and see why they are one of our favorite Bubble Tea drinks around!

Wife says: “Wow!!! Coffee or Tea closer to home? Yes, please!!! I couldn’t be happier that my favorite milk tea joint opened a second location… Which makes it easier for me to get my milk tea fix! The taste of their milk tea & boba is exactly the same as the original location (in McCully). I love that their drinks are so consistent! Even the layout of the store is an exact replica of the original location (except flipped). The owner of this location is super sweet & friendly, too!”

Coffee or Tea? (Pearl Kai)
98-199 Kamehameha Hwy, Unit C6
Aiea, HI 96701 (Street View)
808-487-5168
Sun-Thu: 9am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 9am-10:30pm

 

Tea Time (Taiwan)

I don’t remember how we first heard about Tea Time, but I vaguely recall someone telling us about a new place in Pearl City and how it had some kind of association with Taste Tea. Something about the former owner of Taste Tea leaving to open Tea Time. Whether it is an actual partner/franchise operation or a spin-off, I’m not sure, but the layout and ordering method is eerily similar.

How to order your bubble drink at Tea Time

Since Tea Time only recently had their soft opening (early February of this year) and their official Grand Opening on February 22, they are still relatively new to the area and internal processes. Like their Taste Tea counterparts (see Part II), they’ve run out of large tapioca balls (boba) on me on more than one occasion, one of my pet peeves.

Medium Milk Tea with Small Tapioca Balls (not by choice)

Since the milk tea from Tea Time and Taste Tea supposedly come from the same roots, I asked my friend and die-hard Taste Tea fan Mel Sumida to compare the two. Her response pretty much sums it up: “I like the milk teas at both locations. The Taste Tea one is on the sweeter/milkier side, and the Tea Time one is less so, more ‘tea-ey’. For the milk tea portion, I probably prefer Taste Tea just a little more. But, oddly, I like the tapioca balls better at Tea Time. I’m weird.”

Medium Milk Tea with Large Tapioca Balls x 2

As always, wife has the last word…

Wife says: “This tea shop reminds me a lot of Taste Tea. The menu options are quite similar to Taste Tea – you can customize your boba size, level of sweetness, & select from a variety of tea flavors. I was so excited to try the milk tea & it didn’t disappoint – the milk tea wasn’t too sweet & the boba was soft & firm. However, the last two times we tried the milk tea it tasted different… I can’t figure out exactly what was different about it, but it seemed a little more watery than normal and the boba was also slightly harder.”

Tea Time (Taiwan)
98-1254 Kaahumanu St, Suite 172
Pearl City, HI 96782 (Street View)
808-488-8898
Sun-Thu: 10am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 10am-11:30pm

 

Bambu Desserts & Drinks (Aiea)

Bambu came with a lot of fanfare behind it. Following the release of Part I in my Bubble Tea series, I’ve had my fair share of requests to go and check them out, and, with a 4 out of 5 star rating with 150+ reviews on Yelp!, it’s hard to argue.

Though again, since I live in boonieland, making my way to their Kapahulu location in town proved to be quite the challenge. Upon further research, I discovered that Bambu was actually part of a larger franchise with locations as far away as California, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, to the more convenient Aiea, Hawaii (next to Aiea Town Square).

Outside Bambu Desserts & Drinks in Aiea

The Bambu location in Aiea opened its doors at the end of last year (December 14th), so it is still relatively new to the area. The interior has that polished, new, franchise feel to it.

Inside Bambu Desserts & Drinks in Aiea

Milk Tea-wise, the flavor was on point. Nice, strong tea flavor with just the right amount of milk. The tapioca balls however, were a letdown. They were way too soft & mushy. I’m hoping that it was just this batch and not always this way.

Black Milk Tea x 2

Wife says: “We heard a lot of great things about Bambu’s drinks, so we had to check it out! Although the menu is extensive, we wanted to try the milk tea with boba. The milk tea tasted yummy (it had a slightly stronger tea taste as compared to other milk teas I’ve tried, but still good). But it was the boba that was suuuper soft (almost mushy!) the batch we had was definitely overcooked. Shucks! I’m assuming that it was just a fluke since we heard great things about them.”

Bambu Desserts & Drinks
99-165 Moanalua Rd, Suite 200
Aiea, HI 96701 (Street View)
808-484-0288
Open 11am-9pm Daily

 

HulaShake

With two young kids, an exciting night out these days for us usually means a trip to Target out in Kapolei. On the way there, we often grab dinner from Pho808 in the Kapolei Marketplace. On a somewhat recent trip there, we noticed a bright, colorful store that had the makings of a froyo shop and had to pop in to check it out.

Inside HulaShake

According to a poster in the store, their 12 most popular drinks are the Strawberry Green Tea, Japanese Tea Smoothies, Mango Smoothies, Chocolate/Belgium Chocolate drink, Coconut Milk Tea, Taro Smoothies, Green Apple Green Tea, Passion Fruit Green Tea, Taro Milk Tea, Blue Coral drink, Thai Tea, and their Signature Milk Tea.

Signature Milk Tea from HulaShake

I particularly enjoyed it, especially since the owner Hillary had a lot of energy and seemed very passionate about making her new business (opened in August of last year) work. The store layout, professional product shots, and logo and icon usage had all the makings of a franchise but I could not for the life of me find any other affiliated stores. If Hillary is doing all of this on her own, that’s very impressive.

Side note: Not to be confused with HulaShake, Hula Boba in the Crossroads at Kapolei Shopping Center (Simply Organized, Chun Wah Kam, Brick Oven Pizza, etc.) across the street also serves up bubble drinks, though they do not have fresh tea options at last check.

(For HulaShake) Wife says: “I was pleasantly surprised that this cute little shop served freshly brewed milk tea drinks! The decor is cheery & bright and reminds me of a frozen yogurt shop. I had no idea it served bubble drinks! My first experience was amazing… the owner was working & she was very helpful & friendly. The two workers that made our milk tea drinks made it perfectly! I was so happy that I found a great place to get milk tea without having to drive into town. However, I tried this shop a couple more times & have been disappointed. The signature milk tea drink tasted nothing like my first delicious cup! The mixture of the milk tea didn’t taste right. I suppose it depends on the worker(s) who are making your cup?”

HulaShake
Kapolei Marketplace
590 Farrington Hwy, Unit 517
Kapolei, HI 96707 (Street View)
808-260-1098
Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm
Sun: 10am-6pm

 

Hi Sandwich & Drink

When we first started researching (yes, there is actual research that goes on here every once in a while…) for bubble drink places on our side of the island, Hi Sandwich & Drink was one of the first that came up. Located in the Waimalu Shopping Center between Zippy’s and Chun Wah Kam, Hi Sandwich & Drink – as the name suggests – serves up both drinks (smoothies and dessert drinks) and sandwiches (on fresh baked bread).

Menu board at Hi Sandwich & Drink

Since parking was a challenge to find, as it often is here, the wife just ran in to grab a drink for herself as I left the car running with two knocked out kids in the backseat. Her quickie photo and feedback are as follows.

Milk Tea from Hi Sandwich & Drink

Wife says: “Hi Sandwich & Drink is a cute, tiny shop that we heard served bubble drinks. Of course we had to give it a try! On our first trip, I tried the milk tea with boba and I was in heaven! This place made a super delicious milk tea & great boba! I even compared it to my favorite place Coffee or Tea! Of course we went back again to get more… but I was disappointed that it tasted so different than the first time! Almost as if they used a creamer or powder??? I can’t say for sure, but it definitely tasted off. We even tried it a third time, and again, I was puzzled by its unusual taste. At least the boba had a good consistency. I’m guessing people go here more for their sandwiches and fruit drinks.”

Hi Sandwich & Drink
Waimalu Shopping Center
98-042 Kamehameha Hwy
Aiea, HI 96701 (Street View)
808-487-7372
Open 10am-9pm Daily

 

Bee’s Dessert House

Bee’s is one of those early day drink shops that everyone seems to know about. Conveniently located in the northwest end of Moanalua 99 marketplace in Mapunapuna (formerly 99 Ranch Market), Bee’s serves up a wide variety of drinks, desserts, and burgers even!

Bee’s Dessert House at Moanalua 99

We went there so long ago that the only thing I remember was that I ordered a blueberry bubble drink with no whip cream yet it was very milky/melty as you can see in the (left) image below. I took that picture as soon as I got it and it was already running all over me.

Blueberry, Strawberry and Milk Tea Bubble drinks from Bee’s

Wife says: “I don’t remember. Maybe we need to go back again!”

Bee’s Dessert House
Moanalua 99
1151 Mapunapuna St
Honolulu, HI 96819 (Street View)
808-834-8888
MON-SAT: 8am-10pm
SUN: 9am-7pm

 

Lyndliz Bubble Drinks

I used to go to the Lyndliz in Wahiawa when it was a small, closet-like walk-in store and was moderately saddened when they closed a few years ago. I recently rediscovered them when they re-opened at the much larger (former Tutti Frutti) location in Wahiawa Town Center just a couple doors down.

Lyndliz Bubble Drinks

Back in the day, I used to always get their fruit-flavored bubble drinks, which, although very sweet, is still on point.

Acai Bubble Drink from Lyndliz

With the wife’s crazy Milk Tea obsession, I had to grab her one from here too. They told me that they usually make it in a blended format, which we don’t like, so I requested the iced/liquid version.

Milk Bubble Tea from Lyndliz

They assured me that it was fresh tea (as opposed to a powder) which is perfect, but the milk ratio was a little too rich/creamy for me. Almost as if they used an artificial powder/creamer.

Interestingly enough, when researching Lyndliz, I came across this video from their old shop which somewhat documents how they make their Thai Tea Bubble Drink. Watch if you please. 🙂

How to make a Thai Tea Bubble Drink from Lyndliz

 

Wife says: “I don’t remember. Maybe we need to go back again!”

Lyndliz Bubble Drinks
Wahiawa Town Center
935 California Ave
Wahiawa, HI 96786 (Street View)
808-621-8262
MON-FRI: 9am-7pm
SAT: 11am-7pm
SUN: Closed

 

Bubble-Drink.com

Although named after a domain name, ironically the web site does not work. Either way, I went to this place mostly out of convenience (I was at Pearlridge for work).

Bubble-Drink.com at Pearlridge Downtown

Like Lyndliz, the Blueberry Bubble Drink I got was really sweet. I don’t recall the wife making any commentary on the Milk Bubble Tea I got her.

Blueberry and Milk Tea Bubble Drinks

Wife says: “I don’t remember. Maybe we need to go back again!”

Bubble-Drink.com
Pearlridge Downtown
98-1005 Moanalua Rd, Suite 402
Aiea, HI 96701 (Street View)
808-488-2990
MON-SAT: 9am-9pm
SUN: 9am-6pm

 

And that about wraps things up in this series on Bubble Drinks. I know I missed a few places like the newly opened LemonTea Hawaii in Pearlridge Uptown II (TWC WiFi here!), the soon to open Mr. Tea Café, Timi House, Bubble Puff & Tea, Hawaii Juice Factory… The list goes on and on. Perhaps it’ll be a good way to satiate the Milk Tea Nazi known as my wife and lead us into Part IV in the series. You nevah know… 😉

WESSSSTSIIIIIIDE!

 

 

Part I | Part II |  Part III 

 

 

Tarp Surfing in Hawaii – VH07V Style (Click to Play!)

 

Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – March 27, 2013

We’re five days away from the start of the second quarter of the year. Ho da fast! Did you guys have Kuhio day off yesterday? How about Good Friday this Friday? If so, this week is shmall kine cruise for you. Woo hoo! LOL!

Work has been pretty crazy lately. Not sure if I’m allowed to talk about it just yet, but let’s just say Oceanic is doing some exciting things in the wireless space this year! Will post more info as soon as I get clearance to talk about it.

Anyway, let’s get on with this week’s pics!

Photo #1

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – March 27, 2013

Photo 1) Wea Dis Stay? ________________________

Photo #2

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – March 27, 2013

Photo 2) Wea Dis Stay? ________________________

Photo #3

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – March 27, 2013

Photo 3) Wea Dis Stay? ________________________

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SCOOPS!

$25 Gift Card Winner!
Congratulations to carokun who correctly guessed our quiz/location last week: the new Ross Dress for Less store at 2220 South King Street (old Long’s). She won herself a juicy $25 Ross gift card thanks to the good folks at Ross Dress for Less.

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VH07V at SPAM Jam next month!
VH07V was selected as one of only 10 crafters to get into this year’s SPAM Jam festival in Waikiki taking place next month (Saturday, April 27 @ 4pm-10pm). Come on down and visit us at da booth k?

VH07V will be at this year’s 11th Annual Waikiki SPAM Jam! (Photo courtesy: SPAM Jam)

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New AroundHawaii article!
Forgot to post this one earlier this month I think. My March article for AroundHawaii features the semi new bento spot in Pearl Kai Shopping Center called Mamaya (they also have a place in Shirokiya’s Yataimura). Check it out: Mamaya Japanese Foods – Mamma Mia!!

Mamaya Japanese Foods – Mamma Mia!

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Weekly VH07V Updates!

VH07V Spotted!
This week’s “SPOTTED!” shot features Bruddah Myong Choi touring the temples in Japan (in Osaka and Kyoto) with his Green/Orange & Black/Blue VH07V colorways.

SPOTTED: Myong Choi in Japan

New VH07V Designs!
We’re on Day 7 (of 10) of voting for our new design concepts for our VH07V Ladies Racerbacks. Click on one of the 6 concepts (previously released) below and Share/Like/Comment on your favorite(s)! The most popular one(s) will go to print! Go to facebook.com/VH07V over the next 3 days to see the rest…

* Get all of the latest VH07V gear at:

SHOP.VH07V.COM

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As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)

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“World Wide Ed” Spring Cleaning Special at Hawaii Self Storage!

The folks at Hawaii Self Storage were generous enough to extend a Spring Cleaning special to us “World Wide Ed” readers:

Just mention this blog and get 50% OFF selected storage lockers!

Sweet right? So if you’ve been looking for a storage solution to put all of your stuff, give them a holla: www.hawaiiselfstorage.com!

“World Wide Ed” Spring Cleaning Special at Hawaii Self Storage!

Mamaya Japanese Foods – Mamma Mia!

Yeah, I know “Mamma Mia!” is an Italian phrase and this place I’m about to cover is not, but “Mamaya” is not exactly the easiest word to rhyme or come up with something clever for. It was either that or something to do with Papayas. 😛

We have a tradition in the Sugimoto household where we pack up our mat, drinks and selves, head to a favorite eatery to pick up lunch, and then head to Moanalua Gardens for a family picnic. One morning, the wife excitedly exclaimed that she wanted to pick up from this new place called Mamaya that recently (December, 2012) opened up in Pearl Kai Shopping Center. She heard about it from her mom and was particularly excited because it was the same bento company that serves up her favorites at Shirokiya’s Yataimura.

As a fan of new eateries and not having to drive very far, I was intrigued. So off we went, with drinks and selves in tow.

Mamaya Japanese Foods sign

It’s located on the east end of the shopping center (to the left of Sprint, Kuru Kuru Sushi and Subway), where I believe BBQ Hut used to be.

When you first walk in, you’ll notice a delicatessen style lineup on the right.

Delicatessen style options at Mamaya

Keeping things simple, everything from the “deli” – hot or cold – is Mix and Match style for $7.75 per pound. Here are the options we found that day.

Fried Ahi Belly with Teri Ginger Sauce, Mochiko Chicken, Yakisoba Noodle, Whitefish with Butter Caper Sauce

Tofu Steak with Vegetable Sauce, Beef Broccoli, Chicken Katsu, Nishime

Assorted Sushi, Pumpkin Tempura, Fried Pork Hash, Eggplant with Teriyaki Sauce, Potato Salad

Sweet Egg, Broccoli Salad, Water Crest with Sesame Seed, Kinpira Gobo, Namasu, Takuan, Aokappa, Kim Chee

Then you move along to the left and find something unique.

Poke Bowls!

You can make a mini Poke Bowl for $5.75 or a regular sized Poke Bowl for $7.50 with your choice of rice (plain or multigrain). You can also go for the Mamaya Special Bowl for $8.25, where you can choose two kinds of Poke in addition to one side (Seaweed Salad or Won Bok Kim chee) with your rice. Looking at the per pound prices for the poke by itself ($14.50 for previously frozen ahi!), cost-wise, you’re better off going with the bowl.

Just past the register, we get to the drinks and the prepackaged stuff. The neat thing about the bentos is that if you are looking for a particular kind or combo and they don’t have it out, you can make a special request and they may be able to custom build your order (depending on supply) with a 10-20 minute waiting period. We were there just before lunch, and they were already decently wiped out. Luckily, we were able to find what we wanted. (Hint: the Misoyaki Butterfish and Mochiko Chicken are their popular items.) Here were some of the tasty looking options we found.

Mochiko Chicken Bento ($7.50)

Hamachi Kama Combo Bento ($9.95)

Salmon Dynamite Combo Bento ($8.50)

Grilled Salmon Combo Bento ($8.50)

They even have donburis, musubis, handrolls, chichidango and mochi, amongst other interesting items!

Mochiko Chicken Curry Donburi ($5.75)

Mochi with Peanut Butter ($2.50)

Then we were off to Moanalua Gardens for our family picnic.

My Mochiko Chicken Bento at Moanalua Gardens

So if you’re a born-again westsidah like me, check out their new, closer location at Pearl Kai Shopping Center, and then come meet us at Moanalua Gardens. Just be sure to bring some fruits too. I dunno, maybe some papayas?

The fam

Mamaya
Pearl Kai Shopping Center
98-199 Kamehameha Hwy
Aiea, HI 96701 (Street View)
(808) 492-1863
Hours:
Mon-Sat 10am-7:30pm
Sun 10am-5pm

 

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Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – December 1, 2010

Sorry for da lateness! Shmall kine busy! To reward your patience, let’s do some “Lucky you live Hawaii” shots this week. Can you tell where these are???

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Photo #1

Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – December 1, 2010

Points for Photo #1…
* Location?: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Why wuz we dea?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
* Google Street View link?: 1 point

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Photo #2

Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – December 1, 2010

Points for Photo #2…
* Location?: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
* Google Street View link?: 1 point

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Photo #3

Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – December 1, 2010

Points for Photo #3…
* Creative Photo Caption?: 2 points
* Location?: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Who dat at the Lifeguard station?: 2 points each
* Why wuz we dea?: 5 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1/2 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
* Google Street View link?: 1 point

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Last Week’s Results:
Ho, I wasn’t joking when I said was goin’ be hahd last week! Most questions went unanswered. Does that mean I can re-use um? 😛 tweetpeep22, Coconut Willy, Paco and Rosette were still able to eek out a few points though! ‘Grats tp, C Dubbs, 2Pac and Rosey! 🙂

Da Leadahboard (Round 2)!

• 70.5 – Masako
• 37.5 – Takeshi
• 31.5 – Paco
• 18.0 – rayboyjr
• 17.0 – kuya.d
• 10.5 – AlMan68
• 08.0 – Coconut Willy, Rosette
• 06.5 – tweetpeep22, NeedaHobby
• 06.0 – che, MakiSushi
• 04.0 – am
• 03.5 – bB
• 03.0 – kickerbear
• 02.5 – pink lady
• 02.0 – sshawnn, M, Kage, EMM386
• 01.5 – mcat
• 01.0 – effenprincess, Chicken Grease, carokun, Ynaku, 9th Island Cuz

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Check out my new article on AroundHawaii.com entitled: “Hike, Bike, or the Like – Give the Pearl Harbor Bike Path a Whirl“! *grin*

Hike, Bike, or the Like – Give the Pearl Harbor Bike Path a Whirl

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Have a happy VH07V Wednesday and beginning of December y’all! Don’t forget to post your guesses below k? Shoooots!

Hike, Bike, or the Like – Give the Pearl Harbor Bike Path a Whirl

On a somewhat recent episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog and his posse went chasing down a fugitive in some dense forestry-looking area on our `aina. Upon closer examination, I recogmatized um as da place we biked back in August: The Pearl Harbor Bike Path. What better time to write about it for y’all right?

Now I need to start with a disclaimer. If being on Dog the Bounty Hunter is any indication, there could conceivably be certain areas of the path that may be viewed as “shady” to some. For parts of the ride, wifey kept saying that it probably wouldn’t be safe for people to run/ride by themselves. Personally, I felt perfectly fine, but that’s probably because I’m the proud owner of this intimidating gun show (*flexes*). 😛 All kidding aside, if you don’t feel safe or feel like you can’t protect yourself, take some friends along if you choose to do this path.

With that outta the way, let’s get a rollin’!

I’ve read reports that the trail can be anywhere from 8 to 18 miles or more, spanning the areas between Aiea to Waipahu to even Nanakuli! I guess it just depends where you decide to start and how far you wanna take it (see map from the DOT. Our particular adventures started from Aiea and went to Waipahu and back. Check it!

Depending on where *you* decide to start, the parking sitch may not be the greatest. We opted to start on the Aiea Bay State Recreation Area side, which meant finding parking in the surrounding neighborhoods near Aloha Stadium (to the chagrin of those living in the area). Note: We later discovered that there is actually a parking lot for the park (recreation area) if you enter in through McGrew Loop off Kamehameha Highway (view Google Street View). Whether or not you trust your car parked there – while people watch you unload your bike and ride off – is up to you.

So if you parked in the Aloha Stadium area like we did, just make your way north, down Kamehameha Highway and take a left at this little side street with no name (Google Street View). That will lead you to the Aiea Bay State Recreation Area and beginning (southeast portion) of the Pearl Harbor Bike Path.

Pearl Harbor Bike Path in the Aiea Bay State Recreation Area [Photo Courtesy: Todd Wakida]

(That’s a photo of my friend Jay at the Aiea Bay State Recreation Area on the return trip. Sorry, I didn’t have any photos of us going in the other direction.)

As you start your journey, you will actually travel under a portion of the Moanalua Freeway (HI-78), giving you a neat, not often-seen perspective.

Under the Moanalua Freeway (HI-78)

Soon you’ll find yourself on the backside of Pearl Kai Shopping Center. Perhaps, if you were a member of 24 Hour Fitness back in the day when it was here, you might remember seeing some mysterious road with joggers prancing along it? Well, that was the Pearl Harbor Bike Path! Mystery solved! 😛 Here’s the only shot I have (from AndHere.com) of the backside of Pearl Kai. It’s the parking lot underneath the old 24 Hour Fitness.

The back of Pearl Kai Shopping Center [Photo Courtesy: AndHere.com]

Eventually, you’ll pass by Best Buy, Harbor Center, Cutter Ford, and Neal S. Blaisdell Park.

Neal S. Blaisdell Park

This is a good place to catch your breath and grab some water (and use the potty).

A few strip malls later, you’ll instantly recognize the back side of the Hawaiian Electric power plant…

Hawaiian Electric power plant

… Followed by a cute little taro patch/field.

Taro patch/field

At this point, you’ll be riding parallel with the H-1 (westbound) for a little while with East Loch to your left. Passing Pearl City Peninsula on your left, things will open up at Middle Loch, where you’ll see some pretty cool ships docked out at sea.

Ships at Middle Loch

As you pass Middle Loch and make your way towards West Loch…

Path between Middle Loch and West Loch

I noticed something really disturbing.

Pollution along the Pearl Harbor Bike Path

At the end of the little river/canal/stream that ran alongside of the bike path (Kapakahi Stream?), there was a build-up of trash and waste, including a shopping cart and even a spare tire! This is hereby a plea to the city to please take a close look into this! Mahaloz!

Finally, you’ll make it to Waipahu Home Depot Road where you’ll take a right to head towards Farrington Highway. Along the way, you’ll notice HUGE stacks of compacted recycled goods (at an Ewa Repair Shop? or Depot Metal Inc.?), a good a time as any for a photo opp! 🙂

Compacted recycled Goods at Ewa Repair Shop

Continue to make your way towards Farrington Highway and you’ll start to get your bearings. You’ll pass by Servco Auto Leeward when you hit the highway. Strange coming from that direction yeah?

Since we were hungry, we decided to stop by at Tanioka’s to rest our bones…

Our bikes outside of Tanioka’s

And pound some ono poke.

Poke and rice (with the IntelliGo) next to the Tanioka’s Menu  [Photo Courtesy: AndHere.com]

A big mahalos to bruddah Donovan for hooking us up with some ono grindz!

With our bellies full and bones well rested, it was time to make the return trip back to Aiea. Rather than listening to my annoying commentary, let’s press the mute button on me and enjoy the photos of the ride back in peace and quiet.

Jay with his leftovers

Above Middle Loch

Todd and wifey

Wifey and I [Photo Courtesy: Todd Wakida]

Signage

Todd and Jay

More fields

Behind HECO

Todd’s “handsome” face

Peesu

Jay and wifey

All smiles

East Loch [Photo Courtesy: Todd Wakida]

Right next to the freeway

Almost there…

We made it! [Photo Courtesy: Todd Wakida]

I wanna say the entire trip probably only took like 2-3 hours, including the lunch break, but that’s just my guesstimate. An overall fun, and different adventure that you and your homeys can enjoy one (or every) weekend. Just remember to bring a friend if you’re not with me. 😉