Kayak Routes on Oahu: Chinaman’s Hat (Mokoli’i Islet)

Basic Information

• Name: Chinaman’s Hat (Mokoli’i Islet)
• Where: Kualoa Regional Park
• Distance: 2.5 miles
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: Paddling Hawaii

Google Earth Map of the Route

Directions

The Kualoa Regional Park is a location that most tourists stop at to take pictures of the volcanic islet known as Chinaman’s Hat.  The park is located just off of the Kamehameha Highway just before the turn off into one of the major tourist attractions on the island, Kualoa Ranch which is famous for all the movies that have been filmed there.

Parking

The Kualoa Regional Park has a huge parking area where I have never had a problem finding a good place to park at this beach.

Hawaiian Meaning

The Hawaiian name for Chinaman’s Hat is Mokoli’i.  According to the book, “Place Names of Hawaii” the word “Mokoli’i” translates to “little lizard”.  This name is based on a legendary tale involving the sister of the fire goddess Pele, who’s name was Hi‘iaka.  At Kualoa, Hi’iaka killed a huge mo‘o or lizard and its tail is all that was left and it formed Mokoli‘i.  Interestingly this is the second location I have been to with a legend associated to Hi’iaka, she also had a run in with a mo’o at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Trail outside of Kailua.

Narrative

Since getting my kayak one of the locations I have been wanting to kayak to is the famous Chinaman’s Hat located on Oahu’s Windward Coast.  The term Chinaman’s Hat came from how the islet looks like the type of hat that Chinese plantation workers once wore when working out in the fields.  Today the name is still widely used in Hawaii despite some claiming it is a racist term.  From my own personal experience living in Hawaii I have not once heard anyone complain about the name or even call it by its Hawaiian name of Mokoli’i.  With that said I find the name of Mokoli’i to be a better name for the island because of the interesting backstory I describe above.

At Kualoa Regional Park, Mokoli’i isn’t the only terrain feature with an interesting Hawaiian legend associated with it.  The dramatic ridgeline that towers over the park, Pu’u Kanehoalani has an interesting Hawaiian legend associated with it as well:

According to the book, Ancient Sites of Oahu Kualoa is Hawaiian for “long back” and refers to Pu’u Kanehoalani as being the backbone of Oahu and thus considered sacred.  To add to the sacredness, the name Pu’u Kanehoalani is named in honor of the father of Hawaii’s goddess of fire Pele.  His name was Kane.  Another native Hawaiian legend states that a half man, half pig demigod once lived here named Kamapua‘a.

This sacredness made Kualoa one of the areas of Oahu where people could find refuge at a “heiau” temple from their enemies.  The sacredness also led to many royals deciding to live here as well.  The mixture of royalty and a heiau meant that sacrifices to the Gods were often made here.  What the priests did was drown their victims along the shore and left them floating in the seaweed.  That is definitely a depressing image to have in mind when I was getting ready to set out on my kayak:

After finding a place to park I then carried the bag containing my Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Inflatable Kayak on my back over to the southern side of the beach park.  This area of the park had some real calm ocean conditions that would allow me to easily put in a kayak.  After about 15 minutes I had my kayak inflated and prepared for my trip over to Mokoli’i:

As I prepared my kayak I noticed that there were many other kayakers taking advantage of the great weather to go kayak over to Mokoli’i as well:

From the beach I decided to paddle to the west for a short distance to take in the views of the Ko’olau Range:

The Pu’u Kanehoalani ridgeline dominated the views, but the pyramid shaped Pu’u Ohulehule was pretty impressive sight as well:

Looking further to the west I could see a number of people on the beach at an area called Secret Island.  Kualoa Ranch runs tours to the Secret Island which since it is a beach can be accessed by the public for free:

Further to the south I could Waihe’e Valley:

Waihe’e Valley is home to one of the most beautiful waterfalls on Oahu, Hamama Falls:

Best Hikes On Oahu: The Hamama Falls Trail

As I paddled around Kaneohe Bay out in the distance I could see the peninsula where Marine Corps Base Hawaii is located at:

After getting warmed up and taking in the views I then proceeded to paddle my kayak towards Mokoli’i:

As I paddled closer to the islet I could see there was a large group of people on its summit:

As I got closer to Mokoli’i there was a number of larger waves I had to paddle over, but by keeping my kayak pointed straight at the waves I went over them with no issues.  Once I arrived at Mokoli’i, I lifted my kayak over the rocks and secured it in an area where it would not wash away:

The area where people beach their kayaks has a small beach, but is mostly rocks: :

Here is a panorama view from the beach at the base of Chinaman’s Hat:

After finding a place to secure my kayak I then began to make my way up the steep trail to the summit of Mokoli’i:

The trail I found to be steep and slippery from mud and loose scree rock:

There is a short section of the trail that passes through some thick foliage:

The trail though is very easy to follow:

Something I had a major problem with was how I had to keep pulling thorns out of my gloves:

As well as off of my clothes:

I was very happy to reach the rock scrambling section of the trail just so I could get away from the thorns:

Before beginning the rock scrambling I took this panorama picture of Kaneohe Bay from above the foliage:

The rock scrambling to get to the top of Mokoli’i is not that hard, but since I was wearing water shoes I did not have the best traction on the rocks:

However, I was able to slowly and methodically make my way up the rocks with no issues:

Soon enough I reached the summit of Chinaman’s Hat:

The top of Chinaman’s Hat was actually larger than I was expecting:

I even found a US Geological Survey (USGS) marker installed in the rocks:

The views from the summit, especially of Pu’u Kanehoalani were stunning:

The views of Pu’u Ohulehule were very impressive as well:

Here is a closer look at this pyramid shaped peak:

Here is also a closer look at the beautiful Kualoa Regional Park:

Here is the view looking straight down from the summit towards where I beached my kayak:

Down below I saw a few more kayakers heading towards the islet:

Here is a panorama picture of the incredible view from the summit of Chinaman’s Hat looking back towards Kualoa:

Here is an even wider angle view from the summit:

Below is the view to the east looking out towards the seemingly endless Pacific Ocean.  The waves as they were rolling in were almost mesmerizing to watch from this perspective:

I could see a few kayakers that were braving the waves and paddling around Mokoli’i:

This next picture shows how much of a steep drop off there is on Mokoli’i’s east side:

Here is a panorama picture of the view looking towards the east:

Looking towards the south I could see the Ko’olau Range that bordered beautiful Kaneohe Bay:

As I looked in that direction I could also the Kaneohe Sandbar across the bay:

Opposite of the sandbar in the distance I was even able to spot the small hill where the Bunkers Trail leads to:

The below picture from the summit of the Bunkers Trail shows Kaneohe Bay and as well as Chinaman’s Hat out in the distance:

Below is one last panorama picture I took from the summit of Chinaman’s Hat that shows almost the entirety of Kaneohe Bay:

After spending about 30 minutes on the summit of Mokoli’i I then began to carefully descend back down the rocks:

Once I was back at the beach I drug my kayak back into the water and decided to next paddle around the Mokoli’i Islet.  As I started paddling around the islet I noticed that from the below perspective the summit appears much broader than what it appears from the beach a Kualoa:

As I paddled around the backside of Mokoli’i I had to navigate some bigger waves, but each time I saw them coming I made sure to point my kayak towards the wave and not let it hit me on the side.  In between waves I would then paddle in the direction I needed to go before another wave came.  This allowed me to make steady progress as I paddled around the islet.  The next picture shows the view of Mokoli’i from its rarely seen backside looking back towards Oahu:

In the above picture a hiker can be seen near the summit of Mokoli’i.  This next picture is a zoomed in shot of the hiker which helps give perspective to how big the islet is:

As I began paddling back towards Kualoa Beach the waves were now hitting me from the rear and giving me a little boost from time to time.  Here is the view of Mokoli’i as I paddled back towards the beach:

Here is a panorama picture of the view from my kayak:

After making my way around Mokoli’i I headed back for Kualoa.  This next picture shows the small beach I landed at located at the base of the islet:

This next picture shows Mokoli’i from the rear of my kayak as I headed back to the beach:

As I made my way over to the Kualoa Regional Park I noticed a large red helicopter that was circling around Chinaman’s Hat:

The helicopter belongs to the Coast Guard and it looked like they may have been doing a search and rescue operation.  They even flew slowly right over me, close enough to where I could see the personnel looking down at me.  My assumption was they may have been called to try and find a missing kayaker.  Here is a closer look at the helicopter:

The water conditions were outstanding as I continued to paddle my way back to shore:

As soon as I arrived back at the beach, I pulled my kayak on to the shore and began the process of deflating and packing it:

I had a few beachgoers come over and ask about my kayak.  They thought it was pretty neat how it deflates and that I can pack it with all my gear into a bag I can carry on my back.  After getting all my gear packed I began the walk up the beach back to my truck and enjoyed the beautiful views of Mokoli’i one last time before departing:

Conclusion

In total I paddled 2.5 miles in Kaneohe Bay and around the Mokoli’i Islet.  For this looking to just paddle to Mokoli’i and back from the Kualoa Regional Park it would be about a mile roundtrip paddle.  It is a fairly easy paddle to the islet, however for those planning to paddle around Chinaman’s Hat like I did, there are plenty of waves to contend with.  This is why I do not recommend that route for first time kayakers or people with young children riding with them.  Overall though this a must do paddle on Oahu that I highly recommend that everyone who enjoys kayaking to try out.

Disclaimer:  On-Walkabout is a website about outdoor activities that is not affiliated with any state or national government.  The articles on this website are for informational purposes only and to inspire others to get outside.  The activity descriptions are given to showcase the beauty and fun of experiencing the outdoors.  The writer of On-Walkabout is not responsible for any accidents, injuries, rescues, legal issues, or loss of life by anyone attempting the activities listed on this website.  Outdoor activities can be dangerous which is why it is the responsibility of the reader to use common sense and understand their own abilities before attempting an outdoor activity inspired by this website.  Most importantly parents need to understand the ability of their children before attempting an outdoor activity.  Just because my young children completed an activity mentioned on this site does not mean your children can as well.  Be safe and I hope this website inspires others to go and enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.  

Note: Further information about kayaking in Hawaii can be found in the below book: