Diamond Head (Le'ahi) State Park

These are the photos I took of the Diamond Head Crater(called Le'ahi by the native Hawai'ians) area as I was ascending to its peak.

This is a car tunnel by which you gain entry into Diamond Head (Le'ahi) State Park. Although I didn't know it at the time, the large cliff is actually part of the crater rim wall. 

On my way to the top, I stopped at the Lower Lookout and snapped 3 photos of the crater from that point. I think the crater wall is very pronounced in these photos. 

Photo 2 

Photo 3 

This is a dark tunnel which you must pass through on your journey to the summit of Diamond Head. Although it looks fairly flat, it is inclined significantly. 

Upon summiting Le'ahi, I decided to take a 360 degree panorama of the area, of which this is the first shot. You'll see Waikiki and Honolulu in the 3rd and 4th shots especially but shot 2 has a good view of the suburbs. You should also be able to make out the crater without too much difficulty. From the bottom to the top took me about 45 minutes walking. 

Photo 2 

Photo 3 

Photo 4 

Photo 5 

Photo 6 

Photo 7  

Photo 8 

Photo 9 

This is a lighthouse just outside the crater wall oceanside (obviously). If you look in the 8th picture of the panorama series, you'll see the lighthouse as a white structure in the bottom right of the photo. I used the zoom feature on my camera to take this photo. 

This is a shot of the crater by itself. The park entrance is at the bottom and you can see the car tunnel exit just to the top-left of center. The crater rim is especially visible in the center-top of the photo. 

This is a photo of the old lookout near the top of the crater. It served the army outpost there and looked out over the ocean for signs of enemy vessels. 

As I was heading back down form the summit, I snapped this picture of the steep staircase you walk along to get to the top. It used to be a ladder but due to safety concerns, these stairs replaced it.