On Day 3 we set out to hike to the summit of Diamond Head Crater. Once again we only had a general idea of how to get there. At one point the road split into two and we decided to go right to stay on the same street. Bad move. This made our walk to the trail 2 miles instead of 1. We eventually found our way to the right path which went up a hill, and about halfway up we found the Diamond Head Grill where we planned to stop on the way down for lunch (yes, we planned our meals quite thoroughly). We kept going and found a community college at the top. We were pretty confused because there was no view from here and we didn't see a trail. After nearly turning back, we realized we had to go down the other side of the hill for a bit before we found the entrance to Diamond Head State Park. Below is a viewpoint before we entered the park. I tried to take similar pictures on the way up to show our progress.



At this point, we were pretty exhausted so we took a break and had some strawberry/passionfruit shaved ice.



This was refreshing and afterwards we were ready for the hike - 0.8 miles and a climb up of 560 feet consisting of steep stairways and tunnels. The trail was nicely paved at first but then turned into "rough terrain", basically a very uneven dirt path. It didn't help that we were both wearing Chucks. Here we are slightly higher up.



And here from the top.



This picture shows how close we are to the clouds.



At the top there were a couple smaller platforms where you could get a little higher. Below is a series of pictures I took from the first platform where I tried to capture the Waikiki coastline. I kept trying to get a good one without the tops of people's heads in it.









As you can see this was a bit of a struggle. I did take one without the heads but it didn't capture much of the coastline. I took the picture below a little lower but it came out a lot better. I leaned over the edge a bit to get this one.



The views were definitely worth the hike, it felt like such an accomplishment. After hiking back down we had some Gatorade at the foot of the trail and then walked back to the Diamond Head Grill for lunch - Shoyu Chicken with Rice and Salad and a TeriSteak Burger.



Another welcomed break. After lunch we headed back to the hotel to rest. Later in the day we stopped at the Westin again for some drinks at the beach bar! I had a Mai Tai (ridiculously strong) and Annie had an Island Breeze (I think).



Below are some views from this spot.





It was partly cloudy for most of the day and it eventually started to get a little chilly so we walked back to the hotel (this time on the beach) to get ready for dinner. On our way to Shokudo on Day 1, we passed by a ramen place that was small but crowded. Another group that walked by us went in as well so we thought it must be decent and decided that we'd go back and try it. This is where we went for dinner on Day 3 - Ramen Nakamura. Best. Ramen. Ever. (Yes, better than Santa) Below is a picture of the oxtail ramen and shoyu ramen. We got a combo and mini combo so we also had fried rice and gyoza (not pictured).



Here is a close up of the shoyu ramen.



What a great meal! We tried to see if we could come back the next day for lunch before we headed to the airport. The place opens at 11 but our shuttle to the airport was at 11:30 so we weren't sure if we could make it...