Upon further research when I got home I learned that this was Luakaha Falls and is located directly behind the houses in the Luakaha neighborhood off Nuu'anu pali drive and I believe may be on private property. Along the way there was also a nice little pool you could take a dip in and it had a tiny waterfall to go along with it. When I got back to where I had started I figured out what I had done wrong pretty quickly. After I had crossed the stream right at the start of the trail I took a left into the bamboo forest, when what I need to do was take a right to get to jackass ginger. So if you are ever over in Nuu'anu just remember that after you cross the stream, a right turn takes you to jackass ginger and a left turn into the bamboo will get you to Luakaha Falls. There is a pretty well defined trail and it's pretty hard to get lost. At one point you go up hill for a few minutes but you will soon be back down and then will never stray far from the stream after that. Also when I went back I learned why I had been stuck in the dense bamboo forest. When you see some houses you will need to cross to the left side of the stream and you will pick up another trail there that will take you the rest of the way to the falls. It's about a 30 to 40 minute round trip hike if you know where you are going, and i'm sure some could do it in even less time if they wanted. If anyone makes it here my suggestion would be that when you get to the falls be very quiet and do your best to get to the falls and back out without being seen. I have never had any issues but there are some houses somewhat close in proximity. If I lived up there I know I wouldn't wanna be bothered so I would hope that all of us would treat these residents with the same respect.
Once at the falls none of the houses will be in view. I have only seen someone there one time and it was a group of missionary students from UH. They were yelling and being obnoxious and ruined the peaceful setting. Please don't be those people if you go. I decided to ask them how they found out about the falls and they told me that they knew the land owners and had just walked through their property. They said that the Luakaha neighborhood is all missionaries. I'm not sure about this but at some point I will look into it. To get there just act like you are going to the pali lookout and just before the pali lookout turn onto nuu'anu pali drive and park off the side of the road when you see the big log. The big log is the start of the trail. Please be respectful and don't leave trash here, like many do at jackass ginger pool. It only takes one person to screw everything up so please don't be that person. I am more than happy to share what I have seen here in Oahu over the years and I really hope that those that read my blog get to share in the amazing sites here too.
