Hawaii, August 2010

Kona Village, Big Island of Hawaii

August 9, 2010
As we flew into Honolulu and then flew over to the Big Island of Hawaii, it occurred to me that a little more than 200 years ago, these were more than individual islands, they were separate kingdoms! King Kamehameha the First unified Hawaii as one Kingdom rather than many small kingdoms nearly 200 years ago. His story sounds like the legends of King Arthur and other heroic figures from all times and cultures.

Jack and I learned some about him during our visit to the Big Island of Hawaii where we spent 5 days. We saw the Heiau he built and several statues commemorating his birth and ascension. We experienced more of the old and natural Hawaii by being on the Big Island than we
have on the other islands. This was a treat for us!

Kamehameha I (ca. 1758 – May 8, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaiʻi's independence under his rule. Kamehameha is remembered for the Kanawai Mamalahoe, the "Law of the Splintered Paddle", which protects human rights of non-combatants in times of battle. Kamehameha's full Hawaiian name is Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea.

We particularly enjoyed our first few days at Kona Village. Our friends Marianne and Steve (from Catalina) had said this place was a “must.” As it is very expensive, we waited till we found a bargain (through Jetsetter.com) and arranged only two nights there. We would have been happy to stay the entire time there. Kona Village is about 50 years old and was built as a series of native cottages or “hale.”
Some were right on the ocean while others were on the “Tahitian Ponds.” The beach was spectacular and the entire resort was very self-contained with recreation, spa, restaurants and it’s own airstrip (it used to be that the only way to get there was a private plane).

We arrived on Monday afternoon and sank into our place for a short rest before heading out to a lecture on astronomy by Jon Lomberg.
Lomberg was the principal artistic collaborator of astronomer Carl Sagan. From 1972 until Sagan's death in 1996, Lomberg illustrated most of Sagan's books and magazine articles, and he was Chief Artist for Sagan's classic television series. For his work on COSMOS Lomberg received in 1981 a Prime Time EMMY Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Creative Technical Crafts."


He is an artist who learned astronomy through his work and now has a painting at the Smithsonian that shows the relationship of the planets and galaxies in amazing detail. He came back after dinner with his telescope, but sadly the sky was cloudy. This was the time each year (August 11,12, 13) when one can see the greatest number of meteor showers. We actually saw some later in the week when we had moved further up the island. Jon lives on the Big Island and provides this program at the resort 1/month. We lucked out!

Sunset Over Kona Village

We sank into bed and listened to the rain storm; the windows are open as there is no air conditioning (just a ceiling fan) and it is quite humid. We awoke to the sound of birds-hundreds (as we were in the “jungle” part of the resort). And we wouldn’t awaken to the sound of a phone or alarm clock as they were absent from the room, too…so was a television. This was a real native environment and we loved it! (Lest you think I went through total withdrawal, my cellular gadget did pick up a signal so I could access e-mail on my computer….but didn’t too often.)

Tuesday started with a bountiful breakfast (as we had a “bed and breakfast plan”) and the array of fresh fruits was staggering. We ate outside looking over the ocean and enjoyed the trade winds. What a treat.

Where we enjoyed breakfast!

Those warm breezes took away all stress!

Jack and I walked along the beach to the rocky point where an old sampan was shipwrecked.
Tropical fish in tide pools on site

We kept walking and found ourselves next door at the 4 Seasons Hotel. We felt like we had left paradise and returned to the city: instead of our little huts, it was multi-storied apartments….luxurious, of course, but just not the same. We retreated to our village.

The grounds of The Kona Village were also beautifully kept with many types of flora and fauna. Our "hale" was on the Tahitian Ponds:

There were many tropical flowers to enjoy:

We got into our bathing suits and enjoyed the warm sea, sat in the seaside bar and had a rum drink and read our books and visited with a new friend from Texas. Soon it was time to get cleaned up for dinner. We were joining this family at the cowboy ("Paniolo") cookout on the lawn. This was a lively evening with local Hawaiian cowboy music.

The evening ritual includes watching the sunset and hoping to see the “green flash.” Few of us have achieved that goal.
Wednesday was our last day there. Jack took off for the links while I took off for the sea. He played a spectacular course, shared with the 4 Seasons, that was surrounded by lava fields.
Jack reported that it was an easier course than the Mauna Kea, but you had to keep the ball on the fairway or you would in the lava (he didn't lose a single ball!). At holes 16 and 17 he had spectacular views of the sea that took his breath away. He was fortunate to have a golf partner who was a nice guy from Connecticut and enjoyed the round with him.

Meanwhile, I went with 6 other guests on a boat to snorkel and swim with dolphins.
It was a beautiful day at sea and the ocean was like glass. The captain said that it is rarely this calm in the summer. We headed south and passed some spectacular beaches and private homes. We saw rays and dolphin and when I was snorkeling saw many beautiful fish. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an underwater camera.

The highlight was swimming with the dolphins! While Baleigh and I had done this in Moorea in a semi-enclosed bay, here we were surrounded by spinner dolphins in the wide open sea. The other photo I could not capture was the dolphins spinning. They jumped out of the water and did pirouettes. Amazing! When we joined the pods of dolphins , they were below me (7-10 of them) probably 5-6 feet below me and around me near the surface that close as well. It was so thrilling! Below me was one baby who looked almost attached to his mother.We went into coves with lovely coral formations and fish of every color. It was so beautiful. I had forgotten how peaceful the underwater kingdom can be. I just loved it. I must do that again sometime soon and next time with an underwater camera.

After the dive, I returned to check out of our room and into the spa while I waited for Jack (tough duty). I had a wonderful massage—again with open windows and the sound of birds and water outside. I sat outside and watched the birds afterwards and just chilled out. So beautiful. There were many types of birds at the Kona coast and I just loved the challenge of trying to capture them with my camera.
birds!

Jack came back full of enthusiasm from his golf game and we headed into Kailua Kona (the nearby town) to get a few things before we headed north to the Kahala coast and Hapuna Bay where we stayed at the Hapuna Prince (next door to the Mauna Kea where we stayed last year). I must say that while the hotel was lovely, it seemed sterile next to Kona Village. We walked down along the water and enjoyed the sunset there as well.

Jack and Leslie at the Prince

Thursday was our day to explore the North. We found ourselves at a wonderful National Park that celebrated King Kamehameha: the Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historical Site at the time of the Establishment Day Hawaiian Festival (actually we were there the day before, but got to see them setting up and practicing.
The Heiau is a very important religious site and people are not allowed to go there. We could watch it from below.

The people there and the films, etc. were most informative. We found the people anxious to share their culture with us.
This was the 200 year celebration!

We went from the Heiau north to the town of Hawi which is at the northern most point on the island.

We visited a client's property outside of town (notice the contrast between the lotus flowers and the cactus in one plot of land!)


and an old friend, Jared in town.

We got to see the farmland, the town and took the road to the end on the Northeast corner of the island. The town has only 900 residents and is a kind of surfer/hippy feel to it…a beautiful environment!

End of the Road: Pololu Valley

We drove to Waimea (about 30 miles away)—going up to 3500 feet elevation down a bit and found our way to our favorite restaurant, Merriman’s. Once again we had a great meal and enjoyed our visit there. We drove down to sea level and back to the hotel on a drizzly, dark and windy road.

Friday was our day to see the wet side of Hawaii: Hilo. The Kona side has maybe 20 inches of rain a year while the Hilo side gets 130 inches of rain! Kona side is dark rock and dry while the Hilo side is green and full of flowers. Each side has its advantages and its advocates. We drove up through Waimea and had breakfast at the Waimea Coffee shop and visited a favorite store. It started to pour! We drove down to Hilo through the rain and once we got to the other side, the skies cleared.

We had organized a plane ride over the Kilauea Volcano and so had a time and destination. We stopped at a beautiful waterfall (Akaka) on our way southand then drove around Hilo, seeking the right part of the airport to find our fixed-wing (rather than rotating) trip over the volcano. I had read about this company, Iolani Air, on tripadvisor and they all raved about the pilots and the experience. It was great fun to fly in a little 4-seater Cessna over the powerful force of volcanoes.
Our pilot was knowledgeable and so we learned quite a bit about Hilo and the volcanoes while we flew with him. This photo showed the area that has not been impacted in recent volcanic activity. The next, shows Kilauea, an active volcano for 27 years-longest span for a volcano-maybe anywhere in the world.

then we crossed over the path of the magma that destroyed communities over the past 20+years. What was amazing was that people have built new homes in this area-despite the continuous activity of the volcano in the area! Then we traveled to the ocean where the current magma arrives through a volcanic tube.

Kīlauea is the youngest and southeastern most volcano on the Big Island of Hawai`i. Topographically Kīlauea appears as only a bulge on the southeastern flank of Mauna Loa, and so for many years Kīlauea was thought to be a mere satellite of its giant neighbor, not a separate volcano. However, research over the past few decades shows clearly that Kīlauea has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60 km deep in the earth. The eruption of Kīlauea Volcano that began in 1983 continues at the cinder-and-spatter cone of Pu`u `Ō `ō (high point on skyline). Lava erupting from the cone flows through a tube system down Pulama pali about 11 km to the sea.

After the flight, we headed to the spectacular Tropical Botanical Gardens just north of Hilo. What a spot!! It was founded by a couple who bought the land and personally cleared it and planted many of the plants. They exhibit a large variety of plants in the state of Hawaii with more than 2,000 species. It goes from the road down to an ocean cove.

The flowers and plants were spectacular and mostly well marked so we could learn about them.

The Garden was created through the untiring efforts of one man, Dan J. Lutkenhouse, who discovered Onomea Valley in 1977 while vacationing with his wife, Pauline. Mr. Lutkenhouse purchased the 17-acre parcel for its seclusion and beauty, without knowing exactly what to do with it. Quickly abandoning ideas for a commercial venture which would destroy the natural environment, he decided instead to establish a botanical garden to preserve the valley and its beauty forever.

When first located by the Lutkenhouses, Onomea Valley was an overgrown and virtually impenetrable jungle, choked with wild invasive trees, weed and thorn thickets, and strangling vines. Mr. Lutkenhouse sold his 40-year-old trucking business in San Francisco and moved to the island of Hawaii in order to devote himself full time to the development of the Garden.

Every day for eight years, Pauline would pack Dan a brown bag lunch and he would disappear into the jungle, returning at night dirty and tired, but happy. During that time Dan, his assistant Terry Takiue, and two helpers worked with cane knives, sickles, picks, shovels, and a chain saw clearing paths through the jungle. All the work was done by hand to avoid disturbing the natural environment or destroying valuable plants and tree roots. The men kept a slow and easy pace, so as not to suffer heat stroke or dehydration in the steamy jungle. The work would continue seven days a week until the Garden opened to the public in 1984.

Trails were cut from hard lava rock with picks and shovels. To keep the soil from compacting and the natural beauty from being destroyed, no tractors were used; excess rock was removed and gravel brought in by wheelbarrow. Mr. Lutkenhouse followed the contours of the land in designing the Garden trails, which curve and wind their way throughout the jungle. Though Mr. Lutkenhouse has no formal botanical training, with his love of nature he has created a living tapestry in keeping with the intimate nature of the site. This is the allure of paradise. The Hawaiians have a word for it - aina, or "the spirit of the land."

We stayed untill they threw us out at closing and drove north and west. We went North to a famous lookout at Waipio: the valley is another sacred spot.

The coast (valley on left) The valley with few buildings
For a thousand years, Waipi'o has been widely known for its abundant taro production. The ancient cheifs of the Waipi'o valley took care of the land, the people and the gods. Only those who led a reighteous life were allowed to ascend the sacred platform of the high chief Liloa (1300s). Historical and cultural sites are found throughout the valley.

Westerner (and Easterners) brought rice farming and diseases in the 1800s and decimated the native population. A tidal wave destroyed a lot more in 1946.

Coincidentally, their little league team was beating the North Scottsdale team at that very moment and they continued to the Little League World Series.

From there we headed back over the mountain to our hotel.

The next day we headed to Honolulu and to work! After several days of that we prepared to fly home. Since our flight was late afternoon, we spent the morning visiting the Battleship Missouri at Pearl Harbor. That was another fascinating adventure. There is an option to take a semi private two hour tour which we grabbed.

The Missouri was launched on Jan. 29, 1944, and commissioned on June 11, 1944. She was assigned to the Pacific Third Fleet and steamed into Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1944. This ship has served in several wars (WW II, Korea and Iraq) and was put "in mothballs" in between. It's place in history was secured when the Japanese came aboard and surrendered on VJ day, Sept. 2, 1945, ending WWII.

Statistics: Class: Iowa-class battleship
Length: 887 feet
Height: 209 feet from keel to mast
Beam: 108 feet
Weight: 58,000 tons (full load); 45,000 tons (unloaded)
Speed: In excess of 30 knots (35 mph)
The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is approximately 67 feet long, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 50 seconds — with pinpoint accuracy....even when the crew can't visually see the target!

Three thousand sailors served during the first two tours and only 1500 crew after modernization: there were quite close quarters for sleeping. We got to see how munitions were loaded and the updating that occurred between wars to prepare the ship for more modern warfare. We also saw how they maintained some of the systems since they were perfectly functional in this day and age.

This is the wheel house

We also saw the memorial for the USS Arizona:

The USS Missouri is now managed by volunteers who restore it and organize tours, etc. There are many veterans of the 70 years of "Mo's" life who feel a tremendous connection to this ship. The films shown on board were fascinating.

It is rather ironic that I started and ended this log discussing warriors and yet in the middle, I was most consumed with the beauty of the earth, seas and skies of Hawaii. There is a very old quote (that I can't remember exactly) that makes a connection between one generation practicing war, so the next can practice commerce and the next can make art. I hope we can preserve peace, prosperity and beauty in our future!

Thanks for traveling along with us! Mahalo!