When I have time on my way to work, I like to stop in Kawaihae and go for an early morning walk. A favorite is to drive to Pelekane Beach and walk to Spencer Beach Park. Those days are gone! The flash floods from a few weeks back took care of that.
For starters, the road is still closed. I can see piles of dirt and debris through the locked access gates. But even if I could access the road, half of Pelekane Beach is gone too. The floods whooshed through the lagoon behind the beach and took a huge amount of sand with it. So now there’s no lagoon, half a beach, and a lot of trees in the bay.
It may be that the powers that be will bring in some sand to restore the former beach. That’s what’s happened at nearby Hapuna Beach, which also lost a section of its sand. In the meantime I will have to explore some new options.
Graham's Island 
Not the best surprise
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I’ve got fairly used to the potential for changes in the landscape on the Big Island. Between the eruptions and the storms, something is always changing.
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Yes, it seems so! I get that feeling just from following your photo journalling here
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It looked beautiful before, Graham, and maybe it will be again one day. Good thing you have more options.
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It’s still beautiful down there. we’ll see what happens.
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Looking quite washed out, but still beautiful. I’m sure you’ll find a new path somewhere.
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I can access that area from the other side, but not at that time of day. There are other places to go though.
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Yet
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Storms erode the beaches here. They do restorations and bring sand in from a mile out, it’s cool to watch.
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As I mentioned, they were quick to repair the damage to the nearby Hapuna Beach, but that’s because there’s a resort there and people aren’t shelling out big bucks to enjoy a tiny strip of sand!
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That’s a bummer, Graham! Mother Nature will not be ignored 😦 I wonder how long it will take to get back to
“normal?” Sure is a pretty area though.
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It is a pretty spot, and quiet, especially in the early mornings. I don’t think the beach will reestablish by itself. It’s more a question of whether they’ll do anything about it or just leave it the way it is, which would be the new normal!
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The power of water. Have the trees in the bay washed down from upstream or just high water levels?
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The trees wouldn’t be from too far away as there’s a road not far behind the beach with culverts for the water to pass through. There were a lot of trees between the road and the bay though.
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Floods can cause havoc. We are experiencing floods here in South Africa at the moment. I am not sure to what extend it will be here where we live. At the moment the wind and rain prevents me to get to the beach or to the river.
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Floods are powerful events. I hope your weather improves soon. Stay safe.
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Thanks Graham, it is still raining and windy here!
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