Author Archives: Graham

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About Graham

I take photos when I'm out and about, recording life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The cruise ship is in

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Tourism.’ (See more responses here.)

Tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry drawing between 850,000 to 1,180,000 visitors a month. The Big Island is the state’s largest geographically, bigger than all the other islands combined, but it ranks third, behind Oahu and Maui in the number of visitors. It logs 100,000-175,000 arrivals each month. Consider though that the island’s population is currently somewhere between 180,000 and 190,000. So at any given time tourists probably comprise a third to nearly a half of the people on the island.

So how do people here feel about tourism? Well, as you might expect, opinions vary. Those impacted negatively by tourism – crowded streets, no parking, noise, inconsiderate partiers – might favor curbs on the industry. Those who do well from it – restaurants, tour companies, hotels, car rentals – would like to see more done to boost the number of visitors.

I chose this photo for two reasons. The first is the subject of the photo, a cruise ship docked at Hilo. This ship visits Hilo every Tuesday, then continues on to Kailua Kona on Wednesday. It brings an influx of tourists on those two days, who fan out across the island, taking tours to various sights island-wide. It also considerably boosts the population of those two towns on those two days, such that I generally choose not to go there if I remember the cruise ship is in.

The second reason is that I work for a helicopter tour company on the island. (There are several here.) We take passengers over about half the island, primarily visiting Kilauea Volcano and the valleys and waterfalls of Kohala Mountains. It’s not cheap, it’s not a carbon-friendly activity and helicopters are loud. There are rules in place regarding the elevation of the flights and places that can be visited or should be avoided. Despite this there are people, particularly those close to or under the flight path, who would prefer there were no tour flights at all.

But I will say that a healthy proportion of those who take the tours return saying it’s the best thing they’ve done on the island, and often that it’s the best tour they’ve ever taken. It is a great way to see the island, and to see some amazing places that otherwise cannot be seen.

So do I think the sky above the Big Island should be thick with helicopters, or that cruise ships should be lining up to dock, or that the relatively small airports here should challenge O’Hare for landings and takeoffs? No. As with most things, finding a balance is the key. If you overload with tourists, the quality of their experience suffers along with the experience of people who live on the island. But put excessive barriers in the way and people stop coming, businesses close, people get laid off, the economy shrinks. It’s a fine balancing act, one that rarely pleases everyone. But at least here, if a person is feeling a bit out of sorts about these kinds of thing, it’s possible to take a cooler to the beach, chill out, and watch the sun slide into the ocean, putting on a show for tourists and locals alike.

Early morning brush fire

Recently, I was driving to work, enjoying a robust pink sunrise, when I came across the scene in the top photo – flashing lights and a line of traffic. I thought there had been an accident, but when I drove past, I could see most of the vehicles were fire trucks. The air was acrid with smoke and I saw flames here and there. The land there is scrubby and dry and while there isn’t a lot of vegetation, what there is burns easily. I drove on to work.

When I returned home late that afternoon, I thought I’d check out the scene of the fire. I was surprised to still see smoke rising in several places, and nobody around. Cars on the highway drove by, barely slowing down. I got out and had a wander along the roadside and then ventured into the ashy ground, all smoky and warm (middle photo). What I didn’t see was any firefighters.

I wondered if I should call 911. Perhaps the fire was thought to be extinguished and had rekindled in the wind. Before I made up my mind, a large yellow truck emerged from a cutting down the road and began spraying water onto the area beside the highway, which was where I was standing (bottom photo). I decided it was a good time to return to my truck.

When I drove on, I saw a clutch of firefighters gathered along a dirt road branching off from the cutting. They were there the next morning, and the next afternoon as well, when I still saw smoke rising from the area. It was three days before they left and the smell of burning hung in the air for a good while afterwards.

Leonotis leonurus

Leonotis leonurus is also known as lion’s tail or wild dagga. It’s native to South Africa and is known for its medicinal and mild psychoactive properties. It seems like I mostly see it after it has bloomed and the heads have dried to a brittle brown. This one, however, was still in flower, its bright orange flowers contrasting with the green of the rest of the plant.

Hawaiian coot diving

I saw this Hawaiian coot at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, north of Kailua Kona. It was puttering around in one of the inland lagoons, periodically diving for food, as it is in these photos.

For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to https://www.nps.gov/kaho/index.htm or bigislandhikes.com/kaloko-honokohau-park/.

Curious spotted eagle ray

I have a tendency, when out snorkeling, to revisit places where I’ve seen something interesting. So if I’ve seen a frogfish, a shark, or gargantuan blenny in a particular place, I go back there to see if it’s still there. Bear in mind that these are creatures that extremely mobile and move around a good deal.

And yet, there’s method in this madness. Many fish are territorial and so do occupy a very limited area which they defend with great vigor. Others might be more transient, but tend to feed in certain areas.

Spotted eagle rays fall into this latter category. They can cover large distances, but tend to feed on sandy bottoms, shoveling the sand with their bills to uncover the marine invertebrates that they feed on.

This eagle ray was dong just that, cruising low over the sand, pausing occasionally dig for potential prey. But after a long spell of this activity, it rose in the water, cruised around, and made a close pass, clearly checking me out. It did this a couple of times before heading back down and in toward the shore in search of food.

I don’t think there was any reason for this behavior other than a curiosity to see what this ungainly creature was that was following it. And it’s not alone in this behavior. Manta rays also do this along with dolphins, sharks, and a fair number of smaller fish. They’re curious about us; we’re curious about them. This is what makes getting in the water fun.

Cane toad

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Zen.’ (See more offerings here.) This is a cane toad and, despite the exceedingly grumpy look, it found a moment of zen in the sanctuary of this sprinkler.

Cane toads were introduced to Hawaii to control pests, such as the cane beetle, in sugar cane fields. As with many such introductions, the results were mixed. The toads do eat an assortment of undesirable insects, but also breed prolifically so that they can become pests themselves.

They are the world’s largest toad and have poison glands that can release a toxic substance onto their skin, so they should be handled with care or not at all.

Mauna Kea telescopes at sunset

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Remote.’ (See more responses here.)

I’m going for this photo for three reasons. First, Hawaii itself is remote at more than 2,200 miles from the nearest major landmass. The closest U.S. state is actually Alaska, though California is the closest state to the Big Island.

Secondly, Mauna Kea is one of the more remote spots on the island, particularly these days. Protests over building a new telescope on Mauna Kea have resulted in the road up the volcano being closed for some weeks now with no end to the dispute in sight. So if a person wants to go to the top, a long and arduous hike is the only way.

Thirdly, the telescopes on the summit are there to explore the farthest reaches of the universe, and you can’t get more remote than that.