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.

Grasshopper at Lapakahi

Grasshopper at Lapakahi

Grasshopper LapakahiSeveral weeks ago, when the Big Island had a couple of hurricanes in the vicinity, we were inundated with rain. Tired of staying indoors or slogging through mud, I headed down the road a few miles, to the dry side of the island, in the hopes of finding somewhere I could go for a walk.

I stopped at Lapakahi State Park, which holds the remains of an ancient Hawaii fishing village. It was dry and warm, though the trails there were still slick with moisture and closed to the public.

While I soaked up the warmth, I noticed this grasshopper (Schistocerca nitens I think) on a plant. It was hanging onto the stem and, despite my presence, seemed not in any hurry to move. It took me a while to realize there was something odd about it, but eventually I noticed that it was missing one of its hind legs. It’s not the first grasshopper I’ve seen in this condition and I always wonder how it affects them. The hind legs are the ones that launch them, so if they’re missing one do they ping off to one side? Do they end up going in circles? Or are they able to compensate?

I didn’t find out on this day as the grasshopper remained in roughly the same position the whole time I was there. Eventually I gave up watching and headed back into the gloom.

Hawi

Downtown Hawi

Hawi shopsHawi is the northernmost town on the Big Island. Together with Kapa’au, two miles to the east, it’s the main population center in North Kohala. This area was a center of sugar production from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s. Today, it’s geared towards tourism and agriculture.

Hawi’s population of around 1,000 is mostly located in areas above or below Akoni Pule Highway, which is the main road through town. The highway itself is where commercial activities are found, as seen in these photos.

In the top photo, the blue building houses the Bamboo Restaurant. This was the former home of K. Takata Store, the area’s main grocery store, which now occupies a newer building midway between Hawi and Kapaau. On the right of this photo is a vine climbing up a pole and along the power lines. I’m not sure what this vine is, but it’s everywhere, and periodically workers from the power or phone company pass through and hack at the lower reaches of it, killing off the higher parts engulfing the wires – at least until it (very quickly) grows back.

The Kohala Trade Center building is home to several smaller businesses and features the covered walkway at right which passes by the storefronts lining the street, but slightly below street level.

For its size, Hawi is quite a bustling place, popular with tourists and with a strong local community. But it’s also the kind of place where a person can ride a horse through town and not be considered unusual or out of place, and I like that quite a bit.

Posted in response to this week’s Sunday Stills challenge on the theme of ‘In Your Town.’ See more responses here.

Kohala Trade Center Hawi

Milletseed butterflyfish

Milletseed butterflyfish and whitebar surgeonfish

Milletseed butterflyfishMilletseed butterflyfish get their name from their markings, a series of dark dots along their sides. Of course, the markings could be morse code and they could be trying to communicate something to us, if only we’d listen.

I was quite pleased to get a shot of this fish looking my way, for the fish’s expression and for how it shows how slender these fish are. When people approach, most fish, wisely, turn away.

Place of Refuge pond

Place of Refuge pool

Palm trees are reflected in still waters at Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, otherwise known as Place of Refuge. This is one of the royal fish ponds, an anchialine pool in which fish were held for consumption by Hawaiian royalty.

For more information about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm.

Billbergia nutans

Billbergia nutans

Billbergia nutans detailI took these photos on a recent visit to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. The plant looked somewhat familiar to me, but I couldn’t put a name to it. After rummaging through the garden’s plant database, I finally identified it as billbergia nutans. That name sounded even more familiar and a quick check revealed it was a plant I grew in my (tropical) garden in Washington State. There, it was an annual or one to be overwintered indoors. Here, it grows year-round.

Billbergia nutans is native to South America. It’s commonly known as queens tears or friendship plant, the latter because it is an easy plant to split and share. It’s an epiphytic bromeliad, meaning it is shallow rooted and gets most of its moisture and nutrients from the air and from rainfall through the leaves and flowers.

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Pride Of America

Cruise ship

Cruise ship Pride Of AmericaEvery Wednesday, the cruise ship Pride Of America drops anchor off Kailua Kona and ferries people ashore to explore the offerings of the town and of the Big Island.

What I like most about the ship is how the name is reflected in the paintwork – all red, white, and blue, and stars and stripes. Indeed this ship was built in the U.S.A. and sails under an American flag. And even though the name of the company that operates the ship is Norwegian Cruise Line, it’s now an American company. Best not to mention that Norwegian Cruise Line’s parent company is based in Bermuda, and not because it’s warm and sunny there.

Cruise ship name