Category Archives: Activities

Over the lava and through the woods

The Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Trails come in all shapes and sizes. Some meander through the woods.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Paths and Trails.’ See more responses here.

A Trail along the coast on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some follow the coast.
A Trail over Pahoehoe lava on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some wind through barren lava fields.
A path across Nanue bridge on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some pass next to busy roads. Don’t look down!
The trail to Akaka Falls on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are paved and have rails for safety.
A sign marks the trail at Weliweli Point on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some have handy signs.
A Walkway over lava on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are built to carry you above ancient petroglyphs.
The Ka'awaloa Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some trails are mysterious.
The Powerline Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are clear and easy to follow.
The Hilina Pali Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
And with some, it’s a long way down, and twice as long coming back up!

Isabelle’s Hermit Crabs

Isabelle's Hermit Crabs in a head of coral in the waters off Hawaii

Lately, I’ve been taking photos of heads of coral to see what lurks within. In this instance, I thought I saw something down there and snapped a couple of photos. When I looked again, I thought, maybe that’s just dead coral.

It was only when I got home and zoomed in on the photos that I saw red in the bands on the legs of what proved to be Isabelle’s Hermit Crabs. According to my marine invertebrate book, this crab was unknown in Hawaii until 2003, meaning that it is a new arrival or has somehow been overlooked by previous researchers. The species only got a formal name in 1997, from a French zoologist, who named it after his wife.

The Numbers Game #76

A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron watches from a Kiawe tree.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 197. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Orange Sulphur Butterfly on a Bougainvillea.
Gold Dust Day Geckos warm up in the morning sun.
A Northern Mockingbird snags a meal.
A Green Turtle swims by.
A cat in the grass.
Cement tanks at sunrise.

Zippy Spinners

Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

In Hawaii, it’s illegal to be within 50 yards of dolphins in the water. The idea is to give them space to carry on with their normal activities without being influenced or pressured by humans.

However, during my last swim a few days ago, I was startled to see a pod of Spinner Dolphins zoom into view and pass by just a few feet away. Short of having access to Star Trek’s transporter, there was no way in the world I was going to be able to put 50 yards between me and the dolphins before they put several hundred yards between them and me. I had time enough to realize my camera had gone into sleep mode, wake it up, and get blurry shots of the disappearing dolphins. Regardless of the photos, it’s always nice to see dolphins and it had been quite a while since I’d done so in the water.

Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

A few minutes later another small pod went by, also at speed, also with no good photo opportunity. A third pod followed with even less chance of a decent photo. But then I saw a fourth pod approaching at a slightly more leisurely pace and managed to get a few photos as they cruised by. Most of my photos weren’t up to much, but I was very happy that these two came out better than I had hoped for. Definitely the highlight of the weekend for me.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

A lava breakout from the Kilauea lava flow.
A lava breakout in a flow from Pu’u O’o covers the old coast road, which is now a trail (here).

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Parks.’ See more responses here.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is the best known park on the island. It covers 354,461 acres, which includes, not just the Kilauea area, but up to the summit of Mauna Loa and down the southwest rift zone of that volcano. The park contains 106 miles of roads and 155 miles of marked trails, many of them well off the beaten track.

I’ve hiked a lot in the park, though I doubt I’ll ever cover all the trails, but these photos are from ones I’ve done with links to the original posts for those interested.

On the Pu‘u Loa Petroglyphs Trail (here).
View from Hilina Pali Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Great views on the Hilina Pali Trail, but this one nearly did me in! (here).
The Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent from the Nāpau Crater overlook.
Puʻu ʻŌʻō from the end of the Nāpau Trail (here and here).
A low section of Puapo'o lava tube
Puapo’o lava tube is only accessible on a guided tour (here).
The interior of Thurston Lava Tube at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Nahuku lava tube is one of the most popular stops in the park (here).
Kilauea Iki is another popular trail, across the floor of an old vent (here).
Steam rises alongside the Steam Vents trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Steaming Bluff on the Crater Rim Trail (here).
Daybreak reveals the onlookers gathered at the Jaggar Museum viewing point.
The Jaggar Museum viewing point. The museum has gone but the viewing point just reopened (here).
Sulphur Banks Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Sulphur Banks Trail (here).
A mossy path in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Halemauma Trail passes through the woods (here).
The Puna Coast Trail features colorful lava (here)…
Colored lava on the Ka'u Desert Trail, Hawaii
…As does the Ka’u Desert Trail (here).
Hiking in Kahuku
A lush valley in the Kahuku section of the park (here).

Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.

Power line helicopter

A helicopter flies over power lines in Hawaii

I saw this helicopter flying back and forth over these power lines. The power company hires the pilot to check out the lines to spot potential issues that can be fixed before they cause problems. These days, that work is being increasingly turned over to drone operators who can do it at less cost, though not as quickly as the helicopter.

Acute Halfbeaks

Acute Halfbeaks in the waters off Hawaii

Acute Halfbeaks swim just below the surface of the water, often in schools. It’s not unusual to encounter them flashing by, which can be a little disconcerting, especially when the group circles back around. They’re not something to worry about during the day, but at night needlefishes in general can be excited by lights in and on the water, and there have been many instances of people being speared by those long, sharp beaks, some fatally.