Category Archives: Activities

Park yourself here

The coast at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park in Hawaii — Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park, on the southern coast of the island, not only has a black sand beach, but also turtles like the one in the photo. OK, it looks like a rock, but it’s there!

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘State and local parks.’ See more responses here.

Sifting through a ton of park photos, it was the island’s beach parks that came out on top. It’s possible to get in the water at all of these, though some require more caution than others.

The beach at Hapuna Beach State Park in Hawaii — Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area offers a long and wide sandy beach.

The coast at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in Hawaii — Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area offers a long and wide sandy beach.

A view of View of Whittington Beach Park in Hawaii — Not all beach parks have beaches. Whittington Beach Park on the south end of the island is one of those though it’s still possible to get in the water.

The coast at Lapakahi State Historical Park in Hawaii — Not all beach parks have beaches. Whittington Beach Park on the south end of the island is one of those though it’s still possible to get in the water.

There goes my morning walk

Flash floods create a new pathway to the ocean at Pelekane Beach in Kawaihae, Hawaii

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.

Reef Lizardfish

It had been a while since I saw a lizardfish, so I was happy to spot this one recently, perched on the side of a weed-covered rock in the shallows.

I’m red, white and blue for you

A sign on a business in Kailua Kona Hawaii — The sign above the ABC Supply Company building in Kailua Kona. These letters always make me think of Elvis Costello’s song, Brilliant Mistake, which includes the lyrics: ‘She said that she was working for the ABC News. It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use.’

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.

Here’s my selection this week with captions on the photos.

A Ring-necked pheasant in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

A Yellow-billed cardinal in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

An inflatable snowman outside a store in Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

St Augustines Episcopal Church in Kapaau, Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

The Numbers Game #28

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 149. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Scrawled Filefish swimming in the waters off Hawaii — Scrawled Filefish.

A Flowery Flounder swimming in the waters off Hawaii — Scrawled Filefish.

The Pride of America anchored off Kailua Kona.

Big Island landscapes

Puus on Mauna Kea summit in Hawaii — Pu’us are volcanic cinders cones from past eruptions. These are near the top of Mauna Kea.

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

There’s a bit of everything on the Big Island, so these are just few of the landscapes to be seen here. Captions on the photos.

Colorful Lava in Hawaii — Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.

A tree on the Hilina Pali Trail in Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii — Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.

A view of a valley in the Kohala Mountains in Hawaii — A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.

Part of the Pu'u O'o Trail in Hawaii — A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.

Scarface Blenny

You don’t have to go far to see something interesting in the water. This Scarface Blenny hangs out around the ladder for getting in and out of the water at my local snorkel spot! I’d seen it before, but not been able to get a photo of it.

A few days ago, I had my camera ready as I approached the ladder. Sure enough, I saw the blenny’s head sticking out from below one of the ladder’s rungs. It quickly disappeared, but I hung on to the ladder to see if it would return. It did, and I was able to get a couple of shots.

I thought this was a Gargantuan Blenny, but when I got home and looked at the photos, I realized that the red eye ring and red marks on the face meant this was actually a Scarface Blenny. Both these blennies are endemic but the Scarface Blenny is slightly smaller than the other.

The Numbers Game #27

An F-22 Raptor flies by at Kahului Airport, Maui.

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 148. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A spinner dolphin doing what it’s named for.

A manta ray swims in the waters off Mauna Kea Resort, Hawaii — This Manta Ray is quietly confident it can spin and glide with the best of them!

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii