Category Archives: Photo Challenges

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.

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!

From a tropical garden

A Lennart Karl Gottling 'Hula Skirt' orchid at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — A splendidly named Lennart Karl Gottling ‘Hula Skirt’ orchid.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Plant Life.’ See more responses here. Since I went to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden a couple of weeks ago, it seems appropriate to post a few of those photos for this one.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

A Gecko on a heliconia at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Got to have a gecko in here, this one looking for bugs or a drink of water on a heliconia.

An Episcia plant at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Got to have a gecko in here, this one looking for bugs or a drink of water on a heliconia.

Tropical foliage at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Sun and shade on lush tropical foliage.

A Philippine Ground Orchid at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Sun and shade on lush tropical foliage.

The Numbers Game #26

Sunrise from the road to Mauna Loa Observatory, now no longer accessible since the 2022 eruption.

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

A view of Rainbow Falls in Hilo Hawaii — Rainbow Falls in Hilo.

A Black Triggerfish looking agitated in the waters off Hawaii — An agitated Black Triggerfish.

Hawaiian Zebra blenny and Padina japonica in a tide pool in Hawaii — An agitated Black Triggerfish.

The sun comes up and the sun goes down

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

Let’s start with a sunset for a change. While waiting to go snorkeling from the beach at Mauna Kea Resort, the sunset was lovely, in the sky, the water, and on the sand.

Sunrise over Kohala Mountain can be a cloud-shrouded disappointment, but other times it is a wonder to behold.

The Numbers Game #25

Encrusted pilings in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii — Corals grow on the pilings in Kawaihae Harbor.

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

These photos, all with a 146 in their numeric identification, are from a snorkel in murky water in Kawaihae Harbor.

Orange Red Didemnid in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii — I think this is Orange-red Didemnid, a kind of tunicate.

A Banded Urchin on a piling in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii — A Banded Urchin on a piling.

An Aama crab on a piling in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii — A Banded Urchin on a piling.

Pastel Hell

A panel depicting Hell in the Painted Church Hawaii

The interior of the Painted Church Hawaii

This month’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge is ‘Pastels.’ See more responses here. Well, I couldn’t resist this headline, could I? It doesn’t look quite so bad when the colors fade to a kinder, gentler shade of purgatory.

These are from St Benedict’s Painted Church, on the slopes above Kealakekua Bay. Father John Velghe moved the church from the coast to its present site in 1899. Once it was rebuilt, he painted the interior as a mini cathedral with scenes from the bible adorning the walls. The paintings have faded over the years, but are still quite striking.

For more information about St Benedict’s Painted Church, go to https://thepaintedchurchhawaii.org/

The exterior of the Painted Church Hawaii

The Numbers Game #24

The lava lake in Halema’uma’u Crater in April 2018. Two weeks later the lake had dropped 1,000 feet. Yesterday, Kilauea erupted again, but for just 12 hours before it was declared paused!

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

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii