Category Archives: Hawaiian History

First this, then that

A blooming agapanthus flower next to one that has finished blooming
An Agapanthus flower blooming and, next to it, one after the bloom is done.

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

The statue of King Kamehameha in Kapaau, HawaiiThe statue of King Kamehameha in Kapaau, Hawaii, adorned with leis

The statue of King Kamehameha I in Kapaau, then after his birthday celebration.

Business signs in Kapaau, Hawaii

Take your pet to the vet. If it doesn’t go well, go next door afterwards and be reunited!

The refurbished Bond Library in Kapaau, Hawaii

The old Bond Library in Kapaau, after refurbishment will be the Kohala Heritage Center.

A Rosy-faced lovebird in HawaiiA Rosy-faced lovebird takes off in Hawaii

A Rosy-faced Lovebird perched on a branch, and afterwards, like this post, outta here!

Through the ages

A view of Pu'u Kohola Heiau and Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii

In the background, Mauna Kea is around one million years old.

In the middle, Pu’ukohola Heiau dates back to 1790, when King Kamehameha built it to fulfill a prophecy that an ongoing war would end and he would rule all the Hawaiian islands.

And in the foreground is a container that is clearly young!

View from the bench on 1871 Trail

View from a bench on 1871 trail on the South Kona coast in Hawaii.

This is the view from the bench at the top of the Alakaha ramp on the 1871 Trail, which heads south from Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. There was big surf on this day and the trail was getting regular clouds of spray from the breaking waves.

The bench though, sits above all that and also offers some shade. What’s not to like!

A bench on 1871 trail on the South Kona coast in Hawaii.

The Numbers Game #28

A view into Waipio Valley.

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.

Can you see it?

The Caltech Submilimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, shortly before the dome was removed.

A few weeks ago, I was up at the summit of Mauna Kea with my visiting brother. I took a lot of photos up there including this one of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. I’ve always liked this observatory as it’s cute and shiny and has all kinds of different shapes going on.

One other thing it has, is disappeared. A couple of weeks after my visit, the dome was removed, part of a decommissioning process that’s been going on for a while now. Once the pad and underground utilities have been taken out, the site will be restored to its natural state.

For more information on this project see here and here.

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 eyes have it

A mongoose stares in Hawaii

The small Indian mongoose is the poster child for bad ideas in Hawaii. Introduced back in the days of the sugar plantations, the idea was for them to get rid of the rats running rampant in the cane fields. Alas, rats are nocturnal, mongooses diurnal, so their paths only crossed on the shift change. Instead, the mongooses appreciated the absence of predators in Hawaii and the abundance of ground-nesting birds and were major reasons for the extinction of many native bird species.

They are most frequently seen running across roads, like big sausages with little legs. Closer up, there’s an intensity about them, as seen in this photo. I’ve had a couple of close encounters and have no wish to get into an altercation with one. I’d probably win, but would likely bear the scars of victory!

A purple patch

An orchid tree flower in Hawi, Hawai
An orchid tree flower.

This week’s Sunday Stills monthly color challenge is ‘Diamond, Quartz, Crystal and/or Purple.’ See more responses here. I’m going with purple because I have nothing for the others! I was going to do another flower array, but then I had a wander around beautiful downtown Hawi and came up with these photos.

An abandoned theater in Hawi, Hawai
A sign at the front of an old theater in Hawi.