Category Archives: Parks

Fire from the volcano

Since the theme of this week’s WordPress photo challenge is elemental, I thought I’d pull out a few more photos from my visit, earlier this year, to the lava flow from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent.

This is the closest we get to seeing fire from the earth’s core, a roaring torrent of molten lava. Since I took these photos there have been cliff collapses that have ended this firehose effect. But the lava continues to flow and has formed a good-sized delta at the foot of the cliff. This delta is crossed by several large cracks, which run parallel to the coast. This means the whole delta is likely to collapse into the ocean in the near future, probably in explosive fashion.

Could be time for another visit!

House finches

This pair of house finches, the male on the left and female on the right, was flitting about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. They’re common birds here, as in many other places, but there’s something about this photo that I’m really happy with.

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

Lava fern

A fern gets a toehold in a field of lava. I like the resilience of the fern, daring to grow in such a hostile place. I also like the texture of the lava, a hard rock and yet crumbly as well. I can almost hear it crunching underfoot.

Waimanu swimming

Waimanu is one of the few Hawaiian monk seals that live permanently around the Big Island. She has given birth to three pups, each time in the vicinity of Keokea Park in North Kohala. All three pups died, one from swallowing a fish hook when a few months old, the other two while still with their mother on the beach.

We’ll see if she returns to the park again this year for another go.

Signs: Mālama ‘Āina

Mālama ‘Āina means to care for the land, an important concept in Hawaiian life, an important concept for everyone. This sign was near Kiholo campground.

Ho’okena Beach Park

Ho’okena is a small community about 20 miles south of Kailua Kona. It’s a popular spot for its beach park, which features a beautiful sandy beach in a fairly sheltered bay. It was less popular toward the end of 2015 when it was one of the hotspots for the dengue fever outbreak of that winter.

Helicopters circle Pu’u O’o vent

During a recent hike on the Nāpau Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, one accompaniment was the throb of helicopter engines. The active flow from Pu’u O’o vent, and its ultimate outpouring into the ocean, is a great attraction for visitors and locals alike.

One way of seeing these events is on a helicopter tour and, as I sat at the Nāpau overlook, I noticed there was a clear order to those helicopter visits. A pair would arrive from the west, one a bit behind the other. One would circle the vent, the other visit the ocean entry. Then they’d switch. After 10 or 15 minutes, the two helicopters would head off to the northeast and soon after, the next pair would arrive.

For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.  For more information about Kilauea Volcano and it’s eruptions, go to hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/history/main.html.

Kaloko fishpond

The wall of Kaloko Fishpond, in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, is currently under repair. According to the park’s website, work on rebuilding the wall began in 1998. This end looks good, but there’s still work to be done at the far end.

For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to www.nps.gov/kaho/index.htm

For more information about Kaloko Fishpond, go to www.keolamagazine.com/ocean/kaloko-fishpond-a-valuable-cultural-resource/

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii