The Hawaiian coot is a descendant of the American coot and is endemic to the islands. This one was cruising ’Aimakapa Fishpond in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.
Category Archives: Parks
Abstracts: Restroom ramp
I was taken by the light and shadows made by the long and winding ramp to an elevated restroom in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.
Hapu‘u fern
Hapu‘u ferns are endemic to Hawaii and can grow to 25 feet high, depending on the type. I like how the fronds uncurl, gradually revealing more details. The golden brown hair is called pulu. I found these in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is one of the places where the fern grows best.
For more information about hapu‘u ferns, go to instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Plants.hapuu.
Aiopio beach
A view of the beach at the Aiopio Fishtrap in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. There’s a large turtle in the center of the photo at the water’s edge, not the best spot in the world to get some undisturbed rest.
Signs: Rainbows next 3 miles
I saw this sign when I was hiking out to see the current lava flow from Pu’u O’o to the ocean. Sure, the sign was a little vague, but I figured it must refer to the rainbow which it appeared to point to.
By golly, the sign was right. There were rainbows for the next 3 miles.
Green Turtle sunbathing
One of the attractions of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, north of Kailua Kona, is that it’s a popular resting spot for Hawaiian green sea turtles. This turtle was hauled out on a long curve of golden sand known as Honokohau Beach. He had the spot to himself, which is good. People are supposed to stay at least 20 feet away from turtles, but many don’t.
For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to bigislandhikes.com/kaloko-honokohau-park/.
Abstracts: Queen’s Bath fish
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, just north of Kailua Kona, contains a feature known as the Queen’s Bath. This is an anchialine pond, containing a mix of freshwater and saltwater. Freshwater seeps into the pond from rainfall. Saltwater infiltrates through cracks in the lava. Because of this, the water level rises and falls with the tide. I can verify this as I took this, and other photos, sitting on a rock near the water’s edge. Just before I left, I realized my feet were now resting in water, the level having risen.
Anchialine ponds are unique ecosystems and this one contained several fish including these two. The one in the back is a convict tang. Not sure what the other one is. What I liked about the pond is the stained glass effect it created.
For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to bigislandhikes.com/kaloko-honokohau-park/.
Kahuku hike
Kahuku is part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Its 116,000 acres was added to the park in 2003, an estate purchase of former ranch land. This purchase almost doubled the size of the park.
Not far from the southern tip of the Big Island, the entrance to Kahuku is about an hour’s drive from the main park entrance, but the two areas are contiguous, joined at the summit of Mauna Loa.
These photos are from a guided hike in Kahuku that I did a while back. The hike went through fairly dense old growth Hawaiian forest that had been spared because it was in a steep gully and thus not suitable for clearing for pasture. There was no real trail.
Currently this part of the park is closed because trees with Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death (ROD) have been found in the lower part of the park and the goal is to prevent it spreading to other areas.
For more information on the Kahuku Unit of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm or bigislandhawaiitravelguide.com/places/puu-o-kahuku-at-hawaii-volcanoes-national-park.html
Graham's Island 