Category Archives: Places

Cannonball tree flowers

Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii
Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii
Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii

The last time I visited Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, the Cannonball Trees (Couroupita guianensis) were flowering more abundantly than I’d ever seen them before. The flowers appear on the tree trunk, but these went all the way to the top and seemed to be blooming on some of the high branches. It was an impressive sight, especially in one instance where a heavily blooming tree was backed by a second tree loaded with cannonball fruits.

After the bloom is over, the petals litter the ground, a final splash of color in the dappled light.

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

Cannonball tree flower petals on the ground in Hawaii

Hapuna house construction

House construction at Hapuna Estates on the Big Island, Hawaii
House construction at Hapuna Estates on the Big Island, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Under Construction.’ See more responses here. I thought I’d post a few photos of houses being built at Hapuna Resort. Views of Maui are a big attraction, though the island can be hidden by clouds there, or tumbling down from Kohala Mountain. Of course, there are also ocean views and killer sunsets.

A half-acre lot will cost you $1.5 million and up. One of these houses, when finished, will likely set you back $7 million or so. I can manage the zeros, but it’s that pesky digit at the front that will keep me out of this neighborhood!

Construction work here pays well (but not that well), but it’s a tough job since the work is often out in the full sun all day. Hard hats might be the choice (or requirement) on the mainland, but here a broad brim is more essential.

House construction at Hapuna Estates on the Big Island, Hawaii
House construction at Hapuna Estates on the Big Island, Hawaii

Signs: Shark sighted

A sign on a beach at Kawaihae, Hawaii

This sign stands behind the little beach below Puʻukoholā Heiau at Kawaihae. Typically, When a shark is sighted, a temporary warning sign is put up, then removed after a few days. This sign is permanent. The reason for this is that beyond this beach is Pelekane Bay and that’s the site of an underwater heiau dedicated to sharks.

This heiau, called Hale o Kapuni, was built by a chief for whom sharks were considered carriers of the spirits of his ancestors. Human sacrifices were carried out on the beach and afterwards, the bodies were believed to have been placed at the heiau for the sharks. Those days are long gone, but the bay and surrounding area is still home to a large population of sharks, hence the sign.

For more information, go to https://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm