This boat hoist, on the North Kohala coast, is used to launch small boats off trailers and into the water. I’ve featured it before (here), being engulfed by towering waves. All that salt water has undermined the integrity of the structure, but despite some large holes in the very rusty metal structure, people still launch boats here. All I can say is, I hope those boats are insured.
I saw this car abandoned at Upolu Airport. The pink sticker on the window is a police notice that the car will be impounded if it isn’t moved. But I liked the fact that the seat behind it holds several car parts boxes. Presumably the parts were tried, but failed to restore life to the car.
I also liked the little ‘Arf!’ sticker on the front. I hope the owner takes better care of the dog than they did the car.
This building at Spencer Beach Park is typical of how structures were built here in days gone by. A post and pier foundation raised it off the ground, keeping it relatively free from ground crawling bugs and improving air circulation around and into the building. Single board walls and single pane windows were the norm – not much need for insulation here. And it’s all topped by a corrugated iron roof.
This one has fallen into disrepair however, though it’s possible it’s still used for storage of some kind. Time, or a big storm, are likely to end even that option.
The engine, prop shaft, and propeller of the SS Kauai, an old wooden steamship, that sank in 1913. Now it’s home to a variety of fish and is a moderately popular dive site.
On a walk at Kiholo, I noticed a bit of a ripe smell in the air. When I got to the top end of the lagoon I found the reason for it. The shoreline was littered with clumps of these dead fish. There must have been several hundred of them all told. I don’t know the reason for the stranding, but the scene reminded me of images of fish markets or still life paintings.
There aren’t a lot of houses around Kiholo Bay, but those that are range from older, rustic shacks to palatial millionaires’ compounds. This building is solidly in the rustic end of the range.
When I moved to Hawaii, this building looked pretty much like this. The only difference was that Sonny’s Place, a restaurant, was a going concern. Not that I ever saw anyone going in or out. Indeed, I never saw any activity there at all except for the occasional sighting of a cat in the window.
It’s not a going concern today, though I honestly don’t know when that change took place. One thing’s for certain, the transition made no difference to the appearance of the place.
Rampant tropical foliage can cover a multitude of sins, including abandoned vehicles. The cost of getting rid of an old vehicle is relatively high here, so many are abandoned. Some are left on the edge of the highway or, more often, on undeveloped private property alongside the highway.
If a vehicle is on private property, the owners have to be contacted first. Often they don’t respond because they’re big corporations or investment entities and an old car or two is not worth the bother.
Those on the highway can be posted and then cleared by the highway department, but even this is not a speedy process. Recently, a Prius, of all things, was parked by the highway a few miles south of Hawi. It looked in decent shape and I assumed it had broken down. However, it sat there for more than a week, untouched. After that, an official warning notice appeared on the window. Police post these to let the owner know their vehicle will be towed and disposed of, in theory at the owner’s expense. Another week or so passed. One day I saw a policeman by the car making some notes. A couple of days later, when I went by, I saw the windows had been smashed and a couple of wheels removed. The next day, more damage had been inflicted. It was a couple of days later that the now useless wreck was removed.
Another disposal option is to shove the vehicles into a gully and let nature do the rest. These three vehicles, and there were others down there, are on the owner’s property, so that’s some consolation.
Graham's Island 