I just like the anxious look over the shoulder as if the sheep is seeing if that pesky cattle egret is still following them.
Better Days: Hakalau Plantation Company
This is one of two remaining warehouses of the old Hakalau Plantation Company at Hakalau Point. This was one of several sugarcane plantations that dominated the Big Island. The sugar mill was located nearby, in the gulch at the mouth of the river. The mill was wiped out in a tsunami in 1946 and swiftly rebuilt in the exact same place!
The mill finally closed in 1974 and now the plantation company property is up for development. Hawaii County is mulling a proposal to buy this property and preserve the site. This process will likely go on for months, possibly years. At this stage, it could go either way. One thing is certain, similar situations will continue to crop up on the Big Island: there’s a lot of coastline and most of it is prime development real estate.
For more information about Hakalau and the Hakalau Plantation Company, go to hakalauhome.com.
Sun on the water
Afternoon sun illuminates the ocean off the North Kohala coast.
Cattleya orchid
I think this is a cattleya orchid, growing on the trunk of a lychee tree. This particular tree has two or three other epiphytes, plants that grow on other plants, on its trunk.
Ember parrotfish
This ember parrotfish is one of several kinds of parrotfish to be seen around here. They scrape algae from the rocks, which is the reason for the dark stains around its beak. This fish is in its ‘initial’ phase and will later turn a beautiful blue-green.
Parrotfish are often trailed by a smaller wrasse of some kind, in this case, a Christmas wrasse. It’s there to snap up any small creatures dislodged by the larger fish’s grazing.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
Get on your bike and ride
Yesterday, IRONMAN 70.3 Hawaii took place on the Big Island. It’s a triathlon featuring a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride and topped off with a 13.1 mile run. If all this sounds exhausting, as it does to me, bear in mind that the full IRONMAN race is twice as long.
The world championship for the IRONMAN triathlon also takes place on the Big Island, in October. In both races, the turnaround for the bike leg is at Hawi on the northern tip of the island. For the October race the turnaround is downtown and a decent crowd gathers to cheer on the racers. The 70.3 event makes the turn about a mile out of town. By and large, only race volunteers are there to cheer on the cyclists.
I like to go out to watch both events. They’re colorful and dynamic. Sometimes I get caught up in the euphoria of it all and imagine myself on one of those bikes, leaning into the turn before heading back for the run. But then I go back to my truck and drive home.
For more information about IRONMAN, go to Ironman.com.
Gone fishing
I’m the the world’s worst fisherman with total catches counted on one hand and the price for those fish, in terms of lost tackle, etc., coming in around $100 a pound. However, a lot of people on the Big Island fish, especially when the moon is right, whenever that is.
This man was fishing on a calm, warm early-evening. It’s an idyllic-looking scene, but I wasn’t tempted to join him.
Abstracts: Tide pool colors
A tide pool shimmers with greens and golds.
Graham's Island 