Tag Archives: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The Numbers Game #48

The lava cone and lake at Kilauea Volcano in late 2021
Activity at Kilauea Volcano in November of 2021.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 169. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A grasshopper blocks the way
A bold grasshopper.
A Leafcutter bee on a zinnia violacea flower
A Leaf Cutter Bee.
A juvenile black-crowned night heron catches a fish
A Black-crowned Night Heron catches a fish.
A Red-masked parakeet at Kohanaiki Beach Park.
A Red-masked Parakeet.
Early morning lights at the port of Kawaihae, Hawaii
Lights in Kawaihae Harbor.
Sunset at Hapuna, Hawaii
Sunset at Hapuna.

It’s all there in black and white

A sailboat travels along the coast in front of palm trees in Hawaii
A sailboat off the Kohala coast.

Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is ‘Black (and/or) Black and White.’ See more responses here. Captions on the photos.

Holei Arch in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Holei Arch in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Concrete steps at Hapuna Resort in Hawaii
A staircase at Hapuna Resort.
A goat on a rock in Hawaii
A goat on a rock. What are the chances?
A close up of Nene feathers in Hawaii
Nene feathers.
A Northern Mockingbird sings out on a snag in Hawaii
A Northern Mockingbird on a snag.
A juvenile Black-crowned night heron fishing in the shallows in Hawaii
A juvenile Black-crowend Night Heron hunting for breakfast.

The Numbers Game #42

Two Humpback whales swim in the waters off Hawaii
A pair of Humpback Whales off the North Kohala coast.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 163. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The flowers of a milo tree in Hawaii
Milo flowers.
Walking Iris.
A dead tree on the slopes of Mauna Kea
Dead tree on the side of Mauna Kea.
Hilina Pali Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hilina Pali Trailhere
Many fish make the reef home
Reef fish.
Two Step, a popular snorkeling spot.

The Numbers Game #40

A boat anchored off the beach at Anaehoomalu Bay in Hawaii
A Covid-year photo of a sailboat anchored off a deserted Anaeho’omalu Bay beach.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 161. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also, seven photos posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.

A Cliff Ladder used by fishermen on the North Kohala Coast, Hawaii
A ladder used by people fishing, to access a rugged shore.
Palm tree reflections at Place of Refuge in Hawaii
Palm trees reflect in one of the ponds at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
Empty parking places at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during Covid restrictions
Another Covid-year shot, this time of the deserted road and parking area between Kilauea Iki trail and Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), two of the most popular places in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Goats drink from a pond at Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Goats take a drink at a pond in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
Yuccas alongside the road to Kamuela, Hawaii
Yucca flowers blooming in Waimea.
A Large Orange Sulphur butterfly on Rose Jatropha flowers in Hawaii
A Large Orange Sulphur Butterfly feeding on Rose Jatropha flowers.

The Numbers Game #39

A sign in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
A dramatic sign at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 160. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also, seven photos posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.

A Giant African land snail in Hawaii
A Giant African Land Snail.
A Metallic skink on a road in Hawaii
A Metallic Skink.
A Cattle Egret runs in front of a lawn mower in Hawaii
A Cattle Egret scoots in front of a lawn mower.
Amaumau Ferns alongside a trail in Hawaii
Amaumau Ferns.
A Bird of paradise flower in Hawaii
A Bird of Paradise flower.
A Mossy path on Halemaumau Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
A mossy section of the Halemaumau Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The Numbers Game #37

The SSV Makani Olu sailing off the Kohala coast in Hawaii
The SSV Makani Olu sailing off the Kohala coast.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 158. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also, seven photos posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.

A Nene at just the right spot in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A Long-tailed Blue Butterfly.
Sheep at sunset in Hawaii
Sheep in pastureland off Old Saddle Road.
Colorful lava on the Puna Coast Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Colorful lava on the Puna Coast Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Playground equipment in Kapaau Hawaii
Playground equipment at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau.
The swimming pool in Kapaau.

Big Island landscapes

Puus on Mauna Kea summit in Hawaii
Pu’us are volcanic cinders cones from past eruptions. These are near the top of Mauna Kea.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Landscapes.’ See more responses here.

There’s a bit of everything on the Big Island, so these are just few of the landscapes to be seen here. Captions on the photos.

Colorful Lava in Hawaii
Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.
A tree on the Hilina Pali Trail in Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii
The Hilina Pali Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A views of Pohoiki Beach in Hawaii
The landscape here changes regularly. A view of Pohoiki Beach. Lava from the 2018 eruption on the right, new black sand beach on the left, and a smothered boat ramp with little swimming pool near the center.
A view of a valley in the Kohala Mountains in Hawaii
A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.
Part of the Pu'u O'o Trail in Hawaii
The Pu’u O’o Trail passes through old growth forests isolated by past eruptions.
A path winds through palm trees in Hawaii
On the coast, a path wanders through palm trees.
Pasture land on Kohala Mountain in Hawaii
Pastureland on Kohala Mountain.
A view of ranch land on Kohala Mountain in Hawaii
Cattle ranches border Kohala Mountain Road.
A View of Mauna Kea from The Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii
A view of Mauna Kea from the coast at the Fairmont Orchid Resort.

The trail to Pepeiao Cabin

View from Hilina Pali Shelter on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
View from the shelter at the trailhead.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Great Outdoors Month.’ See more responses here.

I did this hike, at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, quite a while ago, but for one reason or another the post never came together and then went missing in my files! This hike started from the lookout at the end of Hilina Pali Road. A few years back, I did a different hike from this starting point that almost did me in (here). This time, having learned from that experience, I stayed on top of the pali (Hawaiian for cliff). My destination was Pepeiao Cabin (pronounced ‘pay-pay-ow’), about five miles away, though the trail is the Ka’u Desert Trail, part of which I’ve hiked from the other end (here).

Ohia trees on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Ohia trees on the trail.
A spider wrapped in a leaf on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
A spider sheltering in a leaf.
The Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
The Ka’u Desert Trail.
A cairn on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
The Ka’u Desert Trail marked by cairns.
A view from the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
View from The Ka’u Desert Trail.

The day was sunny, but not too hot, and with a nice breeze for the most part. The elevation drop (and gain on the return) is only around 500 feet so it wasn’t too strenuous, and the trail was fairly easy to follow. It passes through grassy areas and across lava flows, and is well-marked with cairns. Ohia trees dot the landscape, along with a variety of shrubs and other flowers. I didn’t see too many birds, but there was a decent show of butterflies and bugs. The views were splendid, down to the coast or upslope towards Mauna Loa.

Balloon plants on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
A Balloon plant on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Balloon plant flowers on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Balloon plant flowers on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Common Guava on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Common Guava on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Grass borders the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Grasses alongside the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Grass borders the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Grasses alongside the Ka’u Desert Trail.

All the backcountry trails I’ve hiked in the park have featured something particularly unusual and interesting. On this hike, I was amazed by the substantial areas of sand on the trail or alongside it. This certainly didn’t get there from the beach, since the elevation is around 2,000 feet. My assumption is that it’s just volcanic rock broken down by rainfall, but just not washed down to the coast. Some of the sand was grassed over and it was like walking through dunes on the coast!

Sand and a pool of water on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Sand on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Footprints in the sand on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Footprints in the sand on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Tracks in the sand on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Tracks in the sand on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Sand on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Sand on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
Sand in the lava on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Sand in the lava on the Ka’u Desert Trail.

Eventually, I reached Pepeiao Cabin. There are several of these backcountry cabins in the park, and they require a permit to stay at them. This one was typically rustic, with a catchment water tank that may or may not contain water, depending on the weather and use. There’s also an outhouse with a splendid view. Inside, the cabin was basic, but the kind of place I’d be happy to stay in if it was raining outside.

Pepeiao Cabin on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
The Pepeiao Cabin on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
Pepeiao Cabin on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
The interior of the Pepeiao Cabin on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
The interior of Pepeiao Cabin on the Ka’u Desert Trail.
The outhouse near the Pepeiao Cabin on the Kau Desert Trail in Hawaii
The outhouse by Pepeiao Cabin on the Ka’u Desert Trail.

After I got back, I saw that the park website says “Pepeiao is in the southwestern reaches of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park backcountry. The cabin is no longer safe for use and visitors should plan on tent camping.” I was a bit surprised because I’ve certainly stayed in plenty of less salubrious accommodations in my day!

Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.