The winds were blowing here last week, 30+ mph on a consistent basis. But one afternoon the winds picked up even more and triggered dirt storms off the hills above Kawaihae.
The wind whistled down the slope from Kohala Mountain and dry dirt was gathered up, whirled around, and blasted down the slope toward the ocean. This happened for an hour or so. Sometimes, white sand from the beach in Kawaihae harbor was similarly stirred up.
The unfortunate aspect of this display was that it visibly demonstrated the problems with erosion when the ground is dry. If it’s not the wind, then any rainfall washes the soil down gullies and into the ocean. All this dirt being deposited in the relatively shallow waters off the coast degrades the water quality and can have a seriously adverse effect on corals in the area.
This is the ship that brings military troops and supplies from Oahu to Kawaihae Harbor en route to Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA). I often see the ship going back and forth off the Big Island and had always assumed it to be a Navy vessel because, well, it’s a ship. But no, this is an Army LSV (Landing Ship, Vehicle) where they drop the ramp and roll the vehicles on or off.
Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is also known as the flame tree. As well as producing a stunning array of crimson flowers, it has lacy-looking leaves and produces long, distinctive seed pods.
The Kohala Mountain Road passes over the dry southwest side of Kohala Mountain. There are several streams running down the side of the mountain toward Kawaihae and the Kohala Coast and they can run anything from dry to flash flood. It all depends on the rain.
One of the inter-island barges enters Kawaihae harbor on a calm, clear morning. The barges are a prime method for moving freight between the islands, with Honolulu being the hub of all the operations.
Graham's Island 