Tag Archives: Kohala

Signs: No parking

A No Parking sign on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii

The coast road between North Kohala and Kawaihae is dotted with these no parking signs. There are virtually no houses along this road, so why the signs? Well, the views are lovely and in the winter, humpback whales frolic just off the coast. Who wouldn’t want to pull over.

Consequently, a 40 mph minimum speed limit is in place along this highway together with these signs. The net result is that people still crawl along taking in the view and pull over to watch whales wherever they please.

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Circles and Squares.’ See more responses here.

Sunrise over Kohala Mountain

Sunrise over the Kohala mountains

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Signs of Autumn.’ See more responses here.

We’re a little short on autumnal changes here. I tend to mark seasonal changes in terms of wildlife, such as the return of humpback whales in winter. For autumn, the return of Pacific golden plovers from their summer breeding grounds in Alaska is probably the most notable.

Outside of wildlife, the shortening of the days does register here. It’s not as dramatic as when I lived in Washington State, with summer sunsets around 9 p.m. and winter darkness setting in a little after 4 p.m.. In Hawaii, the equivalent times are 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., not such a big difference.

But it does make a difference for my morning commute, and autumn signals the time when I usually leave home when it’s mostly dark and arrive at work when it’s mostly light. I also try and give myself a little extra commuting time so I can pull over and take photographs when the sunrise merits it, such as this streaky red sunrise over Kohala mountain.

Abstracts: Riding the bus

Riding in a bus in Hawaii

Recently, I had to take the bus home from work. I got down to the pick-up spot in plenty of time and soon a bus appeared, heading my way. I quickly realized I had a problem. Not only did this bus have no sign on it saying where it was going, but it also didn’t turn in to the resort it was supposed to visit, at least according to the schedule. Instead it drove past me and turned into a different resort which should have been its second stop in this area.

I had no idea what was going on, but I knew the bus had to come out of the resort the same way it went in, so I walked up the road to the security gate and waited for the bus to return. When it did, I stopped it and asked the driver where it was going. It turned out it was the bus I wanted.

The driver was quite friendly and said he’d look out for me in the future. I realized this bus was scheduled for the morning commute to work and the evening return home. It probably rarely picked up anyone other than regular commuters. I didn’t have the heart to tell him my journey was a one off.

The trip itself was fine. In the confines of the bus, it was hard to know whether we were going fast or slow. A strong crosswind was blowing and we swayed back and forth as we passed through cuttings, and also when the driver rummaged around for a pastry, then consumed it.

When we got to Hawi, the driver dropped me at the end of my driveway and I stood to there as 15 or 20 vehicles, caught in the bus’s wake, rumbled by. It wasn’t a bad way to get home, but probably a one-off since my work schedule is variable and a one-a-day bus doesn’t work for me.

I took the photo between the two seats in front of me because I liked the the shapes and lines and angles.

Pololu beach

The beach at Pololu, Hawaii

Pololu beach, at the northern end of the Big Island, is not a place for swimming, despite these people in the water. Strong rips can take an unwary person out to sea in a heartbeat. But it’s a good spot for a walk or just for viewing from Pololu Lookout, up above, at the end of the end of the highway.

Waianaia Cemetery

A view of Waianaia Cemetery near Kapaau, Hawaii
A view of Waianaia Cemetery near Kapaau, Hawaii
A view of Waianaia Cemetery near Kapaau, Hawaii

Waianaia Cemetery is a little way east of Kapaau. It sits to the side of the main highway that dead ends at Pololu, 6 miles farther on. While there’s a moderate amount of traffic on this road, the cemetery still has a peaceful feeling, in part because it’s below the road, but also because it’s surrounded by trees.

Waianaia Cemetery is noteworthy because the Bond family is buried there. Reverend Elias Bond and his wife Ellen, were missionaries who came to Kohala in 1841 and lived there for the remainder of their lives. Bond, and his offspring, had a significant impact on the district of North Kohala and the changes it went through. The family owned their missionary station for more than 150 years. It was the only one in Hawaii with such a distinction.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.