Tag Archives: Kohala

Kauhola Point lighthouse

The new Kauhola Point Lighthouse on the north Kohala coast.

The Kauhola Point lighthouse is a modern affair, an automated light atop a tall metal pole. It replaced the previous, more traditional-looking lighthouse that was demolished in 2009. In the photo, the old base of that lighthouse can still be seen as several small block shapes toward the tip of the point. Therein lies the story.

The old lighthouse was demolished because erosion was eating away at the land near the base. The passing of time will surely remove even these remnants in the next few years.

In a way, this situation is a microcosm of the whole state. Many people think of the state of Hawaii as the eight main islands at the southeast end of the chain, but it encompasses hundreds of islands stretching away to the northwest for more than 1,500 miles. These small islands were formed over the same hotspot that fuels Kilauea Volcano today, but as the tectonic plate beneath the islands moved northwest, so the islands stopped growing and began to shrink under the forces of erosion. Over time, they too will disappear one by one.

Turbine trouble

A wind turbine at Hawi Wind Farm undergoes repairA wind turbine at Hawi Wind Farm undergoes repair

This is what happens when you don’t use a torque wrench! Wouldn’t that be great. Just imagine those blades flying off when the nut comes loose. Alas, this was nowhere near as dramatic.

This is Hawi Wind Farm in North Kohala. I saw the cranes in place one Friday afternoon, and the lighting units suggested night work. Nothing happened that weekend. On Monday, ropes were attached to the blades. On Tuesday, this scene was what I found, the blades having been removed overnight. On Wednesday, everything was back to normal, with this turbine whirring around in concert with the rest of them.

Hula dancers

A hula dancer holds a rattleA hula dancer performs on Kamehameha Day in Kapaau.

Some more photos from the hula dancing at Sunday’s Kamehameha Day ceremony in Kapaau, North Kohala. The performers are members of Halau Hula O Napunaheleonapua.

For more information about the Kamehameha Day and the statue, go to kamehamehadaycelebration.org.
For more information about the Kamehameha’s history, go to nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha.htm.

Beads on the legs of hula dancersHula dancers performs on Kamehameha Day in Kapaau.Hula dancers perform on Kamehameha Day in Kapaau.Hula dancers perform on Kamehameha Day in Kapaau.

Kamehameha Day ceremony in Kapaau

A lei is draped over the spear of the statue of King Kamehameha 1 in KapaauA hula group performs on front of the statue of King Kamehameha 1 in KapaauA group pays its respect to the statue of King Kamehameha 1 in Kapaau

Yesterday was Kamehameha Day, celebrating Kamehameha 1, the king who first united the Hawaiian Islands under one leader. There’s a statue of the king at Kapaau in North Kohala, and this was the scene of a ceremony honoring him.

The ceremony began in steady rain, but the weather brightened so that proceedings ended in bright sunshine. After opening blessings, various groups approached the statue and paid their respects to the king. This was followed by the draping of leis on the statue. Finally, a hula performance in front of the statue concluded events – at least as far as this ceremony was concerned. An hour or so later, there was a parade featuring representatives of all the Hawaiian islands, and for the rest of the day, there were events and music in a local park.

The top photo shows a lei being draped over the king’s spear. The lei is made up of plumeria blossoms. The leis draped over his extended arm are mostly made up of ti leaves. In the second photo, members of one of the groups honoring the king performed a hula in front of the statue. Third, I think this is the order of Kamehameha presenting an offering which was carried up and placed at the base of the statue. Below, a red plumeria lei is hoisted over the king’s spear. Bottom, after all the lei were placed on the statue, another hula performance concluded events.

For more information about the Kamehameha Day and the statue, go to kamehamehadaycelebration.org.
For more information about the Kamehameha’s history, go to nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha.htm.

A lei is draped on the statue of King Kamehameha 1 in KapaauA hula group performs on front of the statue of King Kamehameha 1 in Kapaau

Kohala Girls School shadows

The old Kohala Girls School sits on land at ‘Iole in North Kohala.

The old Kohala Girls School sits on land at ‘Iole in North Kohala. ‘Iole is one of the few remaining ahupua‘a, a pie-shaped division of land stretching from the mountain to the ocean. It’s now managed by Kohala Institute as a retreat center and the recently renovated school is part of that setup.

I like the geometric order of the building – the squares of the windows, the straight lines of the roof and siding – as well as the light and shadows.

 

 

Abstracts: Sunset

Sunset over Kohala
This week’s posts are in response to the WordPress photo challenge on the theme of ‘evanescent.’

Sunsets are an evanescent event. They’re all different, depending on the clouds and the atmosphere and the weather. And where the sun goes down changes from day to day depending on the time of year. And to top it off, the colors, the composition, change from moment to moment as the sun sinks and the clouds move. There’s no ‘OK, it’ll be like this for the next 15 minutes.’ Instead it might vanish in a moment, diffusing into a previously unnoticed layer of haze on the horizon.

I like that unpredictability. I’ve driven down to a good viewing spot, lured there by promising weather and cloud formations, only to have the sunset be a damp squib. And then there have been other times when I’ve gone with low expectations and been treated to a cascade of color.

This photo was taken from the comfort of my lanai and I like the striking contrast of the bright and the dark at that moment in time. A few minutes later, it was all gone.