Tag Archives: On The Coast

Kiawes – a thorn in the foot

Kiawe thorns on a Big Island beach.

When twigs break off a kiawe, the thorns dry to hard, sharp spikes.

Kiawe thorns growing on a tree on the Big Island.

Kiawe thorns growing on the tree.

A stand of kiawe trees bordering a trail on the Big Island.

A stand of kiawe trees bordering a trail.

Hiking on the west side of the Big Island can be a hot and arid experience. The landscape is often barren lava or scrubby growth. If it’s scrubby growth, chances are that kiawe trees (Prosopis pallida) are prominent and if they are, it’s wise to tread carefully. That’s because kiawe trees produce long, tough thorns.

Hiking in slippahs (flip flops) is asking for trouble. A kiawe thorn will go through them like a knife through wet tissue. I’ve felt the jab of these thorns through my Tevas, which have robust soles of decent thickness. The first time I wore my new trail shoes, toward the end of the hike, crossing a kiawe-bordered beach, I felt a familiar prick in my foot. A thorn had buried itself in the ¾-inch thick sole and penetrated far enough to make itself felt. One of my routine tasks with my trail shoes, and the Tevas, is to examine the soles and extract any thorns with a pair of pliers. When a hike is over, it doesn’t mean the danger is past. Drive over one of these thorns and it can and does cause punctures.

But if all this makes it seem as if kiawes are reviled, that’s not the case. It’s widely used in smoking meats. The smell of burning kiawe is commonplace.

Kiawe isn’t a native tree; it originated in Peru. In fact, all Hawaii’s kiawes can trace their roots, as it were, back to a single seed planted by a priest in Honolulu in 1828.

Green Turtle sunbathing

A Hawiian green turtle rests at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.A Hawiian green turtle rests at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.
One of the attractions of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, north of Kailua Kona, is that it’s a popular resting spot for Hawaiian green sea turtles. This turtle was hauled out on a long curve of golden sand known as Honokohau Beach. He had the spot to himself, which is good. People are supposed to stay at least 20 feet away from turtles, but many don’t.

For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to bigislandhikes.com/kaloko-honokohau-park/.

Opihi picker

An opihi picker scours the cost of the Big Island
This man was multi-tasking on the coast. After setting up his fishing rod, he went down to the shore to pick opihi. Such an undertaking is not for the faint of heart. Misjudge a wave, and he could be swept into the ocean in an instant.

Opihi are a kind of limpet and are a favorite delicacy here in Hawaii, most often eaten raw, straight from the shell.

A Bay to Keawaiki hike

The King's trail south of Waikoloa

The Ala Loa Trail (King’s Trail) south of Waikoloa.

Keawaiki Beach with its lone palm tree and Hualalai volcano in the background.

Keawaiki Beach with its lone palm tree and Hualalai volcano in the background.

This hike is a 7 mile loop directly north of the Keawaiki to Kiholo loop hike that I posted about here and here. One could combine the two, but it would make for a long, hot walk, though with several opportunities to take a cooling dip. I chose to start the loop at its northern end, heading south on the inland lava field before it got too hot. The return, along the coast, is still over lava, but usually features a cooling sea breeze.

A Bay is officially known as ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay, but most people find A Bay easier to pronounce. There’s bathrooms and showers at the beach here so I find it a good place to start and finish.

From the parking area, head inland to pick up the old King’s Trail which is marked by a sign, though it’s obvious without it. The King’s Trail heads south in a ramrod straight line. Eventually, this trail intersects with a dirt road headed toward a cluster of palm trees on the coast. Follow this road down to the Brown estate, which is surrounded with barbed-wire. The trail goes down the side of this fence to Keawaiki Bay and its lone palm tree.

The Golden Pools of Keawaiki. The golden color is due to a unique algae.

The Golden Pools of Keawaiki (though they’re actually inland of the next beach down the coast). The golden color is due to a unique algae.

Heading north again, the next bay is Pueo Bay and a small trail inland from this leads to the Golden Pools of Keawaiki. The color of these pools is due to a unique algae that grows here. There’s no swimming in these pools, but further up the coast, after passing Weliweli Point, another lone palm tree marks Akahu Kaimu Bay. Just inland from the palm is a large freshwater pool which is perfect for a cooling dip. When I visited, there was no one else there, or indeed within a mile of the spot.

Heading north along the coast again, the lava transitions to the kind of sandy beaches that Hawaii is renowned for. The southernmost beaches are usually sparsely populated or just plain empty. These beaches lead back to A Bay and its welcome facilities.

For more information about this, and other hikes on the Big Island, go to bigislandhikes.com. (This hike is listed as Keawaiki Bay to ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay (A Bay), starting from the southern end.)

The freshwater pool behind Akahu Kaimu beach

The freshwater pool behind Akahu Kaimu beach, marked by another lone palm tree. After a hot, dry walk, a dip in the pool was very refreshing.

A sandy beach at the south end of A Bay.

A sandy beach straight out of the brochures at the south end of A Bay.

Hawaiian monk seals getting together

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool.Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool.

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool.Last month, I posted here about how unusual it was to see two Hawaiian monk seals in the same tide pool. Those two, identified as IO5 and BOO, were stretched out, resting.

A couple of weeks later, I came across the same two seals in a different tide pool, but definitely not resting. Bouts of circling and interaction were interspersed with them just lying together or in close proximity. Mostly IO5, the male seal, seemed to be the pursuer, but when he stopped, BOO, the female, was just as likely to reinitiate the activity.

Eventually BOO left the water and IO5 followed. He made another attempt to initiate some action, but she seemed to have tired of the game. Eventually, he eased off to the side not far away, and by the time I left, the two of them seemed to have settled in for some rest.

To me, IO5 looked like he was interested in mating, and half the time, she seemed amenable, but I’m not sure they’d do that in a tide pool. None of the barking, slapping, or nipping seemed to have any malevolence behind it; after such exchanges they mostly settled down again next to each other.

IO5 is on the left in the top photo, the right in the middle photo, and the foreground in the bottom photo. He’s the seal I see most often and his expression in the middle photo is quite representative of him.

For more information about Hawaiian monk seals, see here or here.