Tag Archives: Pu’u Wa’awa’a

Wild pig running

A wild pig runs off at Pu'u Wa'awa'a on the Big Island of Hawaii

Wild pigs are widespread on the Big Island. I saw this one on a hike up Pu’u Wa’awa’a. I’d been taking photos and when I turned around, the pig was ambling into some tall grass leading to a shallow gulley bordering the trail. It didn’t seem at all bothered by my presence which it must surely have registered.

A few moments later, I saw it still headed in the same direction, still taking its time. I hurried up the trail trying to make as little noise as possible, and keeping an eye out toward the area where I thought the pig must be. I hadn’t gone too far when I reached a place where I could see that the gulley ended and, assuming it hadn’t moved faster than I thought, the pig would have to emerge into view. I hoped then I could get a photo or two.

I saw and heard nothing so I edged around trying to see into the gulley. I caught a glimpse of movement, then nothing. There was no point going into the gulley myself. I’d lose my vantage point and the pig would surely disappear before I saw it. The alternative was, if it was a boar, it might charge me. So I held my ground, looking and waiting.

Nothing in my proximity or activity changed, but at some point the pig panicked. It’s previous sangfroid was temporarily replaced by the high-strung nervousness of a racehorse. It shot out of the grass, racing back the way it came. When it came to the metal gate I’d just passed through, it clanged into it, squeezed between two bars, and carried on as before. When it finally disappeared into some bushes, it was a good 200 yards away, and still traveling as though making the final turn at the Kentucky Derby.

Pu’u Wa’awa’a rams

A curly horned ram keeps watch.A curly horned ram looks around.

Another post on the theme of ‘Rounded,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.

There tend to be a number of sheep dotted around the slopes of Pu’u Wa’awa’a. These three rams trotted off ahead of me as I walked up the hill. I tried to go around them, giving them a wide berth, but they treated this as some kind of sinister maneuver and ran a little faster. Eventually, I got my nose ahead of them (even though it’s a smidge smaller than theirs), and they turned around and headed back the way they came as I carried on to the top.

I do like their curly, rounded horns, each a little different to the others, like fingerprints.

For more information about Pu’u Wa’a Wa’a and its trails, go to puuwaawaa.org.

A curly horned ram in profile.

Rose jatropha

A Rose Jatropha on the Big Island of HawaiiA bee forages on a Rose Jatropha flower on the Big Island of Hawaii

Another post on the theme of ‘Glow,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.

I’ve posted photos of rose jatropha before (here). In fact, those photos were of this same plant, but probably not the same bee. They were taken later in the day on a previous hike. These photos were taken in the early morning when the light was better and the flowers were just starting to open.

The flowers really glowed and the bees, well they had to work a little harder, burrowing down into the bloom, but obviously with great success.

Pu’u Wa’awa’a goat

A goat stands on the steep sides of Puu Waawaa on the Big Island of Hawaii

The theme of this week’s WordPress photo challenge is ‘Glow,’ so I thought I’d use that as my cue for the week’s posts.

First up is a goat clinging to the precipitous side of Pu’u Wa’awa’a. I particularly like how the goat is looking at me, but casts a crisp, more profiled shadow in the early morning light.

On the downside, there must have been a dozen or so goats in the area and, between their avid grazing and scampering about on the exposed slopes, they contribute greatly to erosion. My time watching them was accompanied by the constant sound of small rocks tumbling down gullies and puffs of dust and dirt churned up by their hooves.

A stump-toed gecko goes for a ride

A Stump-toed gecko on a truck windshield.

For a recent hike, I got up at 4:15 a.m. in order to reach my destination when the gates opened at 6 a.m. I was about 10 minutes into the hour-long drive when I noticed something on the windshield. At first I thought it was a leaf that had lodged itself in the windshield wiper. But then I recognized that it was a gecko.

This isn’t an unusual event. Many times, I’ve been driving in daylight and seen a gecko emerge from under the hood, looking a bit stunned, and flapping in the breeze. In these circumstances, if I were a good person, I’d stop the vehicle, get out, and usher the gecko to safety. The problem is that, for the gecko, safety is usually back under the hood. That means, when I drive off again, I’m likely to see the gecko back on the windshield five minutes later. An hour’s drive could take two.

Sometimes the gecko will head back under the hood or shelter behind a wing mirror. In this case, the gecko hung on where it was. When I stopped at junctions and once, for a longer period, at a traffic light, the gecko stayed put. It says something to the amazing stickability of geckos that I’ve never once seen one flying off into space.

When I reached my destination, it was still there. I got out and took this photo. I’m pretty sure it’s a stump-toed gecko, which is nocturnal. It could also be described as a stunned gecko.

When I returned from my hike, a few hours later, the gecko was gone. It might have jumped off or gone back under the hood. Either way, it did not reappear during the drive home.

 

View from Pu’u Wa’awa’a bench

This bench is one of two on the summit of Puu Waawaa, and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

Benches are the friend of pedestrians everywhere. One nice feature of the hike up Pu’u Wa’awa’a is that there are several benches where one can not only rest, but also enjoy spectacular views – if the weather cooperates. This bench is one of two on the summit and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

Solanum linnaeanum

Solanum linnaeanum or Apple of Sodom

Solanum linnaeanum is also known here as apple of Sodom, and in other places as devil’s apple. These names are a sure sign that the plant is not well regarded. It has prickly leaves, poisonous tomato-like berries, and grows like a weed in pasture lands. That’s where I found this one, next to an old corral.

Better Days: Old Pu’u Wa’awa’a blockhouse

The interior of an old building on the Pu’u Wa’awa’a trail.

A few days ago I posted (here) about the view from an old blockhouse on the Pu’u Wa’awa’a trail. Today, I’m taking a look inside. As I mentioned before, the building is now a shelter for livestock with assorted detritus on the floor, but light through the empty windows still casts a bright image on the painted walls.

For more information about Pu’u Wa’awa’a and its trails, go to puuwaawaa.org.