This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘National Garden Month.’ See more responses here. I don’t really have a garden here, but I do enjoy a visit to Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden, so here are some photos from my most recent visit.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Walk in the Park.’ See more responses here. These photos are from my last hike at what is officially known as Pu’u Wa’awa’a Cinder Cone State Park. The hike took place under heavy skies, but the clouds hovered just above the top of the hill and the rain held off until late in the walk.
Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Celebrate Spring or Autumn.’ See more responses here.
Since we’re a little shy on seasonal changes here, I’m going with some nominal signs of Spring, namely flowers budding out and blooming.
This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Shades of Green.’ Captions are on the photos. See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Favorite Flowers.’ Here are some of mine. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here
And finally some photos from the Hilo Orchid Show last year. I’ve definitely become an orchid fan since moving here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Stark.’ See more responses here.
This seemed a good opportunity to recap a hike I did last year, but have failed to get organized into a post! The hike started at Punulu’u Black Sand Beach Park, home of the island’s most famous black sand beach.
As usual, there were a few Green Turtles resting on the beach. The trailhead, at the east end of the beach, isn’t marked, but hike up through a narrow band of trees and it opens out onto a lava bench. On this bench is Kāne’ele’ele Heaiu, an ancient Hawaiian heiau where human sacrifices were carried out.
Beyond the heiau, the trail is marked by flat stones. This is the ancient Ala Kahakai trail, which followed the coast from the northern tip of the island all the way down and around the west and south coasts, to the southeastern corner of the island. The hike follows the coast, passing through scrubby vegetation and across stark lava fields.
There are some tenacious plants growing along the way, notably Beach Naupaka, which tolerates rocky terrain and salt spray. There’s also a variety of birds and other wildlife to be seen.
Cairns mark the trail, though they’re not always easy to spot. It’s easy to wander off the trail, which is not a good thing given the large cracks in the lava and potential thin spots that one could fall into.
But if you don’t get lost or fall into a lava tube, eventually Kamehame Beach will come into view. This beach is important as a nesting place for both Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. The nesting season runs from June to November, which was when I was there, so I knew I wouldn’t be walking on the beach for fear of disturbing anything. In fact, I thought I hadn’t seen anyone on this hike once I left Punulu’u, but when I looked at my photos, I saw someone at the far end of the beach. This was undoubtedly one of the researchers who monitor these spots for turtle activity.
The beach itself is quite steep and, even if it wasn’t turtle nesting season, I’d have been reluctant to walk it given the high surf on this particular day. The round trip hike is around 6 miles unless you get lost!
Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fresh.’ See more responses here.
A couple of miles before the end of the Akoni Pule Highway, at Pololu overlook, there’s a roadside food stand called Fresh Off The Grid. There’s no power at that end of the road, hence the ‘off the grid.’
I confess, I’ve never eaten there, in part because I seldom go to Pololu these days. It’s a bit overrun and the parking is terrible, though now they have stewards directing traffic and controlling the comings and goings, which is a big improvement.
But the food stand gets good reviews and seems to have a good selection of locally-grown food on the menu. It also has a nice variety of flowers around and a killer view of the ocean, plus mules and horses. What’s not to like.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Frosty.’ See more responses here.
I don’t see a lot of frost here in Hawaii, but the top of Mauna Kea is almost always cold. When I was up there last year, there was some snow on the ground and the freezing wind was whipping.
It’s much more comfortable to view the chilly scene from the warmth and comfort of the lowlands. Zooming in on my camera is close enough to the real thing!
Graham's Island 