Tag Archives: Upolu

Shade tree, hold the shade

A misshapen Milo tree at Upolu Airport, Hawaii

Almost five years ago, I posted a photo of this Milo tree (here). It had been planted as a shade tree and there was a picnic table beside it. However, the tree had grown with a 90° bend, a result of the strong winds that blow here.

A few days ago, I went for a walk on the coast there, for the first time in ages, and this is what I saw. I’m assuming the tree was pruned like this in the hope that new growth would be in a more normal direction. I doubt that will happen, though the winds aren’t as consistently strong these days. Oh, and the picnic table, that had gone before my previous post, never did return.

Tune in again in five years for more exciting developments!

The Numbers Game #133

Cattle on Kohala mountain — Cattle graze under the watchful gaze of the NEXRAD weather radar.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 750. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A wild turkey in Kohala, Hawaii — Wild Turkey

The signature third hole at Mauna Kea Golf Course — Wild Turkey

Two Pacific Golden Plovers

Two golden plovers on the coast of North Kohala, Hawaii

Pacific Golden Plovers will soon be heading north to Alaska where they breed. Before doing so they acquire a black and white front which you can see here.

The Numbers Game #118

A small cruise ship sails off the coast of the Big Island in Hawaii at sunset — A small cruise ship sails off the coast of the Big Island at sunset.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 240. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Pueo, or Hawaiian short-eared owl, sits on a post beside Old Saddle Road on the Big Island. — A Pueo on alert.

A pair of Hawiian Stilts at the Kaloko Fishpond at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. — A Pueo on alert.

A clump of Beechey bamboo on the Big Island of Hawaii — A stand of Beechey Bamboo.

Cows are rounded up for milking on one of the Big Island’s two remaining dairy farms. — A stand of Beechey Bamboo.

The Numbers Game #114

A Black-crowned night heron on a mooring cleat in Hawaii — A Black-crowned Night Heron on a mooring cleat in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 236. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean. — Wasps building a nest.

A great frigatebird angles into the winds of tropical storm Darby. — A Great Frigatebird angles into the winds of tropical storm Darby.

Opihi picker

I saw this man, down on the rocks below Upolu Airport, collecting Opihi. Opihi is the Hawaiian word for limpets, and they are a prized food for the locals. Gathering them though is not an easy task. For one thing, it takes place at the water line. Opihi pickers are guaranteed to get wet and have to take great care not to get washed out to sea. One or two seem to disappear every year.

The Opihi also have to be taken while they are feeding and relaxed. Otherwise they will be so firmly adhered to the rocks that no amount of prying will loosen them.

The Numbers Game #110

A bee forages through the blooms of a mock orange. — A bee on a Mock Orange flower.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 232. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A green turtle is illuminated while swimming in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii. — A Green Turtle swims near the surface of the ocean.

The section of Crater Rim Drive that fell in to Halemaumau Crater at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — A Green Turtle swims near the surface of the ocean.

The entrance to Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

A wild turkey off Saddle Road, Hawaii — Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

All kinds of storms

A great frigatebird flying off Upolui, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Storm.’ See more responses here.

I’ve gone with a few different kinds of storms starting with a Great Frigatebird or ʻIwa, which is known in Hawaii as a storm bird as they are considered indicators of approaching storms. Below is a rain storm in North Kohala on the road to Upolu.

The next two are scenes at Kawaihae port when the winds are whipping. A dirt storm above and a sand storm below.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii