Tag Archives: Upolu

Signs: Working together

An unusual sign in Hawaii

I’ve posted about this sign before (here), but recently I was walking along the coast, noticed this view, and it struck me how odd this must look to anyone coming from this direction for the first time.

Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

And finally, a heads up for those of a sensitive nature. Tomorrow’s post features spiders and an unfortunate beetle!

It’s BIG

The landing area for Big Island Gravity Skydivers

Another view from Upolu, this time of a portion of the airport. But why is there an area of long grass, blowing in the wind, with the letters B I G mowed into it?

The reason is that this is where Big Island Gravity, a local skydiving operation, is based. This area is where the skydivers touch down after their jumps. A couple of days later, and the grass had been mowed again. The letters were still visible, but the long grass was gone.

For more information about Big Island Gravity, go to http://skydivebig.com/.

Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

Misshapen Milo

A milo tree shaped by the wind at Upolu Airport Hawaii

This Milo tree was planted at Upolu Airport several years ago to provide shade for those visiting the area. The picnic table was positioned around the same time and chained to the tree so that no one would nick it!

Fast forward a few years, and the tree has grown and does provide shade, but it’s not what one might think of as a typical shade tree. The robust trade winds that blow here have given the tree its odd shape, a 90° bend not being typical of Milo trees growth. However, it still produces the most lovely blooms that I’ve posted about before here.

It will be interesting to see what it looks like in another five years. Probably a somewhat larger version of this photo, unless the winds get the better of it.

Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

Home away from home

An old couch and bathtub abandoned on the coast of Hawaii

Who wouldn’t want to relax here a while on the couch before taking a soak in the tub? Alas, the tub wasn’t hooked up and sitting on that sofa might be an unpleasant experience. Truth is, these were dumped here by someone. It happens more often than one would like to think it does, and this area is a favorite spot for it, possibly because no one lives around here.

The tub disappeared quite quickly. I suspect someone took it to use as a cattle drinking trough, but it could have gone for other uses. A bit of effort by the person who dumped it could easily have made this connection without the eyesore interim. The couch, however, just sat there.

Recently, I was walking along the coast here, after not visiting for a week or two, and I noticed another pile of trash next to an existing one. A bit farther on was an old boat filled with tires. It’s getting worse, I thought. But I saw that the dirt road had been graded and, on a subsequent visit, saw cleared areas, and the boat and sofa were gone. This wasn’t a surge in dumping, but the start of a cleanup effort. So a big hooray to whoever is responsible.

Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

Three Nenes

Three nenes in Hawaii

I saw these nenes in the sugar cane field above Upolu Airport. Not only are there an odd number of them, which is odd in itself since I usually see them in pairs, but the one at the front is sporting a tracking box in his back. I’ve seen two nenes in this area with these boxes, though there are undoubtedly more around. It’s been nearly two years since I saw this bird with the tracker and more than a year since I saw the other two.

Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

It’s bright, it’s white, it’s Sunday Stills

Surf rushes ashore at Upolu, Hawaii
A cattle egret waits in a fountain
The turbines of Hawi wind farm with Mauna Kea in the background

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

In the top photo, frothy surf barrels ashore at Upolu in North Kohala. Below that, a cattle egret surveys the scene in the middle of a water fountain. The third photo shows turbines at Hawi Wind Farm against a backdrop of snowy Mauna Kea. And the bottom photo features a bee collecting on a Maiapilo flower.

A bee forages on a Maiapilo flower