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PLEASE NOTE THAT THE
FOLLOWING MATERIAL
WAS THE PROMOTIONAL WRITEUP FOR THE BIG ISLAND.
I have left it here because it gives an excellent overview
of the things to see on this island.
RICK'S TRAVELOGUE FOLLOWS BELOW
Click here
to go directly to the
story of this day's adventure
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Big Island - Day Five |
Akaka Falls, Big Island
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Hawaii Island Sunset
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Big Island
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Day Five |
We arrive in Kona at 8:00 AM
for our second visit to the Big Island.
The Kona Coast is a
favorite spot to visit. Located along
Hawaii’s western shore, where the slopes of Mauna
Loa and Hualalai meet the sea, the Kona Coast is a
region of endless lava fields and golden Pacific
sunsets. The clear waters are perfect for
diving, snorkeling, and deep-sea fishing.
If you prefer to walk, explore dozens of Kona’s
charming and fascinating historic sites. Enjoy
stories of Kona’s colorful characters and the places
they inhabited. Experience the treasures of
the King’s summer palace as well as the beautiful
palace grounds.
Go fishing in the billfish capital of the world.
The calm, deep-sea fishing grounds off the coast of
Kona are teeming with marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi
mahi, wahoo and short-nose spearfish year-round.
Be sure to get a taste of the local flavor by trying
Kona’s world famous coffee. Just one taste of
this rich, smooth coffee and you’ll want to bring
some home with you.
Kealakekua Bay is famous
in Hawaii for an unusual reason. In 1778 James
Cook was the first European to discover these
islands. the spot
where Captain James Cook lost his life.
On a return trip a year later, Cook was murdered in
1779 by island natives. Tensions began over the
theft of a small boat. However Cook's death
was largely an act of vengeance. The natives
were furious at Cook over the earlier murder of one
of their chiefs by a British lieutenant under his
command.
Today this area is
significantly more peaceful. It is one of the
best snorkeling spots on the island. The area
is a state park and conservation site teeming with
undersea life. It is a great place for both
experienced snorkelers and novices to explore the
marine world.
Bring your camera when you visit
Akaka Falls
and Kahuna Falls, two impressive Hawaiian
waterfalls. Both are located at
Akaka Falls State Park,
a short 20 minute
drive north of Hilo where we will
be staying. At the park, you will take a
self-guided, 0.4 mile hike through dense tropical
vegetation to see these two towering Hawaiian
waterfalls. This hike
offers a glimpse into the wonders that Hawaii's
tropical rain forests offer. Breathe in the
fragrance of jungle flowers as you travel along the
short (about ¼ mile) trail to the falls.
Here you can spot a huge
variety of palm trees, banana plants, banyan trees,
bamboo groves, impatiens, and a plethora of vines
worthy of a Tarzan movie as you
walk along the path.
Common wisdom says to visit Kahuna Falls
first. It is the lesser of the two waterfalls
at 400 ft. This amazing waterfalls
will set the stage for the even
more impressive Akaka Falls, which drops 442
ft. into a pool of water below.
Of the two falls in the park,
Akaka Falls with its water falling over a 420 foot
drop, is definitely the
more spectacular. Be sure to walk all the way to the
edge of the path so that you can see the falls from
top to bottom, including the pool below. You will be
a fair distance from the falls so you don't need to
worry about getting wet from spray.
Hamakua Coast is a scenic
drive through former sugar cane plantation lands now
planted with trees and dotted with small farms of
ginger, papayas and many other flowers and foods.
The Hamakua Coast is a stunningly beautiful place
whose history and leisurely way of life are
treasures its communities want to preserve. One
visit and you'll understand why
the Waipio Valley often referred to as the
"Valley of the Kings". It
is the largest and most southern of the seven
valleys on the windward side of the Kohala
Mountains. It is a
mile wide at the coastline and is almost six miles
deep. On both sides of the valley there are cliffs
reaching almost 2000 feet with hundreds of cascading
waterfalls, including one of Hawaii's most
celebrated waterfalls - Hi`ilawe.
Waipio Valley is located along
the Hamakua Coast on the northeast shore of the Big
Island of Hawaii, the Waipi`o Valley is the largest
and most southern of the seven valleys on the
windward side of the Kohala Mountains. The Waipi`o
Valley is a mile wide at the coastline and almost
six miles deep. Along the coast lies a
beautiful black sand beach often used by motion
picture production companies. On both
sides of the valley there are cliffs reaching almost
2000 feet with hundreds of cascading waterfalls,
including one of Hawaii's most celebrated waterfalls
- Hi`ilawe. The road into the valley is very
steep (a 25% grade). In order to travel into the
valley, you must either ride down in a four-wheel
drive vehicle or hike down to the valley floor.
Waipi`o means "curved water" in the Hawaiian
language. The lovely Waipi`o River flows through the
valley until it enters the ocean at the beach.
The Waipi`o Valley is often referred to as the
"Valley of the Kings" because it was once the home
to many of the rulers of Hawaii. The valley has both
historical and cultural importance to the Hawaiian
people due to its status as
the most fertile and productive valley on the Big
Island of Hawaii.
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Kona Crater, Big Island
Kealakekua Bay
Hamakua Coast
Waipio Valley
Waipio Valley
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Napoopoo Sunset, Big Island |
Kaloko Sunset, Big Island |
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Day Five -
The Waterfall Tour on the Big Island
Story written by Rick Archer
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Our ship returned us for another look at the Big
Island. Today was a tour of Waterfalls!
With our friends Jim and Denise Duncan and Victoria Hilford, Marla
and I were going to explore the northern side of the island and get
a first-hand look at the beauty of the area.
Our bus driver turned out to be about as different from Jailbird,
our lava field tour guide, as was humanly possible. I wish I
knew his name, but he said he was a professional photographer.
He was also an expert on the ecology of this island. I believe he
said he even taught classes on the subject. He was certainly
knowledgeable, that I am sure of. I learned more on today's
ride about science than I had since high school.
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TROUBLE IN PARADISE
The Hawaiian Archipelago, once celebrated as islands of
evolution, are now islands of extinction. The arrival of
humans changed forever the original diversity of the life.
Forests disappeared as people cleared the land to plant crops and
establish communities. Polynesians and other settlers introduced
numerous alien plants and animals which thrived in their new home
and multiplied. Their impact has been catastrophic. Pigs
destroy the understory of tree ferns and forests. Their muddy
wallows provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit avian
malaria and pox to native birds. Mongooses, cats, and rats eat
native birds and their eggs. Alien plants such as faya tree, guava
and kahili ginger displace vast areas of Hawaiian forests. The
onslaught of introduced plants and animals has caused the extinction
of countless native species and continues to threaten the remaining
unique life forms.
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Because of its location, Hawaii is virtually isolated from the outside world,
which causes plants and animals to develop that are unique to the islands. When
Europeans visited Hawaii and brought with them plants, insects, and other
animals, the "foreign invaders" flourished and made easy prey of the natural
inhabitants of the islands. Because of that influx, Hawaii's native creatures
are in trouble. The plight has earned Hawaii the unwanted title of "endangered
species capital of the world."
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One thing I found interesting about the Big
Island was that it is still a work in progress. Since it is home to
a live volcano, this island's landscape is constantly being
rearranged.
Today as I write this story in July 2008, Kilauea is in the news
thanks to its lava spume that shoots 45 feet into the air.
Right now it is the most active volcano in the world! This
island is still being built, but in the process entire forests are
being destroyed in the blink of an eyelash by lava flows.
Wherever you go on the Big Island, you see evidence of lava flow
destruction and new ground. The picture on the right shows a
brand new lava beach, a lava field, plus greenery that was spared
during the lava's rush to the ocean.
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Another aspect of the Big Island that I found
interesting was that modern man doesn't have the patience to wait
centuries to undo the damage of the lava fields.
If Dubai can create islands in the middle of the Persian
Gulf, why can't the Hawaiians speed the regeneration process up a
few notches?
It isn't easy to see, but this golf course on the right was
built right on top of a lava field.
Do you see the jagged rocks below the gentle green carpet?
They brought in sand and dirt to cover the lava field, then put down
sod. Voila! Instant golf course.
In some ways it was an easy project. After all, the
lava had conveniently removed all the trees and anything else that
was in its way. This was the flattest land on earth!
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Here is Jim and Denise in front of a waterall.
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Here is Marla and Rick in front of a waterfall.
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As you can imagine, our little waterfall tour was
very pleasant fun. There was nothing rugged about it. We
just kind of wandered around and every quarter mile or so we ran
into another cute little waterfall. At the end of the trip, I
discovered the last hole was only a few hundred feet from where we
started. The whole trip had been a circle!
We must have seen at least five different waterfalls, maybe
even more. I studied my pictures, but couldn't tell the
difference. It turns out that most tropical waterfalls look
alike.
They all have water, they all have rocks on either side, they
all fall the same direction (gravity in action), and they all have
more water at the bottom plus lots of green plants everywhere.
I discovered that after a while, you almost don't notice them
any more.
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Here is Marla and Rick in
front of a different waterfall. |
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This is an aqueduct. It was
once used to transport water
to the thirsty sugar cane fields. |
Another
waterfall |
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Another waterfall |
Another
waterfall |
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As I was saying,
after a while, I began to get the feeling
when you have seen one waterfall,
you've seen them all.
I began to accidentally overlook a few. |
For example, here is a picture of one
waterfall I never
even saw. Marla
said there was a lovely waterfall
at this spot, but I never even noticed it. |
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The Tropical Swimming Hole
The final stop on the trip took us to a
waterfall with the perfect swimming hole. Our guide said would
be a good place to take a dip. Since we had all brought
our bathing suits, this was our big chance to jump into a tropical
pool!
The water was freezing! Brrr!! But then it warmed
up.
Jim handed me some pills he brought along to kill any bacteria there
might be in the water in case I swallowed some. Apparently there
were some cows upstream that, well, you know. I could tell
that Jim meant well, but that depressed me a little. I was
hoping my very first swimming hole would be pure. Oh well.
Let me add from that point on I did not swallow a single drop of
water. I didn't even put my head under water. I could
have been dying of thirst and I would not have drunk a single drop
of water.
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Let's all go in at once!
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't
trust anything you see on the Internet"?
Case in point, the picture above is totally fake. Each person
entered the water separately, but I thought it would be fun to put them
all in the same picture.
Would you have ever known if I didn't confess? |
Group shot |
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| As you can see, this was
fun! |
I promised them
I would be in the picture! This is another example of digital
manipulation. I was photographed all by myself. But I
thought it would be fun to add me in! |
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