Tidepooling

Here in Hawaii, shoreline access is a public right.  Therefore, gated communities have to provide access points.  Today, I used public access through a posh neighborhood to walk along the lava-rock beachfront and gaze into tidepools.

The first point of interest was a lovely Keiki pond (a children's pond).  

After that, I looked into many tidepools and found a few invertebrates, and some small fish.

But the last tidepool I looked into had a very content sea turtle, grazing away on encrusted algae.  That was a pleasant surprise.

An historic village

We are staying in the "historic" village of Holualoa.  In contrast to the structures that we see in France that are hundreds or thousands of years old, the old buildings of Holualoa were built around the turn of the 20th century.  Several of them still stand along the highway. 

The old post office is now a ukulele gallery.

The old phone exchange is now a private residence.

The Tomikawa store is still a business, but not a general store.

The dentist's office has been preserved as it last functioned.

Abalone

Yes abalone.  Big Island Abalone.  We went to see their aquaculture facility here.  They grow abalone using clean, cold seawater that is piped up from a depth of 3000 feet just offshore of the island.  They have been doing this since 1998.  

Bori and our tour guide, Carlos

Abalone grow pens

They also grow dulse, the seaweed that they feed the abalone.  However, the seaweed grows best at one temperature (50 degrees F) and the abalone grows best at another (60 degrees F).  The surface ocean temperature is in the mid- to high-70's.  Keeping everything at optimal temperatures is a big part of their work.  Seawater is rapidly flowing through all systems.  The dulse is harvested with nets, then transported to the smaller pens where the abalone graze on it and grow.  

Dulse seaweed, food for the abalone

Tank full of dulse

They sell the live abalone beginning at about one year up to about 10 years.  Prices increase with the age and corresponding size of the abalone.

Top to bottom: 6 months, 1 year, and 3-yr old albalone

A 5-yr old abalone showing its "face"

The tour ends with a tasting of grilled fresh abalone, and canned abalone.  Very cool facility.  We bought some dulse and some fresh abalone to eat tonight.

And after the rain

Recent afternoon showers seem to have awakened some of the Plumeria (also known as frangipani) trees here.  These deciduous trees have been looking pretty barren.  They seem to often flower before sending out any leaves.  But this week, I've been noticing both new blossoms and new leaf production.  In Hawaii, their lovely, fragrant flowers are often picked and assembled into leis.

North Point

As we have often visited the southmost point on the island, today we visited the northmost point.  It is known as Upolu Point.  This is the closest point, on the island of Hawaii, to Maui which is visible across the channel.  There is a very small airport on the point, equipped with a runway, a bench, and a telephone.  But by following a dirt road to the west from the airport, you can find two historical sites: the Mookini Heiau and the birthplace of Kamehameha I.  

Looking at Maui from Upolu Point. 
Lots of humpback whales were breaching nearshore today.

The Mookini Heiau is one of the oldest archaeological sites on Hawaii, dating perhaps to 800 AD.

The Heiau as seen from the Kamehameha I site

The birthplace of Kamehameha I is near the heiau.  The boulders in the center of this site are reputed to be the stones where Kamehameha I was born.  Lava rock walls surround the site.  It is a peaceful site, looking towards Maui.

Looking south at the site

The stones where Kamehameha I was born

Looking north at the site

The dirt road had recently received a lot of rain, so hiking out there required negotiating many moster puddles.

Tip du jour: Stay out of the mud for a more enjoyable day.

Here's looking at you

I often see faces in various objects, but the faces below are explicit, and can be easily observed by anyone.  The tiki carving is an ancient Polynesian and Hawaiian traditional image representing the first human on earth.  Spiritual offerings grace its head. 

The second is mixed media, incorporating a plant into the overall design of a muppet-like, cartoon character.  And the third is whimsical, created using fragments of tropical seashells.

Trees

Tropical trees!  I walked around Holualoa and found many lovely trees to photograph.  They definitely don't look like this back in Oregon.

Identification of the trees was done by the Plant search mode on my I-phone.

Rainbow eucalyptus

Breadfruit tree

Common bamboo

Lacy tree fern