So who stole all the palm trees, nice beaches and sunsets? I confess it took a while to get used to the fact that a large portion of Hawaii (and in this I refer to the Island of Hawaii also known as the big island as opposed to Oahu, Maui or the others which make up the chain known as the Hawaiian Islands) is actually black or brown lava or dry landscape. Of course there is lush green and beaches and palm trees but there is also a lot of other stuff as well. I mentioned in my Maui page that Hawaii has 11 of the worlds 13 climates and this island is the one that has the most. Behind Mike Marian and Hazel in the picture above is Kiluaua Iki with the Halema'uma'u Crater spewing smoke in the background. I will show you better photos of it later.

So the reason I am in the chain of Islands known as the Hawaiian Islands is because Marian and I had been yakking on the internet for years and she was always saying come and visit but I wouldn't go to her place in California, too risky with the earthquakes so I went to visit her in her new home of Hawaii where she lives on the side of a dormant volcano called Hualalai and we also popped in on Kiluaua which is the volcano which has been active for 25 years. I will explain the volcano thing, it is interesting.

I had no trouble with shuttle buses on Hawaii as Mike and Marian and Wiz were there to meet and welcome me. We had lots of fun doing lunch, dinner, shopping and sightseeing and sometimes just messing around at home. I spent two weeks here and came across a few more firsts for me, like I met my first Portuguese Water Dog (Wiz) whom you will meet in these pages, I saw my first Mongoose on Maui but lots more of them on this island and also my very first climate controlled fur coat closet. I was also introduced to some American icons like Walmart and Costco.

By the time I arrived on Hawaii I was getting used being in a car which was driven on the wrong side of the road, the upside down light switches and the toilet plumbing that scared the hell out of me. I could do a study of the worlds plumbing as it featured quite strongly in my trip to England pages too.

The plant in the background is a Bat Plant (Tacca Chantrieri)

The Pictures above are of Kailua Kona, Kona being the coffee growing district of Hawaii. Mike and Marian live fairly close to this place so go there from time to time. We had lunch at the Kona inn, an old and quaint building and then wandered up and down the street. We popped in on Kona the first day I arrived too and I was introduced to some of the locals including a homeless man with lots of well fed dogs. Many shoreline places have interesting history. the building above is Hulihe'e Palace, from 1844 to 1914 the Palace was used as a vacation home for Hawaiian Royalty. For some reason it is hotter down at the shore than it is further inland, in Australia this is usually reversed.

Another first that I encountered here in Kailua Kona was Vog, that is volcanic fog, the sulphur dioxide gases are blown from the volcano and where it flows into the sea right around this part of the coast. Although you cannot really smell it I did not like Vog and couldn't wait to get out of it. It hangs in the air and obscures the view when seen from above, I have a photo somewhere will show it to you later if I remember. I would have liked Kailua Kona a lot on a Vog free day, it is kind of cute and full of good energy.

If you looked at the Waikiki page you will know that Mike, Marian and I like shopping, not buying necessarily but mooching around shops looking at things. We had hours of fun in the Panama Hat Shop in Waikiki and the photos here are another example of things we came across.

Actually I first came across these Nanimals in the Tab Ora Gallery in Waikiki and fell in love with Philippe III Jnr pictured below. It's a bit hard to see him properly in this picture so click on his name and you can see the gallery photo on Nano Lopez's website. In the Tab Ora Gallery a chap called David Jessee followed me around, not because he thought I might pinch something but because he saw my eyes light up when I spotted the Nanimals, they were all just gorgeous and I was trying desperately not to whip out my credit card and take one home with me (Phillipe III Jnr that is, not David Jesse). Phillipe III Jnr was just US$5,000.00 in this gallery but he was priced at $7,000.00 in the gallery we went in to in the Mauni Lani Shopping Mall on The Big Island which is where these photos were taken. When I mentioned that his price was less in Waikiki the shop assistant said well our price includes shipping and insurance.

And that is not all, she had a life sized Nano Lopez bronze statue in the Nanimals range called Curioso. Curioso blew me away I wanted him so badly but he was US$53,000.00 and the nice lady said that the price included shipping and insurance and a some chaps to come to my home and bolt him to the floor. I had mentioned I was from Australia which might have changed things a bit but she would not be deterred. My photo of Curioso didn't work out so you will have to go the Nano's website to see what I fell in love with and still want even though I have come all the way home again. Curioso is here and he came with his very own turtle. God knows where I would have put him if I had lost my senses and bought him, perhaps I could dispense with my dining room table to make room for him.

We had gone to the Mauna Lani Mall to have dinner at Tommy Bahama's Restaurant. I cannot remember what I ate but I do recall it was delicious and was a three course taster of some sort with a nice desert. Another shop we popped into was Kohala Goldsmiths. Mike and Marian had been there before and had been allowed to play with the opals so they asked again and out of the safe came some boxes with lovely opals in them, the best and biggest I had ever seen and priced at more than US$ 1 million each. There they were on top of the counter and we were allowed to pick them up and admire them and the man in the shop didn't seem a bit nervous considering the number of opals that we were messing with and how much they were worth.

I would rather have a Curioso than a black opal any day although if someone gave me one of those opals I could sell it and buy myself a few curiosos and Phillipe III Jnrs and you should have seen one of the nanocats, go have a look at the gallery. All Nanimals are limited edition and they are magnificent.

Mike and Marian belong to The Kona Daifukuji Orchid Club which held its show in July. Mike and Marian had volunteered to help so off we went, well they went the day before and early to set up and Marian picked me up later and Mike dropped me off earlier so I got off lucky as usually I am in there boots and all helping. It was a bit hot there though. Anyways there is Marian manning the desk, I sat with her a while and at one stage was in charge for five minutes or so, that was scary. Anyway the real purpose of the day was the orchids, I didnt include pictures of them (sorry Mauri) there were too many to choose from and I would have used one as a background picture but same problem, too many to choose from and I love the batplant.

The orchid show was very successful with lots of people dropping in for a look see and to buy plants, there were demonstrations on potting orchids and doing other creative things with them too. The food was great, as a guest of Mike and Marian I got to eat the goodies that they bring to all of their meetings and functions. There were local foods such as Haupia, coconut pudding - yummeeeee.

The lower pictures are of the inside of the Daifukuji Soto Mission, I was introduced to the Reverend Jiko Nakade when she came into the orchid hall which belongs to the mission. It was a lovely temple with two altars, Daifukuji means Temple of Happiness and it sure was nice and peaceful and happy in there. Most Buddhist temples have a lovely atmosphere but this one was quite remarkably strong.

We were treated to a drumming performance by the mission's Taiko drummers, such energy and enthusiasm these young people have. All over Hawaii you saw young people performing in different cultural things, it is nice to see that they are interested in something positive.

We went to Starbucks for morning tea in Waimea also called Kamuela. In Hawaii you often find towns with the same name. Sometimes the town gets a second name. Kamuela is the Hawaiian name for Sam. Sam was a beloved part of the Parker ranch family who were an important part of the ranching aspect of Hawaii. We then went to Hawi (pictured left) and then on to Kohala town. Kohala is the name of the extinct volcano and it is the oldest part of the island as it is the furthermost North. The region is picturesque and green with a good covering of large trees amd vegetation.

Tipping in the USA. I had heard that Aussies were considered bad tippers so I took the trouble to ask Marian and to look up what the protocol was before I went. The on line place I found said you had to tip the people who handle your bags $1.00 per bag. It was considered polite to tip the room maids $2.00 per day. It was not necessary to tip buffet service or over the counter people, only those people who brought food to the table. However, it did say the buffet service people did have to clear the dishes and stock the buffet so maybe a dollar or two tip was appropriate. For restaurant service the appropriate tip was 15%. Now I knew that on the mainland some wait staff do not receive proper wages and rely on tips so that is fair enough I thought. However, I had also been told the food on the mainland was cheap so it worked out the same. I found Hawaiian food not to be cheap and Mike had also told me that Hawaiians have a minimum wage but still you are expected to tip 15%.

I am not the best at maths so I found this very tedious and it ruined the end of every meal I had to pay for while I sat trying to add 15 % to my bill (it didnt ruin the end of the meals I ate that other people payed for - thanks guys). I can tell you the whole tipping thing added quite a lot of money to my holiday and when I found out that these people were actually getting a wage I can' help but admit I was rather pissed off. If you decide not to tip you can expect to be made to feel very guilty and, while they are anticipating getting a tip, some of the wait staff can be so over the top you don't get to enjoy your meal in peace.

I guess I am lucky I live in a country that knows how to factor the price of its tax into the price of the goods for sale and pays it's people enough money that any tip is gratefully accepted and doesn't involve the use of calculators or guilt if a tip is not forthcoming.

 

Volcanoes and things

 

This photo is especially for Muriel who said of my Bali trip how do we know you were there, there are no photos of you. Actually there was one, I was wearing a bright orange t shirt and bright purple shorts, I don't know how she managed to miss me. I guess I could have photoshopped myself into this picture but I didn't, I was actually there and loved it.

The background is Kilauea Iki or small Kilauea. It doesn't look all that big but there are people walking around down there on the crater floor, I opted out of the walk on account of the fact that it is bigger than it looks and you have to come back up. Anyway, we had lots to do that day. In the background to the left of me is the Kilauea Caldera which contains the Halema'uma'u Crater.

Kilauea Iki erupted on 14 Nov 1959 and this is the landscaping it left. It was a spectacular show from all accounts and people flocked to see it. click here for information and photos. You might be surprised that people run towards Hawaiian volcanoes for a doris (look) but they are shield volcanoes and are not as volatile as strato or scoria cone volcanoes the latter two bring of the pointy variety and spew lava from the top. Shield Volcanoes have rift zones which open and spew lava down their sides and into the sea making new land in their wake.

The picture below is of Mauna Loa and it hardly looks scary or impressive like Ben Nevis as far as mountains are concerned, it has gently sloping sides and does not look all that tall. The peak is hidden by the clouds but it is not much further up than you can see. Its height is 13,677 feet while Ben Nevis is a mere 4,409 feet. Mount Everest above sea level is 29,028 feet. However, if measured from its base beneath the water Mauna Loa is actually 31,000 ft. and I boasts being the largest land mass mountain at 10,000 cubic miles.

Mauna Loa has erupted 18 times in the last 100 years and is considered dormant but overdue for an eruption. The last eruption was in 1984. Info This was the eruption that buried the block of land that Mike had bought on the Hilo side of the island. There are postcards of road signs sticking out of the lava and pictures of roads with a big globs of lava over the top. The lava flow is usually slow and so poses no danger to people as they have time to evacuate but it is hot and burns everything in it's path. We watched a tree catch fire when we were flying over Kilauea. You will see some of the flows from the air in the second week of The Big Island. Hawaii truly is a work in progress, new land being built every day and the occasional makeover from Madame Pele but that does not deter people from living there, it is a very, very nice place.

The photo above is the Kilauea Caldera. Kilauea is the most active volcano in the world, it has been erupting for 25 years. it was relatively tame on the day we visited, the Halema'uma'u crater is where the smoke is coming from. It was a very smelly at the volcano national park lookout as sulphur dioxide gasses are spewing from the crater so it smells like rotten eggs only worse. It is amazing to be so close to the action, you can actually hike through the lava fields to the rift zone where you can see the lava but you have to be fit and careful. Best to do this as a guided walking tour as the lava crusts over quickly and looks solid but it can be quite thin and collapse.

The Kilauea Caldera is 2 miles long and 400 feet deep. Scientists believe the magama is just 2 miles beneath the surface. The landscape around it looks like the surface of the moon or something quite surreal. Kilauea is fairly flat so this might surprise you it takes millions of years to build to the height of a mountain like Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Kilauea is just over 4,000 feet above sea level and growing. Come back in a million years or so and see how it is going.

The journey continues on to Hilo in Hawaii - The Big Island Week 2. In this week I do two flights over the volcano and a trip up Mauna Kea for some star gazing and bum freezing, high altitude fun and come face to face with Kecks one and two as well a Subaru. Gemini and other telescopes. There are a few other places of interest too like the village of Holualoa

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