Katia & Guido arrived in Honolulu early yesterday morning. They had a long layover before continuing on to Kona and so we had a few hours to spend together. They kept saying how strange it was to see me here in Hawaii when they are used to always seeing me in Italy with them. I felt the same way. It was strange speaking my not so great Italian and seeing them here in Hawaii but also so wonderful to be together with them again.
I had planned to take them out to breakfast but they already grabbed a quick bite to eat at Starbucks in the airport and were not very hungry. After leaving the airport, I decided to checking out the views from the Pali Lookout. I had not been there for years now and thought it would be a nice place to go to see some wonderful views of Oahu. It was a little fogged in when we arrived. The fog started to lift just as we were about to leave. They were amazed at the beauty of the area and did not imagine so much "green".
Here are a few views of the windward side of Oahu from the Pali:
Just what we need, a little weather excitement after a very dry summer. Hurricane Flossie is headed our way. Right now it is a Category 4 hurricane. The predictions are that the storm will weaken and stay south of us, bringing mostly rain, high winds, and big surf but you never know with a hurricane and so we are being warned to be prepared just in case.
Now, looking at this picture, the storm certainly looks like some sort of threat to me! When a hurricane is heading towards the mainland, everyone is told to evacuate. Not here. There is no where to go. That to me is the scariest part. We do have shelters set up in all of the schools whenever there is a possible hurricane, but I work in one of those schools, and I am not so sure that the schools are a better shelter option, especially the older schools on the islands.
My biggest concern though is for my friends, Katia & Guido. If the storm does hit us, the predictions are that it will hit the Big Island, where they are right now, late Tuesday. Again, it is always difficult to pinpoint the exact direction of a hurricane, but please everyone, keep your fingers crossed for us that the storm passes south and all we get out of it is a little needed rain.
Hurricane Flossie is now a Category 3 hurricane. It is still expected to travel south of the Big Island sometime tomorrow (Tuesday). The hurricane experts now say that they don't feel that the hurricane will weaken as previously expected. All of the islands have been experiencing lots of high winds trade wind weather. The wind is not "from" the hurricane but is due to the hurricane. This is a good thing. This means that the trade winds are keeping the storm on course south of the islands. But, the hurricane is HUGE and so at least tropical storm conditions and possible hurricane conditions will most likely hit the Big Island even if the eye of the storm does not hit the islands. There is also concern of flash flood conditions due to the amount of rain predicted to fall in the Big Island. All schools on the Big Island have already been closed for tomorrow.
Here is the latest picture as of 5 pm tonight. I was not able to find an update of that colored picture I posted yesterday.
The storm looks ENORMOUS! Will update again tomorrow when more is known...
Crazy weather! Here on Oahu it has been so so windy all day long. What a great day to teach my kids the concept of "windy"! Too bad I didn't plan a kite unit, although with the force of the winds, one or two of my kids could have flown away. They are now saying that the wind we are experiencing is the wind being sucked in to the site of the hurricane.
Meanwhile on the Big Island, it has been pretty calm. Flossie was a Category 2 this morning and is now a Category 1. It looks like we will all be escaping the wrath of this storm. Waves are huge and the Hilo/Kau areas are still the most vulnerable. The hurricane should pass by the southern tip during the night. They did however have a 5.4 earthquake near the Volcano area last night to liven up their lives a little while waiting for the hurricane. Thankfully no major damage from the earthquake. AND lucky Big Island, no school again for a second day! Here in Hawaii, we don't have to make up missed days like those on the mainland do for snow days.
The latest photo from the NOAA site:
Back on Oahu, we have had a horrible fire on the North Shore, which has already scorched 3,000 acres of land and has been out of control for days now. The high winds are not helping matters. Today the smoke was so bad, it crossed over the mountain range and a couple of schools on the Leeward side were closed due to the thick smoke. The fire is on the Wailua side of Mount Ka'ala, on the side of the island where some of the beach scenes have been filmed for the show LOST. I have been on some amazing hikes on the land that is currently burning and have camped up in the mountains in that area. It is so sad to see such beautiful land burn. Houses are threatened and the fire is still not under control. For that reason, rain from the hurricane would be a blessing.
My mini vacation starts Thursday at a beach house up on the North Shore. Hoping that the weather stabilizes, the fire is out, and there is no damage to any of the houses from the fire, and there is no damage on the Big Island.
'Iolani Palace is the only official state residence of royalty in the United States. I have been on a tour of the palace once many years ago while on a field trip with three 4th grade classes. The palace is well preserved and quite beautiful both inside and out.
I had planned to take Katia and Guido to the palace while they were here visiting Oahu. Friday, August 17th was Admissions Day. Admissions Day is a state holiday in Hawaii, which is celebrated on the 3rd Friday in August to commemorate the day Hawaii became the 50th state (August 18, 1959). I called the palace that morning to see if it would be open for tours. I was hoping to visit the palace on Friday as the Royal Hawaiian Band plays on the lawn of the palace at noon on Fridays and parking would be free and much easier to find since it was a state holiday. I found out when I called that the palace would be open and that special ceremonies would be taking place at noon as well as an open house of the palace when the ceremonies were completed. I later found out that the special ceremonies were not specifically in honor of the state holiday but were in honor of the 125th anniversary of the 'Iolani Palace.
It turned out to be a perfect day to visit the palace! After a few trips around the block to find a parking spot, luck was on our side. We ended up with a perfect parking spot right in front of the palace! When we arrived, the Royal Hawaiian Band was warming up. The palace was decorated with two flags hanging at the entrance and people were lined up along the driveway waiting for the procession to begin.
One morning while up on the North Shore, Katia and I were hanging out on the beach reading our books, while Guido went for a walk. When Guido came back, he said started talking to Katia in Italian. I heard the words "la foca" and knew right away that he must have seen a seal! He said while he was walking, he thought he saw a big rock on the beach, but when he got closer, he realized that it was a seal! So off we went to check out this amazing creature. I have heard of Hawaiian Monk Seals coming up on the beach every now and then but it is a pretty rare sight to see and something I have never experienced in person. The lifeguard was pretty sure it was a girl seal. Isn't she cute?
One quarter down and three to go. The school year is flying by! I am now on break for a week. Finally, I have some time to catch up on posts from my mini-vacation this past August with my friends from Italy.
One of the places Katia & Guido wanted to visit while here on Oahu was the Byodo-In Temple. I had never visited this temple and had only heard it mentioned a few times. I was surprised to find only a few other people that had heard of this temple. Thanks to Google, I was able to get directions and opening closing times. If visiting Oahu, I highly recommend that you put this place on your list of things to do and if you live here, you should definitely make time to visit this beautiful temple. It is very peaceful and serene. A place I could have spent hours at if I wasn't doing the "around the island" tour.
The Byodo-In Temple is a full-scale replica of the 900-year-old Byodo-in Temple located in Uji in Kyoto, Japan. The Byodo-In Temple here in Hawaii was completed and dedicated in 1968 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants. The original temple was built entirely without nails and is said to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. I am not sure if the replica was also built without nails.
I was leaving for Italy in two weeks with tons still to do when I was first asked to start this blog to document my travels. I had no time to think up a "catchy" name. I chose a title that would describe my trip. Once I returned from Italy and started adding posts about Hawaii, I decided it was finally time to change the name of my blog. I wanted something that represented both Hawaii and Italy and so I came up with the idea of "shave ice & gelato" because it represents two unique treats - one relating to Hawaii and one relating to Italy. I hope you like it.
Just about everyone knows about gelato, but I am not sure if everyone knows about shave ice.
So, what is shave ice?
I have heard people trying to compare it to a slush cup or a snow cone. It is neither a slush cup nor a snow cone. It is soooo much better.
Snow cones and slush cups are usually made from ground ice. What makes shave ice unique is the way the ice is cut. You start with a block of ice. As the block of ice spins around, the razor-sharp blade "shaves" the ice making a soft fluffy texture. The "shaved" ice is then packed into a paper cone.
I found this video on YouTube which demonstrates how shave ice is made:
Once the ice is packed into the cone, various flavors of syrup are then poured on top. Because the shave ice is so fine, the flavors absorb into the ice rather than settling to the bottom of the cone.
When ordering a shave ice, you are faced with many choices. First, you must decide if you want a small or a large shave ice.
Next, you need to decide if you want just shave ice, a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom of your cone, azuki beans at the bottom of your cone, or a combo of both ice cream and azuki beans. When I first heard of beans with shave ice, I could not imagine why anyone would want to have beans with shave ice. Once I tried it, I understood. The beans are not like regular beans. They are sweet and so ONO when mixed with ice cream and shave ice.
Finally, you must decide on the flavors. You can usually have three flavors poured on top of the ice. Two of the most famous shave ice places, both located in Haleiwa, on the North Shore are Matsumoto's and Aoki's. You will always find a long line at both of these shave ice stores. Below are the flavors each offer.
Mokoli’i Island, better known as Chinaman's Hat because of the island's shape, is a famous landmark located off the windward side of Oahu.
There is a Hawaiian legend telling how this island came to be. Madame Pele’s sister, Hi’iaka, the goddess of lightening, defended herself by slaying a giant mo’o or lizard. She cut off the tail and threw it into the ocean. Legend has it that this giant tail of the lizard became Mokoli’i Island.
Pictures taken at Kualoa Beach Park on a windy overcast day:
Laniakea Beach, more commonly now known as "turtle beach", which is located on the North Shore of Oahu, is known for the Hawaiian green sea turtles that hang out on the beach on most days. They have been hanging out there during the afternoon and early evenings for about 10 years now that I am aware of. At first, only a few people knew of the turtles. Then the massive tour groups started to arrive. Now tour buses stop at the beach and the traffic near this beach is often almost as bad as a high surf day.
The first time I saw the turtles, I was pretty alarmed with how some of the visitors were treating the turtles. They were touching them, crowding them, and some were even trying to sit on their shells. Now thankfully there are daily volunteers that keep the crowds under control and try to educate the visitors so that the turtles are able to have some peace.
I have been lucky to be at this beach a few times when there were only a few other people hanging out. It is pretty amazing watching the turtles "just be" on the beach. If you are ever visiting Oahu, I would definitely recommend a visit to this beach, but go on a weekday to avoid the larger crowds.
Winter in Hawaii means rain, and when it rains in Hawaii, it really rains. I mean buckets and buckets. When the wind is also involved, it can get pretty wild.
Our first big storm of the year hit the first weekend of November. It began in the middle of the night, with thunder so loud, I swear the entire island woke up (except my brother who is deaf and all the other deaf people on the island). It was definitely a deluge. The Windward side of the island suffered the most damage. There even was snow on Mauna Kea! There were floods and power outages all over the island. Luckily the worst that occurred on my side of the island was cable and internet outage which meant that I finally finished that book I had been working on.
The published rainfall totals for the 24-hour period in inches from the storm:
Waihee Pump: 10.25, Maunawili: 6.83, Olomana Fire Station: 7.74, Moanalua: 4.87, Palisades: 7.52, Schofield Barracks: 6.27, Lualualei: 3.56, Waianae Valley: 3.63, Waianae: 2.98, Makua Range: 3.88
Since our first big winter storm, we have had a few more rainstorms which were loud enough to wake you up from a deep sleep in the middle of the night just from the sound of the rain.
Today, it dumped again. I really don't mind the rain that much if I am snug in my bed, but I am not a fan of driving in a downpour. Fortunately, it let up some during morning rush hour.
I read this evening that the city has activated its Emergency Operation Center in response to a storm front that is moving over the Islands and is expected to generate gusty winds of up to more than 60 mph. We are also under another flash-flood watch through Thursday. Fun, fun, fun.
This is the safety alert that has been posted so we will be prepared for this storm:
Hawaiian Electric Company says check and restock emergency supplies like flashlights, batteries, radios, canned food and bottled water.
Have backup power for life-sustaining medical equipment.
Turn off and unplug sensitive equipment.
Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings in case of a power outage to keep food fresh longer.
I guess I better go find my flashlight. Maybe school will be canceled tomorrow!!
It certainly was a wild and windy night last night. Pretty much everyone awoke between 3:00 & 3:30 AM from the sound of the rain and the wind. There were power failures, fallen trees, fallen telephone polls, roofs blowing off and/or damaged, roads completely closed, rain and lots and lots of wind. In some places the wind was said to be hurricane strength and for some there was more damage from this storm than from our past two hurricanes. There are parts of the island that may not get their power back until Thursday or Friday and places where roads are still closed. On Oahu, the North Shore and the Leeward side were hit the hardest with the Windward side also suffering a lot of damage.
After the storm began, I was not able to go back to sleep. About 5 am, the local news came on. The first thing announced was "stay home" and "do not go out on the roads unless you have to". Now wouldn't that suggest that all the public schools would be closed? At 5:30 the school closures began to be announced and then a few minutes later the cable went out. I got out my mini radio and tuned in. I had flashes of my childhood days when my family would all gather around the radio and wait to hear if our school would be closed when we had a big snowstorm. No, I am not too old to have had TV, but the school closures were always announced on the radio. All the schools nearby were always closed but rarely was our school closed. I think I learned my alphabetizing skills from listening to the list of schools as they were announced. If our school was not announced as closed the first time around, we would refuse to get dressed, hoping that it would be announced the second or third time around. My brother and sister and I were always so bummed once they passed over the letter "N". My mom was always thrilled!
This morning 83 public schools and tons more private schools were closed, but not my school. I guess I should count my lucky blessings. Although I did have the wonderful fortune to spend 40 minutes moving one mile in traffic, my school was not damaged and my part of the island only suffered minor damage.
The storm that hit us last night is now headed for the Big Island. There is even a blizzard watch posted for Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa! A flash flood watch also remains in effect through Thursday for the entire state.
The Daily Dish Honolulu Advertiser blog has a pretty good description of the storm with pictures and comments from many around the island. Check out the pictures of the tree in Kapiolani park!
Here is another picture of the same tree from the Honolulu Advertiser site:
I feel for all those in Washington State and Oregon right now. At least we didn't have the flooding they are dealing with.
We had a "SNOW DAY" today at school! In Hawaii, a "snow day" means snow will be delivered to your school instead of school is canceled due to snow. Twenty tons of "snow" were ordered and delivered early this morning. After all the rain we have had recently, I was worried about the weather. Fortunately, it turned out to be a beautiful day with rainbows in the sky. The temperature was about 80 degrees. A perfect day for snow!
After the first 10 tons of snow were dumped, the first scheduled, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grade One came out to play. Each class took a class picture and then everyone went wild!! Santa also stopped by for a visit.
Halfway through our scheduled time, the second truckload of snow arrived. The timing of the arrival worked out perfectly as the students were able to see the snow being dumped. As the truck prepared to dump the snow, the students chanted "dump it, dump it!" and then squealed with delight as the snow was dumped in another big pile.
Channel 9 News came to our school and showed a quick clip of our Snow Day on the evening news, but unfortunately so far, it has not been posted on their website. If they do post it, I will do an update and add the video clip. Because I don't have permission to post pictures of my students and I didn't think to take any distant shots, I only feel comfortable posting the snow shots (without students).
Beautiful December morning in Hawaii at my school:
I took these pictures a couple of years ago one evening at sunset while down at the Ala Wai boat harbor, which is considered to be the beginning of Waikiki. I hope you like them.
I don't expect any sympathy but it has been pretty chilly in Hawaii the past few weeks. Yes, I know I am a wimp! Thank goodness for fleece! I don't know what the Hawaiians did way back when without the warm clothes we have today.
On the Big Island, it hailed in Kona yesterday and snow covered the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It even snowed on Haleakala on Maui! This is a very rare occurrence that only happens every three to five years. The forecast for today was for more snow flurries and possibly heavy snow today and into tomorrow night on Mauna Kea with possible snow on Mauna Loa and Haleakala. The KHON2 site described our weather the best: Wacky Wintry Weather Hit Hawaii.
Here is a picture of Haleakala from today's Star Bulletin article:
Ewa Beach was a little town with houses all built near or along the beach. I don't know much of the history of Ewa Beach
When I first moved to Hawaii, I lived in Honolulu. I worked out in Ewa Beach for one school year, 1984-1985, as a Speech Pathologist, while living in Honolulu. I can remember driving by all the sugar cane fields down Fort Weaver Road to reach Ewa Beach. I even drove through a couple of controlled sugar cane burnings, which were a little scary. The sugar cane fields are now all gone.
After living in Honolulu for a few years, I grew tired of all the traffic and buildings and decided to move out to the "suburbs". At first, I rented in Waipio Gentry and Mililani. After a few years, I finally decided to buy. I purchased my little studio out in Ewa Beach. I have been very happy living in my quiet townhouse community (except for the traffic which I will get to) and have been very fortunate to have wonderful neighbors.
When we all first moved into this new townhouse development, we were warned that Ewa was to be part of the "New Second City". It was something none of us really could imagine. It was such a quiet peaceful area. There were only a few new developments built in the area. The traffic was wonderful, at least until we reached the freeway. It only took about 10 minutes to get to the freeway, 15 when the traffic was really bad. Since then, more and more developments have been built. It now takes me 10 minutes just to get through one stoplight!
Right now there are about 25,000 homes built in the Ewa/Ewa Beach area. There really is no distinction anymore between Ewa and Ewa Beach. There are now houses the entire stretch of Fort Weaver Road where there used to be sugar cane fields.
There are two beaches in Ewa Beach, with one more talked about "being built", whatever that means, and at least four golf courses. I am not a golfer, but I am very thankful for the golf courses, as that means no houses on those sections of land.
Two new schools have opened up since I have moved to Ewa Beach. There are now six elementary schools, one intermediate school, and one high school in Ewa Beach. We also have three shopping centers, one of which is within walking distance from my house. The shopping center by my house has both a Starbuck's and a Coffee Bean, which are located about 20 feet away from each other.
You would think that the roads would have been built as the developments were built. Don't even get me started on this subject. It now takes me 20-25 minutes minimum and sometimes up to 45-50 minutes just to drive 3 miles down Fort Weaver Road, never mind all the extra traffic on the freeway. They are working on widening the road by one lane and building one more road out of Ewa Beach, but the math is just not adding up, not with 35,000 more homes in the works to be built!
I really would love living here forever if I only had a "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" car, but the traffic is definitely getting to me. The problem is the cost of housing everywhere, especially where I would want to live. But someday I will be moving out of Ewa Beach, unless those roads come with those houses.
Here are a couple of photos (taken a few years ago) from one of the beaches in Ewa Beach. It's difficult to see but Diamond Head is in the background of the photo with the little girl.
My class along with two Kindergarten classes went on a field trip today to Ke Ala - The Learning Center, or what we still call "Makaha Farms" (the name has changed a few times). It takes about an hour to get there, with views of the ocean once we reach the Leeward Coast area. Every time we go on this field trip, it brings back memories of my first year living in Hawaii, when I worked out on the coast. I really enjoy the drive with all the memories along the way.
We participate in two activities on this field trip and then have lunch.
The plant unit is my favorite activity. The children learn about various plants, what they need to live and grow, and how to respect the land. They also have an opportunity to taste a few types of fruit, plant something (today we planted lettuce), and pick something (again lettuce).
The animal unit is probably the children's favorite activity. The animals sometimes change depending on the year. This year they were able to see ducks, geese, goats, chickens, a turkey, a rabbit, fish, and turtles. They fed the goats and ducks/geese and touched the rabbit and the chicken. The guide also caught some fish in a net for the children to see and there is a bee apiary on the farm, which we only had a few minutes to visit since it was almost lunch time..
Here are a few photos from the trip. The first one is my favorite.
One of my favorite trees here in Hawaii is the Golden Shower Tree. I was surprised to see that it had already bloomed when driving home last week. I always thought it bloomed in March or April as I remember it blooming around Easter time. I went home, grabbed my camera, and then drove back to take a few photos of the tree. Lucky thing that I did because today already half of the flowers have fallen to the ground.
The botanical name of this tree is Cassia fistula. I have known it for years as just the shower tree or the yellow shower tree. Only since researching this tree on my favorite encyclopedia, google, did I find out that the real name of this tree is the Golden Shower Tree. There are a few varieties of this tree here in Hawaii (golden, pink, & rainbow).
While researching, I found an interesting article in the Honolulu Advertiser that talks about some of the beautiful trees in Hawaii, including the Golden Shower Tree.
To finish out my tree mini series, the first time I saw the Rainbow Eucalyptus, also known as the Mindanao Gum, was a few years ago while I was on the University of Hawaii campus hanging out before my photography class began. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful colors of the bark of this tree.
The Rainbow Eucalyptus is originally from Papua New Guinea. It is grown nearly exclusively for it's amazingly colored trunk.The botanical name of this tree is Eucalyptus deglupta.
I was very fortunate to witness the lava flowing into the ocean on the Big Island in 1986. I am not sure the exact number of times this has happened since Kilauea began to erupt in 1983. The lava is once again flowing into the ocean.
I am home sick today and have no energy to write much. I am posting a link to a video of the lava flowing into the ocean and two photos, each of which are linked to articles on the recent lava flow.
The U.S. Geological Survey defines vog as: Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai`i react with oxygen and atmospheric moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain.
They also list some of the physical complaints directly related to vog exposure. Headaches, breathing difficulties, increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments, watery eyes, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, and a general lack of energy.
The vog mainly hangs out on the Big Island, but for the past month or so, the entire island chain has been experiencing heavy vog. A couple of weeks ago, the mountains were barely visable on my drive into work and this was first thing in the morning. Usually the vog does not become thick until later in the day. This afternoon when driving home, the sky was the strangest color blue. If I didn't live here, I would not have known that there were mountains nearby.
The air has been so thick with this vog for days and days now. My chest feels like there is a brick on it. Everyone at work is getting sick. I am positive the vog had a direct impact on my getting sick last weekend. I had every symptom above and still am having a difficult time breathing. I rarely use my inhaler but recently it has been my best friend. I don't think I could ever live on the Big Island.
Vog...go away!!!
Dense vog as seen from Hilo Bay, Hawai‘i (click on the photo for more info on vog)
I took this photo yesterday evening at Ala Moana from the balcony of the restaurant, Mariposa, in Neiman Marcus. We stopped to use the bathroom in the store before heading out to our cars. When I saw the view from the restaurant, I decided to take a couple of quick photos (since many were staring at me as I was not a customer eating dinner there). The photo is not one of my best - just a view from the mall.
I thought more about Nordstrom last night and have come to the conclusion that the store in Hawaii must not be a complete Nordstrom store. Each department was very limited in their selection. Even the underwear/bra department had only 1/3 of the selection that Macy's has. I think the owners decided to only sell the more expensive items in each department, which I believe is a major mistake. The store was not that much busier than Neiman Marcus (which is always empty) and this was during spring break, a very busy time of year when teachers flock to the mall to shop.
I went to have blood drawn this morning (had to go first thing before I ate) and decided to stop at White Plains beach on my way home to hang out and read my book for a while. White Plains beach used to be a private military beach. It is now open to the public and is about 4 or 5 miles from my house. I parked my car, set up my chair, and started to notice a few people with cameras walking towards a spot a little bit to the left of my chair. I walked over to see what was going on. There, below a little mound of sand was a cute Hawaiian monk seal. I was so happy I remembered to bring my camera. I moved here 25 years ago and this is only the second time I have ever seen a seal on the beach (post on my first seal sighting). I talked to the lifeguard to find out if this was the first sighting of this seal. He said there have been 4 seals hanging out in the area for a while now.
After about an hour or so at the beach, I headed on home. I made a major change regarding my trip...no more Switzerland, and then checked the progress of the "where oh where my new camera could be". After clicking on 4 links to get to the progress of the shipment page, I was thrilled to see that my camera was finally delivered to my school. I jumped in my car and went to pick it up. I am really happy I chose this camera! Of course I just finished charging up the battery and have only taken a few practice shots in my house so far. I am thinking of going back to the same beach tomorrow to see if the seal returns to try out my new camera.
Anyways, here are a few cute photos of the seal on the beach. He or she was inching his/her way up and finally rolled over to snooze for the day.
The Star Bulletin is doing a week long piece on the 7 wonders of Hawaii. I must have been day dreaming because I missed both the chance to send in suggestions and the chance to vote. There were even restaurant gift certificates involved!
Of the 25 choices, I have personally been to or have seen all but: *the fishponds at Kalahuipuaa, *Iao Needle, *the Keck twin, Gemini and Subaru Observatories, *Mount Waialeale, *Pi'ilani Heiau, and *the Red Hill Underground Storage Tanks. With that in mind, my vote for the 7 wonders of Hawaii would be (in no particular order): Kilauaea Volcano, Hanauama Bay, Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Molokai Ocean Cliffs, Haleakala, and the Haiku Stairs (Iolani Palace would be my runner up vote).
Today (the first I have heard about this 7 wonders concept) the 3rd wonder was announced. The Star Bulletin plans to announce the 7 wonders one by one in 7 consecutive days. So here are the first 3 of the 7 wonders of Hawaii. I am linking each photo to the article.
THE FIRST WONDER ~ KILAUEA VOLCANO
I have been very fortunate to visit Kilauea Volcano twice, once with an old boyfriend when the lava was going into the ocean and once on a 3 day field trip with a group of 4th graders. I have just one piece of advice...DON"T take any lava rocks from the Volcano area and don't take any of the black sand or you WILL have bad luck!! Kilauea Volcano is definitely one of the 7 wonders of Hawaii.
(the 4th Wonder photos are linked to the original Star Bulletin article)
THE FOURTH WONDER ~ HALEAKALA
I have visited Haleakala only once. My aunt, uncle, some friends, and I arrived at the summit very early in the morning to watch the sun rise. It was CHILLY (really really really cold)!! The wind was blowing and both locals and tourists alike were all bundled up. If you go, bring warm clothes. The sunrise was beautiful. I even saw the green flash. After watching the sun rise, we had a great time hiking in the crater. You most likely will not need warm clothes if you go hiking. For more information on hiking in the crater, visit the Haleakala National Park Hiking Page. Haleakala is very unique. It is another one of my choices for the 7 wonders of Hawaii.
(Check out my previous post if you missed the first 3 wonders)
To see videos of the sun rise, click on the pink link...
(the 5th, 6th, & 7th Wonder photo are each linked to the original Star Bulletin article)
THE FIFTH WONDER ~ IOLANI PALACE
Iolani Palace, which opened in 1882, is the only official state residence of royalty in the United States. The fact I found most interesting when taking a tour was that both electricity and telephones were installed in the palace before both the White House and Buckingham Palace had electricity and telephones. This was my runner up choice for the 7 wonders of Hawaii.
When flipping through the Honolulu Advertiser during my lunch break on Friday, I was drawn to the photos of two men on stand-up paddle boards paddling in the ocean close to the where the lava is flowing into the ocean on the Big Island.
The ocean was calm off the Big Island three weeks ago, yet that's when Reid Inouye and Leleo Kinimaka shared their most memorable day of stand-up paddle surfing.
"It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience," Kinimaka said. "I will never forget that day for the rest of my life."
Paddling in the presence of a mythical Hawaiian goddess can be that powerful.
Inouye, Kinimaka, two photographers and others aboard a boat crew ventured off the southeast coast of the Big Island on that day. Inouye and Kinimaka rode their stand-up paddle boards in the ocean area where the current lava flow from Kilauea is spilling into the ocean.
(photos are linked to the original article)
Can you imagine paddling that close to the lava? Best view in the house for sure!
If you get the chance, check out the rest of the article.
The Merrie Monarch Festival began forty-five years ago and is held annually in Hilo starting on Easter Sunday. The Merrie Monarch Festival, which helps to promote the importance of the Hawaiian culture, includes art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances, a parade, and a three-day hula competition. Women compete on Thursday night. Both men and women compete on Friday and Saturday nights.
For more information (including tons of info, photos, videos, etc.) check out this link and if you are interested in reading a blog about the Merrie Monarch Festival, check out this Merrie Monarch Journal Blog.
Miss Aloha Hula on Thursday
The winner of the 2008 Miss Aloha Hula competition was Kalimakuhilani Suganuma of Keolalaulani Halau 'Olapa O Laka, a Kaneohe halau. (Photo by DENNIS ODA)
Hula Kahiko on Friday
The kane exude raw energy in their kahiko as shown by Halau Ke Kai O Kahiki. (Photo by DENNIS ODA)
Hula 'Auana on Saturday
Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka of Kula, Maui used pinwheel movements in their choreography during the auana competition. (Photo by DENNIS ODA)
The 46th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival (2009) hula competition is scheduled for next year from April 16-18, 2009. Get your tickets now if you are interested in attending :-)
Tomorrow we are going to Kualoa Ranch. You may recognize the area from films and TV shows. Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young, Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers, Godzilla, 50 First Dates, Tears of the Sun, Fantasy Island, ER, and Lost have all been filmed here.
We will be visiting the fish ponds first. We will throw nets in the water and catch little shrimp (and then throw them back). Then we will go to the ranch to feed the cows, horses, sheep, etc.
I am hoping for nice weather. The past two times we have gone it was raining or rained the day before. It can get pretty muddy. I am hoping for a sunny day tomorrow.
I am not a fan of long drives but love the views on the way to the ranch. This area of the island is so beautiful. Although I mostly take photos of my students when on field trips, I try to sneak in a few other shots when I have the chance. These photos were taken at the fish pond area during last year's field trip:
Recently there has been a rash of spam filling up everyone's email boxes. Jerry wrote a great post about spam (the email kind). I thought I would write about the other kind of spam.
Spam is big here in Hawaii (not the email kind but the processed meat kind). You know, that mystery meat surrounded by that gooey slimy stuff packed in a tin can. According to
The 
