Aloha to Pupukea on the North Shore

Pūpū is shell; kea is white.   Together they are Pūpūkea - a town on the North Shore that offers a wide range of outdoor activities.     

Pūpūkea lies east of Waimea Bay, offering overflow parking for the surfing crowd, a grocery store for picnics supplies, and even an ancient heiau overlooking the bay (link).

Three Tables are flat top reefs visible during low tide.   

Across the street, kama'aina (child of the land) created a whimsical display.  The white bridge is a replica of the Rainbow Bridge in Hale'iwa. 

  
The fire house offers a vital community service to the kama'aina in a remote area.  

The fire house is next to Pupukea Beach Park, which offers tide pools for curious children.   

The pools lead to Sharks Cove.  From Hawaii Snorkeling Guide (at this link),

Sharks Cove has been rated by Scuba Diving Magazine as one of the "Top Twelve Shore Dives in the World". Located on Oahu's world famous North Shore, this small rocky bay forms part of Pupukea Beach Park and boasts blue water and an impressive amount of sea life. The bottom is made up of large smooth boulders and coral heads forming small caves and ledges for marine life to hide. The walls of the surrounding cliffs provide calmer water attracting schooling surface fish. 

David thinks its corny to pose on "half a board" ...  

... but he was curious about the paddling boards.  The red board is priced for $1000!

Have you asked your family and/or friends to take goofy pictures?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.   Comments are open through Saturday, April 6, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 7, at The Reading Reviewer.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Another view of Three Tables as the tide rolls in ... 

Aloha to the Nu'uanu Pali Lookout and Old Pali Trail

The Battle of Nu'uanu serves as the last conflict between King Kamehameha from the Big Island and the Maui Army he pursued across the island chain.  The Maui Army jumped to their death rather than become Kamehameha's captives.   Once Kaumualiʻi of Kauai signed a peace treaty, King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian Islands.  

The battlefield now serves as a historical monument with breathtaking views of ... 



... Kaneohe Bay.  Let's look closer ... 

... even on a cloudy day, tourists can see the triangle shaped island ... 

... that looks like a hat ...

... Chinaman's hat, to be precise!   It's Hawaiian name is Mokoliʻi.

The Pali Highway cuts through the Ko'olau Mountains.   The old highway hugged the mountainside, following the path of the donkeys who transported people and supplies from one side to the other.

Now kama'aina and tourists alike hike along the old highway for a step back in time.

My kids noticed the graffiti ....

... and wondered how keiki (kids) suspended themselves to spray paint.

 

The Pali Highway overlooks the Mokapu Peninsula ...

... home of Marine Corps Base Hawaii.  The H2 highway connects the marine base with Pearl Harbor.  Do you have a favorite place to walk?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 30.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 31.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

This flower was plentiful along the Old Pali Trail.  

But I don't know its name!

Aloha to the Bishop Museum

From the Bishop Museum's Website (at this link),

Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific island cultures.

Above are adornments worn by ali'i (chiefs) ... 

... including the lei niho palaoa - whale tooth necklace with human hair.   Hawaiians believe hair possesses their mana (essence) which they gave to their ali'i.

Above are 'ahu'ula - feather capes - worn by the ali'i.    From Hawaii Alive (at this link),

Hawaiian feather capes and cloaks were constructed by tying bundles of small feathers, usually 6-10 per bundle, to a foundation of netting .... Tens of thousands of feather bundles were connected, creating a visually striking garment. These capes and cloaks were important signifiers of rank, and as noble regalia, they were to be worn only by the ali‘i nui. Red, as a traditional color of royalty in Polynesia, was a dominant color. Yellow, made valuable by its scarcity, was also oft used.

The ali'i were preceeded by the kalihi - feathered standards akin to coats of arms.

The feathers make the kalihi fragile and precious.

The Bishop Museum also features a science wing to highlight Hawaii's unique eco system.  Above is a display  of sand - black, green, red, beige, and white.

Three elements influence the eco system, including pokahu (stone) ... 

... wai (water) ...

... and makani (wind).   Do you have a favorite musuem?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.   Comments are open through Saturday, March 30, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 31, on SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

The museum also featured a special exhibition, TRADITION AND TRANSITIONS:  STORIES OF HAWAI'I IMMIGRANTS.  Below is the double geta (footwear) for racing by Japanese immigrants. 

Leia Sea Arch and Hukilau Cafe

Laie is home of the Laniloa peninsula and a Hawaiian legend ...

In ancient times this point was mo‘o (dragon), standing upright, ready to kill the passerby. After Kana and his brother had rescued their mother from Molokai and had taken her back to Hawaii, Kana set out on a journey around the islands to kill all the mo‘o. In due time he reached La'ie, where the mo‘o was killing many people. Kana had no difficulty in destroying this monster. Taking its head, he cut it into five pieces and threw them into the sea, where they can be seen today as the five small islands lying off Malaekahana.

The moku (islands) are named Kihewamoku, Moku'auia, Pulemoku, Kukuiho'olua and Mokualai.

This moku looks like dragon's head ...

... and so does the tip of the peninsula!

The A'a (spiky lava) looks like the dragon's spine.

Laie is also home to the Hukilau Cafe.  It inspired the cafe (of the same name) in FIFTY FIRST DATES.   The Hukilau Cafe hosted Travel Channel's MAN VERSUS FOOD.

My youngest son ordered the Hamburger Plate Lunch - two hamburger patties, two scoops of white rice, one scoop of Macaroni Salads, and gravy.    The white rice and macaroni salad is a staple of plate lunches ... because carbohydrates don't count in Hawaii. 

Calories aside, what is your favorite plate lunch?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 30, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 31 at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I ordered the Hukilau Burger with a fried egg and grilled onions.

Aloha to the Kapa Ele'ele Trail

The Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park is tucked into a sandy cove on Oahu's East Coast.    

We ventured out on the Kapa Ele'ele Trail.  From the park's website (at this link),

This trail consists of a 1.2 mile loop on the mountain slope along the western side of Kahana Bay. This trail offers stunning views of Kahana Bay, Huilua Fishpond and passes two important cultural sites related to fishing in the bay, Kapa‘ele‘ele Ko‘a (fishing shrine) and Keaniani Kilo (lookout).

Much of the trail is covered with a canopy of native and introduced trees with the Java Plum tree being the most common.

The name Kapa‘ele‘ele literally means "black cloth". Kapa is Hawaiian cloth made from the bark of the wauke tree (paper mulberry). The name of the ko‘a may be a reference to a god or a specific ritual associated with offering given here.

  

A ko‘a is a shrine dedicated to fishing. Hawaiians made offerings here to ensure bountiful harvests of the akule fish (Bigeye scad). The offering was often the first fish caught. The akule is an important food fish that schools in Kahana Bay in large numbers. This ko‘a is a rectangular alignment of boulders that is open toward the sea.

This spot served as a lookout (kilo) for fishermen. From here, the kilo i‘a (fish watcher) could spy schools of akule fish which would sparkle as the sun reflected off of them like a mirror (aniani). He would then direct a group of waiting fishermen in canoes via a set of signals using a pole with a flag of white kapa. The catch was then divided equally between all participants. Additionally, a malihini (guest) share was set aside for any passers by or visitors who were watching, an early example of what is today known as the "Aloha spirit".

The catch was then divided equally between all participants. Additionally, a malihini (guest) share was set aside for any passers by or visitors who were watching, an early example of what is today known as the "Aloha spirit".

We ended our hike on the beach!  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 23, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii