KAUAI 2017

LOCAL - SEPTEMBER 2017

                 In a recent post I mentioned the Hokulea Voyaging Canoe had arrived back to Oahu after her world tour.  Late September she visited Hanalei Bay.  It was great to see a busload of little kids going on board and learning about this aspect of current/ancient history.

Hokulea Voyaging Canoe parked at the Hanalei Pier

Lots of maile

Modern times, solar

Lovely to have her here and the kids really enjoyed it

The banner was swinging in the breeze but further info easy to locate

Friends

              We have had some nice visits with friends on island.  Kris & Glenn from Orange County came with their daughter and son-in-law (Maureen and Albert) that we knew well once upon a time. 

Breadline at Kilauea Market - Kris is a gourmet cook, they had fun

On the river 

Kris & Mo in the 2man, Glenn right, Albert left, Gil must have been around the bend

Yep, there he is

Fran and Sherri live here but we have had so few Hanalei potlucks lately, we all felt like visitors, nice evening

                  Our favorite Laura also visited with a gaggle of her old friends plus her daughter Amy.  We stole the two girls away from the group a couple times but enjoyed the entire bunch, too.  I managed to delete my whole photo file of them and our fun snorkel excursion but Amy got this one of Laura.  Also the one of her mom and Gil paddling and the selfie of her toes.

Laura

Amy’s toes

HOME WATERS - ANINI BEACH

                 This snorkel spot has grown on me, it is so darn easy.  Close to home, parking, walk in, reef barrier so available all year (visibility varies), nice grassy park that has a shower.  A sand bottom can be very strange – too many sea slugs doing their doings isn’t at all appealing, but going out past the orange buoy it can get interesting. 

Orange arrow pointing to orange buoy, boat launch good access even at high tide

Juvenile Hawaiian Hog Fish with dorsal up - what a beaut

Pretty little Bird Wrasse - when they evolve to alpha male they are navy blue with bright green "bill" and markings.  An Ornate Wrasse below.

Whitemouth Moray Eel, he was a surprised to see me as I was him, when he rolled back into the rocks his body followed like a conveyor belt.  I wasn't quick enough to video.  The Saddle Wrasse and Manini or Convict Tang are uninterested in either of us.

Bluespine Unicornfish about 20"

I was very excited to get this shot as these guys are quite elusive.  Commonly seen but they do not stick around and they are much faster swimmers than I am.  Zoom in to see his "unicorn."

 

Spotted Boxfish - male

This is another I see all the time but they have a quirky zig zag swim, hard to capture.  Must have eggs now as extra protective of his territory

Milletseed Butterflyfish behind a Bluestripe Butterflyfish

The lighting was bad but to catch them at the same was enough to keep it

Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby - I usually don't even try to get these guys they are SO common but there were four of them milling around together so what the heck.  They are adorable, just over 3" max.

                  People have seen small eagle rays here this summer and there are almost always turtles eating sea grass and/or algae.  On this particular day the water was nice and clear and I swam with the seven resident turtles.

Youngster

Not travelling together, just crossing paths

Another small one, looks like he's interested in the little Saddle Wrasse but it just peeked out to see what was going on

LOOKING FOR SICK/DYING BIRDS

                Not everything is perfect here.  As discussed in previous posts, there is a microscopic bacteria that is present in the mud in Hanalei’s taro fields.  Combinations of factors contribute to this avian botulism being active and as a neurotoxin, it is fatal to birds.  Since five of Hawaii’s endangered endemic water birds live here, it is a real concern.  Ponds are monitored every week and twice a week when there is an outbreak.  I’ve been doing a section of 17 fields on Tuesday mornings – fortunately not finding any dead or dying birds so far. 

Most of the dikes between fields are grassy while others are like bushwhacking

Grassy paths between fields all on different growing cycles

An overgrown dike between two taro fields

                It can be brutal in the sun and exquisite in early morning or anytime there is cloud cover, then again, a downpour is always interesting!  It is an exercise in the grand scheme and the sublime, the macro and micro, and you cannot help but feel the cycles and seasons here.

This one won't be planted out.  The refuge rents those in use to the farmers

New planting

Snail eggs that remind us of Bazooka bubble gum

Smaller than a bird

MEASURING SAND

                 I recently had the opportunity to go to the Pacific Missile Range on the west side and help measure sand.  Geographer Dr. Chuck Blay discovered a phenom that occurs where as much as 600 feet of sand can migrate several miles, sometimes in a matter of days.  Never having been to PMRF (only passing in various boats over the years) and being a Blay fan, I had to go.  I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of anything but the beach by military regs, but what a gorgeous piece of island they occupy.

Major’s Bay

Ni’ihau 

The only other island visible from Kauai and only from the west side; it is so special

                Chuck has been measuring at 7 sites, monthly for five years and his data is really interesting.  His theory is that the north swell in the winter pushes the sand south and the reverse occurs in the summer.  The Na Pali cliffs go straight down into the water with no beach, ie, no sand.  At Kekaha, the runoff from the old volcano makes the beach dark with lava gravel.  In between, the sand seen here shifts each season and sometimes rapidly.

This map is mine just to illustrate what I learned out there.  His maps and data are quite  sophisticated by contrast.

Chuck at the first site

Third site.  From this spot near the water it is 600 feet back to the tree line 

(actually a raised walkway).  

                 Last February the sand virtually disappeared up to that boardwalk in 3 days.  Pretty exciting stuff (in a nerdy kind of way).  I got tidal duty on the last short beach and was caught by a wave that splattered me with wet sand; he promised we would get wet and to dress appropriately.  Luckily I brought dry clothes along and cleaned up in a park before the long drive home. 

FRIENDS LEAVING

                So while we do have visitors that come and go, some of our friends here also decide to go.  This is usually due to two things: health or to be closer to children and grandchildren on the mainland.  We attended another nostalgic dinner party Saturday night and then one last recreation paddle Sunday am for aloha to Jim and Diane.  Jim and Gil have gotten really close and everyone at the club is so sorry to see him leave – he has become a major player on the long distance paddling team.  That he also paddles and steers for the recreational guys/girls is to his credit (and indicates his addiction).

Sharon, Jim, Gil and Peter on a glorious Sunday morn

Unbelievably clear water

And then the rain came just at the high tide mark so today's snorkel was thwarted.  A little tired from the paddle anyway.

A HUI HO