REGATTA and FATHER'S DAY

Hanalei Regatta June 8, 2013

 Summer time in Hanalei

             Lots of things can be going on in Hanalei Bay on any given day but the first Saturday of June was spectacular.  Black Pot in bloom.

Royal Poinciana

The pier is finally done and being used. 

Pier complete

There was a swim contest put on by Kauai Aquatic Swim Club.  Sorry no photo; it was over by the time I heard about it.  Kore was in full operation today making sure even folks with handicaps can enjoy the water.  (Google KauaiKore)

Kauai Ocean Recreation Experience

         

 

Not everyone got to play in the water, however.  This guy was dutifully waiting for Dad.

  Some dogs have all the fun 

          

             Meanwhile back at the pier, these guys really don’t care that there is a new roof, only that the construction fence is down and they have access.  Some people look longingly at the water while others can’t wait for their next turn.

 somebody just jumped - the little girl is going again

There she goes!

 They can't get enough

Meanwhile on the other side, these guys go at the same time

             Of course all along the bay there was plenty of swimming, splashing, digging in the sand, boogie boarding, surfing, and Namolokama Outrigger Canoe Club’s first regatta of the season.

The guys catching this wave on boogie boards are oblivious that they are in a race lane

Namolokama Canoe Club’s first regatta of the season in Hanalei Bay 

Namo's tent for paddlers

Food tent and shirt sales tent are up on the grass

            Officials were being really strict with the rules because the State Races for Hawaii will be held right here in Hanalei Bay this summer, on August 3^rd.  The flags with their heavy cement bottoms are set by guys in wet suits from a boat with surveyors on the beach.   The course is ¼ mile long. The length of the race determines how many turns are made.  A 1.5 mile race has five turns while the half mile race has only one turn.  There was only one row with a sailboat owner that didn't want to move his boat off the coarse

 The official tent is set up directly in front of the start/finish line

On the five turn race you see boats coming and going

Two at right are making turns, two heading for the other end, and two coming toward the flags

            The races start early in the morning with the kids and progress more or less by age throughout the day.  So the Golden Masters don’t get to their races until after 3pm.  Many tents are set up the evening before.  Other preparations start at 7am the day of and are wrapped up by 7pm.  The hosting club usually has a food tent and a sales booth with hats, t-shirts, water shirts, etc. with club logos.  Other clubs may also bring items to sell from their tents.  I sold shirts from 8:30 – 3pm, we had a good day. 

            I did go down closer to the shore to watch a couple races.  The women’s novice group or first year women and also for the 60s guys.

 The novice girls' race - Namo (on right) had problems and got a very late start

They may have gotten their clock's cleaned, but learned a valuable lesson about start protocol

60 guys warm up

Open guys out - 60s guys in

Hanalei has advantage on start

Namolokama 60s guys did the clock cleaning on this one - no one else near the finish

Beautiful timing!

 Father’s Day - June 16, 2013

             We paddled at 8:00 am on Father’s Day. The sky was turbulent; we had sun, sprinkles and hard rain on our parade – we love it!  The bay was calm and the water was so clear I resolved to snorkel after we all went to breakfast. 

Pali Ke Kua – my favorite snorkel spot. Gil surprised me and decided to go too.

 The sandy area far right is where Shawn got married three years ago - already!

I didn't even see the dog going for the stick yet

 Great entry and dry off spot

 The mist hanging on the left cannot even be considered rain

And he's back - he never stopped the whole time we were there

I had heard barking when I was out snorkeling, he was out there, too!

    Gil got these close ups.   We were thrilled to have clear water.  Summer is the best.

 Tear-drop Butterflyfish

 4-5” - it's like looking through glass at him. 

Square-tail File fish, about 7” 

         I got these big guys heading for their favorite channel.  They are about twenty feet away.  

             The Ember or Redlip Parrotfish on left is about 28” and the biggest of the Bluespine Unicorns upper right, is almost as big.  Remember fish measurements do not include the tail.

            We remembered suddenly that our friends’ rock band was playing at Princeville in the Park – we dashed overt with our chairs.  

 Concert at Princeville at the Park

 HAPA

 Our friend Debra and her gang of retired studio musicians with amazing backgrounds

Classic Rock at its best 

Jerome on drums and this number had Deb on tambourine instead of base guitar

What a great Father's Day.

NATIVE PLANTS AND CULTURE

Plants, plants, native plantsJune 1, 2013

Native Plant Society at National Tropical Botanical Garden

            We didn’t have a huge turnout to weed the native plants at NTBG but it was fun, good people, very good people.  Weeding was interspersed with a very intimate and private tour of micro sections of the huge garden that lies between Poipu (public entrance) and Kalaheo (administrative entrance).

            We weeded a hillside, slightly steep just up from this shot.  Below us is a section of pili grass and native palms.  The palms (pritchardia) are each verified as to original location – mostly extremely remote from high valleys, cliff faces, and uninhabited islands

These pritchardia palms at NTBG are the largest collection of the rare Hawaiian trees

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive

           

            We were working uphill from here, a little steep!  Finished working, we walked and drove to sights Mike De Motta wanted to share.  Just for fun I thought I’d show some of the native hibiscus family.  One of the first things newbies about native plants in Hawaii is that none of the associated tropical flowers are native – plumeria, birds of paradise, gingers, most orchids, and even anthuriums were all imported.  And just when you think the hibiscus were too, you discover there are many hibiscus that are native, but they are far different than the ornamental landscape varieties.

            I’ve shown others in the past but just for today, these hibiscus caught my eye.

 Kokia kauaiensis, first collected in Kalalau Valley

The leaves are beautiful, and the flowers strangely wonderful: 

This is the kind of detailed documentation each plant has

Hau (how) is the Hawaiian name for hibiscus, 

They were excellent botanists who recognized related plants

The unopened flower bud is almost luminescent 

this was the only flower that had opened already, pretty high up in the tree

Hibiscus: St. Johnnyensis

 These are very sweet little 2" blossoms, very rich orange

Not as common this St. Johhnyensis is goldenrod

The two plants are near each other at the garden

           Back at my car I got some shots of the wiliwili I had parked under – so grateful there are a few left.  Some years ago, an unwanted gull-wasp was introduced among imported plants and they have devastated nearly all the wiliwili trees on the islands.  Lihue’s harbor was once lined with them, the name Na Wiliwili Harbor, na meaning plural.  Even ten years ago, they were city landscaping.  They stood along the street all along the Walmart parking lot.  No more, but this proud tree stands, so far.  Cross your fingers.

 Wiliwili tree

Usually pronounced like willy willy, it should really be veely-veely

Wiliwili blossoms up close

       

            Driving on, Mike led us to a new cultural section at the garden.  They have built a hula platform (mound in front will have grass) and a hale built in the ancient Hawaiian method.  With all of the pritchardia palms, they have an abundance of leaves for the roof.

 Following Mike DeMotta through the garden

 Hale (hall-eh) behind the hula mound not yet grassed

Thatched with loulu or pritchardia palm leaves

I look forward to whatever performances they hold here - beautiful location

Mike on left, then Amanda, her Mom and husband Craig, then Kim, and Keren

all major players in Native Plant Society 

  Kahaleo        

             After lunch with the plant guys, I met a friend who has returned to Kauai and is now living in Kalaheo; we went for a walk at Kukuiolono Park; the name means Light of Lono, one of the major Hawaiian gods.  The park is high above the panoramic ocean below and in addition to the small golf course, there is a Japanese Garden and several “legend stones.”  The stones were all collected from the surrounding area that were once the Wahiawa Ahupua’a land division and were later owned by the McBryde family who grew sugar cane.

While the others speak for themselves, this flat stone was not marked

Marion laid down and said it was like a hot stone massage, warm from the sun

We took turns

            In a small space history goes back to the large sugar plantation culture now giving way to housing developments, before that to the Hawaiian culture, and before to a time when lava was still freshly pouring new land that would become Kauai.

 

What an amazing place we live where we can just walk around and observe such spans of time,

at least this historian is impressed and grateful to be here

A hui ho!