I’m headed back to Hawai’i. Leaving on the 22nd of March, returning to Arizona on April 15.
I like the times of these flights. I will arrive in Kona in the late afternoon instead of late at night like my last trip. Also, the return trip is at 10:30 PM and is a red eye flight – arriving in AZ in the morning of the following day. Both trips go thru LAX. I hope this will be better than returning at 8:30 in the morning – necessitating I be at the airport at 7 AM, leaving my place around 5:30. That worked out alright last time, but I would like to find a different way.
When researching this trip, I was also looking into flights to Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte North Carolina, and other places back east. I was checking out different dates and different airlines, trying to get the best prices, etc.
I was also looking into rental cars. In Hawaii, I figure that I will get a rental for the first two days there so that I can get to my place from the airport. Then I will return the car to Kona at a convenient time to catch the bus to return. While I am there, I will use my car that I bought last time I was there. I guess that I did not pay close enough attention to what I was booking. In the movie “Knight and Day”, Cameron Diaz as June Havens is visiting Roy Miller’s (played by Tom Cruise) parents. The mother, Molly says, “You don’t know what you are typing into that computer, Frank.”
Sometimes, that pretty well describes me . . . except I’m not named Frank!
But, apparently, I input the wrong dates for the rental car . . . March 15 thru the 17th instead of March 22 thru the 24th. I got a great rate . . . but the dates just wouldn’t work. I don’t arrive until the 22nd. By the time I realized my mistake, it was less than three weeks from when I would leave – or two weeks before the 15th, . . . anyway, I called the rental car company to change the dates. The cost would be more than double. I could make a complete new booking, ignore the one already booked, and save money rather than change the booking dates. Is that crazy, or what?
Now I’ll need to book a covid-19 test for 72 hours before my last flight from the mainland. That’s 1:40 PM on the 22nd. So, my test has to be taken after 1:40 PM on the 19th. Which is kind of weird, because 72 hours before I arrive in Kona would be 4:41PM on the 19th; but I would be in Arizona 72 hours before I arrive in Kona, and Arizona is three hours ahead of Hawaii, so 4:41 PM in Hawaii would be 7:41 PM in Arizona. But it is 72 hours before your last flight leaves. My last flight leaves at 1:40 PM from Los Angeles, which is one hour behind Arizona, so 1:40 in Los Angeles is 2:40 in Arizona. Does that mean my test must be before 2:40 PM? But yet, 2:40 PM in Arizona is only 11:40 AM in Hawaii. When I tried to discuss this with the “trained medical professional” who was checking my medical information the last time I went to Hawai’i, he gave me a blank stare. I guess that they don’t teach time zones until eighth grade in Hawaii.
Anyway, my bag is packed and weighed. Trying to get it as close to 50 lbs as possible without going over.
I’ve got the switches and the lights , and the wires all packed for the solar lighting in the shed. I have a few more tools. Another blanket. I’ve got plenty of clothes there, but I do need more socks. And a pair of tennis shoes. The ones I wore while I was there are pretty well shot. They were not much more than rags after stumbling around in the rocks for three weeks. Of course, they were pretty well worn out to start with.
The waiting is always the worst part. I’m anxious to get back and continue with the projects that I could not finish. I’m worried about any new rules the government has instituted since I was there last regarding this pandemic. My mind is working overtime creating all manner of scenarious.
I tried to book my covid test today. I need to schedule my test for sometime after 1:40 PM on Friday to be within the 72 hour limit. They are only scheduling through Thursday. Tomorrow. I’ll check back tomorrow.
Done. Covid Test is booked for Friday afternoon. Here we go again. After the test, and after I get the result, and within 24 hours of leaving for or arriving in Hawaii (I’m not sure which) I will need to go on to the Hawaii Travels Website and upload the test results.
I have signed up with a website ( https://earthquaketrack.com/about ) that tracks earthquakes world wide. I have identified the island of Hawai’i and it gives me updates of major happenings. Three or four days ago, it sent me an email that there was an earthquake measuring 4.2 with an epicenter 17 miles NNE of Pahala. Pahala is about 10 miles NNE of Naalehu. That means this earthquake was about 30 miles from my place. According to this website, there were 20 earthquakes near Pahala in the last 24 hours, and . . . 6,860 in the last 365 days! ROCK AND ROLL!
Apparently there was a cluster of over a hundred quakes in the Mauna Loa/Kilauea area within the last 24 hours. WAHOO!!
————————————————————————————————-
ORDER #67974605SPECIMEN COLLECTION DATEMarch 19, 2021RESULTS RECEIVED DATEMarch 20, 2021TESTSCOVID-19 LAB PDFPATIENT FRIENDLY PDF
Your results suggest you were negative at the time of testing.*
*Although the possibility is low, a false negative result should be considered if you have had recent exposure to the virus along with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
I received my lab results for my Covid-19 test – Negative – I’m good to go.
Now I need to remember to register with the State of Hawaii, and check in with the airlines – both within 24 hours of my flight tomorrow. . . so, I’ll do that at 11AM.
No . . . this waterfall is not in Hawaii. It is in Australia.
My wife and I were traveling through New South Wales in Australia a few years ago. We were taking a road trip from Sydney north to Brisbane along the coast, checking out as many beaches as we could. We stopped off at beaches such as Birubi Beach:
And Fingal Beach:
And Tallow Beach:
And Oxley Beach:
And Clarkes Beach:
We found some interesting things on these beaches. Mermaids!
And a crocodile!
All these beach visits were not without a few mishaps. Twice, we got the rental car stuck in the sand and had to call for a tow truck to get us out.
We also stopped off at Barry Park Loockout to see if we could spot some whales. As we walked out to the point, we saw this guy sitting on a large rock.
He looked just like the one we saw sitting on a wire in Coffs Harbor.
And this one in a tree:
I was excited to see these birds, but my wife – a native of Brisbane, Australia – said, “Aww, It’s just a bloody Kookaburra!” So we went out to the point and sat on some concrete pillars and waited to see some whales.
And we waited.
And eventually, we DID see some whales. They were a ways off shore, but sure enough, they were there.
We also stopped off at a beach to direct the waves as they came crashing ashore.
Are you ready?UP, UP, UP!
As we passed through Harrington and Manning Point, we heard about the World Famous Ellenborough Falls – a single drop of 200 meters- one of the tallest waterfalls in the southern hemisphere. We thought that it would be “just a short detour” inland and decided to go.
We traveled through some gorgeous country side and through quaint small towns like Taree, and Wingham, and Bobin, and the road got smaller, and narrower, and less maintained.
We passed some beautiful green farmland after a bit of bush, and ended in a lush rainforest. Somehow we found ourselves on what looked to me to be an unpaved, gravel forest logging road, going up the side of a mountain through a forest of tall trees like the Ponderosa Pines we have on the Mogollon Rim in Northern/Central Arizona, except these are all leafy trees – not the evergreen needle type. But they are tall and straight, and close together. It was an overcast day and it started to rain. The road became muddy and more than once we discussed turning around – the problem was there was no where to turn around. The mountainside on the left rose almost straight up and almost straight down on the right. The trees were all around us. We came around one turn and I thought for sure that Robin Hood and his merry men would jump out of the forest at any moment, or the Ent named Fangorn (Treebeard)! We came to another turn and we could see past the trees at the edge of the road, but the valley below was totally shrouded in clouds.
As we turned the corner, it appeared that everything in the world had disappeared in a cloud bank. We could not see more than ten feet in front of the car. I stopped the car and got out. The rain had lessened so that it was just a bare mist, but it totally surrounded us. I walked over to the edge of the road and tried to peer through the trees and clouds into the valley below . . . to no avail. Magical, and mystical, and spooky! All at the same time! Getting back into the car, we slowly drove through the clouds, feeling our way along the road, like a blind man with a cane, until we emerged out of the clouds and came to a stop at an intersection with a paved road. The road we were on stopped at this road, and we could turn left or we could turn right. A sign directly in front of us had an arrow pointing to the left and the words Ellenborough Falls.
After turning left, we passed a house/cabin/structure that was set back from the road about thirty feet, and I expected to see Granny sitting in a rocking chair on the porch with Jethro and Ellie Mae.
A bit farther and there, next to the road, was a full sized metal and glass phone booth. The road we were now on was well paved, and quite wide, as it turned around to the right passing another sign welcoming us to “The Legendary Ellenborough Falls”. Immediately to the right was another sign for the parking area in front of an open wooden structure with picnic tables underneath. A brick building with restrooms was off to the side. Off to the left was a small building that was a gift shop/visitor’s center. Sitting on one of the picnic tables were three men – modern day Sherwood Forest dwellers. Unlike the forest green of Robin Hood’s men, they were all wearing identical orange shirts, blue jeans but no pointy little hats, and this is the Bulga Forest – not Sherwood. Lunch break for a local road maintenance crew. A jolly bunch, none the less. M
Since I don’t speak the language, but my wife is quite fluent, she stayed and had a chat with them as I headed over to the edge to see the “Legendary Ellenborough Falls”. At the top of the falls there is a view point that will allow you to see the water as it comes out of the river and careens off the edge to plunge into the canyon somewhere below. You can see across the canyon, but not directly down, so you lose sight of the water after a few feet., until you head down the trail. Then the entire falls can be seen.
Off to the right is the beginning of a well marked, well used trail. An information kiosk tells about the falls, the flora, the fauna, the surroundings and the trails. It says that the trail to the bottom of the falls takes about 45 minutes – round trip. There is an alternative – instead of going to the bottom, you stay on the trail when you get to the turnoff for the bottom, and proceed to what they call The Knoll. This is a viewing area exactly opposite the falls on the opposite side of the canyon. A 15 minute walk. I proceed down the wooden steps and along the trail till I get to the turn off. It is closed. Blocked with orange caution tape, a plastic barricade, and signs indicating that it is under construction.
On to the Knoll. I pass a couple of odd looking mounds of dirt about four feet tall. I wonder why the construction crew has piled this dirt here – so far away from where they are working – until it dawns on me. These are ant hills.
They are hard as rocks – solid, as if made of concrete. The trail turns from following the mountainside and proceeds along a wooden sidewalk that extends out from and above the canyon wall to a large round deck – maybe 20 feet in diameter. All with the obligatory wooden hand rails at 36″ high all around.
The entire falls is visible from here, as well as the pool at the bottom. This deck is about a third of the way down from the top of the canyon, and from this vantage point, I cannot see the information kiosk, the restrooms, the visitor center/gift shop, or the picnic canopy. It has taken me 14 minutes to get here.
As I walk back along the trail, it once again feels like a magical place. I’m not sure if I am expecting to see Robin Hood or Galadriel. Is this Sherwood? or Lothlorien?
When I get back to the parking area, my wife tells me that after reading that the trail took 45 minutes, she decided not to attempt it, but to just wait for me to return.
Definitely more than “just a short detour”, but well worth the effort. As a reward, the next day we stopped off at Rainbow Beach for a bit of boogie boarding.
Our plane is waiting, and all good things must come to an end.
When we started this adventure, we agreed that while we were working on the property, we would spend at least two hours every day at the beach. Any beach. Not too far away from our property is the “world famous” Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. I guess I’ve lived a sheltered life, because before I came to Hawai’i I had never heard of it. I knew that there were beaches with black sand, but I never really knew the names of any specific beaches.
There are two turn offs from highway 11 that lead to Punalu’u Beach. The road makes a loop with the park in the middle of the loop. One road that is closest to Na’alehu leads past a development called Sea Mountain. There is a golf course with condominiums. There were many more planned to be built, but local opposition and the economic collapse in Japan (the developers and owners were based in Japan) caused the developers to scale back.
The parking lot is along the road past the condos, and near the welcoming sign before the actual bay with the beach. At the parking lot there is a building with restrooms and showers. At Hookena Beach, the shower on the outside of the restoooms has hot water. The supply line is above ground along the side of the road and the sun warms the pipe. The road to Hookena Beach is about 2 miles long, so the water has two miles to warm up. I’m not sure where the water comes from for the restrooms or the shower at Punalu’u Beach. One of these days, I will have to stop in and try out the shower facilities.
From the parking lot, there is a short walk out to the bay and the beach, past a rocky ledge of old lava. The sand is extremely granular, and course, not powdered fine like many white sand beaches. A huge draw to this beach is the turtles.
Loggerhead turtles three, four and maybe even five feet across sunning themselves on the beach, or lounging in the water at the shore line. The turtles nest on the beach here and the locals will stake out any nests and keep watch over them to make sure that they are not disturbed. It is against the law in Hawaii to get too close to the turtles. I think it is something like ten feet, but I’m not sure.
There is a building there across the sand, and about twenty yards into the trees, facing the bay. It looks like a large “A” frame type structure – either a private residence or possible a vacation rental. On the sand is a lifeguard station – but I did not see any lifeguards in it or on the beach anywhere.
The road continues past the paved parking lot, through the golf course, and curves behind the “A” frame. Before it turns back towards the highway, there is a turn off back towards the beach. The “A” frame is on the right, there is a large ruin of buildings in the trees and vegetation on the left that have been abandoned.
Look past the vegetation and perhaps you can see some of the abandoned buildings.
Looks like they have been abandonded for twenty years or more. Between these ruins and the beach is a large freshwater lagoon/pond. The lagoon and the ocean is separated by about twenty feet of black sand with very tall coconut palms growing at the edge of the lagoon.
How can I get one of those coconuts down?
There is also a plywood building that provides concessions and souveniers. On both sides of this access, there are areas for parking.
Turtles aren’t the only wildlife here. We also saw a couple of white turkeys strutting around in this parking area.
There is also a few of the rodents that are most prolific on the islands – the mongoose.
A little ways past this turn off is another unpaved road that leads towards the ocean on the east side of the abandoned building and the lagoon.
Another jungle road to explore!
This leads out to another parking area.
Beyond this parking area is a short, steep boat ramp and what appears to be the concrete floor and foundation of a large building that is long since gone.
After doing some research on Punalu’u Beach, I find that this entire area is privately owned. The park is leased by the county from the company that owns the condo development. The condos were originally developed in the early 1970’s along with a restaurant and cultural center behind the lagoon. A tsunami in 1975 wiped out the restaurant and cultural center.
I have found that the water here is quite cold, and the entry into the water is very rocky. I would recommend wearing beach shoes when entering this bay.
Getting in very slowly
I think that the water in the freshwater lagoon comes from springs high up on the mountain side of Mauna Loa. This water then percolates through the sand and into the bay. I can feel the cold water coming up from the floor of the bay between the rocks and through the sand. Needless to say, I did not spend a great deal of time in the water here. A beautiful setting, but the water is just too cold for me.
Not the easiest beach access, but definitely worth the effort.
About an hour south of Kona there is a turn off to the fishing village of Miloli. The sign says that Miloli is 5 miles away. More like two miles – if in a straight line.
The road to Miloli takes many twists and turns as it takes you down the hill.
At this point, the road is about 1,000 feet above sea level and as you have been driving, you have been treated once in a while with a glimpse or two of the vast ocean and rugged coastline below. The road is a two lane highway that winds its way along the side of the mountain, with bends and curves as it travels in and through towns and villages after leaving Kona.
Sunset view from Highway 11 as driving south from Kona
Paying attention to the driving is much more important than gazing out at the ocean and view below. Places to stop along this stretch of highway to get a good view are few and far between, and the trees and vegetation grow tall along side the road to block any view available. On one trip I came across a white vehicle that looked to be a full sized truck that had gone off the side of the road into the junngle/trees/brush. It was about ten feet off the pavement and fifteen feet below with yellow caution tape strung around it and the hole in the vegetation it had created as it crashed. Laying on its side, I did not see any way for any part of it to ever be pulled out of there. Subsequent trips saw it being swallowed up by the vegetation. That is unrelated to Honomolini Beach other than to say that when you do get a view from the highway in this area, it is really something, but pay attention to the road first.
Miloli is located on a flat (it is all rough lava so the term “flat” is misleading) plain about 800 feet directly below the highway. This old lava flow is perhaps a mile wide from the ocean’s edge to the mountainside, with the houses of Miloli perched on the cliffs at the edge of the water. There are two sections of Miloli – an old town area populated mainly by the original Hawaiians, and a newer, more modern area that has been created by and for the haoli’s (anyone from somewhere other than Hawaii – and predominately, the whites).
Two different sections of the same town of Mil.oli
The older area is not as well taken care of as the newer section, it is smaller, and the two are separated by about a half a mile (or more) of rough lava. Many of the houses in the older section are quite large – and two storey. They appear to have been constructed in the 1950’s and someday, they may approach completion.
As you come off the highway, the road follows the hillside in a series of switchbacks that provide fantastic views of the two sections of town, the ocean, the lava flow, and the coast in both direction.
Along the hillside, there are places where others have carved out a place to build a home/cabin perched on the side of the hillside. Once down at the bottom of the hill, you can turn right to the newer section, or turn left to the older part of town. Approaching the old section, you will pass the transfer station where the county collects everyone’s garbage for hauling to the dump somewhere else on the island – so, yes, you drive through the city dump to get to old town Miloli. If you do not pay close attention, you will wonder where one ends and the other begins, but eventually, you end up at the parking lot for Miloli Beach Park. Here, there are basketball/tennis courts with a tall chain link fence around them, a large open roof structure with picnic tables, and a block building with mens and women’s restrooms.
This is definitely a local beach park, but you will be fine as long as you understand that you are being tolerated. And it is not really a “beach”.
Just past the park is a small yellow church,
and past the church are three or four homes with fenced in yards that extend right out to the water’s edge. To get to Honomolino Beach, (there might even be a sign, but I’m not too sure) there is a path that leads you between the basketball/tennis courts and the church; then along a rock wall at the ocean’s edge, and depending on the tide, you may need to wade thru the water for a few hundred feet to get past the homes. Leaving the shoreline, the path leads through the trees, over small hills, and down into small gulleys, over fallen trees that appear to be blocking the path, but are part of the adventure. On both sides are rock walls of ceremonial and culturally significant sites. Feel free to peer into these sites, but do not bother anything there. Signs tell you that it is KAPU! – forbidden! As well as no tresspassing signs.
Posted! No Trespassing! Just like in “The Golden Child”, you must “stay on the path”.
About ten or fifteen minutes climbing over the rocks, fallen trees, and down and back up again thru the gullies, and the trees disappear. They just stop. Abruptly. A lava flow a few hundred feet wide stretches in front, but the path is well established and easy to follow. Did I mention, that you should be well prepared before starting out on this hike? Wear sturdy shoes that can get wet, and will be easy to walk in. NO flip-flops! No sandals! Definitely, no high heels! Bring towels, any snack you may want, and water. There is none of this available at Honomolino Beach.
The path across the lava leads out towards the shore line and along a cliff side above the water.
The shore is rough, boulders, and large lava formations with coves and waves.
The trees begin again after the lava flow and after a short walk thru the trees the bay opens up in front of you. There is a house set back from the trail on your left and up the slope behind a five or six foot chain link fence that has seen better years. There is a small building to your right with covered porches on two sides.
An old concession stand?
It looks like it was a concession building at one time with plywood hinged over where windows would be. The covered porch is about twelve feet wide and twenty feet long, with benches built at the end.
Behind the concession building is a round platform about 12 feet in diameter with bamboo walls that extend all the way around. Peering thru the cracks between the bamboo, it appears that this is a large community shower. The “doorway” has a chain and padlock. As the path continues between the two, it appears to become more like a road, and further along there is a rather large three story house set back from the sandy bay. The road continues past the bay and along the rocky shoreline until it disappears around a bend. There must be another way to get here from the highway. A road that is not well marked, and most likely goes through private land.
The bay is a large crescent shaped bay of black sand with a few hundred coconut palm trees – very tall coconut palm trees with coconuts high up in the fronds. The path through the last section of trees is mostly covered in tan sand that extends past the concession building and halfway to the water, the tan sand is replaced with the black. It is not an abrupt change, more of a gradual change through different shades of brown, gray and then black. Not the true black sand like that found at Punalu’u, this sand is a dark gray that looks black when wet.
The best part of this bay and beach is that there is no one else here. There are no vehicles at either house, and the concession building and both houses are boarded up tight.
The water is inviting and refreshing. Not cold, and yet not too warm. It has taken about 45 minutes to get here since parking the car at Miloli Beach Park.
I wonder if anyone would mind if I just stayed here – indefinitely.
This post is long overdue. Here is your geography lesson for today.
It is easy to assume that everyone knows where the Hawaiian Islands are located. They have been described as the most remote island chain in the world, located 2,390 miles (3,850 km) from California and 3,850 miles (6,195 km) from Japan. But just in case, I thought I should show this map:
Most people are familiar with the eight main islands – Oahu, where Honolulu, Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Pearl Harbor are located is the best known and called The Gathering Place.
Maui is perhaps the island where most people think of going for a vacation and is called the Valley Isle. The road to Hana is located on the island of Maui.
Kaua’i is known as the Garden Isle and is where many movies such as Jurassic Park, and Seven Days, Seven Nights, were made. Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is located on Kaua’i ;
The big island (also known as Hawai’i) is just as it is called, the largest of them all, and the youngest – where the most current volcanic activity is taking place;
Niihau is totally privately owned and visitors are highly restricted. This island is known as the Forbidden Isle.
Molokai is mainly rural and agrarian, and the location for colonies for the treatment of people with leprosy were sent in the 1800’s.
Kahoolawe is also restricted to visitors, is uninhabited and is known as the Target Isle as it was used by the US Navy during WWII and up until 1990 for gunnery practice.
Lana’i is 98 % privately owned by Larry Ellison founder of Oracle corporation (as of about 2012). Until about ten years ago, 75% of the world’s pineapple came from Lana’i – that’s why it is known as the Pineapple Island.
The eight main islands of Hawaii
What many people do not know, is that there are nine other islands – mainly atolls , sea mounts, pinnacles and islets – that make up the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt had designated the area as a bird sanctuary and in 2000 President Bill Clinton designated it as an “ecosystem reserve”. On June 15, 2006, American President George W. Bush issued a public proclamation creating Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_Hawaiian_Islands) President Obama increased the area to about four times the original size of 139,000 square miles of open ocean, containing a total of 3.1074 square miles of land area. Access to these islands is extremely limited and controlled to preserve the unique wildlife found in and around these islands.
Even though Midway is located among these isles, it is not part of Hawaii, but is a territory in itself and is part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.
All total, there are 137 islands in the Hawaiian island chain. The total area within the area of Hawaii is so large that if the big island were located in New Orleans, the opposite end at Kure Atoll would be somewhere near San Francisco. . . with most of that open ocean.
The bg island of Hawaii – also called Hawai’i
The big island of Hawai’i contains the bulk of the land area in Hawaii. In fact, all of the other 7 major islands could fit within the Big Island. The major cities are Kona on the west side where the climate is fairly dry, and Hilo on the east or windward coast that recieves the majority of the rain. King Kamehameha I was born and lived on the northern portion of this island. Our property is located near the southern point of the island known as South Point, or Ka Lae.
There are six volcanoes that combined to form the island of Hawai’i. A seventh is working on joining them soon – For a volcano, 10,00 years in the future is soon. The study of volcanoes (Volcanology – not to be confused with Vulcanology – the study of the planet Vulcan) leaves me with many questions. For example, I’m not really sure what makes each volcano a seperate volcano, and why all the volcanoes on Hawai’i are not just one big volcano with multiple outlets. Also, the method of measuring is a mystery to me. How do the scientists decide what is to be included as part of the volcano?
This seventh volcano is called Loihi. Currently, Loihi is located about 22 miles south of the big island. It last erupted in 1996 and is slowly building its way to the surface of the ocean.. scientists estimate that sometime in the next 10,000 to 100,000 years, it will break the surface of the ocean and become an actual island. Loihi and Kilauea combine to create a lot of seismic activity in the southern portion of the island of Hawai’i. Each week there are dozens of small earthquakes that are centered on an area about 15 miles to the northeast of our property. By small, most of these earthquakes measure around 2.2 on the richter scale. A few weeks ago, there was one measuring 4.3.
Kilauea is among the most active volcanoes on the earth, and has been currently erupting since 1952 with 36 different seperate eruptions in that time period. The latest started on December 20, 2020 and is still eruptng as of this writing. Kilauea is the youngest volcano with over 90% of its surface being less than 1,000 years old. The eruption in 2018 that destroyed over 700 homes also created over a square mile of new land at the southeast corner of the island.
Mauna Kea is the tallest one at 33,000 feet tall – measured from its base – and the peak is around 13,796 feet above the ocean. At the top is one of the best observatories in the world. Mauna Kea is listed as a dormant volcano as the last time it erupted was 4600 years ago. Just yesterday in the life of a volcano.
Hualalai is the one to the east of Kona. Or rather, Kona is built on the west slope of Hualalai. While Hualalai is listed as an active volcano, it last erupted in 1801. In 1929 there were a series of seismic activities (earthquakes) that caused some damage, but no there was no lava flow. The fertile slopes of Hualalai make it perfect for growing coffee. While there are hiking trails on Hualalai, the best ones are on the upper slopes that is all privately owned and you need permission to be there – in other words, you need to pay a local tour guide.
Kohala is located on the northern portion of the Big island and is the oldest on the island at about 1 million years old. It last erupted over 120,000 years go, and is listed as being extinct. The Waipi’o valley is located as part of the Kohala Volcano. Portions of Kohala have been sliding off into the ocean for the last 100,000 years.
The next volcano is one that not many people will recognize. Mahukona was the initial volcano that started the building of the island of Hawai’i. It is located off the northwest coast of hawaii and the top is about 900 feet below sea level having never reached the surface of the ocean. It last erupted some 350,000 years ago and is also listed as being extinct.
Mauna Loa is the volcano on whose southern slope, my property is located. Mauna Loa is called the largest active volcano on the planet. It covers more than half the island of Hawai’i and extends 3 miles under the surface of the ocean. Mauna Loa has two main rift zones, or areas where the lava has flowed most recently. One is to the northeast, and the other is to the southwest. During two most recent eruptions of Mauna Loa in 1935 and 1984, lava has been flowing towards Hilo in the east. In 1935, the US Air Force tried diverting the lava flow by dropping bombs in its path – to no avail. The weight of Mauna Loa has caused the earth’s crust to be depressed over 8 kilometers, and Mauna Loa rises some 56,000 feet from its base. Listed as an active volcano, there is current activity both seismic as well as lava flow activity at the summit of Mauna Loa and an eruption is expected. But no one knows just when. Just a few weeks ago, there were a few earthquakes at the summit measuring over 3.0 as the lava is building up just under the summit.
Currently, there is debate that the volcano that is below the Gardner Seamounts in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands is twice the size of Mauna Loa. This volcano is called PŪHĀHONU. And no, . . .this volcano is not on the island of Hawai’i. . . just interesting info about whether or not Mauna Loa is truly the largest in the world.
This is a road map of the lower portion of the big island showing Naalehu and South Point, and their relation to the locations of Hilo and Kona.
The satellite photo above shows the southern point of the Big Island with the town of Naalehu and the Mark Twain Estates.
This topographic map shows the location of my property at about 1000 feet above sea level.
Even though I am not in Hawaii, I can still work on projects to improve conditions there. I have been working on lighting. I have been relying on two inflatable solar lights for my lights at night on previous trips. Very much like these:
They have a small solar collector in the end you cannot see and they put out a great deal of light. My problem is that they need to be put out in the sun each day in order to provide enough power to last me at night. I keep forgetting this step. Now that I have some solar panels and a whole solar “system” I want to do something a bit more permanent and idiot proof.
I went on line and purchased four small LED light fixtures. I plan on installing these in the four corners of the shed somehow to provide light inside the shed. I will wire these up to my batteries that are part of the solar system. That way, I will have lights at night from the batteries that will be charged each day.
I also picked up some electrical crimp on connectors and some 18 guage wire. I know that I have some of these somewhere, but I do not know where I have put them. I figure that the best way to find the ones I already have is to purchase some more. That way, I will find the ones I already have the next day.
Rather than depend on my ability to create good connections simply by crimping these onto the wires, I decided to solder them on as well. Now to find my soldering iron. I know I have one . . . somewhere, . . .but where did I put it? I may have thrown away the connectors, but surely, I would not have thrown away the soldering iron. I go next door to borrow one from my neighbor. They do not have one either. So, I purchase one. Not very expensive, only $4.99. The connectors were only $7.99, and I will use them eventually anyway, even if I do find the ones I already have.
I built four triangle panels to install in the corners of the shed for the lights, and soldered connectors onto the wires for the lights.
Four triangle light panels on a card table with lights installed
I made up connecting wires for the lights with a variety of smaller gauge wire I already have, by soldering the connectors onto the wire ends.
Connecting wires of varying lengths.
What about switching? I went online and found some low voltage switches for installation into automotive/boating/travel trailers, etc.. I found one that has six switches, one cigarette lighter type power outlet and two USB ports. It also has a voltmeter that tells the current voltage in your battery bank.
Panel with six switches, a volt meter, and three DC receptacles.
I like it, and I purchase it. It arrives the next day. Three corners are broken, so I return that one and receive a new one. I built a wooden box to hold this switching panel.
Wood switch box.
I hooked it all together on the card table outside in the carport next to the car. That way I could use the car battery as my power source to test it.
Instantly, I see that the volt meter is registering 12.1 volts. YEAH! Success! So I test each switch.
One light switch turned on
As I turn on the switch, the switch lights up as well as the light.
Two switches on and two lights on. The switches even have an indicator light.
I like that feature.
With three light switches on, i have three lights lit.
Also, as I turn on each light, the voltage drops the 3 or 4 amps that the light is drawing.
Four lights on!
I still have two switches left over. These I will use for lights outside on the Lanai.
Now I need to pack all of this into my luggage to get it all to Hawaii.
Progress.
As a side note: I did find my soldering iron . . . and the other connectors. I never would have found them if I had not bought new ones.
This post is created as a warning. A warning to those less adventurous souls than myself.
Before I get into my story, I want to post this disclaimer:
Anything I write is a combination of my own imagination and my own experiences. Where possible, I have tried to be as factual as I can be. Any deviation from actual events is a result of my own imagination. It is not my intention to malign anyone or any organization that has the possibility of lawyers who will sue me. In fact, now that this “adventure” is over, I will say that I am relieved that Robinhood.com had the foresight to question my identity the very day after I had provided them with proof of my identity, and restrict my access to my money for the better part of two months. I would highly recommend that everyone deposit large sums of money into Robinhood.com so that they can then question your identity as they play hide and seek with the email game, restricting your access to your funding indefinitely. They will protect you against all manner of fraud – even if they think you are the one committing the fraud against yourself. It is so comforting to know that they are all about protecting me and my interests.
OK! Now that the possibility of being sued has been diminished, let me tell you my story.
I do not remember how it came about, nor exactly when, but sometime in 2018 I was introduced to the stock market and investing through an online company called Loyal3.com . I think I was given a stock on their website because of something else I belonged to or something like that. I had always thought that I should learn more about stocks and investing, but I always thought that if I did, I would just lose all my money, because the stock market and all the stuff that goes with it was so confusing to me. But, here I was, with a stock on this website, so I had to do something. I learned a little bit about investing. I started to deposit a few dollars – $10.00 or $5.00 at a time until after about six months, my “portfolio” had grown to about $300.00. 99% of which was money I had put in. I don’t think I had earned anything . . . but more importantly, after 6 months, I had not lost anything either. Up to this point, there was no cost to use the website. They decided to start charging a fee of $5.00 per month. I’m cheap! So I started looking around at other programs. In December of 2018, I started investing with robinhood.com. They had no fees and no commissions, and I figured that I would not invest anything that I was not willing to lose. So, I moved my $315.84 I had in Loyal3.com to robinhood.com and I continued to invest small amounts. $20.00 here, $40.00 there, until I had deposited a total of $555.75 up until January of 2021. At this point, the account balance was about $750.00 – The stocks that I had picked had increased in value so that my portfolio was worth $250.00 more than I had invested. Over the course of the last two years, I had bought and sold small amounts of stock in a variety of companies. Another advantage to robinhood was that they would allow you to invest in “fractional shares” – meaning, you did not have to buy a complete share. If XYZ Corporation stock was selling for $50.00 per share and I wanted to invest $5.00, I could buy 0.1 shares.
In January of 2021, as I was trying to sign on to the website, I was prompted with a new security feature. It was not optional. They needed to send me a “secret code” that I would enter along with my password and user id to “”verify my identity”. The notice gave me the choice of either email, or text (SMS). When I signed up with robinhood, I did not list a phone number. It was not required. I did not want them to be sending me text messages to intice me to invest more than I was willing to invest. So, when I was given the choice of either email or text message, I chose the only method available, as they did not have my phone number . . I chose to receive this “secret code” via email. I was immediately informed that email was not “secure” and it was “not supported” by the robinhood platform. HMMMM! Email is not secure, but they are communicating with me via . . . drumroll, please . . .via email! So, they send the “secret code” via SMS – text message to my phone. I did not receive it! What phone number did they send that to? They do not have my phone number. There is no way to contact them except through their “Help Center” section AFTER you have signed in. And I cannot sign in, because I am not receiving this “secret code” via text message because they do not have my phone number! They DO NOT HAVE a customer service phone number! After much searching, I stumbled on a way to send them a message without logging in. I received an email from a customer service agent who identified themself as “Jazsymin” (no last name) with an email address of: help@robinhood.com, No address, no phone number, no way for me to “verify their identity”.
This is the email I received:
January 19, 2021
Good afternoon David,
Thank you for reaching out to us here at Robinhood Support. My name is Jazsymin and I’m happy to help you get back in your account.
Since you are unable to receive the verification codes to your phone, we may need to update your account details.
Before we begin, for the security of your account please upload photos of the front and back of your ID or a photo of the picture page in your passport through our online secure file submission portal. If you choose to submit an ID card or driver’s license, please make sure that all four corners of the card are visible in both of the photos you’ve submitted. For your security, please do not send photos via email attachments.
Can you please confirm the phone number you’d like to use for your account?
Once we’ve confirmed your identity, we’ll update the information on your account and let you know the next steps. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I am here to help.
Sincerely,
Jazsymin
Case ID: 11149763
So, I followed the instructions and uploaded photos of my driver’s license. Through a series of emails with Jazsymin over the next week or so, I was able to update my phone number and then receive this one time text secret code and log in to the website. This was February 10, 2021.
Then on Feb 11, 2021 I received this email:
Robinhood Account Information Updated
Hi David,
We recently updated the personal information for your Robinhood account (dba313@gmail.com).
If you’d like to designate a Trusted Contact Person to serve as a resource for administering your account, we’ll need to collect their name and contact information. You can set your Trusted Contact Person in the app by following the directions in our Help Center.– The Robinhood Team
I thought I was good to go. And that only took the better part of January to accomplish, during which I was unable to access anything.
Then, when I did sign on after this was cleared up, I found that I could not purchase new stocks. My account was restricted from purchasing. My account was also restricted from withdrawing funds. I went to their “Help Center” daily and sent them messages and would receive an acknowledgement that they had received my request for help and would get back to me in 1-3 days after they have been able to gather the needed information. Each day I would send in a new request through their “Help Center”, and I would receive an automated acknowledgement – assigned a new case number.
Here is one example:
Hello,
Thanks for contacting our support team—we’ve received your message.
You can expect to hear back from us within 3 days. In the meantime, here are a few articles from our Help Center that you might find useful:
Depending on your issue, you may find your answer in another article within our Help Center. If you’ve already looked through these support articles and didn’t find the answer to your question, please look out for a response from us via email.
There are also two additional things you can do from here at any point:
To add more details to your case, please reply to this email.
There are two noteworthy items in this email message. First, they are encouraging me to deposit more funds into their program. They do not need to verify my identity for that. Second, they are very interested in closing the case.
The 1-3 days would pass with no response.
Eventually, I received this:
February 15, 2021
Hi ,
We wanted to reach out to touch base with you and acknowledge that this is a delayed response–we are very sorry for the wait and are sincerely grateful for your patience.
If you still have a question and need an answer from us, please reply to this email to stay in line.
In case you choose to stay in line and wait for a response, we wanted to share with you some resources that may be helpful to you—and even answer your question—so you can get an answer sooner, as wait times are unusually long.
What is an account restriction?
There are a few different types of account restrictions that may limit your ability to take action within your account, such as opening positions, day trading, or withdrawing funds. This Help Center article details specifics about each type of restriction, what causes them, and how to resolve them.
Here are some possible restrictions, and why you may encounter them:
If you’re unable to trade specific securities: With the extraordinary market activity last week, we put in place temporary buying limits for certain securities. You can find detailed, up to date information about them here.
If you’re unable to day trade:
Pattern Day Trading: If you’ve previously been flagged as a pattern day trader, and your account equity (stocks, options, and cash) is less than $25,000, you won’t be able to day trade until your account equity closes normal market hours above $25,000, or until the 90-day period passes.
Day Trade Call: If you’re in a Day Trade Call, you will be unable to day trade until the call is met. You can resolve your day trade call by depositing funds, and these funds must remain in your Robinhood account for 2 trading days. Once the call is met, the day trade restriction will be lifted starting the following trading day.
If you’re only able to sell positions:
You may be in a margin call: If you are in a margin call, you won’t be able to buy stocks, options, or cryptocurrencies. To cover a margin call, you’ll need to deposit funds or close positions. Once your call is resolved, you’ll be able to buy stocks and open new positions again on the next trading day. If you don’t cover your margin call, Robinhood may sell a portion of your portfolio to cover your call.
You day traded while your day trades were restricted: If you execute a day trade while your day trading is restricted, you won’t be able to open any positions for 90 days.
Please remember, if you have a restriction placed on your Robinhood brokerage account that prevents you from opening positions, you’ll also be prevented from buying cryptocurrencies with your Robinhood Crypto account until the restriction is lifted.
If you have any additional questions please check out our Help Center or feel free to respond to this automated email—we’re here to help.
Sincerely,
The Robinhood Team
Case ID: 15827739
NOTHING HERE APPLIED TO ME! Other than this: ” If you still have a question and need an answer from us, please reply to this email to stay in line. “
Yet another attempt to close the case.
I responded to their email: Do not close this case! And what about all the other cases?
11149763 – February 11, 2021
15764800 – February 12, 2021
15789008 – February 13, 2021
16047598 – February 19, 2021
16088254 – February 21, 2021
16114395 – February 22, 2021
16124914 – February 23, 2021
On February 22, 2021 I received this:
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us about your account.
We recently restricted your ability to withdraw funds from your account or open any new positions until we are able to confirm your identity.
To remove this restriction, you’ll need to do two things:
Tap the “Action required” prompt on the home screen of the app so you can upload images of the front and back of your government-issued ID.
Verify your phone number so you‘re able to log in from your device in the future by going (Settings ? Account information ? Contact).
For more in-depth instructions on how to submit a document, visit our Help Center.
Once we’re finished verifying your identity, we’ll lift any restrictions that were placed on your account and you’ll be able to use it as you normally would.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to keep your account secure. If you have any more questions, you can just reply to this email— we’re here to help.
Sincerely,
The Robinhood Team
Case ID: 15827739
WHEW!!! I am soooo relieved! This is all to . . .what did that email say?, oh, yeah, to “keep your account secure” and “we’re here to help.”
So, let’s recap. They added a security feature to the sign on screen. In order to fulfill this new requirement, I had to “verify my identity” by providing them a copy of my drivers license – front and back – which I did. After they verified my identity so that I could update my phone number on my account, they immediately needed to “verify my identity” . . . AGAIN!
This has been going on since early January. It is now almost the end of February. I have been restricted from my account for the better part of two months. But it is all in the effort to “keep your account secure”. After all, it is so much better that someone more responsible than I has control of my finances. Someone like Jazsymin, who, for all I knew was a twelve year old in Pakistan, or Indonesia. At least, that is what my mind is telling me.
But I felt that I had no other choice.
So, in accordance with the instructions, I once again upload photos of the front and the back of my drivers license. Then, I get the following email message:
Further Identification Required for Account Approval – Unsupported ID Type
Hi David,Unfortunately, we cannot accept the type of identification you’ve uploaded. Please provide us with an image of either your current ID or Passport by following these steps:Sign in to RobinhoodPress “TAKE PHOTO NOW” on the home screenIf prompted, allow Robinhood to access your cameraCapture an image of your Driver License or PassportMake sure that the image is clear and that all text is legiblePress the Submit buttonWe cannot approve your account until you have completed the steps above. We will review your account once we receive a valid form of identification.
If you have any questions, please contact us at support@robinhood.com.Sincerely, The Robinhood Team
Unsupported ID type? What does that mean? Apparently, a drivers license is not good enough! It worked to update my phone number, so why does it not work now?What if I do not have a passport? Then what?
During all this, I get an email with my 1099. Even though they cannot verify my identity for withdrawals, they can verify my identity for sending out confidential tax information.
My overactive immagination has someone in a foreign country holding my finances from me, for what reason, I cannot answer, but all I know is that I cannot access them. I have sent them the requested information, and now they are telling me that the information I have sent, (even though it is exactly what they requested) is not good enough for them.
So, I go to the Securities and Excange Commission website and file a complaint.
After filing my complaint with the SEC, I get a message from them that thanks me for contacting them, but unfortunately they cannot act on individual investor situations, but they will share my report with law enforcement agencies and if any prosecution should ever happen, they might find my information useful.
So, I go to the Federal Trade Commission website and file a complaint.
I get a message from them that thanks me for contacting them, but unfortunately they cannot act on individual investor situations, but they will share my report with law enforcement agencies and if any prosecution should ever happen, they might find my information useful.
I am truly on my own. No help from anyone anywhere. Of course, I could hire a lawyer and spend ten times the value of my portfolio – for what?
The only thing I can do is to try the ID thing again. This time I photo my passport. Then I go back to the automatic emails and respond to each of these with the information that I have uploaded my ID AGAIN, and I have filed complaints with the SEC and the FTC. I do not tell the people at robinhood that neither of these complaints will do any good, but hopefully, they don’t know this.
Then, I get this:
Account restriction removed
Hi David,Your Robinhood account is no longer restricted for position closing only. You may now buy stocks and open options positions as usual.If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help.Sincerely, The Robinhood Team
Followed immediately by this:
Withdrawal Restriction Removed
Hi David,Your brokerage account is no longer restricted from withdrawals. You may now transfer funds from Robinhood to your bank account and go back to using your debit card and ACH account and routing number for any transactions.If you have any questions, please visit our Help Center or contact support.Sincerely, The Robinhood Team
I waste no time at all. I immediately sign on to the website and initiate a transfer to withdraw all my funds. The form says that it can take up to four trading days for the transfer to take place. It took two. It is now almost March. I have withdrawn all but $1.74 from robinhood.com.
I want to thank the people at Robinhood for keeping my account “secure” for the past two months, I also want to recommend that if you want to relinquish all control over your finances and allow some vague entity on the internet who refuses to list any phone number, and will only respond to your inquiries “within 1-3 days” (that I found stretched to seven or eight days just to get a response), then by all means, Robinhood.com is your kind of brokerage.
Now, all I have to worry about is identity theft because, for all I know, my drivers license and m,y passport have just been blasted all over the internet in every foreign country of the world. But, hey, that is the price we pay for having a reliable brokerage firm dedicated “to keeping my account secure”.
As we continue to stumble around trying to trim the vegetation, it becomes apparent that we need somewhere flat and level to simply sit. Also someplace to work from. The topography of the property is rough and tumble. It seems that the trees and shrubs are rooted in and among a jumble of rocks and boulders of varying size from 2 to 3 feet in diameter to pebbles, with the majority between the size of a large grapefruit and a basketball. Over the years, the leaves have fallen onto these rocks and created a layer of mulch where the roots of the vines and smaller plants and grasses have taken root. But still, the ground is very unlevel and difficult to walk around on. We are constantly tripping and stumbling over these different sized rocks. Having someplace flat and level would give us a place to sit or even lay down to take a break. Also, having a wooden deck would give us an area under the deck to store things we are collecting – various hand tools, a couple of ice chests, a few folding lawn/beach chairs, etc.
Just past the pile of rocks is the knoll where I will build the deck.
About 40 feet in from the road, there is a slight rise – a small knoll – just before the ground begins a slope down to the bottom end of the property about ten to fifteen feet below the road elevation. On this knoll, I have decided to build our deck. It will be simple – 12 x 12 in size – mainly because 12 foot material will be easiest to transport.
Closer view of the knoll
After hacking and trimming on the jungle, it was time for a little recreation, so we headed off to Kona to go whale watching. We had booked a tour with a boat called the Manta and were looking forward to a day on the water.
On board the boat
We were not disappointed and saw numerous whales along the Kokala coast north of Kona.
While we were in Kona, we stopped in at the home inprovement warehouse and picked up some concrete for the foundation of the deck. The next day saw us forming and pouring.
Concrete stackedBuilding and setting the forms for the foundation of the deck
We have been staying in a neighboring town about 15 miles towards Hilo called Pahala. We found this place through a well known on-line vacation rental group. Since we were 15 miles closer, the next afternoon we took a drive into Hilo. We did a bit of sightseeing – a trip to Rainbow Falls and other rivers in the Hilo area, and picked up some lumber for the deck along with some mulch and a few coconuts from a guy over in Pahoa.
Lumber in a remtal car.
We had rented a mini van-SUV as our transportation for this trip knowing that we would be doing some hauling. A truck would have been better. Even with both rows of seats folded down, the 12 foot 2 x 6’s stuck out the back a little more than a foot. The lower section of the rear door folded down to support the lumber, and the upper section opened up as a hatch. After loading a dozen of these 2 x 6’s into the back of the mini van, we tied down the hatch. We also picked up a dozen sprouted coconuts that I wanted to plant.
Sprouted Coconuts, mulch, and more concrete on top of the lumber.
It will take 7 to 10 years before a coconut tree produces any nuts, so I want to get these in and started as soon as possible. We also picked up a couple of bags of mulch. Needless to say, we were loaded. Somehow, as we headed out of Hilo towards Naalehu, we got turned around and ended up on a the wrong road.
This doen not look like the right road to Naalehu.
After driving on what appeared to be a deserted country road for about ten minutes I said, “I don’t think this is the right road.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t recognize anything,” I answered. “Second, the road seems much smaller than the road we drove to get into Hilo. And third, I haven’t seen another car in the last ten minutes.”
INo highway markers on this road.
“Let’s just go a little further and see if it changes.”
Definitely the wrong road.
“With the back hatch open, this stupid idiot beeper telling me that we have an open door is driving me crazy. It also seems we are going up in elevation. The wind is coming in the back and it is colder. Not just because the sun has gone down, but it seems to be a change in the temperature.”
“Well, whatever you think,” is the answer I got.
“Let’s go back to that intersection we just passed. I think it will take us bact to the highway where we should be.”
“What intersection? I didn’t see any intersection.” She replied.
“There was an intersection just back there a little ways.”
So, we made a u-turn and headed back the way we had come. I thought it was much closer, but when we did find another road, the sun had gone down and it was dark. Really dark! But following this other road took us to highway 11 – the main road between Hilo, Volcano, and Naalehu. We pulled into the rental property and were glad to have had yet another adventure!
The next day, the framing of the deck started in earnest, and it didn’t take long to have some beams up and begin on the floor joist.
As I was building, I was designing. Working out the details. I contemplated the spacing of the floor joist. 16″ apart was standard, but if they were 12″ apart, the deck would feel much more solid. The few additional joist would be worth it in the end, but I did not have enough lumber for that. Also, with the 2 x 6 decking, I would get the strength I wanted. They went in at 16″ apart..
With the floor joist in place, we made another trip into Hilo for more lumber for the decking. This time, we made sure to get on the right road heading back.
After the floor joist were in place, the decking began.
Again, the intent is to have a flat, stable, strong working surface and provide some storage underneath, so I used 2 x 6 boards as the decking and installed them butting together rather than the typical 1/2″ space between them.
This will not shed all the water, but a majority of it.
In January of 2019, we took a whale watching trip out of the Honokohau Marine and Small Boat Harbor aboard the 36 foor cruiser named Manta. The boat was handled by the captain and a deck hand.
Talking with the deck hand, he told me that a few weeks ago he had come to Hawaii from living for two years in Australia. Small world, as my wife is from Australia.
There were four other passengers on board, so it was a pleasurable experience.
Leaving the harbor is a bit exciting as the harbor entrance is narrow and the waves come in with authority.
Soon after clearing the harbor entrance, the captain wasted no time in heading out to the coast north of Kona with Maui in the distance.
We left Kona behind and proceeded up the Kohala coast. We came across some interesting structures sticking up out of the ocean. I would assume that these are some type of commercial fish farms.
The captain gave them a wide berth and proceeded on up the coast. It was not long until we began to spot some humpback whales.
They kept their distance from us and we did the same, but we still were able to see quite a few. None of them breached, so that was a bit disappounting. Pehaps the best view was of a whale centered with Hualalai volcano in the back ground.
It was enjoyable to get out on the water for a leisurly cruise up the coast and back and seeing the whales was a bonus. On the way back, we got a closer view of the net pyramids.
The afternoon was over and it was time to head back into the harbor.
Na’alehu is the southern most town in the USA, but it is not directly on the ocean. The road through Na’alehu heads east towards Hilo as it descends the hill toward the ocean. The town is about 500 feet above sea level – give or take. At the bottom of the hill, after driving along the coast above the shoreline, there is a turn off for Whittington Beach Park.
This area was once a thriving port town called Honu’apo in the 1870’s through to the 1930’s. Across the highway from the park is the ruins of the Hutchinson Sugar Plantation. The sugar cane from the plantation was ground and processed into sugar in the mill and warehouses at Honu’apo before being loaded onto ships at the pier that extended out into the bay. There was also a railroad from here that went up the hill. When the highways were developed in the early part pf the 1900’s. the railroad and the shipping became obsolete as they could transport the sugar cheaper across the roadways. The town fell into ruins and the tsunami of 1946 pretty much wiped out everything except the skeleton of the pier and a few concrete foundations.
Warehouse slab left from Honu’apo
The area of Whittington Beach and the six or seven parcels of land to the north of Whittington up to Hanakaulua Bay are all part of Honu’apo Park.
I found the name Halekini on a map that identifies the area north of Whittington. From Highway 11, there is a dirt road leading out to the ocean through Halekini. I like to come here as often as I can. The shore line is a rugged lava flow, with short cliffs of jagged lava where the waves crash to create tall splashes. There is even a few places where the water washes up onto the lava creating tide pools that are fun to explore and wade in.
Standing out towards the ocean, it is common to be caught by one of these crashing waves and be instantly soaked. In fact, it would be highly possible to be swept off the lava into the churning waves with no way out. I have often stood and watched hawksbill turtles floating in and out on the waves, trying to snatch a bite of whatever is growing below the waterline. I have found large pieces of turtle shell up on the lava, indicating just how dangerous it would be to fall in.
I don’t know if the correct name is Halekini or Honu’apo, but I like coming out here to watch the waves.
TropicalCastaway 