Ka’u is Big Island’s southernmost district. Sitting far away from the island’s major cities, Ka’u is home to Hawaii’s last great tracts of untouched wilderness. There are several population centers in this district, which include Pahala, Ninole (now Sea Mountain Resort), Na’alehu, Waiohinu, Ka Lae (South Point), and the community of Ocean View. Ka’u is […]
One of Hawaii’s most commonly seen seasonal visitors is Kolea, The Pacific Golden Plover. These birds migrate from Alaska and spend their winters in the Hawaiian islands. Adults arrive in August, juveniles arrive in October. Plovers are extremely widespread and their arrival in Hawaii marks a seasonal change and to many locals watching the plovers […]
Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee and Big Island produces more coffee than anywhere else. Most coffee consumed on island is grown here as well. The high cost of living and operating a farm in Hawaii has kept large coffee companies out. Because small farms can’t compete with low-cost bulk […]
Many sea turtles swim in the waters throughout the state of Hawaii, but the rarest of them all is the critically endangered ‘Ea, or Hawksbill sea turtle, which can only be found in the waters around big island’s Ka’u district. Less than 100 nesting females come ashore every year to lay their eggs in the […]
In 1972 Robin Ventura, a pet shop owner in Kaneohe on Oahu, obtained a Hawaii State Dept. of Agriculture permit to import Jackson’s Chameleons from Kenya to Hawaii in order to sell them in his shop. When the chameleons arrived they were unhealthy, thin, and dehydtrated, so he released them into a tree in his […]
Every year more than 2,000 humpback whales migrate to Hawaiian waters. A population of up to 600 inhabits the waters off Big Island’s western coast, and for those that come to watch them there’s nothing quite like it. Watching whales in the clear blue waters of Hawaii is a far cry from mainland whale watching. […]
In 1793 Captain George Vancouver arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii and presented King Kamehameha with a gift of a dozen cattle. Many of these cattle became ill and died and the rest were killed and eaten. The following year, in 1794 Captain Vancouver returned to the island and presented the King with another […]
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins are the smallest dolphin species in the world and are about as close to the human scale as dolphins get. Adults max out at around 200lbs and don’t grow longer than 6 feet. These playful and inquisitive cetaceans can be found in all Hawaiian waters, but are extremely common along big island’s […]
Tidepools are a common sight around Hawaii, especially on Big Island which has more rocky coastline and fewer sandy beaches. An astonishing variety of life can be found in these small pools that sit in the grey area between the land and the sea. A lava shoreline is porous and in many places pockets of […]
At 8:15 we’re driving down Ali’i dr. headed for Keauhou bay. The sun’s been down for two hours, there’s no moon, the ocean is just an inky blackness beyond the guardrail. We arrive at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay, park the car, and proceed up to the ocean overlook attached to the outdoor lounge. Here at […]
