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Hawai'i underwater: contour intervals = 1200 ft (200 fathoms); Shoreline colors: yellow = reefs, red = beaches, black = cliffs
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The Loihi Seamount is an undersea volcano located off the southeast coast of the Big Island. Another underwater volcano is located just off this map to the east of the Big Island.
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Looking south at the Kona Coast from the east side of Kohala in the northern tip of the Big Island. Mauna Kea (left) and Mauna Loa (right) are both topped with snow in this Springtime photo. This is the leeward side of the island, as seen by the dry terrain.
Hapuna Beach is in the northern part of the Kona Coast and was rated by Conde Nast Traveler magazine as the best beach in the U.S.
This infrared image of the Big Island (below) shows the varied climates found there. The deep red on the windward east side is dense tropical rainforests that receive up to 200 inches of rain a year. The pink that is closer to the coast on this side is mostly sugar cane (either active or abandoned fields). The deep red stops higher up Mauna Kea as one rises above the cloud line (yellowish color). West of Mauna Kea the rainfall drops to as little as an inch a year (the white-yellowish). No vegetation grows in the more recent lava areas, which predominate on Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes (black). The upper slopes of the southern Kona Coast (lower west side of the island) also show deep red from rain brought on by diurnal wind patterns (onshore winds created by the heating of the land in the daytime, which then rise and form into clouds, only to disappear at sunset).
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Windward clouds form on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea in this view from near Hilo.
Sugar cane field after harvesting on slopes above Hilo Bay. Kilauea volcano gradually rises to the far right of this photo.
Sugar Cane is one of the world's largest grasses.
Lichen breaks down a lava flows in the Puna District, south of Hilo on the Big Island.
A young geographer at Akaka Falls on the Hamakua Coast on east side of the big island, north of Hilo. The heavy rainfall on the Windward side of the island cuts deep valleys and cliffs covered by dense forests and vegetation.
The Hamakua Coast, north of Hilo on the Windward side of the Big Island.
Halemaumau is the caldera at the top of Kilauea Volcano.
Another view of Halemaumau showing one of the more recent lava flow areas within the crater. The National Park road circles the caldera and actually drives into it at one point.
Since the early 1990s, Kilauea has been almost continuously adding new land to the Big Island in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Most of the lava coming out of Kilauea Volcano flows from fissures far away from Halemaumau caldera.
The coast line below Kilauea Volcano. The road is maintained by the National Park Service.
Lava occasionally covers the National Park road. This is near the edge of the National Park and several large subdivisions (though with few houses) are located very close to here.
"The Lady in Red". It is taboo to take rocks off the Big Island, and especially from the volcanoes. Many people who have done this return the rocks by mail to the National Park Service to alleviate the bad luck which the rocks bring them. Others return the rocks to people like Mrs. Balesteros, who regularly talks to Pele, the goddess who resides in Haleakala volcano. Pele also likes gifts of gin (in bottles) and flowers. She occasionally appears to travelers in the area, either in the form of an elderly woman or a teenage girl.
Tsunamis (tidal waves) are a constant threat to the Hawaiian Islands. Whenever a major earthquake occurs anywhere around the Pacific Rim, a tsunami alert is issued as it could affect Hawaii. Tsunamis can also occur from quake activity on the Big Island itself, which frequently rumbles from the movement of lava underground.
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Tsunami memorial in Hilo.
Mauna Kea from Maui, looking across the Alenuihaha Channel.
Mauna Kea's shadow at sunrise - a rare sight that requires certain weather conditions to be seen like this.
At 13,796 feet, with no light and air pollution, Mauna Kea is considered the best place on the planet, by far, to view stars.
Looking at the Windward side of the Big Island. Hilo is somewhere below those clouds.
Clouds dissipate as they cross over the Saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and start to descend down the other side. This is one of the best examples of orographic uplift and the rainshadow effect to be seen anywhere. (By the way, these pictures were taken during a climatology class field trip with the University of Hawaii at Hilo.)
The lines in the gravel on Mauna Kea are caused by freezing and thawing, which separates larger rocks from smaller gravel.
When air rises it gets colder and condensation occurs, which is what happens on the Windward side of the islands. When it descends, as below, it heats up and expands. It is the same mass of air, but without condensation and thus no clouds. Hualalai Volcano on the Kona Coast can be seen on the right of this photo.
The dry, Leeward side, of the Big Island. Diurnal clouds rise up Hualalai Volcano. In the daytime, the land heats up and pulls air from the ocean, which then rises and forms clouds. At night the ocean becomes warmer than the land and winds reverse and become offshore, clearing the skies.
During the ice ages about 14,000 years ago, a small glacier formed on the top of Mauna Kea and carved this valley.
Maui is in the foreground, with Haleakala Volcano to the right. Windward side clouds can be seen rising up the back of Haleakala. A second, but much older, volcano forms the West Maui Mountains, which are here covered with clouds. Behind Maui is the Big Island, with Mauna Kea to the right and Mauna Loa to the left.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Map of Oahu, the home of Honolulu (centered on the word 'Metro' in the map) and Waikiki (located on the coast directly below the 'o' in the word 'Metro'.
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View of Waikiki and Diamond Head ('D. Head' in the map above). Waikiki is separated from the rest of Honolulu by the Ala Wai Canal, which creates a tourism enclave. A lone kayaker can be seen in the water.
In the heart of the 'tourist ghetto' of Waikiki. Even some of the cheaper hotels in Waikiki have a view of the ocean!
Waikiki Beach
Residential areas of Honolulu creep up the hillside on the other side of the ALA Wai Canal.
The evolution of a Pacific Island from birth to atoll stage. Diamond Head is a good example of a post-erosional eruption (stage 8).
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Hanauma Bay is an example of the coastal reefs seen in stages 6 through 8 above. It is a nature reserve in which visitors can swim amid schools of colorful tropical fish who live in the protected waters of the coral reef. Lines form by late morning and only a limited number of people are allowed in at one time.
This diagram shows how Oahu is dependent on orographic rainfall for its fresh water. Four ways of tapping into the water (A through C) are shown. Note the steeper slopes on the windward side of the island, due to erosion. This pattern is representative of many ocean islands.
Standing in the Ko'olau Range (between the 'Metro' and 'Kailua' areas of the map above) and looking southward at the Pali Cliffs on the windward side of Oahu. The city of Kailua is off the left side of this photo.
Same location as above, but looking northward at the Ko'olau Range and the town of Kane'ohe.
The Polynesian Cultural Village is located up the windward coast of Oahu near a branch campus of Brigham Young University, where most of the performers are students. The Village is considered a model for similar attractions throughout the Pacific and Southeast Asia, though none draw as many tourists as does this one. According to some, however, it has become much more 'Disneyfied' over the past decade, and has lost some of its authentic appeal.
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The wettest spot on earth lies at the center of Kauai. The chart below shows the monthly rainfall received here, as well as that of Princeville and Kapa'a on the north of the island, and Waiamea Canyon and Po'ipu on the south.
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Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, near Princeville on the north side of the Kauai. The wetlands and taro fields below are home to many rare and endangered birds of Hawaii. Notice the one lane bridge that crosses the Hanalei River -- it is one of many in this part of the island. Clouds cover the mountains approaching Mt. Wai'ale'ale to the left of this photo.
Taro fields, below, with rain clouds building on the mountains above them.
Wiamea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. This lookout is at about the 3400 foot elevation.
Niihau lies about 17 miles southwest of Kauai and is about 17 miles long and 5 miles wide. The small island of Lehua is to the north of Niihau (to the right in the photo below). Niihau is a semi-desert island that receives little rain. Sheep, cattle and honey are its major industries. It is a privately owned island that is closed to visitors. The 200+ inhabitants there comprise the largest Hawaiian-speaking settlement left in the islands.
When I took the photo of Niihau, above, you could barely make it out on the misty skyline. It is much more clear above due to digital photo enhancements.The island has low flat lands on its north and south ends, with a plateau in the middle. This can be seen in the model of the main islands below.
Being the oldest of the Hawaiian islands, Kauai is surrounded by off-shore coral reefs, making for many beautiful beaches and vast areas for snorkling with tropical fish and occasional sea turtles. Ke'e beach, below, is located at the end of the road in the north and is considered one of the best snorkling beaches on the island.
Queens Bath is the largest of several pools in lava rocks on the Princeville coast. High tide covers the pools and makes them dangerous, but also deposits small fish in them when it retreats.
A sea turtle feeding on rock life in the ocean at Queens Pool.
Small shopping center in Hanalei town.
Mahalo
More on Aloha and Mahalo defined* - from the Hawaiian Language Website*
Diagram showing the change in Hawaii's ethnic makeup from 1778 (the year Captain Cook arrived) to 1980 (when the population was a little under 1 million). Whalers and missionaries arrived in the 1820s, bringing diseases which decimated the Hawai'ian population. Plantation workers from Asia started arriving in the 1850s. Immigration restrictions on Chinese in the mid-1880s limited their growth, causing plantation owners to look to Japan for their workers. Queen Lili'uokalani was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. Hawaii was annexed by a reluctant US government in 1898 and became the 50th US state in 1959.
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An old rock wall demarcated an early property boundary in the Hana area of Maui.
The rocks below are part of a traditional Hawai'ian Heiau - a Hawaiian place of worship. These are seldom used for worship today, but are still considered sacred places.
Traditional Polynesian god carving at the City of Refuge on the Kona Coast. Cities of Refuge were places where law breakers were banished for periods of time (like prisons) in traditional Hawai'ian society.
Small chapels dot the landscape from the days when the missionary presence was strong. Most of the missionaries came from New England, following whalers who also migrated to Hawai'i from that part of the US. (This chapel is on the Kona Coast of the big island, not too far from the spot where Captain Cook was killed by Hawai'ians in 1778.)
The Japanese comprise the second largest ethnic group in Hawaii and their major settlement areas are more likely to have Buddhist churches than Christian ones. This is a very small Buddhist church, the only indication of which (other than the sign which you cannot see) is the iron bell hanging in the porch. Others Buddhist churches in the Hilo area (which is about 1/3 Japanese-American) are much larger in size.
The Kauai Soto Zen Temple (Zenshuji) on the southern coast of Kauai, below. Note the large statue of the Bhodisatva Guan Yin on the left. Approximately 20% of Kauai's' population is of Japanese ancestry.
The near perfect tropical weather in many parts of Hawai'i allow for a rich, outdoor lifestyle, including fishing for colorful (and edible) tropical fish on the southern part of the Kona Coast (below).
Surfing was a traditional Hawai'ian sport which draws many locals and tourists into Hawai'i's waters (here on Maui).
The Luau is also a traditional Polynesian feast event, which today primarily takes place in major hotels.
Polynesian entertainment accompanies the modern Luau.
Seven Pools in the Hana area on the eastern tip of Maui.
Hawai'i traveling promotional exhibit -- here it is in the parking lot of Safeway in Eugene, Oregon. Tourism is a big part of the state's economy.
A house gecko - said by some to bring good luck.
Hawai'i would indeed be paradise ... if it wasn't so expensive.
