A NEW Big Island Thread

[realarch 6,307]

Let's try this again...Kehena Beach and Hilo Bay / Mauna Kea

[realarch 6,307]

Some pics of the Hilo Farmers Market

[Edrow 3]

Angela

Great pictures, when we go back thats where we want to go.  Once again great pictures!!!!

Edrow

[bgl 3,199]

Tim,

Nice colorful pictures from Hilo Farmer's Market! And that shot of Mauna Kea is spectacular. Just love those cloud formations we have here so often!

But the photo of Kehena Beach makes me think of that other thread ("Life After People")! What happened to everybody? And for those who're not familiar with Kehena Beach - the scene there is normally an ongoing party with live music, and since the beach unofficially is "clothing optional", half the people there have bathing suits on, and the other half don't. And nobody could care less! Here's a photo with some people - but I think we're still safely within the guidelines here!

Bo-Göran

[Jerry@TreeZoo 586]

I have a question for you Big Islanders.  If you own property with a stream running through it, what are your water rights?  Can you dam the stream or install a hydro-electric plant?  Can you divert it in any way?  Do you need mucho permits to do any of this?

Geraldo

[palmmermaid 15]

Bo,

Wonderful pictures!  I can't think of a single reason for not moving next door to you!  Except I would need to be where I can keep my horses.  But at least in the same area.  And land is cheap.  Do you actually own the land forever?  Or is it like a 99 year lease?

[bgl 3,199]

Jerry,

We don't have a stream here, so I don't know the answer to your question. However, it would really surprise me if you can divert, or in any other way make major changes to a stream that would affect other land-owners further downstream. Just a hunch!

Kitty,

Thanks! Almost all properties here on the east (Hilo) side of the Big Island are Fee Simple (FS in real estate speech), which means you own the land outright, and there are very few, if any, restrictions on what you can do.

OHA (=Office of Hawaiian Affairs) control land in a few select areas (there are a couple of these areas about 6-7 miles away from us), and in order to get that land you have to be at least 50% Hawaiian, and be able to prove it. Then you get (I believe) a 99 year lease at $1/year. Then, when that person dies, children must have at least 25% Hawaiian blood in order to continue to lease the land (which they presumably have built a home on), If, and when, the bloodline drops below 25% the lease is terminated. That doesn't mean they just lose their home. They can sell it, but the new owner would have to meet the same requirements. But then again, these are only a few small select areas, and obviously doesn't affect U.S. mainlanders who move here. All the subdivisions have land that's Fee Simple.

Bo-Göran

[realarch 6,307]

Geraldo,

I really don't know the answer to you question, but there are a lot of water courses in my neighborhood

and it looks like lot lines abut them. The one picture, which is unfortunately not my house, might seem to

contradict that statement, I don't know for sure. Anyway, here are a few pics of my neighborhood.

[www.dadluvsu.com 279]

Absolutely surreal...  Great photos everyone!

[bgl 3,199]

Tim - that's certainly a spectacular garden!

I was in Hilo this morning. Didn't have time to take a lot of pictures, but I did snap two down at Bayfront (Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo). Here's Hilo Bay.

[bgl 3,199]

And this is looking a little bit to my left. Hilo Bay is on my right, and the snowcovered summit of Mauna Kea (13,792 ft/4200 m. a.s.l.) is visible in the center of the photo. Not too many places where you can take photos of thriving coconut palms and naturally occurring snow at the same time!

[realarch 6,307]

Bo,

You're making me homesick and I don't even live there full time yet!

What a beautiful day in Hilo. Hmmmmmmmm.......The photos have such great

color saturation.

Cold and rainy here in SD and I'm over it already.

Those shots were taken up by Pe'e Pe'e Falls which is a 20 min. walk from my house.

So nice early in the morning, quiet and lonely that time of day.

Oh, I can hardly wait until my next trip so I can go to Floribunda and go nuts.

Tim

[putu enjula 196]

Wow Tim, great pictures! Very nice!

Thanks for the kind words Bubba, about my photos and the Chargers

As far as your question about living on the Big Island, I didn't feel qualified to answer because I've only been in Kona for a month!

[putu enjula 196]

Oh! Bo! Nice photos too!  Thanks for da big island welcome!  Can't wait to take the tour... everyone goes on and on about how amazing your garden is.

[bgl 3,199]

Headed in to Hilo this afternoon and decided to bring the camera. First stop: corner of Makalani and Haihai Street, on the outskirts of Hilo. One of my favorite "Hilo palms" is located here: a large Metroxylon amicarum. Noticed it had what looked like ripe seeds, so I decided to knock on the door and introduce myself. Mr. Tanaka opened the door and was very friendly and we had a 5 minute conversation about the palm. He had no objections to me collecting seeds, but unfortunately none were on the ground and the ones on the tree were 50 ft up in the air.... Always a next time!

[bgl 3,199]

After leaving Haihai Street, headed down Iwalani Street, which turns into Kawili Street, and drove right past the (fairly) new main entrence to University of Hawai'i Hilo.

[bgl 3,199]

And Kawili Street turns into Manono Street, and after a mile or so, I'm waiting at the traffic light at the corner of Kekuanaoa Street. When you're "stuck in traffic" in Hilo you're almost guaranteed to have some palms to look at!

[bgl 3,199]

After another mile or so I'm crossing Kamehamehame Avenue, the main street in Hilo, and the street changes name again: from Manono Street to Lihiwai Street. Suisan fish market is on our left, but barely visible in this photo.

[bgl 3,199]

I'm heading to the parking lot at what most people call Coconut Island, and the old sign had that name, as well as the Hawaiian name, Moku Ola. But a new sign has been erected and only the Hawaiian name survived on the new sign! ???

[bgl 3,199]

It's late afternoon, and the sun is getting ready to disappear behind the clouds and behind Mauna Kea (not visible). Hilo in the distance, across Hilo Bay. It doesn't get any better than this on a day in late January!

[bgl 3,199]

Looking out towards Coconut Island...oops...Moku Ola!

[bgl 3,199]

And looking in the opposite direction - Hilo's premier hotel: Hilo Hawaiian Hotel! OK, it's not exactly a Hilton, but the rooms on this side of the hotel have awesome oceanviews and, on clear days, of Mauna Kea. Hilo Hawaiian was the hotel we used for the IPS Biennial in May 2004. And this is actually my main destination this afternoon. Moku Ola was just a pleasant side diversion. I'm stopping by at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel to pick up my race packet and t-shirt for the main challenge this weekend: a Saturday morning 50 km (31.1 mile) race from Hilo (Moku Ola parking lot), at sea level, to Cooper Center in Volcano Village at the 4,000 ft elevation. Should take the better part of the morning... Being the lazy guy I am I DRIVE around to the other side of the hotel!

[realarch 6,307]

Nice pics of 'dakine' Bo. The variety of palms visible in Hilo makes even routine trips around

the city rather exciting. Here in San Diego there are a lot different palms, but you really have to look for them. Here's a shot I took on one of my morning neighborhood walks. The one looks like  a Johannesteijsmannia, and not sure about the one with the beautiful pinnate leaves.

Angela. Thanks for the nice words.

[bgl 3,199]

After picking up the race packet I enjoy a bit more sightseeing. Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, as well as the two other hotels (Uncle Billy's and Naniloa) are all located on Banyan Drive, which is lined with 50-60 very large banyan trees. Almost all of them were planted about 70 years ago, and almost all of them have a sign with the name of the person who planted the tree AND the date it was planted. FDR planted a banyan tree on July 25, 1934, and received this nice placque. The text may be difficult to read. It says:

Erected by The County of Hawaii

In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

1882 - 1945

Who planted this tree

July 25, 1934

(OK, the text is "centered" on the placque...)

[bgl 3,199]

And the tree just to the left was planted by King George V. Seems like they could have given him a placque as well! ???  And how come the King and FDR couldn't coordinate their trips so they could have planted the trees the same day!?

[bgl 3,199]

Here's Banyan Drive. The King's tree is on the left and FDR's on the right.

[realarch 6,307]

Bo, didn't mean to interrupt your photo sequence....I'm probably doing it again.

Tim

[bgl 3,199]

And my last stop for the day. Prince Kuhio Plaza, East Hawaii's main shopping mall is behind me, and my guess is that this may be the only parking lot of any mall in the entire country with Rhopaloblaste and Clinostigma palms! By the time I was pulling out of the parking lot a quick "Hilo rainshower" had arrived (I can't say "unexpected", because rain is never unexpected in Hilo! ) The long row in the distance are Rhopaloblaste and there are a few Clinostigmas on my right.

[bgl 3,199]

And I pull into a parking spot for a quick minute to get a shot of a couple of the C. samoense. These palms live a rough life, which is why the nodes are so close together (even though the palms appear relatively healthy). The roots probably don't have much room to expand. Clinostigmas like to send out lots of surface roots, up to 15 ft away from the palm. (Photo taken thru the windshield - didn't want to get the camera wet!)

[bgl 3,199]

No problem, Tim! Didn't even notice it until after I was done. The taller palm is an Attalea, but I don't the smaller one is a Joey. Not sure what it could be. If it had spines, maybe a Phoenicophorium?

[realarch 6,307]

Next time I'm in town, Ill take some close ups of the smaller palm. I've commented on the mall

parking lot before, but that row of R. augusta is really something.

Tim

[amazondk 92]

Bo,

Your post number 109 could really be anywhere USA, minus the palms.  I had a professor in college who called this the eyebrow look.  It spilled all over America, and I see it made it to Hawaii  as well.

dk

[realarch 6,307]

On our last trip to Hilo, of course we had to stop and see the Turtle/Tortoise lady in the HPP. In addition to being

a Palm lover, turtles are pretty high up on the list. We currently have 7 of our own.

[realarch 6,307]

The above tortoise is an Aldabra and he had no trouble downing that pineapple. Here's  a couple of

Sulcata's  sparing over another one.

[realarch 6,307]

Here's one of the Aldabra again, such incredible animals. He's still a youngster and is about 1/3 the size he will

ultimately get which is around 900lbs.

[realarch 6,307]

Oops, sorry. The tortoise in the first picture is also a Sulcata, not an Aldabra.

Anyway, yours truly is giving the big guy a friendly pat on the head. I guess Vickki lets

the local school kids ride on them during school field trips. Just another aspect of life on the

Big island.

Tim

[bgl 3,199]

Tim,

Cute little things!  I wonder how old they are? Here's a distant relative - a Hawaiian Turtle ("honu" in Hawaiian) at Punalu'u Blacksand Beach a few days ago.

Bo-Göran

[bgl 3,199]

And another one in his (her?) natural environment.

[bgl 3,199]

And one for Steve - Kalapana Village Cafe!

[Urban Rainforest 158]

(bgl @ Feb. 14 2008,01:09)

QUOTE

And one for Steve - Kalapana Village Cafe!

Bo, I guess I need to check out the other forums more often. I was'nt even aware that you started another big island living thread. I'm betting it will be bigger and better than ever. Thanks for posting that pic of the Kalapana village cafe. They have da kine Ono burgers!

Steve