Sunrise at Punalu'u

Sunrise at Punalu'u Beach. We got up early so that we could drive down to South Point before heading up to Volcanos National Park.

Sea Turtles at Punalu'u

Two sea turtles took refuge in the cove below our tent at Punalu'u for the night. I actually saw a much bigger sea turtle a few days later while snorkeling at Richardson Ocean Park near Hilo. However, I have no proof since I don't have an waterproof camera, and Gavin wasn't with me at the time. Still these guys were plenty fun to watch from shore, even though they were a bit lacking in the movement department.

Punalu'u Beach

Our second night in Hawaii, we camped at Punalu'u Beach Park. Punalu'u is a black sand beach on the south-eastern side of the Big Island. The ocean is a bit rough for swimming, but we saw plenty of surfers. We pitched our tent on some grass on a point just next to the beach, where this photo is taken. It was a great place to camp with the sea breeze and the surf crashing nearby.

Manini Beach

One of our first stops in Hawaii was Kealakehua Bay. This is the location of Captain Cook's death. There is a monument across the bay, which is barely visible in this photo as a spec of white. We tried snorkeling here, but the surf was a bit high and was stirring the sand up in the water too much to see. Just around the corner from the historical park is a little pocket beach park called Manini Beach. That's where I took this picture from.

Tree in Liliuokalani Park

This is my favorite kind of Hawaiian tree. This particular specimen is in Liliuokalani Park in Hilo. I want one of these in my backyard. I love how the branches spread out into a wide and somewhat flat canopy. Although the feeling might be heightened by the fact that this tree is in a Japanese-style garden, the natural shape of this tree gives me a distinctly Japanese garden feeling. I have been interested in Japanese gardens since my trip there. I'd love to turn a little corner of our yard into a Japanese rock garden.

Lava Entering Ocean

We spent two and a half days in Volcanos National Park. The second day was culminated with a hike out to see the red lava flowing into the ocean. I love the steam in this picture. For the most part, you can just see the steam and a glow where the lava is entering. Sometimes we could see a bit of lava up above the entry. Every once and a while you could see a little explosion of rock and glowing lava from the glow closest to us when things cooled too fast.

South Point Wave

Our third day in Hawaii, we went down to South Point. South Point is the southernmost point in the Island of Hawaii, in the state of Hawaii, and in the United States of America. Two currents flowing around the island merge just off the coast here, with the result that the ocean is quite rough and the wind is quite strong. We experienced both when we were walking around down there. The waves were very fun to watch, and I am quite proud of this picture. That lovely sea blue-green color the waves take on is gorgeous.

Akua Ki'i

These guys are called akua ki'i in Hawaiian (as best I can deduce from web sites). They are wooden carvings of gods. These are reproductions that reside in the Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park south of Kailua-Kona. This park is the site of a pu'uhonua, which is a sacred area where bloodshed was forbidden according to Hawaiian kapu, or moral code. There are only a few stone walls left from the original pu'uhonua, but some buildings have been recreated to give visitors an idea what native Hawaiian structures were like.

Gavin in Paradise

I'm spinning up to start posting Hawaii photos. For now, here's a nice one of Gavin taking in the view at Onomea Bay. In contrast to how I usually feel on the mainland, plam trees look like they belong in Hawaii. The particular palm tree is on a little tip of land at the end of the "Donkey Trail". This is a short (< 1 mile) trail that descends about 400 feet through the rain forest to the shores of Onomea Bay. This bay is on a 4 mile scenic detour from the main highway just north of Hilo. I highly recommend this detour, especially since you can stop at What's Shakin' just before joining back up with the highway. Here you can relax and take in the view on the porch while enjoying a refreshing fresh-fruit smoothie. Mmmmm.

Bride

I will start posting images from Hawaii here soon, never fear. For now, here's another wedding photo. Our photographer, Amy Rabb, was great. She shot very good candids (obviously not referring to this one). By this time of the day, my cheeks were so numb from smiling that I had muscle spasms and I felt like I was just barring my teeth at the camera. And yet, it's one of my favorite shots.