Category Archives: Where We Live

Hamakua Coast, Hydroponics, The New Ahupua‘a, Water, Where We Live

Kahua Ahupua‘a

January 29, 2010 Richard Ha 4 Comments

The last few days, I’ve been focusing on Kahua Ahupua‘a. Of the three ahupua‘a that comprise Hamakua Springs Country Farms, I find this one the most interesting.

Within 600 feet there are two streams: Makea on the north boundary, and Ali‘a on the south. Between the streams is a ridgeline, maybe 75 to 100 feet from stream level, and running on the ridgeline from mauka to makai is a cane haul road.

It has a clear view of both Mauna Kea and the ocean, as well as of the greenhouses in the valley facing north, toward Honoka’a, and the banana fields facing south, toward Hilo. June and I plan to eventually build a house there. We just submitted a plan to the County in order to subdivide.

Yesterday I spent several hours on the bulldozer, reopening old roads and clearing access to the streams. Today I spent time knocking down many, many 20-foot albizia trees, and making sure the roots were completely pulled out of the ground. There’s one giant albizia tree that is even larger than the ones in this picture. The base is at least 10 feet around and the tree is easily 100 feet tall with many giant side branches. That’s where the seeds for the others are coming from.

I wonder how I’ll get rid of it. Cutting it down is just unimaginable. Here is how they cut a tree down at Lyons Arboretum.

Here is an easier way, with a drill and injecting.

The whole time on the bulldozer, I was thinking about how I can situate some hydroponic hoop houses that would allow us to capture fertilizer runoff, grow algae and raise tilapia. I would get the water further upstream, at a higher elevation, and then run it to the hydroponic hoop houses and use the excess fertilizer to grow algae and then, further downstream, send it to the tilapia. Gravity and free water are our friends.

I am going to grow algae for fuel. Not for cars, but to grow tilapia. Food fuel. The hydroelectric project is close by.

I’m also thinking of making a place to just sit and listen to the stream. I wonder where I can get hapu‘u? Where would kukui nut trees go? Lauhala? Ulu? Hmmm.

This is going to be a big, long project. I’ll write about it as I go along.

Shorts, Where We Live

Frozen Food

January 25, 2010 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Farmers face many risks. This is something we all have in common.

A couple of weeks ago, Florida farmers experienced temperatures that were 30 degrees below normal.

Here is a slide show of the freeze, from The Packer

In Belle Glade, Fla., temperatures dropped during the early morning hours Jan. 10 and into Jan. 11, falling to the upper 20s at a time when normal lows are typically 51 to 52 degrees. The result was a freeze that destroyed most of the area’s sweet corn and green bean crops. On Jan. 12, Bryan Biederman, assistant sales manager for Pioneer Growers Co-op, Belle Glade, said losses to crops grown in Palm Beach County will be high. “It appears that we have lost all of our winter corn and winter beans in Belle Glade,” he said. “There may be a planting or two on warmer land that we may be able to save, but for the most part we were completely wiped out in Belle Glade.” Biederman said the corn market shot up to $18 from $12 the week before for wirebound crates of 4-4 1/2 dozen… Read more

Though of course we have other risks here, we are lucky that we don’t have freezes like that. I stood on the farm today, wearing shorts like I do all year long, and in one direction I looked up at Mauna Kea, and in the other direction I could see the ocean.

I thought about how lucky we are to live here in this climate on the Big Island.

Where We Live

Whale/Rider

January 11, 2010 Richard Ha

Serrell Kanuha is my very good friend Duane’s brother. He was our postman for awhile, and would frequently stop and talk story.

Serrell does things in a big way. After retiring from the Post Office he took up mountain biking, and he would tell his brother Duane to drop him off at the Saddle Road side of Mana Road and pick him up later at Waimea.

My son Brian told me that Serrell was one of the Ninja motorcycle riders that all the young guys respected and looked up to. His legs are all shot up from Vietnam but that is no obstacle.

I’m not surprised he is now out on the ocean. Serrell and Duane’s Kanuha ancestor was in the first wave of canoes that came up from the south Pacific.

He’s into stand-up paddle surfing now. Recently while he was out off Honoli‘i, he was as close as 30 feet from four or five whales, plus a baby.

He said they would all be heading in one direction on the surface and make you think they would pop up further along in that same direction. Instead they would do just the opposite.

On the left side of this picture, just outside of the frame, is Bay Shore Towers.

Big Island, Where We Live

Hawaiian Monk Seal

November 10, 2008 Leslie Lang

Richard was down at Reed’s Bay recently and saw this Hawaiian monk seal sunning on a rock. See it there, toward the top/middle of the shot?

Some rangers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, present to make sure the seal wasn’t disturbed, said this particular seal has been hanging around for the past month or so between Richardson’s Beach and Maui’s canoe, which is up the Wailuku River. They think she’s about to give birth.

Richard said there were about 10 people looking at the seal, including Mayor-Elect Billy Kenoi, his wife Takako and their three young children. They had been picnicking across the bay when someone pointed out the seal to them, so they came over to get a better look.

Wikipedia says, of the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal:

To raise awareness for the species’ plight, the Hawaiian monk seal was declared Hawaii’s official State Mammal on June 11, 2008 by Lieutenant Governor James Aiona.

It’s estimated that there are only about 1200 Hawaiian monkseals left, and it’s to spot one sunning on a Big Island beach, which happens from time to time. When it happens, the area is roped off so the seal is left alone. The rest of us just move down the beach a bit until they go.

Here’s another one (or the same one?). I saw this seal at Richardson’s Beach this past March.

Current Affairs, Photography, Where We Live

Kilauea Volcano Eruption Photos, August 2008

August 4, 2008 Leslie Lang 5 Comments

Richard’s grandson Kapono Pa recently took these photos of Kilauea Volcano, which is erupting magnificently these days and dramatically fountaining its lava into the ocean near Kalapana.

Amazing photos, Kapono! Wow.

The pictures really speak for themselves.

Well, except for this next one. Do you see the face in the right hand photo?

Kalapana_11

He was down there at sunset, which is a powerful time to experience the eruption.

Very impressive. The eruption and the photographer both.

Hamakua Coast, Where We Live

Stopping the Glottal Shift

May 8, 2008 Richard Ha 1 Comment

It’s always been interesting to me, and a little sad, that the rich history of Hawaiian words gets more and more diluted, overlooked, and even changed as time goes on and so many of us without an intimate knowledge of the language and culture inadvertently make errors.

Such as that which seems to have been made with the name of the place where the farm sits.

“Kaupakuea” is located in Pepe‘ekeo, north of Hilo, and a few years ago the county put up a street sign off Highway 19.

It read like this: “Kaupakue‘a Homestead Rd.”

We recently wrote about some of the history of Kaupakuea (without the ‘okina, or glottal stop), where the farm is located.

The name Kaupakuea is mentioned in an 1860 Hawaiian language newspaper, and the area even had its own Kaupakuea post office from 1858-1869.

Suzanne Romaine, writing in the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, says that the place name seems to be composed of two words: kaupaku (ridgepole, highest point) + ea (to rise).

Though there are different meanings for “ea,” this linguist for whom the Hawaiian language is an area of concentration says that “rising ridgepole” is most consistent with other recorded place names of that type, and also the morphology and semantics of the 4,000 place names analyzed by Pukui, Elbert and Mookini in their respected work “Place Names of Hawai‘i.”

The “rising ridgepole” translation also fits the topography of the ahupua‘a, the land division, whose high ridge culminates in Pu‘u Ka‘uku, a prominent feature of the landscape that is visible from afar.

“Since the greatest number of Hawaiian place names (21 percent) refer to geographical features, it is not unreasonable to suppose this is an appropriate etymology for Kaupakuea,” she writes.

The gravel road fronting the farm’s banana packing house, which joins Kaupakuea Homestead Road, sits exactly on the ridgeline. Part of the hydroponic houses sit on the Hamakua slope, and the other part sits on the Hilo-side slope.

Romaine finds nothing that allows the spelling “Kaupakue‘a” to make sense, and suggests it is a county misspelling on the sign.

She also details a long story wherein back in 1996, the president of the Kaupakuea Homestead Association learned an ‘okina had been inserted into the name’s spelling (Kaupaku‘ea), and tried to get it removed.

One person at the county assured that the ‘okina would be removed, and then the county council voted to keep it – and yet when the sign was printed, the ‘okina, still present, mysteriously moved to a different location. The street sign was printed with yet a third spelling (Kaupakue‘a).

It’s a long and involved story, and one that is undoubtedly still going on all around us as words evolve and morph.

All we can do is grasp onto the words that we do know, and their definition and cultural meanings, and pass them down to our keiki. Pronounce them correctly, teach the meanings we know, and let them live on.

Blog, Where We Live

Hilo Living

May 7, 2008 Richard Ha 1 Comment

I just knew that Hilo would soon be discovered by discerning people who value quality of life. This blog is the first, real-life proof that confirms my suspicions.

It lays out the thought processes of a former Silicon Valley citizen who moved to Hilo four months ago.

This person made a conscious decision to move where he can improve his quality of life in the face of world turmoil, caused by world oil supplies not keeping up with demand.

He chose Hilo.

Hilo is much more special than a lot of us realize. I read this person’s previous blog posts, too, and it was so reaffirming that we do, indeed, live in the most special place on earth.

I am very optimistic for our future. I notice that Café Pesto and Hilo Bay Café are full of people from away. I believe more and more people will discover Hilo. And they will bring in outside money.

I came to the same conclusion when I was in Houston last September, at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil.

I was the only one wearing shorts. I did not have the heart to tell the people I met that I was going to wear shorts right through the winter. I did not have the heart to tell them we would grow food all winter long.

And when I got off the plane in Hilo, I knew – just like the person who wrote this blog – that Hilo, Hawai‘i is the best place in the world to ride out this new period in human history. We just need to take care of each other.

Where We Live

Halema‘uma‘u 2008

May 2, 2008 Leslie Lang

There’s a lot of excitement up at the volcano lately, where suddenly ashes and gases are billowing dramatically from a newly formed vent within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kilauea.

From the National Park Service:

What began as a new gas vent (fumarole) in Halema`uma`u crater sometime between March 10 and 12, 2008, has progressed to be the first explosive eruption in Halema`uma`u Crater since 1924 and the first lava erupted from the crater since 1982.

The National Park Service website continues with this synopsis of events since the new vent appeared within Halema‘uma‘u crater on March 11, 2008:

At 2:58 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded a small explosion in Halema`uma`u crater, the first explosive event since 1924. Debris was scattered over a 75 acre area. A light dusting of ash fell in a community several miles away in the district of Ka`u.

On April 9, another small explosion occurred, depositing dense blocks and particles of fresh lava on the Halema`uma`u overlook area.

On April 16 at 3:57 a.m., another small explosion from the vent occurred producing a dusting of pale-red ash west of the crater.

The new explosion pit continues to vigorously vent gas and ash, with the plume alternating between brown (ash-rich) and white (ash-poor).

Visitors may view the new vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and the plume from the overlook at Jaggar Museum. Other overlooks with views include: Steam Vents, Kilauea Overlook, Kilauea Iki Overlook, and Volcano House hotel.

We had a few days of poor air quality when our normal tradewinds died off, and the vog settled in over the island.

But this is not the norm, and mostly it’s just exciting to go up and see the volcano and wonder what will happen next. Will it erupt? Scientists up at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes Observatory tell us this is unexpected behavior and they are following it closely to see how the situation develops, too.

Following long-time local custom, we packed everybody into the car and went up to have a look the other day. It was so interesting to see the crater, which we are used to seeing doing nothing at all, looking so alive.

There’s a webcam, too, if you’d like to look for yourself.

Community, Where We Live

Merrie Monarch Week 2008

April 4, 2008 Leslie Lang

I love Merrie Monarch week in Hilo.

Hilo absolutely shines every year during Merrie Monarch week, which started Sunday. Hula dancers and hula fans

descend upon this town from the other islands, from other states and even from other countries, for our annual, huge, week-long celebration of hula.

During Merrie Monarch week every year, when there are so many more Hawaiian people than usual around town, I feel like I can squint my eyes and almost see what it was like here a couple hundred years ago.

And there is hula everywhere. Here is the halau of well-known California kumu Mark Keali‘i Ho‘omalu practicing outside one of the hotels on Banyan Drive yesterday morning.

And I love the craft fairs with beautiful Hawaiian products, and the food, and the demonstrations and talks and everything Hawaiian.

Here are some of the other things I really enjoy about Merrie Monarch week in Hilo:

• Hearing lots of people around town speaking Hawaiian

• Hula performances everywhere!

• Seeing all the beautiful, woven lauhala hats people wear

• People wearing amazing flowers in their hair. And lei. And beautiful, genuine smiles.

• Seeing the living traditions that people still practice. Such as this hula by Halau O Kekuhi, who performed at Wednesday night’s Ho‘ike, a free performance every year during Merrie Monarch week. It was a thrill to see this renowned halau dancing in the open-air Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium with Mauna Kea behind them.

• Hearing Hawaiian music

• Seeing Uncle George Na‘ope around town

• People who spontaneously stand up and do a hula because they’ve just gotta dance!

This was unplanned. This woman in the audience was sitting, doing the hula from her chair as she enjoyed this familiar anthem to Hilo, and then just cast aside her cane — really — and got up and danced, to great applause. It was wonderful.

• Seeing cultural traditions survive, and thrive

• Little 3-year-olds up on stage with their elders, dancing hula

• Seeing how many people—young, old, male, female—appreciate hula

At the Hilo Hawaiian on Tuesday, Iwalani Kalima’s halau performed. At one point, the students kneeled on the stage and pulled two sticks, which they would use in the upcoming hula, out of their waistbands. The kumu (teacher), Iwalani, was at the ipu, but suddenly she stood up and climbed on the stage.

She kneeled down next to the tiniest girl — could she even have been 3 years old? Maybe only 2 — and started fumbling around with the girl’s outer skirt. “She lost hers,” she finally said to the audience, and we realized the girl’s sticks had slipped inside her costume. Iwalani had to lift up the outer skirts and hunt around inside the elaborate costume for the little girl’s sticks. It went on for quite some time and was cute and hilarious. Here’s that performance.

There are a hundred other stories and photos and videos I could show you. Search “Merrie Monarch” at YouTube if you’d like to see more.

You can also watch tonight’s Merrie Monarch program live on KITV’s website. It’s Hula Kahiko, traditional hula, and it runs from 6 p.m. to 11

p.m. The final night, which will also stream live on KITV, is tomorrow and runs from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

And then you can start making your plans to be here in Hilo next year!

Big Island, Mauna Kea, Where We Live

Snow on Mauna Kea, February 2008

February 13, 2008 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Richard’s grandson Kapono Pa writes:

On Sunday, my family (my mom Tracy, dad Kimo, and sister Kimberly and I) went up to Mauna Kea to play in the snow.

photo by Kapono Pa

Kimo, Kimberly, Tracy (photo by Kapono Pa)

It was a nice and warm 34 degrees at the summit, with a wind chill of a face-stinging 10-15 degrees, with some winds blowing at 30 mph or more. The snow was set on thick—in some spots there was two to three feet of snow, most of which was almost ice because it has been up on the mountain for a couple weeks now. There was snow down to about 11,000 feet.

photo by Kapono Pa

There were tons of people snowboarding and skiing. Each group of people took turns picking each other up at the bottom of the hill and driving them up to the top to drop them off and start all over again. My dad (Kimo) had fun running down the small hills on his boogie-board that he just bought from Wal-Mart that morning. He wiped-out big time and ate some massive snow (but I think we shall keep that picture to ourselves).

Kimo (photo by Kapono Pa)

Sunglasses were a must because it was bright and sunny and the snow was pure white. We came back with some sunburn even though we only spent about two hours up on the mountain (I guess time seems to move slower in thin air). I personally had tons of fun, and I think we all did seeing as we all “boarded” on the snow for the first time ever.

Kapono

At the end, we spent about 15 minutes shoveling snow into the back of Dad’s truck to bring back and show everyone.

Kapono, Kimberly, Tracy and Kimo Pa (Snowman photos by Richard Ha)

The pictures of us making snow “things” were taken in the driveway of my great-grandparents (Joseph and Florinda Perreira—June’s parents).

Kimberly and June made a snowman, for which Florinda provided the hat, and I made a bear and a fish. We all used rocks for eyes.

(Editor’s note: The following email exchange took place:

Leslie to Richard: “Richard. Are you shirtless in that picture with the snowmen?”
Richard to Leslie: “Yes. This is Hawai’i.”)

All the leftover snow in Dad’s truck melted overnight and was gone by the next morning. It was a great experience and I got the awesome pictures that I wanted. Had a blast.