Visiting Hilo by Cruise Ship?

The view of Hilo Bay as you enter by cruise ship is similar to this one, without the iron tree frame.  This setting full moon would be a just after dawn sight where full on full moon had been day earlier, in the summer months.

My reason for this blog post is this:  having recently finished up a six month stay across the street from this vista, I have watched hundreds of visitors disembark from cruise ships and take off on foot from Hilo Harbor.  I have watched many of these visitors walk left on Kanoelehua.  I have seen no walk left on Kalanianaole, the first street you come to after leaving the ship.

Clearly, whatever suggestions have been given visitors on foot precludes some of the prettiest places around Hilo.

If you walk left on Kalanianaole, you will eventually come to Carlsmith, otherwise known as 4 Mile, at the four mile marker.  This is a sizable walk, and unless you want the exercise, take a taxi.  Short ride - less than 4 miles.  You will find yourself at a lagoon swimming spot that looks like it came out of a dream.  If your ship allows you to leave with a sack lunch, do so. Otherwise, cross the street and pick up some food to go from one of the little restaurants or Keaukaha store and take it along.  All you will get to have otherwise is maybe a shave ice from the truck later in the day.

If you walk right on Kalanianaole, at the main intersection of Kanoelehua, walk right, not left.  If you walk left, you will go past hardware stores and so on, eventually find yourself at an open mall where the only store you are likely to consider visiting is Hilo Hattie, and they would have picked you up for free at the ship.  If you walk right at the intersection mentioned above, you will follow a street lined with Banyan trees named after various luminaries who made Hilo a stop on their earlier voyages.  And you will arrive at Liliuokalani Gardens, a park of much beauty right along the water.  Beyond that park is coconut island, a tiny little spit of land out in the bay you can get to by foot bridge.

Downtown Hilo is reached by continuing along the bay front, after you find yourself at that intersection, where Kalanianaole becomes Kamehameha.  This is another lengthy walk, and a short taxi ride.  There are also Hele-On buses that follow this route, with some frequency.  The downtown Hilo I am talking about is the Bay Front, old Hilo that survived the two tsunamis of a few decades back.  If it is shopping and history you are after this is the visit you want to make.  The variety of shops reflects life as it is on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Galleries present the work of local artisans.  Gift shops have stuff from all over the South Pacific.  An unlikely stop but well worth it if you love to cook is the restaurant supply store.  My fry pan from there is coated with lava for a non-stick surface that is permanent and the best ever.  If you cook, this is possibly the best gift you can get for yourself from your whole trip.  It also would delight any chef you may know and cherish.  The Tsunami Museum is staffed by big wave survivors, who will share their stories and answer your questions.  There are films and artifacts.  Fascinating stop.  If you are a furniture buff - one of those people who life to visit open houses just to see what's inside, Koehnen's is the shop for you.  In addition to furniture pieces you would not be likely to see on the mainland, they have paintings and other decor.  Altogether an artful stop, with koa floors and staircase - it is truly old Hawaii, no admission fee.

And of course if you are cruising, don't forget the volcano.  If you are lucky enough to be on a ship that passes by the lava flowing to the sea after dark, that could simply take care of this for you.  Otherwise, do not pass on the opportunity to go up the mountain and see the volcano in action.  Unforgettable, mesmerizing.

Aloha!

off mountain

Aloha, and welcome.  Come on down the mountain with me for awhile and let's visit the plant world, or some of the plant world of Hilo.

The heart shaped leaves at the right belong to a member of the philodendron family.  Here in the wet and relatively warm climate, in the volcanic soil that is made porous with cinders, philodendrons grow huge.  They climb and choke the trees.  When you are visiting and used to more arid climes, less jungle in the foliage, it all looks tropical and exotic.

When you live in it, you want to keep it under control so the light keeps coming in on you.  It is similar to ivy, in that it grows quickly, and has little feet that attach to walls and trees.  This particular variety also secretes a substance called calcium oxalate.  These crystals are present in many healthful foods, and ingestion in say spinach does not cause most of us pain or suffering.  However, grasping this particular plant to pull it off trees and walls will cause it to fight back.  A terrible burning itchiness happens.  Apparently it affects different people differently.  I find that if I wear gloves and shower immediately after pulling it out, I am fine.  If I inadvertently yank on it with bare hands, after a short time I run to the shower to wash away the itchies.

Calcium oxalate is also present in taro leaves.  Those leaves are used like spinach in island cooking, but must be boiled then baked for the substance to be rendered harmless.  Otherwise, your throat feel like you swallowed a handful of tiny spikes.  Gargling with water and Hawaiian salt is the remedy.  If you have eaten a lot of it, get yourself to an emergency room.

Hawaii is a place with little in the way of harmful plants or animals, but those that are here can be vexatious.

Waiting and Wondering

Several weeks ago, we got a call from the mainland. A TV network show had learned about the treehouse and wanted to do a special on it. Would that be all right? It didn't take a whole lot of thought to say "Yes!!!"

It happened very quickly. The crew showed up and a day and a half was dedicated to filming what we do. The focus was on the treehouse. There were a few seconds of a party in the pavilion, and a short interview of us in the living room. All for maybe 7 minutes of show.

Our biggest challenge has turned out to be getting the wedding business known. Because we do not offer a venue suitable for the average 200 - 300 guest wedding, the usual advertising simply does not attract brides and grooms. People looking for an off-piste wedding venue usually start with the geography, or a few words that describe more or less what they are seeking. Romance, privacy, adventure... this is what we have. Rainforest, volcano, Hawaii... it's a pavilion in the rainforest, attended by birds, where there are orchids in the trees and a sense of the mystical and magical is all around.

As it turns out, it is all about the treehouse. Most newlyweds find out about us when they are planning the honeymoon. Word goes back to their not yet married friends via flyers, and this is a slooooow process.

Now, with a few minutes of high prominence on a TV show, we are hoping to finally be "discovered". We are not allowed to say what show it is until after it has aired. That should happen in May. Will the magic of the pavilion shine through in the short exposure it will have on film? Will the idea of a wedding in the rainforest combined with a treehouse honeymoon surface even, with the slant the show wants to portray of the treehouse as a fantasy play structure? We just have to wait and see.

Meantime, guests at the treehouse tend to return mid afternoons from their volcano adventures. The hot tub awaits. Oft times the late day is misty, and there kissed by the sky they soak up the mystique of the montane rainforest from this perch in the ohia trees.

It will be interesting to see what of the magic is conveyed in the TV special.

Orchids in the Pavilion

Parties, celebrations, weddings, get togethers mean there are almost always flower displays in the pavilion.   Orchids grow in abundance on the island.  They are available at farmer's markets around and about the island regularly.  And there are purveyors of flowers, especially in Hilo, every day of the week.

This bouquet began its life nearly a month ago.  The pale green orchids are only partly open.  Some of these flowers will still be beautiful when May rolls around.

Here are the pale green orchids, close up.  Over time, the pink and yellow will become more prominent, and the green will become more yellow.  

Pink and green with gold accents is particularly charming color combination, whether it is orchids or other decor.  

At the flower market, it often comes down to a choice between a certain color scheme or the better orchids.  Recently I was seeking white, and the choices were extremely slim.  And three weeks later, there were sprays of white phalaenopsis everywhere.  The playful sprays of yellow oncidiums sometimes called dancing orchids or canary orchids are almost always available, but sometimes they are fragile and falling apart from the beginning.

Most of the orchids in this bouquet are cymbidiums.  Cymbidiums are cool weather orchids that bloom when the temperature at night drops at least 20 degrees below the day temperatures.  They are typically available in winter and early spring.  The flowers on the plants may last four or five months.  They grow best out of doors, in shelter, or where there is little rain.  Rain spoils the blooms.

There are orchids that thrive in the wet and the rain.  Miltonias are a prime example.  They are lovely growing on the trees, but their stems are bendy and delicate, and they are not good bouquet flowers.

Then there are the orchids outside the pavilion.  They are often fragrant, thrive in the wet conditions, and can be startling in their brilliance, there in the forest.

Fancy Dancing by Madam Pele

Just in time for Mardi Gras, Pele is having a celebration of her own.  This is what a brand new fissure looks like. First there was a major collapse at Pu'u O'o crater, accompanied by a multitude of earthquakes.  Then a great split in the earth, from which fiery lava spit up to eighty feet in the air.

The photo at the left is courtesy of the usgs site, where short videos and explanations of what is occurring are posted daily during eruptive events such as this.

We and a couple of our friends set out this morning to view what was going on.  We settled on a hiking path that would have taken us close enough to see the action.  We drove into the park, only to find out the entire Chain of Craters road was closed.  Meantime, the helicopter activity had been significantly greater than usual beginning early in the morning.

The park had posted a guard at the road, who explained to us that sometime over the next few days a decision will be made as to how to manage the expected flurry of hikers into the area.  Safety matters will be addressed.  This last is tricky, as the volcano is clearly unpredictable.  Apparently there will be some analysis of the new fissure and some assumptions made as to how wide it may become, and how long...

It is frustrating, having this remarkable event happening so close, and being held back from viewing it first hand.  Hopefully the road will reopen quickly, in time for us to actually view the fountains.

A Mystical Volcano Experience

We often wander over to Jagger Museum to check out the eruptive activity at Halema'uma'u.  There is a webcam positioned there so it's possible for everyone to drop by and see what's happening, more or less.

Tonight I checked out the action after dark.  Usually there is a faint glow showing on the webcam, if anything.  I am always hoping for a major glow, and tonight, there it was.  When the glow is really bright, you can see it from the parking lot.

Time to head over to the crater and see it for real.  Tonight, I could see the glow as soon as I turned onto the highway.  It was a little bit overcast, and the sky had a distinct red tinge to it up ahead, like the end of a brilliant sunset.

All along the journey the glow became more and more pronounced, and from the parking lot it was very bright.  There were about three or four times as many people as usual.  A halau was chanting about Pahoehoe, a chant to Pele.

As if in answer to the chant, the volcano began to hum, to groan.  There was a vibration, and then something of a roar.  The chanting continued.  Onlookers were making sounds of awe.  Then a much louder noise, a plume of black, and the sounds stopped.  The chanting continued a couple more minutes.

Then the glow faded.

Apparently a chunk of the crater around the edge of the eruption had collapsed.  It felt as if Pele had answered the chant with one of her own.

What we really really need

When you visit a National Park, typically there is at least one hotel/restaurant where you can spend the night and have a better than average meal.  Visitors from all around the globe are attracted to our parks, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is no exception.  Our visitors are our guests, in a very real way.

So why is it that there is no place to get a bite to eat in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park other than the military camp?  If you venture over to Volcano House, you are greeted by barricades.  Most visitors are unaware that Volcano House is situated on the very rim of the caldera.  Looking out from the rear walkway, or if you could go inside what once was the restaurant or lounge, you could clearly see Pelehonuamea, the goddess's home in her sacred volcano.  You could witness the glow of her eruptive activities as night fell.  You might even catch a glimpse of lava splash emitted from the new pit that opened in Halema'uma'u.

Clearly it was was not always this way, a park bereft of food service amenities.

Here is the situation.  In January 2010, Volcano House in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed for two stated reasons:  retrofitting and finding a new concessionaire.  Volcano House has been run down and less than wonderful for a long time.  But that's not the reason a new vendor is being sought - it is that the old contract ran out.

The concession went up for bid.  What is at stake is this venerable hotel/restaurant, the shops inside, and some small cabins in a site removed from the hotel.

The sign at Volcano House today says they expect to reopen in early 2012.  However, there is not a choice yet made among the bidders as to who will assume responsibility for Volcano House.  There is no sign of any ongoing work on the renovations.  Bidding closed many months ago, and those vying for the concessions were told that a decision would be forthcoming in November 2010.

The Volcano Project is one of the entities that bid on the concession.  Their aim is to operate a culinary institute on a non-profit basis out of the site, with special places for at risk youth.  There will be a bakery.  Many from within our fragile island economy will have work once this hotel reopens, if it does so under the auspices of the Volcano Project.  To have this run by people who are rooted in the community and care so deeply would be a wonderful thing.  To keep it out of the hands of institutions and hotel chains of the corporate and cold hearted nature would be a victory for the rest of us.

I have been told that contacting our elected representative by phone and asking them what the hold up is on the selection process will bring this matter back into focus.

Any of you/us who are so inclined, please find your local elected rep in Congress and the Senate and telephone them.  Ask them what's up with this sad lack of concern for this beautiful one-of-a-kind place in a foundering economy.  Tell them we need to eat.  And feel good about making a real difference.