Pu’ukphola Heiau

Aloha! It’s been 8 years since Mr. Al and I’ve been to the Big Island. We kept meaning to, but you know…life and living and day-to-day and all.  When we were here last, we were with a group of friends and took a whirlwind tour around the island. We stayed mostly in the south western part…near Captain Cook. This time, we’re staying with all the other condo, timeshare gatherers up here in the northwestern corner. Behold….a map…

.Since the surf was high…and it really was…several beaches were closed so we decided to explore where we’d never been before. We drove up to Hawi. It’s a beautiful drive. Lots of ocean vistas for whale watching. Saw several blows. Looking forward to taking a trip out there to get closer.  Here’s a beach that was actually very crowded but I managed to make it look deserted in the photograph. As it was Saturdays, many locals were out hanging about. Big groups of multi-generational families. Music was playing. There’s something about the Hawaiian music that just makes your muscles loosen. The knots magically disappear.

 If you’re up this area, The Pu’ikphola Heiau is a fascinating place to visit. It’s a temple built by Kamehameha 1. He built it for his family’s war god KU to help him conquer the Hawaiian island….a sort of “If you build it, you will conquer” kind of thing. I think what impressed me the most about this HUGE structure is it was never built to last. It was not expected to last. None of the temples were built to last. That’s why this one is being maintained so carefully because it is one of the few that does remain. And it’s still used. No visitors are allowed within. Another fun fact is to bring the rocks to the temple, people stood shoulder to shoulder for 20 miles handing rocks along. Twenty miles!  The great king helped build it as well. Yes, he sweated along with the rest. We sweated, too, just walking around. It was a hot day. 

And here is the statue of the great king, himself. You’ll find this statue up near Hawi. Impressive, is he not?

Shark cove. I’ve whale watched before. It was a new experience shark watching. They’re reef sharks, black tipped sharks,  in this cove. We saw about five of them cruising around.There’s a sign nearby that advises against wading in these waters.Please to heed.

This is Hawi. We didn’t stop, but are planning to return. It’s an interesting spot. Notice the weather. It’s almost like someone drew a line in the map and said “Lava flow desert-like fields here and, on the other side of this line, tropical lush with afternoon showers.”

We did go to a beach that was closed to sit and watch the waves. I don’t know how long we sat there. They’re spellbinding.

 

I leave you with an interesting sign in the bathroom stall. I’m glad it was up there. Otherwise, I may have been tempted.

Today is another lovely day. The birds are singing their little hearts out. Across the golf course I can see a line of blue ocean and can hear the waves crashing. Golf courses are so pretty. Neither of us play golf, but we both appreciate how green they are.