King Kamehameha’s Heiau

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Pu'ukohola Heiau, Hawaii, Big Island
Pu’ukohola Heiau, early in the morning

This is the Puukohola Heiau a hawaiian temple.It took one year to build and was completed in 1791. The story of the heiau is as much about religion as it is about political decision making, propaganda and warfare.

KING KAMEHAMEHA: WALKING IN ANGER

It was ordered to be built by King Kamehameha who had been King from 1782. It is said, he “walked in an aura of violence” when he was young. A little bit of power was not not enough for him, he wanted it all. He was convinced it was his destiny to subjugate all other rulers of the Hawaiian Islands. This conviction was encouraged or enhanced by a prophecy of a Kahuna (holy person). However, King Kamehameha was able to think outside of the religious box when it suited him. He tried warfare first and when this didn’t work he built a heiau to please the war god Ku.

TEN THOUSAND MEN OR MORE

In order to build a heiau you need water-worn lava rocks. So, King Kamehameha’s men carried the stones in a chain hand to hand some 25 miles (40km) from Pololu Valley. Everybody was involved, even King Kamehameha himself, except for women and individuals excluded for ritual reasons (King Kamehameha’s brother for instance). A Kahuna had the role of the architect. 

At the time of construction the Hawaiian chiefs had been embroiled in a fight over supremacy for well over ten years. A completed heiau was regarded as so potent to success that other chiefs tried to prevent its construction. 

To consecrate the Heiau an enemy needed to be killed, ceremonially roasted and offered to Ku. There is the curious story about one of King Kamehameha’s cousins,  Keoua Ku’ahu’ula, who had fought him bitterly, but turned up at the ceremony.

SACRIFICE OR RUSE?

He must have had an inkling as to what followed next. He was captured and sacrificed. Some people think he wanted to be sacrificed. He turned up in his best gear with his best men and apparently this is how you want to go as a chief. But to what end? Were there some religious deliberations, such as he fell out of favor with the gods and the only way to get back into favor was to sacrifice himself.  Keoua’s men were decimated by an eruption of the Kilauea volcano. So he must have felt that at least Pele, goddess of volcanoes, bore a grudge. Perhaps it was some sort of deceit and he was promised otherwise. When Kamehameha’s men captured them he dodged a spear, so it looks like wasn’t willing to die.

EUROPEAN WEAPONS

But king Kamehameha didn’t only rely on the power of Ku. He also enlisted (well initially kidnapped) a couple of British seamen as advisors. And ultimately this war was fought and won with European weapons.

Pele vs Construction Workers

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The Road to Pohoiki, December 2018
The new Road to Pohoiki in December 2018

Pele, the goddess of fire and lava, is fast but the Hawaiian construction workers are right behind her.

THE COCONUT TRAIL

Pohoiki (Isaac Hale Beach Park) was cut off by lava in three events between May and June 2018. Shortly after the end of the outbreak, locals created a trail across the new lava flows. They would move rocks, fill in dips with gravel, and mark the trail with freshly sprouted coconuts. The trail was called the Coconut Trail.

ISAAC HALE BEACH PARK (POHOIKI)

Like many beach parks on the Big Island, Isaac Hale did not really have a sandy beach. It was rocks, woodland and famously a concrete boat ramp from which boats toured the lava entry into the ocean West of Kalapana. This lava flow started with the outbreak in 2014 and ended 2018 with a sudden lava level drop in the Pu’u O’o fissure. This marked the beginning of the 2018 outbreak in and around Leilani Estates.

Pohoiki used to be a popular destination for residents and tourists alike. You would always see people swimming in the thermally heated water at the boat ramp. A little bit further along the shore you would find the so called Queen’s Bath (one of several on the Big Island), a small thermally heated fresh water pond, which was picturesquely located underneath trees in the woods.

PELE VOLCANO GODDESS

Pele  is the goddess of lava and volcanoes – or she is the volcano. Lava moves in such a strange ways that it sometimes feels alive. According to legend Pele was killed, but her spirit resided in Halema’uma’u Crater on the Kilauea Volcano. Many people will tell you they saw her as a young beautiful woman, an old woman or simply felt her presence.

THE ERUPTION

The outbreak in 2018 was the biggest in 200 years. The flow that was produced by Fissure 8 just stopped short from taking Pohoiki, not without chewing up parts of the parking lot. The lava flow also produced massive amounts of black by lava exploding into tiny little fragments upon contact with the cooler ocean water. These formed a large sand dune at Pohoiki and covered parts of the old coast line. The boat ramp became landlocked and the Queen’s Bath shallow and dead.

THE NEW ROAD

It didn’t take long for the construction workers to cut a new road into the lava flow that still emitted some heat.  Just three month after the lava stopped just short of Pohoiki a new road was opened on 6 December 2018. Again, it became a popular destination for locals and tourists. When driving on the dirt road you can still spot some of the sprouted coconuts of the trail.

Pride of America

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The cruise ship Pride of America
The Pride of America on her way out of Hilo harbor.

The Pride of America is a cruise ship that travels the Hawaiian Islands only, as opposed to the other cruise ships visiting Hilo that travel the world. She, comes in once a week every Tuesday making it the cruise ship most likely to be encountered in Hilo harbor.

THE KILAUEA ERUPTION

In early May 2018, when the volcanic eruption geared up, the Pride of America, like other cruise ships, suspended her stops on the Big Island for security reasons. No cruise ship was to be seen in Hilo harbor for well over a month.

Mid June she was back, much to the relief of the people in Hilo, many of whose livelihood depended on a steady stream of tourists. It was generally taken as a sign that the worst was over now and things were getting back to normal.

AMERICA THEMED

The interior of the Pride of America is impressive and, of course, American themed. There are 15 bars and restaurants, shops, a library, three swimming pools, a theatre, a wedding chapel. You can watch movies, listen to lectures or take part in dance classes, amongst others. If you’d like to see for yourself, there are video clips by former passengers that filmed a tour of the ship and posted it online.

REGISTERED IN THE USA

The Pride of America is the only major cruise ship that is registered in the United States. The vast majority of other commercial ships calling American ports fly so-called convenience flags, such as the Bahamas, Panama or Malta. That means American law does not apply to these ships. The nations whose open registries are the most popular also tend to be those who possess the most lax labor, safety and environmental codes. In short, it allows them to cut their costs.

ALL AMERICAN CREW

There are 900 crew on board of the Pride of America. That’s one crew for every two or three passengers. All crew members are American citizens or legal residents. Again this is very unusual. Normally crews are multinational and cruise ships pay wages according the country the crew is from. So, an American crew would be paid more than, say, a Malaysian.

NO DUTY FREE AND NO CASINO

Sailing the Hawaiian islands means you’re never out in international waters, hence there is no duty free and no casino on board. Which is unusual as these are standard features on the vast majority of other cruise ships as it’s a good opportunity to generate income.

FIRST AMERICAN CRUISE SHIP IN NEARLY 50 YEARS

The Pride of America was the first American cruise ship to be launched in nearly 50 years. She was built with heavy federal subsidies in an attempt to improve the competitiveness of American shipyards by building commercial, non-military vessels.

ROCKY START

The ship had a rocky start. Work started in 2000, but the company that were to operate these ships, filed for bankruptcy in 2001, citing a low demand after the 9/11 terror attacks, among other reasons. The current operator, Norwegian Cruise Lines acquired the unfinished ship and had it towed to Germany. In 2004, just before completion, a major storm hit the shipyard and caused considerable damage to the ship which sank at the berth. This caused the shipyard, Lloyd Werft, to file for bankruptcy as well. After much negotiation she was eventually completed by Lloyd in 2005 and cruises the Hawaiian islands since.

She can easily be recognized by the stars and stripes artwork on her hull.

Homeless in paradise

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Homeless at the Armory in Hilo, Hawaii
A homeless person sleeping in the entrance of the Armory, which is now used as a gym.

Homelessness in Hawaii is a problem. Hawaii is the US state with the most homeless per capita, driven by years of rising costs and low wages. There are two peculiar aspects about homelessness in Hawaii.

DID OTHER STATES SENT THEIR HOMELESS TO HAWAII?

The first is that there are persistent rumors that most of the homeless came from other states to escape the harsh winters or even that their states of origin have given them one-way tickets to Hawaii to get rid of them.

However this is not reflected by the numbers. One study showed, 40% of the homeless had lived in Hawaii their entire life. More than half had been in Hawaii a minimum of 20 years. Only 3.3% of the homeless had lived in Hawaii for one year or less.

COFA MIGRANTS

The other is, the case of Marshallese and  Micronesian homeless. After World War II, their islands became nuclear testing sites. Between 1946 and 1958 the US dropped the equivalent of more than 7,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs on the Marshall Islands alone. Atolls became radioactive and uninhabitable, forcing the local people to relocate. In 1986, the US signed agreements called the Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Palau was later added in 1994. The US was granted exclusive territorial claims and in exchange, the citizens of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands were granted the right to live permanently in the US. They are legal residents, but not citizens, though they are required to pay local, state and federal taxes. Officials say it’s difficult to determine exactly how many COFA migrants live in Hawai’i, because they can travel back and forth without a visa or green card, but current estimates are more than 12,000.

MORE NUMBERS

Data homeless shelter gathered show that 30% were Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian, 27% Micronesian, Marshallese or other Pacific Islanders, and 26% white. Figures are much lower for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean groups.

Service providers say 40% of Hawaii’s homeless people are working at least part time, 30% need some housing assistance, and 30% have mental health or substance abuse problems that prevent them from maintaining a home.

Kava on the rocks

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Kava
Kava on the rocks of Kailua Kona bayfront, watching the sun go down over the ocean.

Kava or ‘awa in Hawaiian language, has been consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean, though it’s exact origin is unknown.

In Hawaii some 30 different kava strains have been in use for a variety of reasons, such as ritually or medicinally. Kava has relaxing and uplifting qualities due to the kavalactones it contains. Today it’s mainly enjoyed as a drink to relax and socialize.

There had been a health scare in the early 2000s about a possible adverse effects the drink has on the liver, leading to kava being banned by some countries. But kava had been enjoyed safely for centuries in the Pacific and the results seem to be connected to kava products that are extracted by agents other than water, certain strains of the so-called “non-noble” varieties, and the use of parts other than the roots.

Kava is closely related to black pepper. To prepare the drink, the kava root can be freshly grated, or dried and ground into a powder, and mixed with hot or cold water. Kava is oily and doesn’t dissolve in water, which is why one has to give it a stir before serving.

Kava looks grey-green and tastes slightly bitter or peppery. The first thing one notices is a numbing effect on the lips and tongue. It’s traditionally drunk from coconut shells.

Lava glow

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This is how bright the the lava rivers are at night. They light up the sky. It looks a bit like a sunset in the east.

FAST FLOWING LAVA STREAMS

Just to recap, the Kilauea erupted from May in a number of fissures. Fissure eight produced fast flowing lava rivers that overran Kapoho, evaporated Green Lake, and destroyed Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots. Kapoho Bay was filled by lava and the land extended out into the ocean for about 500m (which is roughly a third of a mile).

HOW FAR CAN YOU SEE THE GLOW?

You can see the glow not only from Pahoa, but also from certain parts of Hilo, which is the biggest town on Big Island, Hawaii. It’s also visible from the top of Mauna Kea, which, at 13,803 feet (4,207m), is the tallest mountain on the island and ca. 45 m (about 70km) away from the nearest lava streams.

ROADBLOCKS

The subdivision Leilani Estates is currently most affected by the fissures. Its eastern part is a no go area and you can be fined get arrested if you are found there. The western part of Leilani can be accessed by residents, only. There are roadblocks set up by the police to ensure that no one else accesses that area. Some parts of Kapoho are cut off by the lava streams and evacuated for that reason.

 

Best beaches

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Makalawena Beach, Big Island, Hawaii
Makalawena Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

Something completely different, but this is also part of the Big Island – beaches. The island is not only rock and volcanoes, although it mostly is.

THE THING ABOUT BEACHES ON THE BIG ISLAND

Don’t be surprised, if you find that most of the “beach parks” on the Big Island are not exactly sandy dunes. It’s more rocky bays that might have a lawn or even some steps and railing to make it easier to get into the water – and more importantly out of it. In fact, I would argue Denmark has more sandy beaches than the island of Hawaii. Which is ironic, given its beach and surfer’s paradise image. But each Hawaiian island is different. This island has so many weird and wonderful places. It’s just, sandy beaches is not its strong suit.

EXTRAORDINARY BEACHES

Having said this, Big Island it has extra special beaches to make up for it. So, for example it has some of those very rare green sand beaches and an unusual amount of black sand beaches, which have a haunting beauty. In fact, huge amounts of black sand is produced as we speak, as black sand is produced where lava pours into the ocean and explodes into fine particles. You can actually see that on some of the Youtube videos that are uploaded by people who have been to the ocean entry of the current lava flow.

WHITE SAND IN HAWAII

White sand on the other hand needs time. On the Hawaiian Islands, white sand means ground down mollusk shells and coral skeletons. So, it’s not surprising that you find white sand more in the north west of Big Island. Just to recapitulate, everything north west on the Hawaiian Islands is older than the south east, because of its unique geological nature.

As to be expected, black sand feels firmer and almost crunchy. The white sand on the other hand feels lighter and smother, due to its rounded particles. The downside is, if it contains a high shell content, like the sand at Waikiki beach, it sticks to your skin and is really hard to get off.

MY FAVOURITE BEACHES

So, here are my favorite white sandy beaches on the big island in order of preference: Makalawena, Mohoili and Kua Bay beach (also know as Manini’owali beach).  These beaches are situated fairly close to each other, but you will need a car to get there and in the case of Makalawena hike a mile across the lava fields.

There are more of course, A-bay, 69 Beach, Hapuna Beach and down in Kailua Kona, Magic Sands. None of these beaches are very expansive from a European point of view. But they are often less crowded and the warm, tropical water and palm trees make more than up for it.

Should I write or should I not?

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Green Turtle and Manini
A huge, old Green Turtle who was a regular at Champagne Pond with Manini fish grazing algae off its back. It loved to rest in the warm waters of the geothermically heated pond. I do not have a waterproof camera, so I can only take shots like this when it comes right up to the shore – and it often did.

On 2 June 2018 a lava flow from the recent Kilauea eruption reached Green Lake Crater. The fresh water lake in the crater evaporated within an hour. The area south of the crater was untouched by the 1958 flow in the west and 1960 flow in the east. It looked like the crater would save the area from any lava flow. It was pretty much gone the same day. Two days later Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots were destroyed and with them the the Waiopae tide pools with their coral reefs and the Champagne Pond. Kapoho bay was filled with lava and the shoreline has been extended one mile out into the ocean.

Farms, gardens, vacation homes – everything gone, burned and melted into the lava. Completely destroyed forever. With the neighborhood went the people. Often I don’t know where they are. Sometimes I see photos or read about them in local papers like the Herald Tribune Hawaii or the Honululu Star-Advertiser.

No parties, no potlucks, no jam sessions, no yoga, no fruit stands, no art. I have so many pictures and memories about this place and planned to gradually write about it. Now, my blog is not chronological. I post whatever I find interesting on the day. It does not necessarily reflect, what I do that day or where I am.

I always had the idea that my blog is about places that people can visit. But what about places that ceased to exist? Would anybody want to read about those? Would it upset people to read about them?

If you have got any thoughts about that, please, let me know.

This is where the lava stopped …

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Pahoa transfer station, lava flow of 2014

… in 2014, just before Pahoa at the local dump (or transfer station as it’s officially called). This is a reminder that outbreaks in that area are frequent and temporary. The Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983.

I’ll take this as an opportunity for me to let everyone know, I’m safe. Only a small part of Big Island is critically affected. At the moment it’s mostly the area around Leilani Estate.

Living on Big Island means, living on top of a massive shield volcano – taller than Mount Everest from the sea floor up. Generally speaking, areas in the southeast are younger and more active than in the northwest. This is because the tectonic plate Hawaii is situated on, slides slowly in northwesterly direction over a volcanic hotspot, producing a chain of islands on the go. As the trade winds blow from the northeast, it’s mostly the regions southwest of the Kilauea that battle volcanic smog and occasionally ash.

It’s also an opportunity to explain, why there are no pictures of active fissures and lava flows on my blog. Apart from the fact that it’s dangerous and illegal to go there, I respect the privacy of people who have lost everything or are still battling for their livelihood.

However, for anyone that’s interested, there are still residents that resisted a mandatory evacuation and post regular updates on on Facebook and Youtube. This is about as close as I will ever get to the fissures, too.

Outrigger Canoe Race

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Calvin Kelekolio Long Distance Race
Calvin Kelekolio Long Distance Race 2017

Early morning, at a boat race in Honaunau, last preparations are made before the women’s eight mile to Kealakeua bay and back.

Outrigger canoes (wa’a in Hawaiian language) have been invented some 5000 years ago in the South East Asia. In their seafaring form they were used to discover the Hawaiian Islands. The Polynesians were great seafarers and navigated without instruments.

Because stability is created by the distance between outrigger and hull, the form of the canoe can be more hydrodynamically efficient and they are therefore faster. Originally, the canoes were made of the wood of Koa trees. Today, they are made of fiberglass. You will still find traditionally made outrigger canoes in races, but they will race in their own category.

The most common canoe in sports is a six-person outrigger canoe. Outrigger canoes are paddled forward on alternate sides. Paddlers switch sides simultaneously on a call from a designated caller. The steerer, of course, can paddle on either side as needed.

Each paddler has an important role – In the back of the canoe sits the steerer. In the front seat the stroker, (s)he is responsible for setting the pace. Strong paddlers are placed in the middle of the boat. One of them will be designated a caller. In long distant races paddlers will be exchanged from the water, transported there from an escort boat.

Outrigger canoe racing is the state sport of Hawaii and an interscholastic high school sport. The length of a race ranges from short sprints to long distance races. The most famous races are the Molokaʻi Hoe, a 43 mi (69 km) men’s race from the island of Molokai to Oahu, Na Wahine O Ke Kai (same race for women) and the Queen Liliʻuokalani Race held near Kona on Big Island.

Useful information

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Useful information in a school book

I found this “useful information” in the back of an exercise book. My co-worker says, this is like something straight out of “Rick and Morty” and not used by Americans. I pointed out that it says “useful information”.

Just to give you an idea:

20 grains (gr.) = 1 scruple

3 scruples = 1 dram

16 drams = 1 ounce (oz.)

24 grains (gr.) = 1 penny-weight (dwt)

2 barrels = 1 hogshead (had.)

8 quarts = 1 peck (pk.)

4 pecks = 1 bushel (bu.)

1 bu. potatoes = 60 lbs.

1 barrel flour = 196 lbs.

128 cubic feet = 1 cord of wood

24-3/4 cubic feet =1 perch of stone

2000 pounds = 1 ton (T.)

2240 pounds = 1 long ton (L.T.)

Centipede

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Scolopendra subspinipes is Hawaii’s only centipede with “medical importance” – which basically means, medical care might be of importance to you, when bitten. Though extremely painful, their bite is usually not lethal to humans.

Though one can often read that they are aggressive and can rear up two thirds of their body length to bite you, you will usually find them minding their own business and trying to get away as quickly as their short legs can carry them – which is astonishingly fast.

Unfortunately, they like dark places to hide, which makes towels, shoes and other human things ideal and this is usually where accidents happen.

Although they are called centipede, they do not have a hundred legs. They have 21 segments with two legs per segment and can be up to 8 inches (20cm). This one was about 5 inches (13cm). They molt to grow bigger and may live for 10 years or more.

These centipedes are nocturnal and usually hunt everything they can wrap their tiny legs around, which can be anything from small insects to mice, if they can get one. They will curl around the victim, holding onto it with their many legs like claws, injecting poison with their fangs.

They also have a softer side to themselves. Females guard their eggs until they are hatched.

Bok choy kimchi

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Bok Choi Kimchi

Upon special request, here a recipe.

Bok choi kimchi

grate:
ginger
carrots

chop:
garlic
bok choi

slice:
radish

Mix and stack in a mason jar.

blend:
apple cider vinegar
cayenne pepper
liquid aminos
water
sugar
salt

You want enough liquid to fill the jar. Add ingredients to taste. Close jar and let it sit for 48 hours unrefrigerated. Then transfer it to the fridge.

This is Claire’s recipe. She is my co-worker and an awesome vegan cook. By the way, the bok choi and ginger have been grown and harvested by herself.

The Miracle Berry

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Miracle Berries

The Miracle Berry (Synsepalum dulcificum), when eaten, causes sour foods to taste sweet. This effect is due to a glycoprotein called miraculin and can last up to 30 minutes. The Miracle Berry originates in tropical West Africa.

It never got approved as a food by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). Without FDA backing, it’s legal to buy whole berries, or powdered ones, and to sell them in a restaurant or cafe, but you can’t distribute miraculin containing products in the US.

The circumstances surrounding this seem to be a story of mystery and intrigue, involving people being followed in a car, stolen research files, an FDA commissioner who accepted a bribe, alleged sabotage by the sugar industry and Donald Rumsfeld.

Also worth mentioning, there are “flavor tripping parties” featuring the miracle berry.

You can find these stories online.