Hawaii - Office Work in Paradise (03MAR2009)

Aloha,

The Adventure Travel Company's 'Paperwork Reduction Act' in full swing:


Followed by yet another rental house and thus another rendition of the 'Virtual Office':


Pau Hana!
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Wild Turkeys in Da Back Yard (02MAR2009)

Aloha,

they must have some HUGE Thanksgiving dinners out here in Hawaii:


And, how about some Turkey TV:



Onolicious!!
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Kapa, Adzes, Rope, Lei-making, Shark Teeth...(28FFEB2009)

Aloha,

this was a Hawaiian Culture kine day. From Kapa to Kapu, Lei-making and all sorts of other crafts and skills.


We start with shark-toothed weapons:



Kapa cloth and dyes:



Hawaiian rain gear:



Fibers and rope-making:



Kalo (a.k.a. Taro):





Adzes (Stone tools):



And, finally, lei-making:






And more lei-making:



And that wraps up a perfectly fun and engaging Saturday afternoon.

Malama o ka 'aina,
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Pulpy Paper and Pyre (a.k.a. Poor man's Shredder) (27FEB2009)

Aloha again,

so we arrive to the next house (have the downstairs Ohana studio for the first week or so, then moving upstairs to the upstairs Hale apartment) we discover that - in the packing frenzy earlier in the day - the bag with ice had unintentionally been stacked ON TOP OF a precious box of Camilla's office papers. Here you see the owner and her office drying out after the dripping wet contents of said box had painstakingly been disassembled:

But wait...there's MORE:


Meanwhile, as you can see, and ironically so, Kepani was busy exercising 'Good Riddance' on HIS paperwork on the backyard BBQ pyre (a.k.a. 'Poor Man's Shredder'):



And then it was time for a steak and some sweet potatoes!

Aloha,
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (27FEB2009)

Aloha,

today, we're visiting Pele's home, the halema'uma'u crater at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Here is Camilla with a Smokey (i.e. Ranger) looking at...well...smoke...


Here's the video:



And, where there is drizzle, there is sometimes also a Drizzle-bow:


A hui hou,
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Stellar Sunrise & Sweet Blooms (27 FEB 2009)

Good Morning, howzit?



That was the sunrise on this particularly beautiful morning...and below are some of the sweet florals from a late morning drive:



Malama i ka 'aina...
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Lava Beaches, Plumes, and the Road That Disappeared (26FEB2009)

Aloha again,

this is Post #3 for today and this one is all dedicated to L-A-V-A. We start off with a brand new lava beach in the making. Then we drive across a road partially covered in lava for an evening view of lava entering the ocean (from the safe distance, per county rules). Gotta lava da lava!

Perfect pehoehoe lava, just the way Pele likes it:


Can you twist a rock into this rope-like shape? Pele can - at 2700 degrees Fahrenheit!


Here is a not-quite-brand-new lava beach (hiking access only):



And now we are headed to a brand new lava beach in the making:



The green end is the beginning of a new coconut palm for the beach here:


Fast-forward a few months:


And now, fast-forward to sunset and the drive and subsequent hike over lava-covered road to the current viewing site:



And the actual viewing (camera looking through a pair of binoculars):



Aloha from Pele...

Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - A Very Very Sweet Snorkel Session (26FEB2009)

Aloha again,

post #2 for this day is from the afternoon snorkel outing. Isn't this coral unbelievable?


And a live clip from Sweet Snorkeling Session #1:



And Sweet Snorkeling Session #2:



We'll be back for more (and Camilla can send YOU on vacation here too!!)
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Narrow Morning Drive along The Windward Coast (26FEB2009)

Howzit?

this day starts with a lovely morning drive along the windward coast (Post #1 for today), then later a snorkel outing (Post#2 for today), and finally, a visit to Pele's Plumes once again (Post #3 for today).


Some start with a morning surf:


A clip from the drive:

Don't know our limu types well enough to say if this is hte real thing, but it's pretty:


And a video clip:


There is a hint about 'the future' around every bend:


...And a hint about the past:


Looks like these hippies found heaven here:


And the parting shot:


Aloha nui,
Kepani & Kamila

Heavenly Blooms and a Helluva Blowhole (25 FEB 2009)

Aloha,


We seem to be off the the farmer's market an awful lot if judging by the number of market videos that have been posted here on this blog. However, market day is not an everyday event - it is a special opportunity once or maybe twice a week - to sample a slice of the local culture.

On this market day, we had mostly new discoveries - again - it is amazing what you'll find at these places. You think you have seen and tasted everything, but then you find new stuff yet.
Today, we'll walk you through the following:

Bug-eating plant, 10lbs of sugar cane (for a buck), jackfruit, cooking bananas, mountain apples, puakenikeni (a HEAVENLY fragrant bloom), anthuriums, kapa cloth. Just watch...



And an order was placed here for some Coconut Turnovers for pick-up on Friday:


The afternoon was ear-marked 'coastal drive pending weather report'.


We ended up doing it anyway, despite an iffy weather report. The weather turned out to be a bit of a blessing - we got some seriously cool wave video as a result - including a very neat blowhole. You'll also see an Ironwood tree grove in this video.



Hat's off to Mother Nature - and Pele - for their rather spectacular abilities!

Aloha,
Kepani & Kamila