All posts tagged: volcano

Lava Viewing at Kalapana

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Our friend Adrel called me on Saturday to see if I wanted to go with him to take pictures of the lava flow in Kalapana. You may have seen Adrel’s amazing photographs on our Holoholo Girls’ Instagram and being that we’re both recreational photographers, I jumped at the chance. After discussing trekking at night or early morning, we decided on today, Labor Day. We packed up and headed out of Hilo at 4:30 am. Once in Kalapana, we were surprised to see that other people had the same idea, no doubt wanting to see the beautiful glow of the lava in the dark. Getting to the actual viewing site was not that difficult. It’s a 3.5 mile walk/hike on a mostly flat gravel road. Adrel heard that people head out on bikes, so he managed to secure two bikes and we rode toward the site with headlamps. Walking wouldn’t have been bad, but biking was better. People were already situated on the cliffs, cameras out and taking photos of the amazing view. While Adrel moved closer to snap some pics, …

Weekly Small Pleasures (#8)

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1. Unulau. I was honored to attend the debut of my hula brother’s new hālau, Unulau, yesterday. They performed at Kaʻauea in Volcanoes National Park, overlooking Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. It was a great day to witness the arrival of a new generation of dancers from our tradition. 2.  Redux. I dusted off my Dinosaur-SLR and started taking photos again. It’s a joy getting back behind the camera, especially since most of my photos have been taken on my iPhone. Nothing wrong with iPhoneography, but it’s comfortingly different behind a camera. I ended up visiting Uwēkahuna, a bluff overlooking Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, and snapped some beautiful shots. 3. Foodie Splurge. I have been packing home lunch for the past year and enjoy knowing how much money I save not eating out, but this past week, I bought lunch twice and it was amazing. The first was at Miyo’s, one of my all-time favorite restaurants, which I enjoyed with colleagues and ate my favorite sesame chicken. The second was lunch bought at the cafeteria on campus, consisting of sautéed veggies, fresh greens, and furikake salmon. 4. Reality Check. I’ve …

Weekly Small Pleasures (#6)

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Dance and music have been the recurring themes for this amazing week. Back to Hula. Even though I “graduated”, my cohort was invited back to learn a new set of hula pahu (drum dances), so we have resumed twice a week practices for this month. These lessons also serve as preparation for our performances during the week of Merrie Monarch, both at the opening of the festivities and at ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi. Learning and dancing again feels amazing, but I’m also grateful to be dancing next to people with whom I’ve danced for years and consider family. Here is one pahu set we performed two years ago which will be included in the  5-6  sets to be done at ʻImiloa. Enjoy and wish my knees luck these next few weeks! Solo Hiking in Volcanos National Park. I met with a lot of people this past week and being an introvert, by Friday, I was in need of huge doses of solitude and nature. After a week of miserable vog, today’s clear skies allowed me to do a solo hike. From the parking …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Room

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Earlier this year, my hālau performed upon the kahua hula at Kaʻauea in Volcanoes National Park. On that day, we prepared for the exhibition in this thatched single room hale. According to the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation, the hale was originally erected in 1980 and has been maintained and restored throughout the years. On that day, rays of sunlight and stray raindrops came through the roof above, while smooth pebbles gently massaged the soles of my feet with every step. Hundreds of dancers whose hālau prepared to demonstrate their respective traditions once stood where I stood and hundreds more would do the same after me. I was grateful to join such an illustrious membership. The kahua hula we danced upon was the brainchild of Edith Kanakaʻole. Edith played an integral role in the proliferation of Hawaiian culture within and beyond traditional and western educational systems and I consider her one of my contemporary role models. Edith understood the importance of cultural education and devoted her life to the endeavor of perpetuating Hawaiian lifestyles for the well-being of our community. Dancing to Pele, Edith’s ancestor, smoldering at Halemaʻumaʻu in the distance, was a mahalo to Edith …

Pele, Goddess of Fire

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Hawai’i Island is known for its active volcanoes where Madam Pele, the Goddess of Fire resides. We are always very conscious of mother nature and pay tribute to her in many hula dances and meles (songs).  During the 2014 Merrie Monarch Festival, Hilo’s Hālau Nā Lei Hiwahiwa ʻO Kuʻualoha honored Pele through their hula kahiko performance. Pele, the goddess of Fire.  You move me to feel the passion of life. Visit other blogs participating in Bastet’s Pixelventures – My Favorite Photo:  http://wedrinkbecausewerepoets.com/2014/04/28/pixelventures-april-30-2014/

N is for Nāhuku

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Nāhuku is the Hawaiian name for Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes National Park here on Hawaiʻi Island. It’s one of my favorite locations in the park because it’s located within a lush rain forest area. The native birds chirp away happily in the trees and every so often, mist will move through the area, depositing moisture onto everything in its path. Walking thru Nāhuku, the temperature drops considerably, but there is serenity in the darkness and in hearing the sound of every step bouncing of the walls of the cave. In no time, eyes adjust and the native foliage bend to welcome you back to the light.  April is the start of the A to Z challenge. Check out other blogs participating in this challenge at: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com