At that time, Maui was my least favorite place because it just seemed like a party spot for drunk college kids.
Then, we found out that, in winter, the place is full of Humpback Whales doing all kinds of cool Whale things. In March 2013, Scott took his mother to all the main islands and was impressed with all the breaching and tail-slapping and fluking.
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| Betty Stevens, Maui, 2013 |
So, Scott and I went for our 40th anniversary in 2014 and swore we’d go back every year.
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| Me in Maui, 2014 |
We didn’t, but Scott and I made it back in 2019 and a few weeks later I went back to spend time with Caty while she was there as a nanny.
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| Caty and me, Maui, 2019 |
Since it had been a while, Scott and I decided to go back in 2022.
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| Scott and me snorkeling off Lana'i, 2022 |
In the meantime, I had been trying for ages to plan a family trip somewhere. I wanted to do Galapagos, but it was a bit pricey. Scott likes Alaska, but Becca prefers warm beachy places (especially since she and Aaron got SCUBA certified).
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| Caty, Becca and Aaron are all certified |
So, after looking at lots of options, we decided that Maui would be the perfect place for a family Thanksgiving trip. So, here we go again.
But, after repeatedly going back to the same island, I decided that I wanted to do an add-on. So, the trip started with Scott, Caty and me touring the Big Island ...
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| Flying into the Big Island |
... followed by a week in Maui with the three of us and Becca and Aaron ...
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| The whole crew |
The Big Island
I had been to Hawai’i (AKA the Big Island) back in 1999, but not since (as I said, Scott went in 2013).
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Me, Caty and Becca on the Big Island, 1999
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And, I hadn’t been since I started birding. So, I was excited about the scenery and the exotic bird opportunities. Shortly before we left, Mauna Loa, one of the island’s five volcanoes, threatened to have a major episode, so that added some suspense.
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| Map: ResearchGate |
The largest island in the United States, Hawai’i is the southeasternmost of the volcanic chain of Hawai’ian Islands.
With an area of 4,028 square miles, it comprises 63 percent of the Hawai’ian archipelago's combined landmass. But, with just over 200,000 people, it has only 13 percent of the population.
Hawaiʻi is also the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the two main islands of New Zealand.
The island is said to have been named after Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which some Polynesian people are said to have originated, the place where they transition to in the afterlife and/or the realm of their gods and goddesses.
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| Polynesians coming to Hawai'i by Paul Rockwood |
Captain James Cook, the English explorer and navigator who was captain of the first European expedition that came upon the Hawai’ian Islands, called it “O-Why-hee” (from “Hawai’ian”) and the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. After being welcomed by islanders when he first arrived, Cook apparently wore out his welcome and was killed on the Big Island on Valentine’s Day 1779 in a melee following the theft of a ship's boat.
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| Painting: Death of Captain Cook by eyewitness John Webber |
Hawai’i was the home of Paiʻea Kamehameha, later known as Kamehameha the Great, who united most of the islands under his rule in 1795 after several years of war.
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| Kamehameha the Great; Paintings by Herb Kawainui Kāne |
He gave the kingdom and the island chain the name of his native island.
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| Map: Wall display at Puuhonua o Honaunau |
Although the biggest in the chain, at its widest, Hawai’i is only 93 miles across. But, its highest peak, Mauna Kea, is the world's tallest mountain, taller than even Mount Everest, since the base of Mount Everest is above sea level and Mauna Kea begins deep in the ocean.
The Big Island also boasts the southernmost point in the United States.
We flew into Kona, arriving two hours late because of an unspecified delay in our flight from Phoenix, and spent the first and second night at the Aston Kona by the Sea.
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| Caty and me arriving at the open-air Kona International Airport; Photos: Scott Stevens |
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| Our hotel; Photo: Scott Stevens |
We had stayed at two other Astons and found them to be great because they are nicely appointed condos rather than just hotel rooms. We didn’t have a lot of activities planned, so we spent some time just exploring, starting with the southwest coast.
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| Two colorful birds |
Since birding was one goal, the trip started great with two Lifers at the airport – Yellow-billed Cardinals and Saffron Finches. I saw them while waiting for the shuttle to the rental car lot and did not have my camera with me (drat!). Fortunately, these two species turned out to be very common on the Big Island and I saw them multiple times (when I had a camera with me).
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Our first destination was Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, a place Scott had visited with his Mom (that visit turned out to be a major theme of this trip, since Scott’s memories were more recent).
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| A reconstructed thatch hut |
Hawai’ian society was for hundreds of years separated into classes of chiefs, priests, skilled laborers and commoners that operated under a system of laws called “kapu.”
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| Warriors often sought refuge |
The punishment for breaking the kapu was death unless the criminal fled to a place of refuge, called a “puuhonua” in Hawai’ian. Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is one of the best-preserved puuhonua. The structure – a 300-foot-long stone wall that at points is 18 feet high and 25 feet wide – was most likely built about 1,000 years ago and used until the late 1700s. The kapu system was abolished in 1819.
On one end of the wall is a thatched structure surrounded by carvings resembling Hawai’ian gods called ki’i.
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| A sacred place |
Since they are wooden and deteriorate over time, ki’i are periodically replaced. The ones at Puuhonua o Honaunau were carved using the skills and traditions of the Hōnaunau area. During restoration in the 1960s, the Park engaged scholars, artists and craftspersons who were knowledgeable of cultural traditions to guide and carry out kiʻi reconstruction.
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| Ki'i (some wearing cloth loincloths, for which I could find no explanation) |
Many of the carvers were Park maintenance workers whose skills were based on passed-down traditions and knowledge. Just as with the original restoration, local carvers (some of whom are family members of the original carvers) continue the tradition.
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| Craftspersons were also working on a canoe |
The onsite mausoleum, called Hale o Keawe, once housed the bones of 23 chiefs. The bones, thought to endow the site with spiritual power or “mana,” were removed in the 1800s, but the place is still considered hallowed ground.
It was a gorgeous day, so walking around the grounds was delightful.
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| Caty and me walking along the bay; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Caty and I spent a great deal of time taking far too many photos of the black rock crabs, called ‘A’ama ...
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| A cute little fella |
... that were crawling all over the rocks by a small bay next to the thatched building ...
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| Such a perfect match to the black lava that we didn't see them at first |
We also saw Yellow Tangs swimming in the bay.
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| Left bay photo: Scott Stevens; Right: Tang |
While exploring, we also saw a number of Hawai’ian Ibex Goats roaming the grounds. Goats were first released on the Hawai’ian Islands by Captain Cook and his crew during their third and final voyage in the Pacific.
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| Goats have destroyed native plants, negatively affecting native species, especially birds |
English Goats from the British King George III were carried on board as gifts to islanders. Goats from African ports were also taken on board as food provisions.
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| Painting: UK National Maritime Museum |
In 1778, Cook gave one male and two female Goats to islanders on Ni'ihau. On his return in 1779, he released Goats into the wild at Kealakekua Bay on Hawai'i in order to populate the island with a food source for sailors on future expeditions. After Cook was killed, British Captain Vancouver explored the islands in 1792 and introduced Goats to Kaua'i. The islanders used them for meat, milk and skin. Goat reproduction was rapid, and some animals escaped into inaccessible terrain, founding wild colonies of Ibex Goats on seven islands.
At Puuhonua o Honaunau, we also saw lots of birds – including some very cooperative Yellow-billed Cardinals ...
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| Posing for me |
... the ubiquitous Common Myna ...
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| I guess they are Hawai'i's equivalent to an American Robin |
... a Warbling White-eye ...
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| A stunning bird |
... House Sparrows ...
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| This invasive species is everywhere |
... and some entirely uncooperative Common Waxbills ...
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| I saw many, but photographed few |
I struggled to get photos of the fast-moving flock of Waxbills and failed to get anything decent. At the time, I was very disappointed because I thought it was a new bird for me. But, it turns out to be the same species I had seen in Africa, so it wasn’t a total disaster.
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| Common Waxbill, Kruger National Park, Africa, 2017 |
The lush Park also had lots of moths ...
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| A fairly ragged Black Witch Moth |
... and butterflies ...
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| Surprisingly, this is a Gulf Fritillary Butterfly |
Hikiau Heiau
As we traveled up and down the coast, we also stopped at one other Historical Park, Hikiau Heiau. Located in Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, it features a large, raised platform of stacked lava rock that originally dates to the 18th century.
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| The Heiau isn’t particularly exciting |
It has been restored several times because of surf damage. The temple's purpose and the god(s) it honored probably varied over time, depending on which chief was in power.
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This bay is famous because it is where Capt. Cook was killed |
The the site is lovely, with big trees and a beautiful bay.
It was here that we saw one of the few Small West Indian Mongooses that was still enough to photograph (we had actually seen one in the planter at the airport when we arrived, but – once again – the camera was still packed).
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| Small West Indian Mongoose |
I wrote extensively about these cute, but destructive, critters in an earlier blog.
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These little guys killed many native species; Left photo: Caty Stevens
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Back at the hotel, we enjoyed some ocean views, a cooperative flock of Saffron Finches and some Java Sparrows nesting in the eaves.
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| Back at the hotel |
Manta Rays
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| A diving Manta Ray; Photo: Caty Stevens |
Although Manta Rays have always frequented Hawai’i, this particular activity became popular in the early 1990s when a local hotel installed some bright lights so guests could see fish in the water. The lights attracted plankton. The plankton attracted Manta Rays and a new tourist activity was born.
We chose Coral Reef Adventures because they have a very limited group size (there were six on our trip). Other tours take larger numbers which can make viewing difficult.The trip started with a very fast (and bumpy) ride in a small boat to the viewing site. Then, we got into the water and held on to rope loops installed on a surfboard that has lights mounted on the bottom. They gave us floats for our ankles and instructed us to stay still and flat on the water’s surface.
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| A pretty simple concept; Photo: BigIslands.com |
They made no promises, but said we’d probably see a couple of Rays. They also said that the Rays might approach us, but we shouldn’t try to touch them because they spook easily.
Almost immediately, we saw a one. And almost immediately after that, it ran right into me.
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| "I'm not touching you, you're touching me!" Photo: Scott Stevens |
By the end of the evening, we saw 15! And, I had been hit at least three times ...
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| Very close encounters; Photos: Scott Stevens |
The best night they had had in ages! I chose to take video; Caty took photos and Scott took both. See my video here and Scott's here. And here is a shorter version that shows just close encounters (most shot by Scott).
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| Swimming through a school of Herring; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Known for their size, the largest subspecies of Manta Ray can reach 23 feet in width and weigh up to 3,000 lbs.; the smallest subspecies (the one that resides in Hawai’i) can still be up to 18 feet wide. Their width is about 2.2 times the length of the body.
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| They are huge; Photo: Caty Stevens |
The name "manta" is Portuguese and Spanish for mantle (cloak or blanket), a type of blanket-shaped trap traditionally used to catch the big Rays. Manta Rays are also known as "devilfish" because their cephalic fins give them an allegedly "evil" appearance.
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It doesn't look all that evil! Photo: Scott Stevens
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Mantas have the largest brains and brain-to-body ratio of all fish and can pass the basic animal intelligence test in which they can recognize themselves in a mirror (this is a rare skill that only a few animals possess).
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| Swimming by |
Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters.
The larger species migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while the smaller tends to be resident and coastal.
They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. However, the majority of their diet is small to medium-sized fish and other organisms.
Both subspecies are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets and direct harvesting of their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. They have a slow reproductive rate (gestation lasts over a year and Mantas give birth to live pups only every few years) that exacerbates these threats.
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| A good look at the gills: Photo: Scott Stevens |
They are protected in international waters by the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, but are more vulnerable closer to shore. Areas where Mantas congregate are popular with tourists. Only a few public aquariums are large enough to house them.
Part of the Eagle Ray family, Manta Rays evolved from bottom-dwelling Stingrays, eventually developing more wing-like pectoral fins. The mouths of most Rays lie on the underside of the head, but the filter-feeding Manta has its in front.
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| Front-facing mouth |
They have horizontally flattened bodies with eyes on the sides of their heads behind the cephalic fins and gill slits on their ventral surfaces. Their tails lack skeletal support and are shorter than their disc-like bodies. The dorsal fins are small and at the base of the tail. Mantas normally have a "chevron" coloration: black or dark on top with pale markings on their "shoulders."
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| Typical markings; Photo: Caty Stevens |
Underneath, they are usually white or pale with distinctive dark markings by which individual Mantas can be recognized.
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| As unique as a Whale's tail |
Their skin is covered with a protective mucus (this another reason you are not supposed to touch them when swimming among them). They have tiny square-shaped teeth on the lower jaw.
Mantas, which move through the water using wing-like movements, must keep swimming with their mouths open to keep oxygenated water passing over their gills. When travelling over deep water, they swim at a constant rate in a straight line, while further inshore, they usually bask or swim idly around. They can dive to depths over 1,300 feet and sometimes breach like Whales.
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| Breaching Manta Rays; Photo: Natural History Museum |
Mantas may be preyed upon by large Sharks, Orcas and False Killer Whales. Prone to parasites, they visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Remoras often clean them, but can damage their gills and skin and, by adding weight and drag, make swimming more tiring.
These were my first wild ones. Caty, Becca and I did see a captive Manta Ray at Atlantis in the Bahamas in 2003.
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| This one at Atlantis was later released to the wild |
My next post will cover the rest of our visit to the Big Island.
We chose Coral Reef Adventures because they have a very limited group size (there were six on our trip). Other tours take larger numbers which can make viewing difficult.
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