Big Island of Hawaii - Part 2

As we leave the cattle country, we leave behind the heady aroma of the Eucalyptus Forest as we begin our travels along the Hamakua coastline The lush valleys were once miles and miles of sugar cane fields, but are now home to macadamia nut and coffee farms.

The Hamakua coast is the windward side of the island and is predominantly fertile valleys and lush rainforest. Deep gorges have been carved out of the high cliffs, forming these valleys, from the frequent rainfall creating waterfalls and streams, that rush from the high cliffs, all the way down to the ocean.

The sugar plantations where planted and developed in the late 1800's, about 1870, by the Japanese, Filipino and Chinese immigrants. The last factory was torn down in 1994. Sugar cane is now grown predominantly in the Carribean where the labor is cheap and there are no Labor Unions to deal with.

You can still see the old plantation homes, like the one pictured here on the left, peppered along the highway as the scenery again changes. It is warming up to a balmy 86 degrees, the sun is shinning bright, you can feel the tradewinds coming in off the ocean and the smell of salt is in the air.

My most favorite place on earth, and I have traveled all over the world, is Waipio Valley. It is a magical, spiritual haven away from all of the stresses, commercialism, and greed of the rest of the world. The Valley of Waipi`o may justly be termed the Garden of Eden of the Hawaiian Islands.

Waipio Valley is protected by 2,000-foot cliffs that surround the valley. In ancient times Waipi`o was a favorite place of the ali'i, Hawai'ian royalty, and has become known as the Valley of the Kings.

Hi`ilawe Falls, is a spectacular double waterfall, that is the tallest in the state with a vertical drop of more than 1,000 feet. It can be seen dropping from the Kohala Mountains to the valley floor, feeding the lush vegetation of the rainforest, creating streams and creeks seething with life. The sheer cliff surrounding Waipio make access difficult, which protects the valley from being over taken by progress. The valley is only accessible by foot, horseback and 4-wheel drive vehicles; although there are some areas in the valley that are not accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles.

Waipio is a lush garden full of fruit trees, banana groves, taro fields, and fishponds, natural springs and both fresh water and brackish streams. Fresh shrimp can be found swimming in the streams, and oe'o shoots (baby fern shoots that taste like asparagus) can be picked right from the banks of the streams. Close to the beach is a loko pu'uone, a fishpond fed by streams and springs and separated from the ocean by a sand dune, called a lalakea.

There are only a few tour companies out of Honoka'a that are permitted to offer day tours of the valley, but they do not operate on Sunday. The 4-wheel drive road that leads down to the valley from the Waipi`o Overlook (Follow Hwy. 240 8 mi northwest of Honoka'a), is extremely steep and should be used with great caution. The walk down into the valley is less than a mile, but because the road is so steep the hike back out is strenuous in the hot sun, especially if packing gear.

There is a crescent of black sand beach (Wai-pi`o means "curved water" in Hawaiian) and decent waves which makes it a popular spot for local surfers. There is a rocky area next to the beach where you can sometimes find some nice pieces of sea glass and shells.

There are no bathroom facilities or garbage cans, so you must haul everything out that you haul in. If you have the need to relieve yourself, you must dig a hole and bury it!

Too many ignorant visitors have not utilized these common sense practices and have caused serious litter problems, along with polluting the once crystal clear streams, and the swimming areas. We use to be able to drink the water, but now because of this pollution it is advised to bring your own water. Just remember to take your water containers back out with you.

Wai-pi'o Valley is a sacred place to us. There are not only the remains of ancient heiaus, but it is also the place of ancient burial grounds of our past kings. Our ancestors burial grounds are very sacred to us in Hawai'i. We feel a great mana, spiritual power, emanating from our ancestral spirit.

Waipi`o is also a mystical place. Many of the ancient stories of the Hawaiian gods are set in Waipi`o. It is here that beside the falls of Hi'ilawe, that the god, Lono descended on a rainbow into a breadfruit grove and and made the goddess Kaikiani his wife . Later, according to the legend, he killed her when he discovered her making love with a chief of the earth. As she died she assured Lono of her innocence and her love for him.

In her honor Lono instituted the Makahiki games - a designated period of time following the harvesting season when wars and battles were ceased, sporting competitions and contests between villages were organized, and festive events were commenced.

During ancient times Waipio was a hub of Hawaiian community. There were 4 heiaus, temples, located there at the time. They were named Pu'uhonua of Paka'alana Heiau, Honua'ula Heiau, Hokuwelowelo Heiau, and Moa`ula Heiau.

In 1780, King Kamehameha I was selected as a future ruler, here in Waipi`o, by the reigning chiefs. In 1791 he fought Kahekili in his first naval battle at the mouth of the valley. The Pu'uhonua of Paka'alana Heiau was 300 feet to the southwest of Honua'ula Heiau. It was destroyed along with several other heiaus, along with all the royal associations in the valley of Waipi'o by Kaeokulani, king of Kauai, and confederate of Kahekili, king of Maui, in the war upon Kamehemeha I, in 1791. The heiaus were later repaired and remain in tact until their destruction at the end of the Kapu'u System, by King Kamehameha II (King Luniliho) in 1819.

The Honua`ula Heiau was used during those times as a temple for human sacrifice. All of the corpses of the warriors and chiefs that were slain in battle were offered up in the heiau of Honua'ula in Waipi'o. The Hokuwelowelo Heiau was a small pen near the edge of the sea cliff, overlooking the mouth of Waipi'o valley. The story say that this heiau was "built by the gods". the fourth heiau, Moa`ula Heiau, was built at the foot of the steep northwest cliff bounding Waipi'o valley, 2500 feet from the sea. Remnants of these heiaus can still be found on the locations described.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, who brought their diseases with them to the Hawai'ian Islands, there was a community of around 15,000 people living in Waipio Valley. Thousands of Hawaiians died here from the flu that was contacted from the Europeans. They had never experience fever before and didn't know that they had to keep warm and sweat it out to break the fever. The Hawai'ian's kept throwing themselves into the ocean to cool their burning bodies, which led to pneumonia and their deaths.

By 1823, there were only a few thousand of them left. A census by the missionaries in 1831-1832 using the Waimea station estimated the population of Waipi'o Valley at about 1,200 people. By 1854 the population was estimated at only about 260 people still residing in Waipi`o Valley. The tsunami of 1946 drove most of the remaining residents out of the valley to higher ground, never to return. Then the flood of 1979 forced more of the last stragglers to main stream society. Today only about 50 people live in the Waipi'o Valley. These are taro farmers, fishermen and a few others who carry on with their simple, but much loved, lifestyle, like Waipio Joe who is pictured here.

When William Ellis, one of the first European missionaries to visit Waipi'o Valley in 1823, arrived at the Valley, he was accompanied by fellow missionary Asa Thurston and a guide, Makoa. They described the valley from the cliffs above as "......the charming valley, spread out beneath us like a map, with its numerous inhabitants, cottages, plantations, fishponds,and meandering streams (on the surface of which the light canoe was moving to and fro), appeared in beautiful miniature". Ellis and Thurston remained in the valley for several days and both commented in their journals on how well-cultivated the valley was, and described the crops as including kalo, taro; mai'a, bananas; kö, sugar-cane; and other cultivated plants. This descriptions that Ellis provided in his journals continued with the importance of Waipi'o Valley as a highly productive agricultural area with sacred sites and as a population center.

In 1881, rice farming and and water buffaloes (to work the rice fields)along with several rice mills, were introduced to the Valley. They appear on the 1881 map of Waipi'o Valley completed by J. S. Emerson, a surveyor of the Kingdom of Hawai'i (Emerson 1881). Rice agriculture in the valley continued into the early twentieth century. It was dominated by Chinese rice farmers and mill owners, and to a lesser extent by Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino and Portugese groups. Many of the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants that came to Hawai'i, came as indentured laborers and later moved into Waipi'o Valley to begin intensive rice agriculture after completing their periods of servitude. Few Japanese settle in the valley. The choose residence on the upper slopes, but would work the fields in the valley. Prior to 1914 rice agriculture in Waipi'o was a common economic pursuit and generally there were two crops a year.

Before getting into Hilo, we have to make a stop at Tex's Drive-in on the out-skirts of Honoka'a, and pick up a sack of malasadas. You don't know what a malasada is? Well, you have not lived until you have eaten a Portuguese malasada.

A malasada is a piece of dough that is fried in hot oil and then rolled in sugar and eaten hot. Sounds disgusting, doesn't it? But, I promise, they are not. They are like a doughnut without the hole, very similar to a French beignet from New Orleans. The dough is light, airy and eggy. They are little clouds of heaven.

Below I will give you a couple of recipes for cheaters malasadas that are very easy for you to make at home. These recipes will allow you to experience one of Hawaii's tasty treats.

Malasadas must be eaten hot! Trying to reheat, or eating cold, just is not an option, so only make enough to eat immediately.

Haole Style Easy Malasada Recipe #1

Ingredients:
Cooking Oil
Granulated Sugar (Pour about a cup in a bowl to roll cooked malasada)
Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit Dough

Cooking Instructions:

Heat oil in a small sauce pan, medium heat, for about 8 minutes. Put a wooden chopstick in the pot. When the tip starts to bubble when inserted it's hot enough!

Pop the Pillsbury roll, and put in the individual pieces (it's pre cut) into the hot oil. Cook on each side for a few minutes (light brown like the photo above) and when it's done place them on a paper towel to drain the oil. Roll the warm malasadas in the sugar, and serve!

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Haole Style Easy Malasada Recipe #2

I like this way best as they are more like authentic malasadas,
but not as easy as Recipe #1. Either way is still good and can
be made quick for unexpected guest show up.

Ingredients:

Bisquick - make one recipe of batter for waffles

5 slices of cheap white bread like wonder bread
1 brown paper bag or a bowl
1 C granulated Sugar

Cooking Instructions:

Make waffle batter. (not pancake)

Remove the crust from da bread and slice each piece of bread into quarters to make 4 squares, for a total of 20 squares.

Put sugar in brown paper bag or in bowl (paper bag works bettah!)

Dip bread in batter to completely cover and drop in hot cooking oil (about 350 degree).

Fry until light golden brown and turn ova in the oil. Fry until golden all ova.

Put each malasada into brown paper bag with the sugar and shake em good 'till covered.

Cool on wire rack little bit den eat while warm and enjoy!

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Authentic Malasada Recipe
I suggest trying the easy cheater recipes before try this one so that you have an idea of what they should look and taste like.


Ingredients:

1 package yeast (1 T)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water

6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup water
1 cup evaporated milk
6 eggs

1 quart vegetable oil (to fry)
extra sugar to roll in

Cooking Instructions:

1. Dissolve yeast, sugar and water and set aside.
2. Beat eggs in a bowl.
3. Measure flour into a mixing bowl and add salt. Make a well in the flour, pour in yeast mixture, eggs and other ingredients.
4. Beat in circular motion until the dough is soft. Cover, let raise until double. Turn dough over but do not punch down. Cover and let raise again.
5. Heat oil to 375 degrees and drop dough by teaspoon full into oil and cook until golden brown. Shake in brown bag with sugar. Best when hot.

Note: If the malasadas come out with the center still doughy, turn the heat down on the oil which will allow them to cook longer.

I

The town of Honoka'a is an old plantation town that is still to this day, a thriving hub of community activity. With a population of a little over 3,000 people, it is the largest of the sugar cane plantation towns still in existence. Some how it has managed to maintain it's character and remain the rough and tumbled town it has always been. Even the tourist industry, that has destroyed so much of old Hawaii's personality and flavor, has had little effect on Honoka'a.

The photo above is driving into Honoka'a with the Honokaa Church steeple showing in the right of the photo.

The photo on the left is driving into the town of Honoka'a.

Honoka'a has been able to maintain the same look and feel that it had back in the day, at the height of the sugar cane industry, when Honoka'a was the largest plantation town on the Hamakua Coast.

These 2 photos where taken by Mel Ah Ching





One of the main landmarks of Honoka'a is the Honoka'a People's Theater, built as a movie theater in 1930 by the Tanimoto family. One of the annual events held at the old theater is the Hamakua Music Festival. Many local musicians and entertainers participate in this festival of new and old style Hawaiian music and let me tell you, the place rocks!

If you happen to be on the Big Island of Hawaii in October you should go to this festival. It is something that tourist rarely get to see and is well worth the trip. This is the real culture of Hawaii. Oh, one more thing about the old theater....

It is haunted!

One of the biggest annual events in Honoka'a is Western Week.

Western Week, honors the traditions and lifestyles of the Paniolo in Hawaii and is a fun time for all, where friends and family can get together and celebrate their heritage. There are activities going on all week long for all ages.

Rider carrying the Hawai'ian flag.






Western Week activities include arts & crafts; square dancing; a farmer's market; a huge BBQ; a two day rodeo, hosted by the Hawaii Saddle Club; and the annual Honokaa Western Week Parade..

Everyone in town dresses up in their western regalia. At the local saloon you can grab a beer and be entertained with a show performed by the dance hall girls. The girls look like they just stepped out of an old photo of the Long Branch Saloon.

Notice the tri-colored kukui nut lei on the paniolo on the left.

All Western Week Photos by Sarah Anderson of Sara Anderson Photography

His Majesty on the Throne! Now I ask you, what's a parade without a lua riding on a float?

This is a prime example of the fun to be had and the sense of humor of the local people at the Honokaa Western Week Parade celebration!

Notice the pheasant feather lei on this man's cowboy hat.





Beautiful girl at the parade.





Now here's a happy couple at the local saloon festivities








All Western Week Photos by Sarah Anderson of Sara Anderson Photography

Sarah Anderson is a photographer for the Honoka'a Times. She is a resident of Honoka'a and has been so kind in lending her photos of Honoka'a Western Week to us.

A big Mahalo Nui Loa to Sarah!

There are three ways to see more of Sarah's photos. You can visit her by clicking this link at Flickr, or follow the Honoka'a Western Week photos by clicking on the photo.

You can also visit Sarah's website at Sara Anderson Photography

I Love Honokaa T-shirt

I Love Honokaa Embroidered Cap

The Laupahoehoe Point State Park commemorates the death of 21 students and 3 teachers that were consumed by the tsunami of April 1, 1946 that wiped out Hilo, killing 160 people in it's wake.

The park is a beautiful and untamed seashore, with picnic or party facilities, but the waves are rough and the shoreline rocky. It is not a good place to swim.

Laupahoehoe Point is worth mentioning, and is worth the stop, to view the turquoise ocean back dropped behind the rocky sea coast, the black rocks glistening with sparkles of sunlight, while listening to the turbulent waves crashing down on this tragic place. Artists and writers frequently find inspiration in the stunning setting the seascape provides. Spectacular displays of rainbows can be viewed on the cliffs of Laupahoehoe Point during the rainy season.

On a "normal" day, the giant waves crash on the rocks spewing sea foam, threatening to drag you out to sea within her grasp. You can only imagine what the monstrous tsunami waves must have been like on that tragic day.

Trains came to the Hamakua Coast via the Hilo Railroad in 1899 to haul sugar cane, and lastest until 1946 when the tsunami wiped out the railroad and the railroad stations.

The museum is housed in the old station master's home and is a very interesting place to stop and chat with the volunteers that work both in the museum and in the museum gift shop.. Visitors to the museum can view all of the railroad artifacts and memorabia of the by gone days of old Hawai'i..

You have to visit the gift shop. It is filled with handmade items and art by the local residents and the woman that volunteer in the shop are just the cutest, sweetest women with many stories to tell. It makes for a most enjoyable time. You can pick up some really unique items that can't be found anywhere else. One of which is the book titled "April Fool's," published by students at Laupahoehoe School. It features stories from survivors of the deadly April 1, 1946 tsunami that so strongly affected the history of this community.

Another amazing business that has cropped up (pun not intended) on the Hamakua Coast since the closing of the sugar industry, is the Hamakua Heritage Farm, home to the gourmet mushrooms.

The Hamakua Heritage Farm is a completely organic farm in Laupahoehoe that grows Maitake, Shiitake, Nameko, Kea Hon-Shimeji (Brown or white varieties), Alii Oyster, Gray Cluster Oyster, and the Pepeiao mushrooms. The Pepeiao, or wood ear mushroom, is an indigenous fungus, that is only cultivated commercially at the Hamakua Heritage Farm.

All of the mushrooms are cultivated on locally grown hardwoods, namely koa wood, without using any chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or hormones.They also have future plans of introducing other mushroom varieties, such as the oversized king oyster, or eryngii

Hamakua Heritage Farm is a scenic spot with a sweeping vista view of the Hamakua Coastline. Bob and Janice Stanga started their organic Jungle Fungus company here because of the koa harvesting going on up mauka (mountain). With the harvesting of the koa trees, koa wood sawdust is produced. Mix the koa wood dust with bran and water, and voila....gourmet food is created to grow the mushrooms.

"We can use a lot of waste to make food," says Bob Stanga. "After the mushrooms are grown, it becomes the perfect bedding for local nurseries.". In essence, nothing is wasted. The mushroom farm benefits from the koa wood shavings by providing food, and the orchid nurseries benefit from the mushroom waste by growing beautiful flowers.

Bob Stanga had never grown mushrooms before starting the farm in 2000. Bob was the owner of a helicopter company when he saw the need for locally grown mushrooms in Hawai'i as all mushrooms were being imported to the islands. He grabbed a book on mushroom growing and well.... the rest is history.

The Hamakua Heritage Farm is now supplying all of the local grocery stores with their mushrooms. If you would like to support the community of Hawaii by purchasing their locally and organically grown mushrooms you may contact them at :

Hamakua Heritage Farm, Inc.
PO Box 205 Laupahoehohe, Hi 96764

Phone: (808) 962-0017
Fax: (808) 962-0300

English Translation to Akaka Falls
I had never seen the water fall of Akaka
Placed on high
Misting down over the cliffs
Misting down over the cliffs
One thought surpasses all,
To glimpse that beauty
There in the uplands, perfumed
With sweet scent and fragrance
With sweet scent and fragrance
And so may the story be told
Of the waterfall of Akaka
Placed on high
Misting down over the cliffs
Misting down over the cliffs
And so may the story be told
Of the waterfall of Akaka

When we were kids we had to hike to the falls. Now you can drive in to the visitor center that has been built and park your car. Akaka Falls is now a beautiful state park where you can park your car and walk paved paths to a lookout point to view the falls. It is a wee bit of a hike, so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. Auwe! To think When I was a child we would hike to the falls through the rainforest on muddy trails, barefoot.

Akaka Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the islands. Following the pathway to Akaka Falls you will travel through the rainforest and come to the lesser, Kahuna Falls, which measures 400 feet in height. This is a good place for the elderly to stop as they may not be in the best physical shape to manage the trek all the way to Akaka Falls and back. The hike through the rainforest takes about a half-hour and is about a quarter of a mile.

The jungle air is pure from all of the tropical vegetation growing and your lungs will say "thank you" as they breath the crisp, clean air. The fragrance of over 20 varieties of ginger flowers growing along the way is heavenly. Hundreds of different varieties of fern including hapu'u, the giant tree fern; and an intricate network of vines, such as lilikoi, passion fruit, and philodenron, such as elephant ear, flourish growing up the tree trunks. Impatiens, wild orchids, plumeria, hibiscus, bird -of-paradise and heleconia in a variety of colors are seen every where.

There are towering bamboo groves growing over the foot bridges and there are over a 100 different species of trees including banana, beautiful banyan trees, the brilliant blossoms of the African tulip trees, huge monkey pod, ohia, koa, sandlewood and lauhala. It is a truly a wondrous and amazing place.

You will know when you are getting close as you will hear the thunderous roar of the falls. What many don't realize is that the falls are actually split into two falls that flow in a circular shape and come together as one before cascading down a 442 foot drop to the green, fern-filled grotto below. Rainbows form across the gorge from the sun shining through the spray as the water hits the pool. Akaka means to split, chink or crack in Hawaiian.

As we travel along the Hamakua Coast, getting closer to Hilo, there are many more lesser waterfalls, botanical gardens and the Mauna Loa Macadamia Factory. You can view the information here on the Best Botanical Gardens in Hawaii

A note about this mac nut factory. You aren't missing much at this one. It is only a building selling nuts and candy to the other nuts, I mean tourist, so you aren't missing much. There is a better one on the Kona Coast that we will visit later.

The botanical gardens are beautiful and are worth a stop. Here is a photo of a walkway at the Hawaii Botanical Gardens. You can see the Royal Palms growing by the path.

Visit the lens below to see a few of the tropical botanical gardens that the Hawaiian Islands has to offer.

Best Hawaii Botanical Gardens

Thank you for visiting and continuing on with our Circle Island Tour of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Please continue with us to Part 3 of our tour.

Next we will be going to Hilo the capital city of the Big Island

Big Island of Hawaii - Part 3