Inspiration The ʻiʻiwi (Drepanis coccinea) was first documented scientifically by naturalists during Captain James Cook’s third Pacific voyage, which took place from 1776 to 1780. The ʻiʻiwi was historically abundant across the Hawaiian Islands and could easily be spotted in native forests and in areas of flowering plants where they foraged for nectar. However, over…
Hawai’i Ākepa: Inspiration for Change
Inspiration When I first moved to Hawaii, I was saddened by an Audubon Society seminar that described the endangered birds of Hawaii Island. That started me on a journey of discovering more about endangered species here at home and around the world. This post begins a series showcasing the five endangered Hawaii Island forest birds….
Hiking in the Cloud Forest
Although I love the beaches of Hawaii, sometimes it’s so nice to find respite in a mountain forest. Just 15 minutes from my house, about mid-way up Hualālai, this little slice of heaven transports me to “Narnia.” This is a protected forest where you can find endangered trees and birds. More info here: HONUA‘ULA FOREST…
Wai’aha Beach Park (aka Honl’s Beach)
I really like this sweet little beach in Kona — there’s plenty of shade and white sand for a peaceful place to read a book or to watch surfers. It’s not a snorkel or swimming beach, but rather a quiet, shady spot with perfect views of palm trees, waves, and crystal clear waters. This beach…
Papakōlea Beach
This is a beautiful olive green sand beach, carved out of cinder cone on the South shore of Hawai’i island. Commonly known as Green Sand Beach, a trip to this special natural wonder is definitely worth it. It’s a ~2.25 mile hike (one way) to get to this beach, so we left our North Kona…
A Voggy Morning to You
For the last several months, we’ve had hundreds of earthquakes (mostly small and not noticeable) so it wasn’t really surprising that Kilauea erupted earlier this week. While the eruption lasted only 12 hours (from approximately 12:30 a.m. HST on Monday, June 3, until approximately 9:00 a.m. HST on June 3), three days later we are…
Inga J Smith 