Island of Hawai’i – The north shore

We chose to spend the four days that we would be working at an Airbnb in Hilo. We had not considered that the pandemic had changed how things were and most cafes including the ubiquitous Starbucks had turned takeout-only. A relatively quiet place to sit and work eluded us as we spent half a day between checking out from and checking into two of our stays quite clueless as to where we would end up, a day after the long weekend. We nearly begged our host to let us spend time at her place, who although very kind, could do nothing since the place had to be cleaned. Finally, we settled down on the lawn in a park in downtown Hilo working to the rhythm of the ocean waves and the sounds of the midday traffic. We would be without a car that week, which meant we would be confined to the house. We shopped smart for things that would help us cook quickly without many condiments.

 Our hosts were Ingrid and her two children – Keawe and Leilani. Their father was often away on the mainland for work. Keawe was about ten, outspoken to a measure that made me slightly uncomfortable a couple of times when he questioned something about my appearance. I am probably old enough now to brush it aside as a child’s inquisitiveness. He followed his mother about tending to the plants in their huge backyard, many of which were tropical fruit trees. The Chiku tree is what made me the most nostalgic, having seen those while growing up in Bangalore.  On the days they did some fruit-picking, they were kind enough to share the spoils with me, especially lychee.

 Leilani had a disability that had stunted her growth and affected her ability to speak. What was heartbreaking to know was that it was the result of a car accident. She was generous with hugs though, lighting up when I reciprocated. Ingrid spoke about their travails to adopt a girl from India or China, not having had any success so far. She thought it was selfish of her to want a girl who was ‘normal’ but believed that it was not just that thought that planted this idea. They trusted that a girl would be a great addition to their family which had in addition to humans, a few cats and dogs as well. Another person would not make a big difference to them but it would change a child’s life.

 On our last day in Hilo, we dressed up and ventured to one of the popular restaurants to try the Hawaiian Mai Tai, a symbol of the ultimate island vacation. Ingrid was rather disappointed that we stopped at one drink and were back without as much as a trace of alcohol in our system. We did not know how to have a good time, she thought. We left from what I considered to be our home in Hawaii bidding our goodbyes and hoping to be back sometime. We were pleasantly surprised to get a Mustang convertible for our last few days of driving on the island. The tropical climate was perfect to roll the top down and enjoy the ride which we had seen others do while we looked on enviously.

 There were Tsunami warning signs abound as we drove down to Laupahoehoe point, making us weary of what nature could take away in seconds even when there was stunning beauty all around. A Tsunami in 1946 had killed many people on the island. There stands a memorial at the Point for twenty students and four teachers who were killed in a school that was flooded.

 I was hoping that the views of the Waipi‘o valley would take my breath away just like some photos I had seen had, and it did. The high cliffs thickly covered in green and the calm blue ocean waters made for a vista that felt tranquil but stirred up emotions inside me, questioning how much I deserved to be here while most of the world still battled with the uncertainty of the pandemic. I egged my friend on to do what was a sort of a hike down to the beach on a steep road. We could imagine what the climb back would be like but proceeded anyway, stopping for pictures at every turn. We enjoyed some quiet time at the beach and hiked back. The sun beating down on us and the tropical moisture drained us of all energy. The roadside tender coconut shop that we stopped at while leaving seemed like a Godsend. It was cold too, making it that much tastier. Needless to say, we devoured it, relishing memories from back home in south India where the tender coconut is ubiquitous.

 It was a day full of beautiful valleys and lookouts. We drove to the Pololū Valley lookout next, losing ourselves in the magnificent views of the Kohala coast from afar. Waipi‘o and Pololū were formed by rainwater erosion cutting into the flanks on the windward side of the Kohala volcano, the oldest of the five volcanoes that constitute the Big island. The volcano has five more such valleys. Although not as popular as Waipi‘o, the views here were awe-inspiring. The rugged path to hike down ended on a secluded section of the valley floor from where I could walk to the beach. It was not as inviting as the beach at Waipi‘o and I quickly hurried back to join my friend who decided she would enjoy the views rather than walk all the way.

 Most of our days on the island ended on the beach, obviously. This time, we were at the Hapuna beach. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset while watching kids making sand castles and learning to swim and surf. Again, wondering how much of swimmers we would be if we had grown up here.

 The last day of our travels was set aside for us to simply be tourists and explore the town of Kona. We were not going to leave without letting some good luck brush over us though. The Pacific green sea turtles are called ‘Honu’ in Hawaiian and are a sacred symbol of longevity and good luck. So far, we had only spotted a couple. We went back to the beach we were at on our first day, now armed with the knowledge that that was indeed the best place on the island to see Honu. It seems they had heard we were coming. After watching many of them basking very close to the shore to our heart’s content, we were back in Kona for some souvenir shopping. The town has some nice spots to savor the ocean blues.

 We were going to end our trip on top of the world. We would be star-gazing on the highest mountain in the world, the dormant volcano of Mauna Kea. Given the location and the height, it is one of the best places on earth for astronomical observation. I hoped we would be able to see Milky way just like in the photographs. We booked a sunset tour that promised an experience of a lifetime. As the vehicle treaded up the volcano, I started to experience some signs of altitude sickness. The summit was at 13796 feet above sea level and we were going up in a single day. They let us acclimatize for a while before the final leg and that helped me. I would have been dejected if nausea ruined this for me. the sunset over the clouds was spectacular and a little more than an hour later, we were looking at what was the brightest night sky I had ever seen in my life. Our guide pointed out stars and constellations to us and I regretted that I had done no homework truly make this worth it. I could see the milky way but it would suffice to say that it was not anything like the photos the guide took on his DSLR camera. We had been out in the cold long enough and were glad to be heading back soon after.

 There are thirteen observation facilities on Mauna Kea today funded by as many as eleven countries. The construction of a thirty meter telescope invited protests from the islanders claiming it to be sacrilegious since it is a sacred space, understood to be the piko, or center, of the place where sky and Earth meet. Although it seems like a conflict between ancient beliefs (superstitions) and science, what they are really protesting against is the desecration of the land. Should they be allowing themselves to be held back by the old? Is that more important than letting science and innovation advance? Perhaps that is my naivete and I do not truly grasp the magnitude of what this means to them.

 As my flight back took off, I could see the gigantic Haleakala crater on the neighboring island of Maui, as a hint that that is where I should visit next. I would surely visit again. Hawaii is everything it is made out to be, a tropical paradise, a place that shows you the splendor and the devastation that nature is powerful enough to achieve, a place whose people cherish their culture and traditions and bow in front of no one as they try to protect their values.