Weird Al, humuhumu’ele’ele, and Spam
I know that saying that my vacation this last week was too short is not exactly a mind-bending statement, but it does ring true regardless. This particular adventure also felt like it could have used an extra week, but here I am, back in Wisconsin at my desk, merely writing about beaches rather than soaking in the rays on one.
All of that being said, voicing that I enjoyed my trip to Hawaii over the past week would also be an understatement of sorts, one that probably does not really even need to be stated. But since I am apparently in the mood of making obvious things ever more slightly obvious, I did indeed have an awesome time traveling the Union’s 50th state.
My wife Mikaela and I made the journey out to Hawai’i, or more affectionately dubbed just “The Big Island” last Wednesday. Some might not like the long plane rides, but honestly I don’t mind; it gives me a chance to catch up on some reading and an excuse to watch movies that I kind of want to watch but aren’t super high on my watchlist. The flights went without a hitch and two books and a Weird Al mockumentary featuring Daniel Radcliffe later and we had arrived.
Our first full day there, we went on a snorkeling excursion out to a small reef in Captain Cook’s cove. The 45-minute boat ride there and back was certainly worth the trip, with enough cool sights along the way to keep the journey interesting enough in its own right. We were given a history lesson behind the area, where apparently teenagers would scale down the impressive cliffside to place the remains of nobles in small holes along the cliff. While I am all up for extreme burials, I was glad that we would not be partaking in that particular tradition and would instead just be engaging in the much more horizontal activity of snorkeling. Upon receiving our gear, which included fins and a neon orange pool noodle, we were sent on our way to explore, to which we were greeted to the sights of several dozen species of tropical fish, coral, sea urchins and other watery creatures. While I unfortunately did not catch sight of the legendary reef triggerfish, also known as the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, we did come across a school of its cousin, the black triggerfish or humuhumu’ele’ele, which while slightly less fun to say were still very cool. Some other of my favorites included the racoon butterfly fish and the yellow tang (I guess I just like yellow fish).
Our snorkeling adventure was not the only time we came across wildlife. Two sea turtles graced us with their presences while at the beach one day, popping up for air every once and awhile and throwing up a flipper or two as if in some sort of greeting. While hiking through the restored rainforest up to ‘Akaka Falls, we came across several green anoles, which, while they look right at home among the gigantic ferns and colorful flowers of said rainforest, a quick Google search revealed that they were not actually native to Hawai’i, instead having been brought to the island as pets and then later escaped. The little lizards were not the only non-native creatures we came across either, as wild goats were a common sighting along highways and feral cats could be found prowling around.
‘Akaka Falls was one of the coolest waterfalls I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. Should you ever find yourself on the big island, I would highly recommend checking it out. The hike to the falls takes you through forest that had once been destroyed to make way for sugarcane plantations and the restored flora is unlike anything in Wisconsin. In the case of the falls themselves, the 442-foot straight drop is a marvel truly to behold, though from a safe distance and behind a solid fence for the acrophobic in me. Apparently, there is a species of fish and a type of shrimp that actually ascend this sheer drop in order to reach their nesting grounds in the river at the top, a feat that I can only salute and say that I am glad I am neither of those creatures.
Between the sights, restaurants, beaches and trying not to pay attention to how much everything cost, the days went by quickly and just as we were starting to get used to the time change, our allotted stay was coming to a close. There was talk of perhaps the misplacement of tickets or some such, but when the time came, it was back to the continental U.S. for us. Maybe next time we just accidentally miss our flight or something…but for now I’ve traded in my sandals for sneakers, palm trees for pine trees, and a humuhumu’ele’ele for a cow. Ah well, at least there is less Spam here, and that’s something I can be grateful for.
A C ertain Point of V iew
