Cannonball tree:
A flower on a lily pad, before it opens:
Lollipop flower:
Banana, with strange attachment:
Plumeria:
Banyan tree:
Gum tree:
Bird of Paradise:
Pineapple:
Fern:
Monday, September 13, 2010
Weird and Wonderful Plants of Hawaii
Just lots of pictures today. I love the plants here! I don't know the names of most of them, but I'll label the ones I know.
Cannonball tree:
A flower on a lily pad, before it opens:
Lollipop flower:
Banana, with strange attachment:
Plumeria:
Banyan tree:
Gum tree:
Bird of Paradise:
Pineapple:
Fern:
Cannonball tree:A flower on a lily pad, before it opens:Lollipop flower:Banana, with strange attachment:Plumeria:Banyan tree:Gum tree:Bird of Paradise:Pineapple:Fern:
Friday, September 10, 2010
Byodo-In Temple
We went to the Byodo-In Temple. It is located in the Valley of the Temples at the base of the Ko'olau mountains. The temple was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. They were brought here to work at the sugar plantations. The temple itself is a replica of the Byodoin Temple in Uji, Japan. This is a truly beautiful, peaceful spot to visit. It is also an exciting destination if you were a Lost follower because some of the filming for the show was done at this location. The Temple was used as the home of Sun's father in Korea.
This bridge was the site of Jin's proposal to Sun:
Back of the temple:
Koi pond:
This is the Peace Bell. Ringing the bell is meant to purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation, and you are supposed to ring it before entering the temple.
The Buddha statue inside the temple is the largest wooden Buddha carved in over 900 years:
The grounds of the temple are gorgeous. This the Meditation Pavilion peaking out of the trees:
There is a little gift shop that sells food for the koi fish. One of Crumpet's favorite activities is feeding koi and watching them go crazy.
There are many black swans on the property:
There is also a bamboo forest:
We had a lovely afternoon exploring this spot.
For more Field Trip adventures, visit Live the Adventure!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Field Trip Friday - Diamond Head
Diamond Head, also known as Le'ahi, is one of the more famous landmarks in Hawaii. It is a crater which resulted from one of the volcanic eruptions which formed Oahu.
You should visit Diamond Head on a Saturday morning and take the opportunity to visit the Waikiki Farmer's Market before beginning your hike up the mountain. The market is located in the parking lot of a community college right across from the entrance to the state park. It is so much fun to visit - all kinds of crazy flowers are available to purchase, along with LOTS of yummy food. Prices are quite high so don't stock up on groceries, but it's definitely a fun place to visit and snack. I have no pictures because I was too busy eating...
When you've finished at the Farmer's Market, cross the street and enter the park. You can park at the bottom of the hill and save a few dollars on the parking fee, but I wouldn't recommend it. It increases the length of the hike considerably and you will be sorry! Spend the money and park at the trailhead.
Take your smiling, happy picture at the beginning of your hike, because at the end, you'll be collapsed on the ground slurping a shave ice (snow cone).
Technically, this should be an easy hike. It's only 0.8miles each way. I'm learning that in Hawaii, the distance doesn't matter and you can easily be tricked into thinking you're out for a leisurely stroll, when really, you're going mountain climbing...
This is a HOT hike - there is no shade, and it's very dry up there. There is a curvy, narrow concrete trail up the mountain, and you will be squeezing past lots of exhausted people on their way down. When you get about half way up, you will encounter 74 steps headed up to a tunnel. After that, there are 99 more steps. And then, a 52 step spiral staircase up to the viewing area. The dark line in the middle of the picture below is the first set of steps.
It really doesn't look so bad, but try it while carrying a 40 pound four year old on your shoulders... My poor husband did most of the work, and I only carried Crumpet up the second set of steps. On the way down, we told him that if he walked the whole way, he could have his own giant shave ice. He walked! (My husband's whole side of the family has a weird obsession with snow cones - I really am not a huge fan...)
The view from the top of Diamond Head is truly worth the work. Stunning blue water,
All of Waikiki beach and Honolulu:
A beautiful light house that we still need to visit:
Diamond Head from the water. I hear that the mountain gets really green if it rains, but we're in the middle of a drought, so we've only seen it this way so far.
Despite all my whining, this really was a worthwhile hike, and now we can check it off our list of things that must be done while living in Hawaii! For more field trip posts, visit Live the Adventure.
You should visit Diamond Head on a Saturday morning and take the opportunity to visit the Waikiki Farmer's Market before beginning your hike up the mountain. The market is located in the parking lot of a community college right across from the entrance to the state park. It is so much fun to visit - all kinds of crazy flowers are available to purchase, along with LOTS of yummy food. Prices are quite high so don't stock up on groceries, but it's definitely a fun place to visit and snack. I have no pictures because I was too busy eating...When you've finished at the Farmer's Market, cross the street and enter the park. You can park at the bottom of the hill and save a few dollars on the parking fee, but I wouldn't recommend it. It increases the length of the hike considerably and you will be sorry! Spend the money and park at the trailhead.
Take your smiling, happy picture at the beginning of your hike, because at the end, you'll be collapsed on the ground slurping a shave ice (snow cone).
Technically, this should be an easy hike. It's only 0.8miles each way. I'm learning that in Hawaii, the distance doesn't matter and you can easily be tricked into thinking you're out for a leisurely stroll, when really, you're going mountain climbing...This is a HOT hike - there is no shade, and it's very dry up there. There is a curvy, narrow concrete trail up the mountain, and you will be squeezing past lots of exhausted people on their way down. When you get about half way up, you will encounter 74 steps headed up to a tunnel. After that, there are 99 more steps. And then, a 52 step spiral staircase up to the viewing area. The dark line in the middle of the picture below is the first set of steps.
It really doesn't look so bad, but try it while carrying a 40 pound four year old on your shoulders... My poor husband did most of the work, and I only carried Crumpet up the second set of steps. On the way down, we told him that if he walked the whole way, he could have his own giant shave ice. He walked! (My husband's whole side of the family has a weird obsession with snow cones - I really am not a huge fan...)The view from the top of Diamond Head is truly worth the work. Stunning blue water,
All of Waikiki beach and Honolulu:
A beautiful light house that we still need to visit:
Diamond Head from the water. I hear that the mountain gets really green if it rains, but we're in the middle of a drought, so we've only seen it this way so far.
Despite all my whining, this really was a worthwhile hike, and now we can check it off our list of things that must be done while living in Hawaii! For more field trip posts, visit Live the Adventure.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dole Pineapple Plantation
We went to the Dole Plantation a while ago. It was a lot of fun!
Did anyone know that pineapples grow on the ground on plants that look like aloe? I had no idea. I always pictured big pineapple trees. But no, they grow on the ground in vast scrubby looking fields. Here are a few growing at the entrance to the plantations.
Did you know that some pineapples are pink?? And various other shades ranging from yellow to red...
There are 4 sections to the plantation tour. The first and most fun was the train ride through the fields on the Pineapple Express. They give a great history of Mr. Dole and the pineapple industry in Hawaii, as well as lots of interesting fruit facts! We learned that to plant a pineapple, you cut off the top of a ripe one and stick it in the ground. It takes about 18-24 months to grow another. You pick the pineapple when it is ripe, and it does not ripen further, so eat it quickly!
Then, there are some beautiful gardens to walk through. There are plants from all over the Hawaiian islands here.
Bananas:
Papayas:
Coffee (I almost stole a tree so I could grown my own at home):
The world's largest maze is located on the grounds of the Dole Plantation.
It is made entirely of hibiscus plants, which produce gorgeous flowers. Unfortunately, they keep it cut way back so you can actually walk through the maze, so we saw very few flowers. But we saw some!
They give you a card a the entrance, and as you work through the maze, you color in stencils at hidden stations to prove that you made it all the way around the maze. I have to admit, we gave up pretty quickly... but it was fun to try!
And the last thing you do at the Dole Plantation is EAT. They have a good variety of food, all of which includes pineapple. And they make the "world famous Dole Whip". I'd never heard of a Dole Whip, but oh, they are good! I have a recipe to try at home soon, and I'm hoping it's at least half as good. Every time I see this picture, I drool:
For more field trip fun, visit Live the Adventure!
Did anyone know that pineapples grow on the ground on plants that look like aloe? I had no idea. I always pictured big pineapple trees. But no, they grow on the ground in vast scrubby looking fields. Here are a few growing at the entrance to the plantations.
Did you know that some pineapples are pink?? And various other shades ranging from yellow to red...
There are 4 sections to the plantation tour. The first and most fun was the train ride through the fields on the Pineapple Express. They give a great history of Mr. Dole and the pineapple industry in Hawaii, as well as lots of interesting fruit facts! We learned that to plant a pineapple, you cut off the top of a ripe one and stick it in the ground. It takes about 18-24 months to grow another. You pick the pineapple when it is ripe, and it does not ripen further, so eat it quickly!
Then, there are some beautiful gardens to walk through. There are plants from all over the Hawaiian islands here.
Bananas:
Papayas:
Coffee (I almost stole a tree so I could grown my own at home):
The world's largest maze is located on the grounds of the Dole Plantation.
It is made entirely of hibiscus plants, which produce gorgeous flowers. Unfortunately, they keep it cut way back so you can actually walk through the maze, so we saw very few flowers. But we saw some!
They give you a card a the entrance, and as you work through the maze, you color in stencils at hidden stations to prove that you made it all the way around the maze. I have to admit, we gave up pretty quickly... but it was fun to try!
And the last thing you do at the Dole Plantation is EAT. They have a good variety of food, all of which includes pineapple. And they make the "world famous Dole Whip". I'd never heard of a Dole Whip, but oh, they are good! I have a recipe to try at home soon, and I'm hoping it's at least half as good. Every time I see this picture, I drool:
For more field trip fun, visit Live the Adventure!
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