HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND – Rainy City November 26, 2007
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND, Hawaii Travel , add a commentHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
Rainy City
Somebody always asks, “Does it really rain a lot in Hilo?”
Most of the year, Hawaii’s weather comes from the northeast tradewinds, and Hilo’s on the northeast side. Being in the middle of the ocean, though, the island gets most of its rain in brief squalls, from small clouds that drift ashore and empty themselves in a couple of minutes. You can look out to sea from Hilo and watch them coming in, so there’s plenty of time to get under shelter. On average, though, most of Hilo’s rain falls late in the afternoon or at night, when the land is cooler, and those squall clouds pile up against Mauna Kea before condensing.
And occasionally we get two or three or four days of rain in a row. So Hilo does have the reputation of a rainy city. But it’s all relative. Seattle, with about 40 inches of precip a year, gets a rainy reputation. New York gets forty, too, but not the rep.
Hilo does get more rain than any other city in Hawaii, and more than the other northeast-facing towns on the Big Island: annual rainfall goes down as you go up the Hamakua Coast. In a normal year, Hilo will get about 120 inches – one is tempted to say “ten feet” – of rain. When less than eight feet falls in a year, people here will say we’re in a drought.
So, yes, by Mainland standards, Hilo is a rainy city.
But hey! Hilo’s most famous natural attraction isn’t called “Rainbow Falls” for nothing.
You may see a lot of rain here, but you see a lot of rainbows too – like this one just offshore from the beach parks in Keaukaha.
And anyway, Hilo isn’t the wettest place in Hawaii. Far from it. Literally. That honor belongs to Waialeale, on Kauai, which every year gets nearly 500 inches – some forty feet of rain.
HERE IN HAWAII – Driving Local November 19, 2007
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND, Hawaii Travel , add a commentHERE IN HAWAII
Driving Local
Driving on the Big Island takes a little getting used to. You can go up to 55 on only a few highway stretches; almost everywhere the limit is 45 or less. Passing lanes are rare; and off the highways, most roads are skinny, with narrow shoulders.
You may be surprised at other drivers’ courtesy: many will wait to let you make a left turn in front of them. And at their informality: some people drive barefoot, or in zoris (”flip-flop” sandals). To the delight of car-renters, the nearest gas station to the Hilo Airport – aptly, the Aloha brand – is also among the least expensive.
At the urging of astronomers to minimize the island’s nighttime glow, streetlights use low-pressure sodium lamps that have a yellowish color, similar to the “caution” light in a red/yellow/green traffic signal. That unfamiliar hue may be disconcerting, but it’s easy to see by, especially in the rain.
Unlike houses, car roofs don’t have overhangs. So a lot of drivers here get “rain-guards” installed. They’re rigid strips of transparent plastic that are fastened to the top edge of the car door’s windows; so you can keep the glass rolled down an inch or so yet stay dry when it’s pouring outside, or cool the inside temp a bit when you have to park and lock in the sun. (Makes you wonder why they aren’t standard equipment. But they’re available online from WeatherTech (www.weathertech.com), which catalogs them as “side window deflectors.”)
<Auto Rain Guard>
Whenever you’re driving, though, please be alert. Remember that motorcyclists here are not required to wear helmets; and that nearly all Big Island police cars are unmarked.
HERE IN HAWAII – Snow November 10, 2007
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HERE IN HAWAII
Snow
The Big Island’s summits are once again wearing their white diadems. The first snow of . . . yes, winter is upon both the “white” and the “long” mountain. Snow comes to Hawaii in a storm, with thunder and lightning; wind and rain. Local TV newscasts originate in Honolulu; they do run video clips of snow-capped Mauna Kea. But their big weather story is what the storm leaves there: a soggy mess of drains overwhelmed, puddles for intersections, and stuff washed out to sea.Though snow on Mauna Loa is a rarer event than snow on Mauna Kea, it often goes under-appreciated. So big and broad is Mauna Loa that, on TV, it doesn’t look like a snow-capped peak; it looks like a snow-capped stadium roof. Better to see it in person; though the only way to make snowballs there is to make a high-altitude hike first.You can get to the snow on Mauna Kea, however, sitting down. A car or truck with four-wheel drive can get you up to where there’s enough to play on. Some winters, there’s even enough to ski on. You still have high altitude to reckon with; and sunburn; but (for a change) it helps to have had experience driving through snow and ice.If you don’t visit the snow, you will at least take delight in seeing what it does to the vistas of our tallest mountains. And you will probably grin every time you see a four-wheel-drive pickup come down from the Saddle, its bed heaped high with snow, to play with back home.
HERE IN HAWAII – Weed Fruit November 9, 2007
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Weed FruitOn the mainland people carefully tend house-plants, such as tradescantia and philodendron, that – they are surprised to learn – are wild weeds in Hawaii. But some tropical fruits are weeds here, too.Guava is a real pest, especially the smaller “strawberry guava” known as waiawi (though colloquially pronounced “vy-vee”). 
Both were introduced in the 19th century, but escaped cultivation. Ripe fruit falls quickly, drawing not only flies but birds, pigs, and rats that transport the seeds. The wood is incredibly hard, and the saplings form impenetrable thickets.
But – truth to tell – the fruit are delicious. Hawaii’s farmers’ markets and fruit-stands rarely offer them. But you may not need to buy them, if you’re adventurous. They grow almost everywhere on the Big Island, especially in wetter places. You mustn’t pick from someone’s yard, of course, but neither should you eat fruit that’s already on the ground. The best way to get guava or waiawi is to shake a tree and catch what falls; or do as local folks do, and use a long picking-stick with a basket on the end.Guavas are about the same size and color as lemons outside, though pink inside. Waiawi can be either red or yellow, but their insides are white. The seeds, though edible, are usually separated from pulp and juice with a ricer, or a blender at low speed. Waiawi is the greater pest, but more flavorful; Caribbean islanders call it “guavaberry,” and use it for jams, jellies and liqueurs.
