A Tail of Two Turtles

Randy and I went to the National Park adjacent to the north side of Honokahau Harbor and walked along the beach for a little break from running errands. We generally make a weekly trip from Ocean View to Kona to stock up for our Leilani Bed & Breakfast guests. It was extremely low tide and we must have seen at least 20 green sea turtles feeding on the bottom of the reef in the shallows. We have been told since that they were all females; the males don't come in close to shore like that.

What we discovered is that they get quite territorial over their terrain of algae, and when another turtle approaches, they position themselves to bite the intruders tail, sending them off in a scurry. At first we thought it was just an isolated incident. Then the more we watched, the more tail biting occurred. Some got quite aggressive and in human terms, seemed even revengeful. Check it out next time you are in the area during a low tide. It was very amusing to watch the different personalities!

Here are the directions from the parks website: "Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park is located on the west coast of the island of Hawai'i, approximately 3 miles south of the Keahole International Airport and 3 miles north of the town of Kailua-Kona, on the ocean side of Highway 19." We approached the beach from the north side of the harbor where there is a small parking area and a walk through gate. Here are the directions for that: After you turn into the Harbor road take the first right turn and follow it until you see the Kona Sailing Club. Park in the gravel parking area and look to the right for the park gate. From here it is a 5 minute walk to the south end of the beach. Admission is free.

The whole walk along the beachfront is quite long, perhaps a mile or more. You can also see the Ai’opio Fishtrap. And the whales are just arriving offshore, so it could be a good chance to do some whale watching from shore also.

Enjoy yet another wonderful sight on this island!

Aloha,
Randy and Lynn

Revisiting a favorite place on the Big Island of Hawaii

Randy and I finally replaced our "old" digital camera with a new one with much better resolution. To try it out, we went to one of our favorite stomping grounds, Black Sand Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is just a short drive from the Leilani Bed and Breakfast. It was late in the afternoon and the sun and shadows were really great. So, what do you think?

The first two are of the fresh water pond, just behind the beach. And of course for the last picture, I had to shoot one of my wonderful friends, this amazing green sea turtle. I would say I see a turtle about 85% of the time I go to Black Sand Beach. Usually they are resting on the sand, but sometimes you see them nibbling on the algae on the rocks in the shallow water. For, me they are a symbol of wisdom. I often take a break from our B&B here on the south end of the Island of Hawaii and go and visit them. There are plenty of coconut palm trees along the beach for shade to hang out in comfort and watch. Of course you can also see them when you are swimming or snorkeling there.


By the way, when you do go there, be sure to take some beach shoes. The black sand can get really hot on a sunny day!