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The Big Island
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"Spirit of Aloha"
Don Bouchard
09/01/2006
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Photography by Don Bouchard
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Aloha. Each of us has several key elements that not only define us, but
provide a context in which we experience our lives and the things around us. As
a photographer, I process with visual metaphors and crave experiences that offer
maximum levels of color, saturation, and contrast. In choosing the ideal
vacation destination, I want one that has these three metaphorical qualities—a
visually captivating and colorful setting; an atmosphere that enhances every
experience with wallow-in-it awareness and intensity; and an available range of
activity that spans adrenaline pumping, life-on-the-edge adventure to decadent,
laid-back, soul-cleansing peace and blissful tranquility. No place, in my
familiarity, provides this better than the Big Island of Hawaii.
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| Spectacular fields of lava provided much of the material for the grippy road surfaces on The Big Island. (Click image to enlarge) |
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Here,
the “Spirit of Aloha” thrives and is much more than a catchy slogan in tourist
brochures. It is the law of the land as codified by the legislature. Hawaii
Revised Statutes, section 5-7.5 states that the Aloha Spirit was the working
philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of
Hawaii. More than a simple word, Aloha encompasses five key elements: Akahai,
kindness expressed with tenderness; Lôkahi, unity expressed with harmony;
’Olu’olu, agreeable, expressed with pleasantness; Ha’aha’a, humility expressed
with modesty; and Ahonui, patience expressed with perseverance and tolerance. It
is about being aware of and reveling in the experience of life. It is why
Hawaiians use “aloha” both in welcome and goodbye; something given and accepted
on arrival; cherished and taken along on departure. “Aloha,” said the pretty,
smiling girl with the black hair and dark eyes, as she placed the fragrant
flower lei around my neck and gently kissed me on both cheeks. Aloha,
indeed.
Immediately upon stepping onto the Kona Airport tarmac, the
lush smell and rich colors saturate your awareness. The stark black of the lava
flow on which you landed, merged with the rich green foliage, is the first of
many striking contrasts that make up your Big Island trip. You discover that
green is not a single color, but an entire palette of subtle shades and
textures.
The Hawaiian Islands are all entirely volcanic in origin,
birthed by a stationary sub-sea hotspot, continuously feeding lava up through
the ocean floor and onto the Pacific tectonic plate rotating slowly above.
Eventually, this building lava, layer upon layer, breaks the surface of the blue
Pacific and a new Hawaiian island is formed. The Pacific plate rotating to the
northwest eventually severs the volcanic connection and that island stops
growing, begins to age and weathers the erosion of wind, rain, surf, and
temperature change, while a new island builds a bit to the south. Big Island is
the most southeasterly and, therefore, the youngest, most rugged, and varied of
the Hawaiian islands. Composed of the lavas from five separate volcanoes—Mauna
Loa, the largest; Mauna Kea, the tallest; and Kilaeua, the most active in the
world. Big Island is, as its name implies, the largest—more than twice the area
of all the others combined—yet it is also the least-densely populated.
The plan for the trip was to sample all the attractions the Big Island
offers—food, adventure, nature, water sports, beaches, mountains, staggering
scenery, and various accommodations—all in a frenzy of activity covering the
first week; then, settling in the last few days to enjoy the quiet, good life at
one of the world’s most luxurious resorts. Determined to do the Big Island
right, daylight on the first day had us at Kona Harley-Davidson where our
rentals were waiting for us—two identical Electra Glide Classics—big, black and
chrome Harley dressers with plenty of comfort and camera storage. This island
simply demands to be explored on two wheels.
We put in 100 miles or so
the first day, riding up the fabulous Kohala Coast on the island’s northwest
shore. The coastline north from Kona lies in the rain shadow of Mauna Loa and
Mauna Kea, the two towering volcanoes that dominate the inland view and provide
reliably dry and sunny skies. Directions on Big Island are easy—almost
everything is either mauka (toward the mountains) or makai (toward the sea). The
ride to Hawi was delightful, with the road smooth, yet grippy, due to the use of
crushed lava rock in the asphalt. We discovered an old friend at Sushi Rocks, a
quaint, trendy but fabulous sushi café in the heart of downtown Hawi (population
938). A local stand provided dessert—an lilikoi (passion fruit) shave ice, which
is a snow cone elevated one full order of magnitude.
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