This lava tunnel is called Mary's Trumpet. Not sure what Mary we are referring to here but it is a trumpet because of the shape of the tunnel. When the water rushes in, it fills the space in the back so that when it comes back out there is a bit of noise.
Here, on the southern end of the island, we are under the eaves of Haleakala and its frequent cloud cover. Looking up the hill in the general direction of the volcano, we see a variety of cinder cones.
On the last day in Maui, we drove south to La Perouse Bay to see what we could see. The beach here is very rocky, covered with lava. Amongst the lava outcroppings are these small yellow butterflies.
While there is nothing striking about this pile of stones (some sort of pumice, I suspect) they do capture the nature of beaches on Maui.
Unlike most beaches I've visited in my life, in this place with tens of thousands of people living all around, nature is still allowed to bring its beauty right up to the shore. No clear-cutting and making way for progress (well not in this way) here. Just a nice, natural beach.
This arching tree trunk makes a nice place for folks to stack rocks. Rock stacking seems to be a popular pastime at beaches and along mountain trails everywhere.
Even here where the sands are mostly white it is easy to tell that this place is formed from volcanoes. The lava rocks are scattered everywhere.
Those of us growing up east of the Mississippi are quite familiar with the bright red cardinal. In fact it is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia. That's a fair sample of the part of the country in which I was raised.
But here in Hawaii, things are different. Here there is the red headed Cardinal. Exactly the same only totally different.
Being used to east coast beaches, it is not often that you see animals on the beach. So a visit to Hawaii that reveals a beach full of turtles is a real treat.
A few minutes walk from the condo is a small spit of beach where the green sea turtles like to come some afternoons to catch a few rays.
By the time I was leaving the wetlands, the heron I photographed earlier had moved to a new perch closer to the boardwalk. I was able to get some good headshots of him for his annual report (or some such thing).
Continuing my walk at Kealia Boardwalk, I found a few other birds. This one above is, I think, pacific golden plover, but I'm not 100% sure. At any rate, he's a handsome birds and has a nice reflection in the water.
About a 15 minute drive north of Kihei where we were staying, is the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk. This is an elevated boardwalk just off the beach and along the edge of a wetlands. The first bird I came across was another of the black crowned night heron. These guys like to pose for the camera.
While the images from yesterday's post were pleasant, deeper in the shadows we find more interesting and colorful compositions.
Once back down to where the views are dominated by the works of man, I drove south to Iao Valley to find a place to eat lunch. These delightful park is an oasis for the soul. Surrounded by mountains and beside a stream full of water and laughing children, it is great place to sit and relax.
