Hawaiian Flora and Fauna photos

Here are some more pictures of the beauty of Hawaii, flora and fauna. Especially dear to us is the Nene, the Hawaiian Goose which is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It was named the state bird of Hawaii in 1957. The Nene is the world's rarest goose.

Once common in Hawaii (prior to 1778, when Capt. James Cook arrived, it is said that there were about 25,000 Nene), hunting and introduced predators such as mongooses, pigs and cats reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952. The Nene's nest is particularly vulnerable as it nests rather haphazardly on the ground. Thankfully the Nene breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced. In 2004 it was estimated that there were 500 birds in the wild (and good numbers in wildfowl collections). It is easiest to see wild Nene flocks on Kauai where there are no mongoose (the only island void of the mongoose).

The "Nēnē" gets its Hawaiian name from its soft call. My husband and I think it sounds like such an endearing tired and sad little 'honk'. We LOVE to meet Nene and hear their voices. We met one at the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo (on the Big Island) that came up to the edge of it's enclosure and just honked up a storm for us for quite some time. She/He was such a sweet little goose, very friendly but probably because it was being kept in captivity.

These Nene can be seen enjoying living at the inner gardens at the Kauai Marriott Hotel. We went there to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Hawaii, Duke's , named after the famed 'father of surfing' and all around super interesting Hawaiian guy, Duke Kahanamoku. We recommend you try Duke's Kauai location if you go to Kauai. Say hello to the Nene for us!

Anthurium in a beautiful pink color.

Some fishes we were snorkeling with one day while on Kauai (image caught with my new and fun underwater camera). The darker fishes are Black Triggerfish, called Humuhumu'ele'ele in Hawaiian, and are cousins of Hawaii's state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa (Humuhumunukunuku for short, ha ha ha).A gorgeous tree on a golf course on Kauai

One of our favorite little doves in Hawaii, the Barred Dove (introduced to Hawaii in 1922). They have such a sweet little call, that is nice to hear in the morning. We think it sounds like they are sometimes saying "not at all". This is one of the things I miss when I am in Japan. There is something soothing to me having these little doves around everywhere.

Sweet smelling white plumeria flowers, filling up the air with loveliness, another thing I miss when I am in Japan.

A very colorful Gecko which I have only seen in the Kailua-Kona area of the Big Island(where this photo was taken) but it probably lives elsewhere unbeknownst to me . Doesn't it look like it's smiling?

An Alan Wong's anniversary dinner

This year, we celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at Alan Wong's in Honolulu. It was our 7 year anniversary! Time sure flies when you having fun!

From time to time, we go to the Alan Wong's in Tokyo (at the Ikspiari Shopping center located in front of Tokyo Disneyland) which is very close to our home in Japan. There are many things missing from the menu at the Tokyo location that are available only in Hawaii. Obviously, fresh Hawaiian fish would be hard to have available at the Tokyo location (on a regular basis anyway, there are times when Mr. Wong brings over something special).

This being said, the food is fabulous in Tokyo as well as Hawaii. The Tokyo location is also a bea-u-tiful feast for the eyes when you walk in (check out the pictures when you click on the link above)! The King Street restaurant in Honolulu is the original location and to me, is "Alan Wong's". I love the relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere and the down to earth yet professional manner of the people working there.

This time, I ordered my favorite Hawaiian fish, Opakapaka. It is getting harder to find these days so I was pleased to be able to indulge, on this our 2nd to the last night in Hawaii (and not finding it on the menu of anywhere else we dined the previous 12 days in Hawaii). It was prepared pan steamed, with Shrimp Pork Hash, Truffle Nage, Gingered Vegetables and Tapioca Pearls.

Opakapaka is commonly known as Crimson Snapper or Hawaiian Pink Snapper even though it's skin is a light brown color. They are usually caught at depths between 30 to 100 fathoms. It is found throughout the tropical Pacific, but it doesn't grow as large as it does in Hawaii anywhere else. A 12 -18 pound fish could be around 10 years old!

Last year, there was a 5 month emergency ban on bottom fishing in Hawaiian waters. Click here to read an article on this past ban. Deepwater snapper in Hawaii have been commercially exploited since the early part of the century. Efforts have been and are still being made to make changes in the fishing methods of the past, so that many of Hawaiian fishes, not just Opakapaka, can be saved.

Here is a picture of our friend the Opakapaka

Back to our anniversary....

I guess I was so excited getting ready for our 'date', that I ended up forgetting to bring my camera, so the only photos we could get at the restaurant were from Ken's cell phone camera. The quality is not very good as you will see. I also have included here a couple of other photos we have pulled off AW's website, etc.

Ken had for his entree, a yummy seafood steak (mixed seafoods made into a steak type patty, sorry I don't have the official description of this dish).

We started off with Alan Wong's famous Poky Pines. They are essentially, deep fried Wonton skins with Ahi poke inside. They sure make a striking appearance on your table! Here is a picture of them from my "Chefs of Aloha" cookbook.

Alan Wong's "Poky Pines", a signature item on the menu

The special and thoughtful Anniversary wish dessert plate for us from the restaurant. A frozen chocolate Tiramisu with fresh Roselani (from Maui) vanilla ice cream on the side.

WOW this was the most interesting and delicious dessert I have ever had, or right up there with the top 5! The 'coconut' shell is made entirely of chocolate sprinkled outside with toasted coconut shavings. The white inside is coconut ice cream (Haupia Sorbet), with fresh fruits and Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) sauce. Be sure to order this if you go! This is the picture we took with Ken's cell phone, but below is an 'official' photo of it from AW's website.

Alan Wong's - King Street
1857 South King Street, Third Floor
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
808-949-2526
*Reservations are a must

Alan Wong's Japan
(at the Tokyo Disney Resort, Ikspiari)
1-4 Maihama
Urayasu, Chiba 279-8529
047-305-5630 (dialing from within Japan)

Windsuring on Maui - February 2008

Having a good time

While on Maui, Ken enjoyed a day of Windsurfing. Action Sports on Maui offers windsurfing lessons, or equipment rental to go on your own, at Kanaha Beach, near the Kahului airport. This beach often has the right amount of wind for windsurfing and kite surfing. The instructors are great and you can even get out there if you have never windsurfed before!

Click here to go to Action Sports' website and get alot of detailed information about Kanaha Beach itself!

Looks like Ken had a lot of fun doesn't it?

The different windsurfing groups getting instruction and readying to go out

View of the place at Kanaha Beach where the windsurfing instruction takes place

Ken, starting out from the beach

Windsurfer Ken

Windsurfer Ken

Windsurfer Ken

Hauling the equipment up to the beach at the end of the fun

Maui Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

Mom, our lovely Maui 'chauffeur', very obligingly waiting outside for us while we purchase some evil doughnuts.

After we enjoyed Kauai for a few days, we hopped on a plane to Maui. When we arrived, one of the stops on our list of things 'to-do' was Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They are located right near the airport, making it impossible very hard to drive by without stopping. There is even a handy drive-thru window!

There is a Krispy Kreme location in Tokyo now (we hear that more locations are planned) but we have not gone there because every day it's open, there is a horrific line to wait in! Usually the wait is around 2 hours! When you get there, you will see a sign that will tell you how long the wait is from the point you enter the cue. Much like waiting in line at Disneyland to ride on a popular attraction. We don't think a doughnut is worth such efforts but many many people in Tokyo do.

So, when we landed on Maui, we took the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. Ken had never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut before. I have a few years ago when I was in California, when everyone was first starting to rave about the place. Personally, I didn't see what all raving was about. I don't eat doughnuts very often (used to when I was a kid) but I have had quite a few of them (all kinds) in my day and if I were on a mission for a doughnut, I think I still like Winchell's best.

Here's some pics of our arriving into Maui and the Krispy Kreme store there. Incidentally, it is now the only Krispy Kreme store in all the Hawaiian Islands.

View from the airplane window of Kaaholawe Island as we approach Maui. Poor Kaaholawe, it was bombed for 30 years by the US military but even before that, introduced goats etc. over grazed and caused massive erosion. There are hopes by the Hawaiian people (as well as many non-Hawaiian people such as myself) for it's complete restoration someday.

Little Molokini Island, which sits between Kaaholawe and Maui.

View of the Kealia Pond Wildlife Refuge and North Kihei (and the rest of South Maui) in the background. The Kealia Pond is a National Wildlife Refuge and is one of the few natural wetlands remaining in all of Hawaii.

Too many choices!

We're not sure, but we don't think the Krispy Kreme in Tokyo has all these options and merchandise.

Don't forget there is a drive thru if you are too lazy to haul your behind out of the car!

What we selected: Lemon Filled (Lemon Kist), Maple Glazed, Apple Fritter, Glazed Chocolate Old Fashioned, Original Glazed and Glazed Kreme Filled. I'm getting nauseated just looking at this picture!

Views of Golf in Hawaii

Entrance to the Princeville Golf Club, on Kauai.

While in Hawaii the past 2 weeks, we were able to golf quite a bit. Fortunate to have excellent weather all but the first 2 days of our time there, we golfed on Kauai, Maui and on Oahu.

On Kauai we golfed 18 holes at the Wailua Municipal Golf Course on Kuhio highway. Click here to visit the website and see some photos of the course. We also tried to golf at Princeville on the second day we were on Kauai, however, when we got there we found it was raining heavily off and on and the course was already saturated from the prior week's worth of heavy rain, so we cancelled our game. Maybe next time!

On Maui we golfed our favorite Ka'anapali Golf Resort, which has just had some major renovations. Their logo is new, as well as updates to the clubhouse and renovations of the courses. The formerly named North and South courses are now called the Royal Ka'anapali and Ka'anapali Kai respectively. And not surprisingly, the fees have increased. We had a short lesson with the head golf pro, Sutee Nitakorn, before our game and he gave us some great pointers! We had a fun time on the Kai course.

We also golfed 18 holes at the Waiehu Municipal Course near Wailuku in Maui. This is where I learned to golf many years ago. The course was in great condition, however, the fees here have also increased, in my opinion, dramatically for a municipal course, whose facilities leave much to be desired. Their "real" phone number is hard to pin down and the staff seems tired yet still managing to be friendly for the most part, probably since the place is slammed with golfers all the time. There are no reservations for tee times, you just need to go there and wait to get on the course (which may not be possible on some days, especially weekends). This course can get pretty windy, especially later in the afternoon, so go as early as you can.

On Oahu, we enjoyed 9 holes of twilight golf at Pearl Country Club in Pearl City and 18 holes at one of our favorite municipal courses, the Pali Golf Course.

The Pearl CC, one of my favorite places for twilight golf, this time had pretty long grass in the rough and if your ball landed there, it was a goner 90% of the time. The course was packed and we were instructed prior to going out, not to use time to find balls that were OB and to just drop and move on. We started at 4:10pm (twilight starts from 3:30 here) and were not able to complete the entire 9 holes before the 6pm closing time due to a group of 4 ahead of us annoyingly painstakingly trying to find each and every one of their many lost balls (despite the aforementioned instruction to keep the game moving). We were also annoyed by quite a few hungry mosquitoes here!

The Pali Golf Course was very enjoyable. This course can sometimes get rained out being that it sits right at the base of the Koolau mountain range, which is often sort of a magnet for rain clouds. We have been driven off this course by buckets of rain before. This time, however, it was an amazingly beautiful and sunny day and we had a good dry game. We saw the usual chickens and wild birds that live on the course as well as wild pigs that have become accustom to being fed by the golfers. They were so funny trotting around the course begging for food. I've seen alot of animals and birds on the golf courses in Hawaii (turkeys on Molokai, goats on the Big Island, Nene on Kauai to name a few) but these pigs were hysterical. Check out the video at the end of this post.

Booking tee times is not easy for this course (or for any of the city/county golf courses on Oahu), you will need to call a phone number with an automated service to get a tee time. If you don't have a Hawaii golf card, you can only book 3 days in advance. However, it is possible to get tee times for the Pali Course near to the time you'd like to play (especially during weekdays), unlike the Ala Wai Course, which unless you are a local and have a Hawaii golf card (that allows you to book 7 days in advance), you can bet the farm you will never get a tee time no matter how flexible your time is or which day of the week it is.

Here are some pictures we took of our recent golfing at the courses described above.

Wailua Municipal Golf Course, on Kauai

Wailua Municipal Golf Course, on Kauai

Ka'anapali Golf Course on Maui, the island of Lana'i is seen in the background.

The Lahaina Sugar Cane Train passing by while on the Ka'anapali Kai Course.

At the end of the 9th hole, this is the way to the snack bar and restrooms (access on foot, carts are no longer allowed to cross the road).

Ka'anapali Kai course with the West Maui Mountains in the background.

The Pearl Country Club in Pearl City Oahu.

The Pearl Country Club in Pearl City Oahu

View of the Pali Golf Course on Oahu from the lookout off of the Pali Highway (see the clubhouse in the lower right corner of the photo?). Though it was a hazy day due to no tradewinds, you can see in the background Kaneohe town, Kaneohe Bay and Chinaman's hat.

The Koolau Mountain range at the Pali Golf Course.

The Pali Golf Course facing Kaneohe Bay.

Wild pigs coming down out of the forest near the clubhouse before the 10th hole. They proceeded to trot down the cart path to beg from the golfers in their carts who were lined up waiting to get on the 1st tee. Seems they have become accustom to people giving them a handout.

A hen nesting in the papertowels in the garbage can of the women's restroom at the Pali Golf Course. I had quite a shock as I was attempting to toss a papertowel into the can!

The pigs on the Pali Golf Course will come when you call them! Check out this hilarious video! This pig makes a sharp left and starts running towards me when I yell out "Hey Piggie"!

A good place to stay in Kauai

The Best Western Plantation Hale, as viewed from the entrance to the property off the Kuhio highway

During our recent escape from the cold weather in Tokyo, we found a good place to stay on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Last year, while on Kauai, we stayed at a condo in the Poipu area, but this time we wanted to stay more towards the other side of the island, so it would be easier for us to golf in Princeville.

We decided on the Best Western Plantation Hale in Kapaa. It was very reasonably priced, we got a car for a reduced rate with them too. Our room was actually a large one bedroom apartment with full kitchen. We enjoyed the jacuzzi everyday (there are 2 jacuzzis and 3 swimming pools) and a short and pleasant walk thru a field with wildflowers and birds to a beautiful long sandy beach. The ocean can be very rough here (on this day anyway, it was down right scary) and I imagine it's dangerous for swimming but the beach had a protected natural 'pool' area (an underwater reef formed a natural pool near the shore). It was great for taking a little dip.

There are also areas located near each of the pools for BBQ and picnic tables for the guests to enjoy. They have free internet connection in the rooms, though it's not wireless and you will need your own LAN cable.

From the Plantation Hale , it's a short walk to shops and a couple of restaurants at the Coconut Marketplace (literally across the driveway from the office of the property). We enjoyed a good breakfast at Eggbert's. Click here to view the shopping center's website.

For those of you who don't care for big expensive hotels, this is a great place to stay. We felt at home.

If you ever decide to try the Plantation Hale, ask for a room in a building with a balcony/terrace (called a 'lanai' in Hawaiian) that is not facing the highway. Although there is alot of foliage between the property and the highway, the units facing the highway do not have views of the pretty and well manicured grounds and you will get some highway noise that could be annoying to some (however we are talking about a highway on Kauai...not some big city). Also, there are lots of chickens roaming around (as there are everywhere on Kauai) so if you don't like the sounds they make, you'd be better off at a large hotel resort. My husband and I personally enjoyed the chickens and other many birds we saw (and heard) at this property.

Here are some pictures I took.

View of the entrance to the office

View of the road where the property sits

View from the property of the field and pathway leading to the beach

View of the property while standing the beach, looking back across the field

The beach accessed through the field

My husband is taking a dip (sitting) in the natural pool formed by a small reef

An underwater picture of a live sea snail I found near the shore in the protected 'pool' area of the beach

Some chickens and other birds enjoying the garden in the afternoon

One of the jacuzzi hot tubs we enjoyed, looks inviting doesn't it?

View of one of the BBQ areas on the property