Hawai'i Island — julio and christina

This was my fourth trip to Hawai'i Island, the Big Island, Big I, Hawai'i or whatever its being called this week. What is the deal with that anyway? Some say it ws named after navigator Hawai'iloa who discovered it. Others the name comes from the name Hawaiki Nui another name for the mythical land in the Pacific that many Polynesians claim to be their homeland. I was told by a Hawaiian elder that its real name is Motu O Teave and that when the missionaries romanized the Hawaiian language it became Moku O Keawe - House or island of the Polynesian original god Keawe who brings order to Po (the darkness or original creation) and hangs the sun. When Kamemeha conquered the islands he named them all after is home island of Hawai'i adding to the confusion. The island encompasses what is called Hawai'i County and is roughly the size of Connecticut 4,028 square miles. It has the world's tallest mountain - Mauna Kea and three active volcanoes Mauna Loa, Kileaua and Hualalai. It also is home to ten of the world's climate zone from the desert of Ka'u to the snowy peaks of Mauna Kea.

The Big Island would not exist without the Goddess Pele. She is the Goddess of fire, lightning, wind, volcano and the creative force of the land itself. We visited the crater at Halemau'mau in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Jagger museum and witnessed her miracle in action and it is a powerful and reverent sight to behold.

I have had some of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life here on this island but I have never heard the calling to live here and keep my visits on the short side. Something about it to me just doesn't seem ready for human consumption. Perhaps it the transient vibe from the hoards of pioneer type settlers that arrive from the mainland and call yearn to call it their home. Perhaps its the disappointment of the locals who lose there islands to whoever can afford it this year and create a revolving door of people who after six months realize its not for them. Also there exist very special kinds of fruitcakes, criminals and tweekers that can only exist on a home as sparse as the Big Island.

All things considered, there is no island as special, rife with history or as powerful as Moku o Keawe. This trip was our favorite we have taken to Hawai'i island in recent years. We stayed by the black sand beach of Punalu’u, visited friends in Ka’u and settled in the mountain town of Waimea for a longer stay.

To keep with tradition we drove up to Mauna Kea at night where there is the most amazing view of the stars one can see perhaps on Earth. It is so clear that you can see the rings of the milky way clearly with the naked eye. The visitors center also brings out telescopes to get a closer view of planets and constellations. The clear The 4,200 meter high summit view and strategic location is not without controversy as there has been a thirty meter telescope proposed and violently rejected by Hawaiian cultural groups spawning the viral Ku Kia'i Mauna movement . There was a massive protest movement and Hawaiian activists physically blocked trucks and materials from going up to lay foundation on the grounds which are sacred to Hawaiians. See more about it here

The stunning and powerful Halemaʻumaʻu Crater

The black sand beach of Punalu'u

The sand is black due to the tiny fragments of basalt in its composition

We took the steep hike down (and up) Waipio Valley

FOOD FACTS: Hawai‘i aquaculture sales total more than $75 million far exceeding fruits, vegetable or coffee. Algae sales were $34.3 million and accounted for 45.4 percent of the total sales. Overall aquaculture sales have held steady since hitting a record high in 2014.

Hawai'i Island, Hawai'i