HAND DYNAMICS IN HAWAII

The Big Island of Hawaii isn’t called BIG for nothing! In keeping with our theme of going BIG, Hand Dynamics took a holiday trip to the Big Island to see what the big hubbub was all about.

Well, there’s a big active volcano on the Big Island and although we didn’t actually get to see red-hot lava, it was surprisingly satisfying to see the big plume of steam that rose from the point where the flowing lava met the sea. And it was really remarkable to witness the results and remains of previous lava flows. In fact, this entire land mass is pretty much made up of lava, as can be seen by taking a drive of any distance on the island.

Speaking of distance, there was a big distance between where we were staying and just about every place we wanted to go on the Big Island. So, this was a very active trip.

The first day trip we took was to the Mauna Kea Observatory – the biggest, highest and best observatory in the world. But this day trip is not for squeamish travelers; the road to the top is very steep and windy. You must have a four-wheel drive vehicle and be able to cope with the freezing temperatures and thin air at the top of Mauna Kea (Big Mountain). Freezing temperatures in Hawaii, you say? The observatory rests atop Mauna Kea’s 14,000-foot peak, where it is rarely NOT cold or windy. A stop at the visitor’s center at 9,000 feet is recommended for acclimatization.

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the only places in the world where you can go snow skiing in the morning and be tanning on a beautifully colored sand beach in the afternoon sun. That’s right, there are beaches of black sand, white sand and even a green sand beach on the Big Island. And they are not to be missed!

Other places not to be missed are blah-blah-blah (the Place of Refuge) and St Benedict’s Catholic Church (also known as the Old Painted Church). The Hawaiians have always been a very religious culture. Traditionally they worshipped the Gods associated with their kapu (taboo) system and with the introduction of the white man to the islands came the Catholic missionaries and the adoption of their ways by the Hawaiian people.

Blah-blah-blah was the place a person could go if they had committed a kapu (mostly punishable by death) for redemption. If they could somehow escape their captors and get to the Place of Refuge – they could only enter by sea – after performing a series of tasks set forth by the holy man there, they would be pronounced redeemed and released back into society to lead a normal life again.

The Old Painted Church is a very small “cathedral” whose inside was painted by a Belgian Priest between 1899 and 1904. The building is actually very small but it has been painted using techniques that imply a greater depth, length and height than the actual building contains. It is patterned after the real cathedrals of Belgium, rich with scenes of Heaven, Hell, and other Biblical images painted on the walls. It is inspiring that, like Michelangelo, a single man could perform this feat in just a few short years. The walls were actually not quite finished when the priest returned to Belgium due to failing health. The church is preserved as he left it.

A trip to Hawaii would not be complete without a day spent snorkeling and a day trip to Kalakahua Bay is the perfect adventure on which to view lots of little (and not so little) brightly colored fish and big Hawaiian Humpback Whales. A trip to Waipio Valley (requiring a four wheel drive vehicle) to see the big falls and a visit to any of the numerous botanical gardens is also recommended.

There’s lots of lava and lots of things to do on the Big Island of Hawaii. Go with big energy to take in all the sites or forget about all that and just take a big nap by the pool!

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