From Los Angeles, it takes more than five days by cruise ship to reach the Hawaiian Islands. It then requires just as long to go on to French Polynesia. These islands are more distant than any other spot from everywhere else on the globe.
Robert and I have been to the islands several times in the past. By now, we have visited most of its famous top tourist destinations. Since we are on a Viking cruise, which includes a complimentary tour in every port, we decided to take advantage of those excursions. What new things might we discover?
Our guides have been quick to tell us how the big dramatic contours of the place are naturally born from the volcanic processes that erupt from a Pacific hot spot connected to the mantle below. Technically, Mauna Loa on Hawai’i is the largest mountain on the planet rising from deep in the ocean and still reaching high enough to be snow-topped.
With such volcanic geology, we get the tall peaks, dramatic cliffs, beautiful waterfalls and lovely beaches we all associate with the place. Our tours brought us to several such lovely spots, including Rainbow Falls on Hawai’I and the Iao Needle on Maui.
But what about the greenery, the birds and the people? When and how did they arrive on these specks in the ocean?
Not a lot of life made it naturally to this spot. Only two land mammals are truly native to Hawai’i—the Hawaiian monk seal and a bat. Nothing else mammalian managed to cross the thousands of miles. Surprisingly, many plants you might consider naturals are also foreign. The coconut palm only arrived with the first Polynesians a little over one thousand years ago.
Other than sea birds, the types of birds finding their way here were also limited. No hummingbirds could survive such distances. The flycatchers that made their way expanded to fill a myriad of ecological niches.
Then came mankind. The first settlers brought pigs, chicken and rats, along with key plants. Now pigs and chickens overrun the place. (We did have a cute visit to feed some of the “native” boar.) But the newcomers weren’t kind to the original plants, and the islands have many endangered native species.
Next came the Europeans with Captain Cook and the introduction of still more animals, plants, and customs. Not long after, King Kamehameha the Great united the islands to create the only kingdom that would one day be forced into the United States following a businessmen’s led coup.
A global variety of other plants, birds, and pests arrived over the years. Things like pineapples and sugar cane, eucalyptus trees, mongooses, and cardinals. Today, the lush landscape that we associate with the islands is almost entirely non-native.
All the while the hot spot beneath the island chain keeps feeding volcanos with molten lava as the Pacific Plate moves below. The islands continue to grow and change.
We’re just happy to have a chance to enjoy its current moment in the sun.
Robert adds: “The Fun of Being a Tour Guide” – Yesterday, on Maui, I was reminded of our visit to Casablanca years ago where a tour guide pointed to the location where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman filmed some scenes in the classic movie. No matter that the film was from 1941 and the building we were in was built in 1971.
Skip forward to when I worked at the Disney Studio and occasionally gave walk-around tours. I would joke with friends that I could say literally almost anything – with enough authority – and get away with it. Not that I ever did.
Skip forward to yesterday and our bus ride around Maui. “See that house way up on the hill? Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, that was Marilyn Monroe’s vacation home here on the island.” Lots of oohs and aahs from the tour group. Back on the ship, I was compelled to ask Google. Well……. Turns out that no, that’s not true. Here’s the story. In 1949, Wright designed a luxury home to be built near Fort Worth, Texas, but the project never went anywhere. The same house design was altered in 1952 for a home to be built in Acapulco. Not built. Then in 1957, Marilyn contacted Wright about building a home for her and Arthur Miller in Roxbury, Connecticut. Wright expanded the previous plans, but the couple’s marriage fell apart, Wright died shortly after, and the unfinished plans were put in the archives in Taliesin West. Skip ahead to 1984 when a businessman contacted the archives hoping to use unbuilt Wright designs for a project. An architect combined all three earlier designs (!) and eventually, in 1993, the project was completed – the King Kamehameha Golf Course Clubhouse. A much more interesting story.
Please check out all my novels in either paperback or Kindle format, including The Long Table Dinner, The Finnish Girl, The Devil’s Analyst, and Tales from the Loon Town Café. All titles are available to read for free to Amazon Prime subscribers. Dispatches from other cruises can be found on my blog site:
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