Hawaii (State of) Warning or Danger Tips by BlueCollar

…on Kaua‘i.

Kaua‘i has the most visitor drownings than any other island in Hawai‘i.

What makes this statistic even worse is that Kaua‘i has the forth highest visitor count. It has only one-forth the visitor traffic of O‘ahu; just a little less than one-half the visitor traffic of Maui; and about two-thirds the visitor traffic of even the Big Island. This says a lot about just how deadly the beaches are on this island.

Remote areas like Nâ Pali complicate rescues with no lifeguards, phones, or cell service! Help is a long wait away.

Rough seas, especially in winter, cause rip currents and undertow. These can drag even the strongest swimmer out to deeper water.

If you find yourself caught in this situation, keep your cool. Do not attempt a swim directly towards shore because the out-flowing current will overcome you and tire you out. Just swim parallel to the beach for one to two hundred meters. You may then attempt to swim back to shore. Repeat this procedure if find you are still in strong current.

If you plan on hiking to Hanakapi‘ai Beach (it’s 2 miles into the Kalalau Trail), you will find an interesting sign as you approach it along the trail. It is a hand-written list of people who have drowned at Hanakapi‘ai. What I found most interesting was that whoever created the sign anticipated the need to add more names because of the large blank area below the names.

I just knew my name would never grace that list! Why? Because I know the dangers here.

As a matter of fact, you, too, can know the dangers of all Kaua‘i beaches. Logon to: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/

You will learn more about the various beaches and the hazards associated with them. It is literally life-saving information. And that knowledge may just keep you from becoming a statistic.

Although this tip is intended for Kaua‘i visitors, the information here can be applied to any beach you may encounter in Hawai‘i.

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Website: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/

...on any of the Islands.

It is widely published that we, as tourists, should pull over and let the locals pass. It is especially true when you are doing only 50MPH on an open highway like I have pictured here.

This photo was taken Sept. 11, 2002 as we were driving along Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway just north of Kona. You can clearly see why the locals hate us tourists.

On a highway where most everybody drove 65MPH+, this guy (the car at the front of the line) was only doing 50. As you can see, one impatient local was passing in a dangerous area of roadway. I grabbed my video camera and started shooting since I thought I was going to witness a head-on collision. Luckily, that didn't happen.

Remember: The locals have seen all of this beautiful scenery a million times. It's old news to them. They just want to get to where they need to be.

Just make sure that the next time you're site-seeing and going slower than the flow of traffic, pull over and let the others pass. They'll appreciate it.

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...in the uplands of all the islands.

Here is the Hawai‘ian goose. It is called the Nĕnĕ (naay-naay) and is a close relative of the Canada goose. It so closely resembles them both in appearance and DNA structure that biologists consider them to be close cousins and believe that migrating Canada geese were blown off course and deposited here eons ago.

The Nĕnĕ has physically evolved a shorter wingspan and smaller flight feathers since it is now a non-migratory bird. It also has smaller webbed feet than its Canadian cousin possibly because it is mostly a land-bound bird now.

It was hunted almost to extinction 40-50 years ago. Between humans, mongoose and domesticated animals hunting them, they didn't stand a chance and a repopulation effort was started in the more unpopulated uplands of the islands. This effort has since brought the Nĕnĕ back towards a better standing. Though still endangered, it is now starting to move back into the lower, populated areas of the islands as their population grows.

These gentle birds are widely known for their lack of fear of vehicles and are known to have braved on-coming traffic while they pondered whether to cross the road completely or not. That's why you'll see the yellow diamond traffic signs warning of a "Nĕnĕ Crossing" along many upland roads. So, if you see the signs, please heed the warning and slow down! The Nĕnĕ will appreciate it.

It is a very elusive bird it seems, at least, for us. Of our several trips to the islands and the many warning signs we've seen, we have only twice seen the birds in the wild.

The first was on our way back from a pre-dawn trip to the end of Chain of Craters Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to watch the lava. We stopped at one of the many crater lookouts along the way. That's when we finally got to see the first pair.

The second time was while at the Kaua‘i Marriott's golf course.

NOTE: The macron over the "e" is not being portrayed correctly on the VT servers.

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On the Big Island at Waipi‘o Valley.

Did you see my warning about trying to drive a 2WD vehicle down the Waipi‘o Valley access road with its 25% grade? If not, go to my Off the Beaten Path section titled Waipi‘o Valley. If you did and you still plan on trying it, here's a photo (left portion of photo) of the new look your car will sport. :)

This car (what's left of it) is at the bottom of Waipi‘o Valley. We were told the owner attempted to drive down. His brakes failed and it took the express lane to the bottom. Luckily, the owner didn't go with it.

The photo portion on the right shows the grade. Although not precise, it's close. The camera was held level with the horizon and the Jeep door was close to parallel with the ground. I placed the square digitally for comparison. A grade is an equation of altitude gained (or lost) compared to distance traveled and shown as a percentage. The square shows the 25% grade (if not more at this particular spot).

You definitely need to rent a 4WD to go down here. It's worth it! Lock it into 4-wheel-low, put it into D-1 for automatics and just idle down. You'll never have to touch the brakes. Keep in mind that vehicles coming up and pedestrians (hikers) have the right-of-way. Since the road is very narrow (just wide enough for one vehicle for much of the way), if you see on-coming traffic, stop early at some of the wider areas and wait.

Also note: we read our Jeep's rental contract exclusions and this road is listed as off limits. So, if you go down here and get into trouble, don't call the rental company.

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Your trip to the Aloha State is just about over and you are in the waiting area about to board the plane for that horribly long flight home. You are proud of yourself since you managed to do everything you planned to do on this trip. Then it hits you. You forgot to buy the gifts for your family and friends that will allow you to brag a little (actually, alot) about your trip!

You rush into the airport gift shop hoping to pick up a few things real quick. Hmmm... Coffee makes a good gift. Just about everyone likes coffee. So you grab a few bags of the cheapest "Kona" brand you see and you're off to board your flight. All the while you're thinking you just scored big points with those for which you bought the coffee.

Now a week later, your "friends" all call to tell you that they simply loved the 10% Kona Blend Coffee you bought for them. They then inquire as to what 100% Kona Coffee tastes like. :-o

Next time you can save yourself some embarrassment by READING THE LABEL! Make sure it says "100% Kona Coffee" on the label. Many cheap brands are just the "Kona Blend" that is only 10% (or less) Kona Coffee. A good guage might be pricing: If it's less than (US)$30 per pound, it is most likely NOT 100% Kona Coffee.

This Hualalai Estate medium-dark roast is very smooth and very enjoyable all by itself. The more expensive Private Reserve from Greenwell Farms is even smoother. Both of these offer a refreshing visit to the islands in every sip.

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