Waikanaloa Wet Cave. Although near the ocean, this is a fresh water cave.
Tunnels Beach
Tunnels beach - water activities inadvisable in the winter. The currents are very
strong.
Wild chickens are common in Hawai'i. This is a rooster and hen.
Red Footed Boobys are large sea birds with bright red feet. (You will have to take
my word for it on the feet.) They are rarely seen on land away from their breeding
colonies.
The Nene, a.k.a. Hawai'ian Goose, is the world's rarest goose. It is a bit smaller
than a Canadian goose; both species' daily habits and behavior are much the same.
However, the Nene does not migrate.
The Tsunami
On March 10, 2011 a major earthquake occurred offshore of Japan generating a destructive
tsunami along the shores of Japan. NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Center sent out a “Tsunami
Watch” predicting that the tsunami would reach the Hawaiian shores at about 3 a.m.
on March 11. Hawaiians take tsunami warnings very seriously. They evacuated low-lying
areas and shut down roads to most traffic. Because Bill and I were staying at a
vacation condo on a high cliff we did not have to evacuate. However, we did have
another concern – our flight back to the mainland was to leave early in the afternoon
of March 11. With roads closed we would not be able to make it to the airport.
The tsunami did hit at about 3 a.m. and remained active for a number of hours. In
Hawai’i there was property damage, but much less than feared. The roads opened by
10 a.m. allowing us to arrive at the airport with time to spare. Bill and I are
grateful that the tsunami had a minimal impact on us. Our hearts go out the people
who lost loved ones or homes or other property in this catastrophic event.
No, we do not have pictures. It was dark in Kaua'i during the tsunami wave action.
