Hawaii Day 2 - Makapu'u Point and Bishop Museum
This morning, we walked the Makapu'u Point desert death march Lighthouse Trail. It was hot and breezy with some lovely vistas on both sides of the point. The web site and the guide book were both accurate in their descriptions of hot, exposed, and pretty despite the first two issues. We consumed quite a bit of water and three layers of sunscreen for the two hours up and back. The actual point is on the farthest east edge of the island, but is looking almost due north. Apparently that sea ridge is on the whale migration path, though we are here too early in the fall for whales to be stopping by. Regardless, I got some pretty pictures of the surf, the lighthouse, and the view north towards Rabbit Island.
On the way out from the point, we stopped for shave ice (no "d") that really hit the spot, cooled us down, and perked us up. Mom and I both had strawberry. Mmmm. Ice and sugar are the perfect solutions to hot dry hiking. Very soon after, we stopped at the oh-so-exotic Subway for lunch, then went back across the island to the Bishop Museum for a few hours of indoor cultural exploration.
The Bishop Museum is a beautiful little campus in the middle of a nondescript suburb. It has a little bit of everything Hawaiian in it, including the entrance fee and gift shop. We heard a short lecture about stone gods and then enjoyed an excellent and informative presentation at the Planetarium, "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars." This program educated me about the voyaging canoe Hōkūle'a, traditional Polynesian navigation (using your thumb as a sextant and watching the stars rise and set), and the work it would take to navigate to Tahiti from Hawai'i using the stars. The planetarium docent was a strong presenter with a good voice for the crowd. The actual astronomy and navigation were both reasonably accurate and easy to understand. We finished up with a fast and accordingly shallow walk though the main building's Pacific Hall. I spent most of my time admiring the interior architecture and presentation.
After dinner, I went out to knit night. Yes, I traveled over five thousand miles to go to a Starbucks and knit. They were a good group of ladies, and I had a nice time. I also cast off my Epiphany honeycomb cowl.
On the way out from the point, we stopped for shave ice (no "d") that really hit the spot, cooled us down, and perked us up. Mom and I both had strawberry. Mmmm. Ice and sugar are the perfect solutions to hot dry hiking. Very soon after, we stopped at the oh-so-exotic Subway for lunch, then went back across the island to the Bishop Museum for a few hours of indoor cultural exploration.
The Bishop Museum is a beautiful little campus in the middle of a nondescript suburb. It has a little bit of everything Hawaiian in it, including the entrance fee and gift shop. We heard a short lecture about stone gods and then enjoyed an excellent and informative presentation at the Planetarium, "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars." This program educated me about the voyaging canoe Hōkūle'a, traditional Polynesian navigation (using your thumb as a sextant and watching the stars rise and set), and the work it would take to navigate to Tahiti from Hawai'i using the stars. The planetarium docent was a strong presenter with a good voice for the crowd. The actual astronomy and navigation were both reasonably accurate and easy to understand. We finished up with a fast and accordingly shallow walk though the main building's Pacific Hall. I spent most of my time admiring the interior architecture and presentation.
After dinner, I went out to knit night. Yes, I traveled over five thousand miles to go to a Starbucks and knit. They were a good group of ladies, and I had a nice time. I also cast off my Epiphany honeycomb cowl.