Day 14

ANOTHER BEST DAY EVER!!!! Today we went Napauli Coast State Park! We took an amazing boat tour around the island going into several sea caves and seeing some great coastal volcanic features. Matt was full of information about the ancient Polynesian cultural beliefs and hiking trail tips. We then got to the beach and did some Ground Penetrating Radar work on a recently cleared field by the Heiau. The Heiau here is one of the most complex and interesting ever found. It was three levels and a well that always contains fresh water. This well is a feat of engineering using the methods of rain flow accumulation, lithic cooling and fresh waters natural buoyance over salt water to sustain an entire civilization totally cut off from other fresh water resources. These ancient people used the massive reef system surrounding the beach as their “garden”, feeding their population mainly from the bounty of the sea. We saw many animals in this reef including sea turtles, crabs, eels, and many kinds of fish. The grad students from UOH came out today and flew the fixed wing and attempted to fly the kite. I always enjoy working with that team. I also helped Dr,Burney and Matt make mulch for the native plant garden there out of coconuts.