Waimea and Poipu

Aloha,

Today was scheduled as an off-day.  First thing in the morning we headed up to Waimea Canyon.  Matt Lucas educated us regarding the plant communities at different elevation levels as we ascended the canyon grade.  We saw several Iliau (Kauai green sword/Wilkesia gymnoxiphium) in bloom, and Matty discussed the life-cycle, establishment patterns, and regional distribution of the beautiful Ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha).  We traveled farther up the canyon and witnessed the change in floral communities as we arrived into the wet mesic habitat that characterizes the higher elevations above Na Pali.  The Kokee Museum was packed with visitors and we stopped by to make a donation to Hui o Laka.  Please visit http://www.kokee.org/ for more information about ongoing projects at Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Parks.

Following our brief jaunt into the canyon, we journeyed back across coffee country and headed down to Poipu Beach.  One of our esteemed graduate assistants pointed out a poster describing others’ use of airborne sensing platforms in the area (see below) during our return to Mahaulepu.  We had a good laugh.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the beach.  Many thanks to the professors and grad students for their support during this program!  Tomorrow we head to Nualolo, a very special place in the islands.  E mau ana ke ea o ka aina i na hanauna o ka wa mamua.  E malama pono.

–  John Thornton O’Connor