Beat of Hawaii and Beyond: Travel Deals, Tips, Events, Culture

Name a plant that has been a staple in Hawaii since the Polynesians brought it here by canoe. Hawaii produces 6 million pounds each year. If you guessed Taro you’re right. On July 1, Taro becomes the official state plant of Hawaii.

TARO is believed to have the greatest life force of all foods. It’s also called Kalo in Hawaiian which means, “everlasting breath.”

All parts of this sturdy plant are eaten. Just make sure to cook Taro first and never eat it raw. The leaves are cooked as greens and the tubers are cooked and mashed with water to make poi. In modern times it’s been added to pancakes and fried or baked into chips and bread.

In ancient Hawaii, poi brought people together in a ceremony of life that supported the relationship of ohana (family). There’s more to learn about this historical plant by reading Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawaii. If you’re ever on Maui during the month of April, consider going to the Taro Festival in Hana.

Next up is the mysterious and prehistoric HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL. On July 1 it joins our state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa, as the new official state mammal. We hope this will create public awareness and critical funding to help save the Hawaiian Monk Seal from extinction. If you’re fortunate to see one, leave it alone as fines for disturbing a Hawaiian Monk Seal can reach as high as $25,000.

Finally, there’s a new controversy over STRAWBERRY GUAVA. Love it or hate it, you decide. They are plentiful when walking around the hills in Hawaii, and very delicious. We grow Strawberry Guava intentionally in our yard.

In the wild, however, they represent a threat to native species, and provide food for unwanted fruit flies and pigs. This summer, the U.S. Forest Service plans to release a scale insect from Brazil to attack strawberry guava and reduce its fruit production. Since they are cultivated as well as wild, all guava production will be hurt. Many feel that the plan is ill-advised.

Strawberry guavas have been present in Hawaii for 200 years, and are well liked for eating and in cooking.

If you’ve had experience with our “two plants and a mammal,” please be sure to comment.

We love our Honu which is the Hawaiian green sea turtle. Three other Honu fans are the talented Claremont Trio who performed recently in Hawaii. While on Kauai, they filmed this wonderful video for their tour blog.

Last week’s Jaunted article on visiting Oman to observe sea turtles, inspired today’s post. If Oman is too far away for you, Hawaii offers three sea turtle species that you can see.

1. Green: Protected by the endangered species act, and weighing up to 500 pounds, their life-span is believed to be very long. Green turtles live close to the shores of our islands, feed primarily on seaweed and swim up to 35 mph. One of the most ancient species of the world, they existed prior to dinosaurs.

2. Hawksbill: The elusive, nearly extinct hawksbill, ‘ea’ in Hawaiian, is noted for its shiny shell. It is still hunted illegally due to its high value. There are only a few dozen hawksbills still found in Hawaii.

3. Leatherback: The largest of all living turtles (in fact all sea reptiles), this species has no shell and instead is covered by a black rubber-like skin and oily flesh. Leatherbacks dwell in deep water away from the island shores, and can weigh up to one ton.

You observe Hawaiian sea turtles on all the major islands: Best sites are on the Big Island’s Kona side. Likely beaches include Anaehoomalu Bay, Honaunau, Kahalu’u Beach, Kahuwai Bay, Kuki’o Beach, and Punaluu Black Sand Beach. Also, on Kauai at and around Poipu Beach Park and Brennecke’s Beach.

Observation guidelines: Turtles are generally not afraid of people. They are, however, protected by law and it’s illegal to touch them. Do not chase or scare turtles, hinder their movement, or swim within 20 feet.

If you’ve seen a Hawaiian Sea Turtle, please share your experiences.

Beat of Hawaii was at the Kauai Museum today for their 28th Annual Lei Day Celebration. I hope you like our pictures of some of the contest winners. It turned out to be a beautiful day of flowers, music, dance and Aloha.

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The ancient stones of Mookini Heiau (temple) call to your soul and connect you to a time long ago. Our journey here has not been easy. We encountered potholes in the road as big as the heiau itself. Several cars that followed us in have turned back. We kept going and completed the final mile on foot.

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Experience the culture of Bhutan in Honolulu between now and May 23.

Make a prayer flag, observe sacred dance, meet a guide from Bhutan, try on a Bhutanese robe, see art never on exhibit before and participate in daily rituals with monks.

We did all of this in one afternoon last week at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Their lastest exhibition, “The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan,” is the most ambitious show ever launched by the Academy.

A video of the exhibit follows:

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Looking for a unique stop when visiting the Kona Coffee Farms? I was and found the H.N. Greenwell Store. With the help of costumed interpreters, I was soon shopping in the 1890’s.

This is a living history museum so everyone gets in on the act. After a short orientation, I took on the role of a Hawaiian rancher. To help in this process, I was given period garments, a shopping list, and items to trade.

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