Oceania Travel

Hawaii: Kaua’i’s Chicken Run

by Teresa Adamowski

Most people know Kaua’i as the Garden Isle. On a recent visit to the oldest Island in Hawaii’s archipelago, I was surprised to learn of Kauai’s other claim to fame.

My first image of Kaua’i is from high above on the final approach to the Island. The vibrant red earth is a stark contrast to the intense cerulean ocean. The dirt is red due to the fact that the high iron content of the volcanic soils has had plenty of time to oxidize, especially with the wet conditions of the island. Incidentally, Kaua’i is the rainiest place on Earth.

As I step onto the sizzling tarmac, the air is still and stifling hot. The sun’s rays are tenacious and it is a relief to fling myself into the air conditioned van that will take me to my final destination approximately one hour North of Lihue Airport.

It’s not evident upon first glance, however as my taxi journeys over the bumpy and winding road Northward, I notice a copious cluster of chickens and roosters happily foraging the immaculate beachfront. It strikes me as odd to see so many chickens wandering freely, so I ask the cab driver for an explanation. He smiles and shares with me a fascinating story of Hawaii’s very recent history.

“When Hurricane Iniki hit the Island in 1992, the powerful storm destroyed many large chicken farms and the feathered inhabitants fled to all corners of the Island”.

He went on to explain that as Kaua’i encompasses dense vegetation, massive waterfalls, canyons and vast areas that are only accessible by air or water, the chickens were able to escape detection for many years. Since then, they have thrived in this tropical paradise and the lush Island has been overrun by a large and growing feral chicken population.

“I don’t eat the chickens myself, but my wife’s family are always chasing them things,” The cab driver chuckles. “Her family’s a bit crazy,” he adds in a hushed tone.

The status of the Kaua’i chickens and roosters becomes more evident as I settle into my suite at the Princeville Westin Resorts on the North Shore.

I am awakened by loud crowing at the crack of dawn and the whole clan joins me by the infinity pool where they peck at the stray handouts willingly offered by curious tourists, who snap photos to commemorate the moment.

The concierge at the Resort offers an alternate explanation to the recent chicken explosion. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, sugarcane plantation labourers imported and raised the chickens for eating and as a form of entertainment (“cockfighting”). Over the years, some of the chickens got loose and formed the wild clan. He concurs that the massive hurricanes certainly contributed to the over abundance of chickens.

Curious to test my theory that there must be a place on the Island without “free-range” chickens, I embark on a day trip to Tunnel’s Beach, which is a favourite haunt for snorkelers and swimmers due to the generous cove that is protected by a coral reef. I enjoy a scenic drive to the North West corner of the Island, along the rural twisting seaside roadway. Around each corner I strain to catch a glimpse of the most perfect uninhabited white sand beaches through the bushy over growth. I stop along the way to witness the enormous surf crash onto the shore with a thunderous clap.

As if this display of ferocity is not enough to deter swimmers, there are many notices warning of dangerous tidal conditions. At the end of the road, I arrive at a secluded, romantic beach teeming with tourists, locals and yes, more chickens.

After a week of exploring the natural wonders of Kaua’i, I no longer think of wild chickens on the beach as strange. Somehow they have grown on me and add to the quirky but friendly ambience of the Island. I imagine the Kauaians are no doubt thankful for the boost to their local economy. A visit to any gift shop on the Island reveals numerous chicken themed souvenirs and surprisingly the quantity and selection surpasses the availability of local sea turtle merchandise. The Kaua’i chicken is here to stay as the unofficial and unusual mascot of the Garden Isle.

Kauai Luau and Sunset Dinner

If You Go:

♦ Don’t be deterred by Kauai’s claim as the rainiest place on Earth. When it does rain it does not last long and dries very quickly due to year round tropical temperatures.
♦ Rent a car in Lihue airport or in the City as it can be very pricey to take a cab across the Island (e.g. $100 U.S.D. + tip from Lihue to Princeville).
♦ Bring with you a sense of adventure. There are many activities to enjoy while you visit Kaua’i, including helicopter tours, hiking in Waimea Canyon, surfing, snorkeling, kayaking and sailing to name a few.
♦ The locals are especially friendly and are a great source of information and advice.

About the author:
Teresa Adamowski is a writer who is very physically active and creative. In her spare time, she enjoys running, drawing, and hiking. Recently she suffered a setback in her half marathon training and has found solace in writing She loves to travel and explore new cities, however has found a special connection with the Islands of Hawaii and plans to return very soon. Publications: viewer.zmags.com/publication/4dba4be2#/4dba4be2/58

All photographs are by Teresa Adamowski.

A Romantic Holiday: Coming Home to the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort

by Mari Kane

As we emerge from our van in front of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, I hear music. Outside, a Fijian guy is playing guitar and singing a welcome home song. Beside him, a Fijian woman is offering us colorful drinks with tiny umbrellas. I want to wave them away with an “aw garsh, ya shouldn’t have,” until I realize that every guest is serenaded upon arrival. After a ten-hour flight from Los Angeles and a one-hour flight in a six-seat plane from Nadi International Airport, their song is a symphony to our jet-lagged ears.

The five-star resort is a collection of thatched roof bures spread over a former coconut plantation on a lush peninsula on the island of Savusavu. Named for the son of the world’s most famous diver, the resort is unsurprisingly eco-friendly. Not only does it run a marine preserve in Savusavu Bay, it also employs a full-time marine biologist to guide visitors through its underwater backyard.

We arrived in mid-March 2010, one week after a category-four cyclone had torn through the Fijian islands and destroyed buildings, homes and roads. Driving from the tiny airport, we saw lots of damaged structures and broken tree limbs being chainsawed into manageable pieces. The once-verdant jungles, stripped of foliage and flowers, were tinged a mottled shade of brown. At the Cousteau resort we saw numerous downed trees, and a tour of the organic vegetable garden revealed a heartbreaking mess of broken seedlings. From the pier, we could see how the coral had taken on a variety of beige tones, and on the beach, piles of broken pieces had washed up, free for the guilt-free taking.

Still, the sun was high and the air was warm, and the Fijians kept saying “Bula, welcome home,” as if we’d returned to a place we’d been before. That cyclone suddenly seemed so last week.

The size of our oceanview bure rivaled our Vancouver apartment, with enough closet space to keep our stuff hidden. Two walls were plantation blinds, the domed ceiling thatched, and the entire bathroom earthy-tone tile. After being briefed on everything from the best way to keep mosquitos out and the various organized activities, we were given a foot bath and massage on our porch. Talk about a fine howdy do, this was an effective way to make a visitor feel welcomed home. It made me want to curl up on the beach with a good book.

But with so many things to do at Cousteau, who has time to lay on the beach? Every day offers something new. We starting several mornings with yoga on the beach, or if it rained, the group stretched in the children’s Bula Club among the giant chess pieces. Outfitted with snorkeling mask and fins, we took launches out on Savusavu Bay where I got my first look at a white-tipped shark. On another day, we rode a school bus across the island, high up to the Waisali Rainforest Reserve for a hike to a waterfall under which we swam in the clear pool of mountain spring water. The scene was like out of a movie.

Then there was the kava. Also known as kava-kava it’s made from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant and is used as a sedative and anesthetic. Here, kava is a ceremony, where ground kava root is mixed with water in a traditional wooden bowl and is scooped out in a coconut shell and passed from person to person. Before and after drinking the metallically vegetal-tasting juice, we are told clap once, which can be tricky when you’re holding a coconut shell full of kava in one hand.

Before, during and after dinner we were entertained by the Cousteau’s house combo, the Bula Band, a group of young men who sang and played guitars. These guys were big on kava and encouraged us to sing and drink along. Joining them became a great way to relax after a long day of, well – relaxing.

To prevent our minds from going completely to mush, the resort presented stimulating ecologic-related programs each evening before dinner. One night, whale photographer Bryant Austin discussed his style of capturing high resolution pictures while free-diving among whales and he showed slides of his full-sized whale photographs, which his exhibits in whaling countries. Another evening, the resort’s resident marine biologist used video produced by Jean-Michel Cousteau to discuss the nature of sharks. From him we learned that sharks don’t actually bite people; they’re just getting a little taste. That’s a relief.

When it comes to dining, Cousteau is famous for its cuisine. The open-air Serenity dining room, overlooking the infinity pool, offers a menu of beautifully presented three-course meals on a fourteen-day rotation. So, if you stay two weeks you never eat the same thing twice.

On our first night, we were treated to a traditional Fijian feast, cooked mostly in the lovo – a fire pit lined with heat-resistant stones. All afternoon, the smoky savoriness wafted over the resort, piquing our appetites. The buffet included lovo-cooked pork, chicken, beef as well as a whole walu – or Spanish mackerel – and were augmented with chunks of baked taro, sweet potato and plantain, smoked to perfection.

What I loved the most was a dish called palusami. This is a mix of onion, tomato and other veggies wrapped in taro leaves and soaked in coconut milk. Coconut milk is a key ingredient in Fiji and is made fresh at the Cousteau resort. Cooked in the lovo, palusami is satisfying enough to turn me into a vegetarian.

The good eats are not limited to the Serenity dining room, however. True romantics can have a table set up at the end of the pier for more privacy, an arrangement we saw working nicely until the wind and rain forced a quick evacuation. The kitchen will also load a gas grill, tables and chairs into a boat and set up a full lunch on Naviavia Island out in the bay, an event that impressed the large party of Californians who participated.

The mellow Fijians who run the Cousteau resort have a gift for making guests feel at home. live in a nearby village and live off the land and sea. I asked our boat pilot – who doubles as a kayak wrangler and grounds keeper – how he liked working at Cousteau, and he laughed and said, “I can just pull off my shirt and jump in the water whenever I want. What can be better than that?”

Our waiter told us he had worked on Fiji’s big island and it was expensive and a tough place to live, “but here, I can pull down a coconut or catch a fish to eat and it’s free.” Sounds pretty idyllic to me, although the village suffered some big-time crop loss in the storm. To support the village, the resort requests donations for a fund to benefit their Fijian employees and their families. Assistant Manager Bart Simpson – his real name – told us the Fijian’s hospitality comes naturally. “A lot of the nice things they do, we don’t ask them. They just do it.”

By the end of our week we couldn’t pass up a fragrant massage in one of the spa bures on the beach, where the only sounds are lapping water, breezing palms and the breath of the Fijian masseuse as she rubs me down with floral-scented oils. Nor could we resist taking a couple of the kayaks out on the bay along Sauvusavu’s coastline, to see the vivid brownness of the shore and the beige coral through our glass bottoms.

The Cousteau resort may be seductive to couples, but from all appearances it’s also dynamite for families. The Bula Club spans a large swath near the vegetable gardens encompassing two freshwater pools with slides plus a mushroom pool for toddlers, a jungle gym, a sandbox, and two open-air club houses for doing art projects or playing giant chess. I saw a crowd of pre-adolescents going nuts on the deep-pool slide, and while their Fijian nanny stood close, occasionally calling admonishments, she pretty much let them cut loose.

The resort’s nannies are available all day, so parents can have time alone if they want. Although kids are not allowed in the Serenity dining room, families can dine together in an equally beautiful space on the other side of the infinity pool. This separation of kids and adults is not only a welcome respite from the noise and frenetic energy of children, it also make you appreciate them more.

One of my favorite times was when nannies brought the kids out on the resort pier to spot fish and coral in the morning’s low tides. The way they were mesmerized by the underwater life made me realize that for all our differences, one thing children and adults always have in common is the appreciation of nature. For this reminder alone, I loved having these kids around.

As we depart the Cousteau resort – rested, relaxed, tanned and well fed – we are again sung away by the bula guys and the managers. They make us feel that instead of going home, we are actually leaving it.

If You Go:

♦ Flights to Nadi International leave from Los Angeles four times per week via Air Pacific. The 10 hour flights range from $1,363 – 2,357 depending on the month.
♦ Flights to Savusavu from Nadi run several times per day and range from $246 – 527.
♦ Depending on the season and the bure chosen, rates for two adults start at $820 per night, including all meals, soft drinks, Fiji water, teas, coffee, the activities mentioned above, Bula Club for children and return vehicle transfers from the local airport.
♦ Additional charges apply to spa services, alcohol, diving equipment, island lunches and pier dinners.
♦ Read more about Fijian food at tastingroomconfidential.com/eatin-fijian

About the author:
Mari Kane is a writer, blogger and internet marketer based in Vancouver, BC. As a member of the BC Travel Writers Association, Mari won her trip to Fiji in a drawing at the BCTWA annual gala and is grateful to them and the PR Counsel at Tourism Fiji.

Hawaii’s Outer Shores

Mau’i and Moloka’i

by Tom Koppel

The wind off Maui’s northwestern coast picks up, creating short, choppy waves that slop over the sides of the traditional Hawaiian canoe and into our faces. But the tropical sea is blissfully warm. Though wet and wild, it is an exciting ride as Captain Timmy Gilliom shouts out orders to his crew of agile sailors and brings the boat about for a fast downwind run. I admire the canoe’s refined construction. Not a nail, bolt or other piece of metal is to be seen. The twin dugout hulls are connected by cross-pieces of rare koa wood. All the wood is so perfectly lashed together with rope that nothing squeaks or groans even under great stress. The outing gives our small group of visitors a tantalizing taste of what the early Polynesians experienced as they traversed vast distances in open boats.

Another day, Gilliom shows us the larger voyaging canoe that he and a small non-profit group are nearly finished building at a boat shed in Lahaina. It is crafted largely of modern materials, such as fibreglass and epoxy, and the sails are fastened on metal tracks. “You’ve got to go with the times,” says Gilliom, who has skippered the famous canoe Hokule’a on cruises as far as Easter Island that re-enact the ancient journeys of his ancestors. In the distance is unpopulated Kahoolawe, identified by scientists as the source of basalt for stone tools found on an atoll near far-away Tahiti.

My wife Annie and I are immersing ourselves in the history and culture of Hawaii’s less crowded “outer” shores, far from the lights and traffic of Waikiki. It is like opening a Russian doll, so many hidden dimensions are revealed. We keep getting vivid glimpses of long-vanished ways of life. It is a rich, diverse and sometimes shocking tableau, full of extreme contrasts. On the one hand, there is the fondly imagined paradise of dramatic geography, a sultry climate and beautiful native people. On the other, a history of brutal warfare and the oppressive traditional social system, in which commoners might be killed for stepping on the king’s shadow. On the Big Island, however, people were safe if they reached sanctuary within the walls and temples of the City of Refuge, now painstakingly restored.

Centuries of ecological destruction and extinctions have left their mark. All the main edible plants—taro, yam and coconut, papaya, banana and citrus fruits—were introduced by the colonizing Polynesians. Primordial forests were slashed, burned and terraced for agriculture. Native birds were decimated by land clearing or by the rats that came as hitchhikers on the canoes. No Hawaiian landscape resembles what existed a thousand years ago.

Also surprising is how rapidly Hawaii changed after Captain Cook arrived in 1778. By the 1820s, Lahaina was a bustling center for whalers and missionaries, with grog shops and churches, brothels and hotels. That was fully two decades before the Gold Rush led to the growth of San Francisco. In fact, Lahaina had America’s first high school west of the Mississippi. Since then, entire industries, such as pineapple cultivation, have come and gone, vanishing almost entirely. Great forests of koa and sandalwood were pillaged for export. Where fields of sugar cane flourished until quite recently, there are now virtual ghost towns and abandoned mills.

Even such iconic pastimes as surfing have undergone change. We begin our sojourn at the home of old friends, Charley and Lisa Erck, on the Big Island. A fine woodworker, Charley custom-builds a seldom-seen style of hollow surfboard designed by a famous 1930s surfer, Tom Blake. These are truly works of art, but Charley loves to show them off in real waves. They drive us down to the beach at spectacular Waipio Valley, fringed by thousand-foot cliffs and irrigated by Hawaii’s tallest waterfall. Waipio, once densely populated, was the early domain of a chief who eventually united the islands by force and became King Kamehameha. From a lookout above, we see tidy plots of taro, a mainstay in the old Hawaiian diet. A tsunami in 1946 destroyed most of the houses and cultivated lands, but a few dozen homesteaders gradually returned. While Charley surfs and Lisa swims, we kayak back a century in time, up the little river past funky homesteads and grazing wild horses.

Then, we join a cruise that starts at the Big Island and ends on Maui. Carrying around 30 passengers, the Safari Explorer is a small but deluxe ship. At Mauna Lani resort, where our group assembles, we marvel at sophisticated ancient fish ponds that provided a fine and predictable catch for the chiefly elite. Nearby are mysterious petroglyphs etched with strange human and animal figures, and cave-like lava tubes, where people used to find shelter. One side trip takes us to a seaside heiau, a huge temple platform of black lava rocks built for Kamehameha. Its dedication required a human sacrifice, so his cousin (and rival) was slain. On the shore below was a separate temple, where victims were fed to the sharks.

Our ship is well-equipped for seeking out marine wildlife. We snorkel among brilliantly colored reef fishes and the graceful green sea turtles that have long been revered throughout Polynesia. Large pods of spinner, spotted and bottlenose dolphins surround us several times, weaving back and forth, twisting in the air, and cavorting in our bow wave. Humpback whales blow and leap halfway into the sky. One night, we float in wetsuits while powerful spotlights illuminate the depths. The lights attract dense plankton and the huge manta rays that feed on it. We watch, transfixed, as these gentle giants swoop by gracefully just below us, ghostly creatures with gaping mouths and wings fifteen feet across.

Other evenings, special guests come on board. A hula troupe gives a performance that is nothing like what tourists experience at most resorts and commercial luaus. The lead dancers are men. They do aggressive, warlike steps, much like the Maori haka in New Zealand, rather than gentle, flowing ones. The moves are accompanied by chanting and drumming. There is not a ukelele or guitar in sight. We join them in drinking awa, a mildly narcotic ceremonial potion known elsewhere in the Pacific as kava. Another night, we meet Lawrence Aki, a hulk of a man who exudes quiet dignity, and his young disciple Kawika. Lawrence is a kumu (teacher) from a remote valley on Molokai. Kawika has lived with him for five years, helping at first in the taro patch and learning the old ways. This includes speaking the Hawaiian language and reciting genealogies. “It’s a lifetime commitment,” Lawrence says.

We anchor and go ashore at sparsely populated Lanai, once the exclusive company realm of Dole fruit. A high plateau in the island’s center had pineapple fields stretching for miles. Today, it’s cheaper to grow them in the Philippines. We hike through an exotic tropical forest to a high lookout. The waters of the lush valley below once irrigated the pineapples. Big horned moufflon sheep graze on a hilltop. A gorgeous lodge with a world class golf course stands where workers at a cattle ranch used to live. In tiny Lanai City, contending lawn signs debate the economic benefits and environmental impacts of installing giant wind turbines to generate electricity for Honolulu.

On Maui, small buses take us up through cooler elevations and ranch land to the 10,023 foot summit of Haleakala for a blazing sunset. Legend says the volcano was created by the wandering fire goddess, Pele. Women used to place placentas atop the peak to ensure long and healthy lives for their children. Now it houses an array of telescopes, one so powerful it was used to inspect damaged tiles on the space shuttles.

The final morning, a humpback leaps in the distance. It is a fitting sendoff. We have an entire afternoon to enjoy before a midnight flight home, and we have decided to visit a small museum about Pacific whaling. It features the old tools and equipment and the many products produced from an estimated 292,000 great cetaceans killed by the American fleet alone between 1825 and 1872. Fortunately, the humpbacks have made a remarkable recovery in recent years, from a low of around 1,000 in the 1960s to 20,000 or more today. On display outside is the impressive skeleton of a 40-foot sperm whale.

Our last evening in Lahaina, before facing airport security and other 21st century pleasures, we dine in a seaside restaurant, where the tiki torches are lit at dusk. We hang out in the quiet courtyard of the venerable wooden Pioneer Inn. And we stroll under a vast multi-trunked banyan tree, decorated with Christmas lights, that covers an entire city block. Growing for well over a century next to the old harborfront courthouse, it has been a silent witness to all the swirling tides of Hawaiian life.

If You Go:

For the Hawaiian winter cruises of Safari Explorer (or its summer cruises in Alaska), see World Luxury Cruises. The 2012/2013 Hawaii cruises are scheduled to include a stop at Molokai.

About the author:
Tom Koppel is a veteran Canadian author, journalist and travel writer who has contributed travel features to numerous newspapers and magazines for over 25 years, including the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Columbus Dispatch, Georgia Straight, Globe & Mail, National Post, Islands Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald and Canadian World Traveller magazine. He recently completed his fifth book of popular nonfiction, about the South Pacific islands.

All photos are by Annie Palovcik.

Pitcairn, Island With an Infamous History

by Norman A. Rubin

In 1790, near Tahiti Island in the South Pacific, English sailors staged a mutiny on the board the ship ‘HMS Bounty’. Nine English mutineers, their Polynesian ‘wives’ and a few Tahitian men and women took the Bounty on a desperate search for a safe hideout. They found it on Pitcairn Island. After being settled by mutineers, the island’s early history was bloody, with many feuds and violent deaths. Now Pitcairn Island is peaceful and its fifty families, many of them descendants of that infamous Bounty crew, welcome visitors to their idyllic tropical home.

Over the years a trilogy of novels have been written about the fate of HMS Bounty and the mutineers including Mutiny on the “Bounty” (1932), Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn’s Island) by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall) and it has been dramatized in films. Now you can visit and explore the island and hear of the adventures from the descendants of the mutiny.

The Pitcairn Islands group is a British Overseas Territory. It comprises the islands of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno. Pitcairn, the only inhabited island, is a small volcanic outcrop situated in the South Pacific at latitude 25.04 south and longitude 130.06 west. It is roughly 2170km (1350 miles) east south-east of Tahiti. The island is approximately 3.2km (2 miles) long and 1.6km (1 mile) wide with the capital Adamstown located above Bounty Bay and accessed by the aptly named road, “The Hill of Difficulty”. Pitcairn Island was sighted on 3 July 1767 by the crew of the British sloop HMS Swallow, commanded by Captain Philip Carteret. It was named after Midshipman Robert Pitcairn, a fifteen-year-old crew member who was the first to sight the island. www.government.pn

The remoteness and ruggedness of Pitcairn’s geography, the insularity of its bureaucracy, and the scarcity of its resources conspire to make it a very difficult place to reach . Visitors who wish to stay on the island for any length of time require a license from the governor, because the irregularity of transport means they’re effectively residents of the island for the next several weeks or even months. These licenses require proof of good health, the means to leave at the end of the visit (e.g., passage on an upcoming ship), at least NZ$300/week to cover your cost of living on Pitcairn, plus various other conditions, and a $100 fee; these are valid for six months. admin@pitcairn.gov.pn

Cook Islands Cultural Village Tour with Night Show and Buffet Dinner in Rarotonga

If You Go:

Accommodation on the Island means “Home-stay” style. This is arranged prior to your arrival. Rates are Standard at US$70 per person per night. This includes all meals and laundry. Check with your host about rates for Telephone and Internet access. When you book your trip to Pitcairn you may contact individuals to book accommodation in advance otherwise the tourism co-ordinator will arrange home stay accommodation upon your arrival and introduce you to your hosts.
Pitcairn Islands Tourist Board
Adamstown, Pitcairn Island PCRN 1ZZ
(Pacific Ocean)
E-Mail: info@visitpitcairn.pn
Internet: www.visitpitcairn.pn

To get to Pitcairn today, you can travel on board Pitcairn’s new Passenger / Cargo supply ship chartered by the Pitcairn Island Government, the MV Claymore II. The Claymore II can accommodate 12 guests in private twin Cabins. Each cabin has two bunk style beds, table and chairs, wash basin, fans, reading lights, wardrobe and electrical outlet socket. The ship has air-conditioned passenger areas and provides guest with lots of room to relax outside on deck, watch a movie in the lounge or read a book on the enclosed, air-conditioned aft deck. All meals are served in the large dining room overlooking the front of the ship. The Claymore II sails direct to Pitcairn from the Island of Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia., a 32 hour journey. One could opt for a three-day sojourn on Pitcairn Island or a ten to a three month stay with a return booking on the Claymore!! cargo boat. To book a passage on board the MV Claymore II Please contact the Pitcairn Island Office (PIO) in Auckland, New Zealand on +64 9 366 0186 or email on admin@pitcairn.gov.pn.

A Saulsalito, California company Ocean Voyages Inc. called organizes yacht charters from French Polynesia to the Pitcairn Island. Every year between January and April the Rarotonga-based research vessel ‘Bounty Bay’, arranges cruises from Mangareva Island to Pitcairn and Henderson Islands, and paying guests are welcome.
Ocean Voyages, Inc.
1709 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
Ph: +001 (415) 332-4681
Fax: +001 (415) 332-7460
Email: sail@oceanvoyages.com

Pacific Expeditions Ltd
PO Box 3063, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Email: info@pacific-expeditions.com
Website: www.pacific-expeditions.com

There is quite a variety of activities to do on the Pitcairn Islands. You can go swimming at St. Paul’s Pool, a tidal pool in Eastern Pitcairn, Oeno Island has the only sandy beaches suitable for swimming. Henderson Island is good for bird watching. You will get a chance to go roping the cliffs; then there is snorkeling or scuba diving among coral reefs and a few shipwrecks. Add to that there are the Polynesian rock carvings; and at the island’s museum there are the mutiny artifacts and the Bounty Bible,

Henderson Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several endangered bird species. The island of Henderson supports a rich variety of animals in its nearly inaccessible interior, and also of supporting a small human population, but access is difficult, owing to its outer shores being steep limestone cliffs made of sharp coral.

For additional information contact:
Pitcairn Islands Administration
P.O.Box 105696, Auckland, New Zealand
Tel: (+64-9) 3660186 Auckland
Tel: (+872) 762337766 Inmersat Mini-M at Pitcairn
Fax: (+64-9) 3660187 Auckland
Fax: (+872) 762337767 Inmersat Mini-M at Pitcairn
E-Mail: admin@pitcairn.gov.pn
E-Mail: ppa.mailbox@fco.gov.uk (governor)
Internet: www.government.pn

Photo credits:
Pitcairn dock by Jens Bludau / CC BY-SA
Bounty mutiny illustration: Robert Dodd / Public domain
Pitcairn satellite image: NASA / Public domain

About the author:
Norman A. Rubin is a former correspondent for the Continental News Service (USA), now retired and busy writing articles and stories for Net sites and magazines worldwide – see www.Google.com under the author’s name for a review of his written work.

Hawaii: The Quest For Kona Coffee

by Troy Herrick

Tropical Hawaii conjures up images of warm temperatures, sandy beaches, palm trees, hula dancers and … freshly-brewed Kona coffee. The latter is certainly one of my fondest memories of the islands. I reserve this treat for weekend and holiday consumption only as I can relax and appreciate the rich, smooth, satisfying flavor that it provides.

Coffee is not native to Hawaii. The British brought the first seeds to the islands in the 19th century and sparked a whole new industry. Now some of the finest gourmet coffee in the world is produced on the South Kona Coast of the Big Island. These 66 square miles of coast constitute an appellation – only coffee grown within these bounds may be legally designated as Kona coffee.

The leeward side of the Mauna Loa volcano creates a special microclimate suitable for coffee production. The sunny mornings and rainy afternoons generate a “coffee cloud” that shades this mountain slope during the late afternoon. Both the coffee cloud and the rich volcanic soil impart a unique taste and aroma to the Arabica coffee beans grown here.

Many Kona coffee brands are sold in Hawaii. Most of these are blends however. Those wishing to enjoy 100% Kona coffee should read the labels carefully to eliminate the blends. Compare the taste of 100% Kona coffee to the blend just once and you’ll understand why there is simply no comparison between the two.

Approximately 800 coffee plantations operate on the Big Island. Most are no larger than three acres in size. Of these, only four are open to the public: Greenwell Farms, Bayview Coffee Farm, the Ueshima Coffee Company and the Royal Kona Museum and Coffee Mill. Each provides you with an opportunity to taste 100% Kona coffee.

Greenwell Farms provides the best free tour of any commercial coffee farm. Visitors should find that this tour is sufficient for learning all about coffee cultivation and processing. Tour guide George Wakefield-Rae, outlines the processing and equipment used for processing the coffee beans. Steps include: harvesting the ripe coffee cherries, removing the beans from inside the coffee cherries, washing the beans, removing the mucilage coating from the beans, drying the beans on a drying deck or in a tumble dryer, removing a membranous coating from the dried beans, grading the beans and roasting the beans.

After the tour, visitors are invited to sample light and dark roasted versions of both premium grades known as Extra Fancy and Peaberry. Peaberry beans are an anomaly in that they are plump, single oval beans. Regular coffee beans have two halves with matching flat sides. While this difference seems insignificant, the impact on taste is profound. Peaberry beans have a milder, fruitier taste combined with lower caffeine and higher oil content than regular coffee. I enjoyed the Peaberry so much that I purchased a one pound bag of the lightly roasted beans. The taste was fruity and full-bodied.

Bayview Farm produces my long-time favourite Kona coffee. I have been purchasing the dark roasted Extra Fancy coffee beans by mail order since 1999. This day I bought a 5 pound bag. This coffee is tangy with just a hint of spice and great depth of flavor. Savor a cup as you take a moment to admire the view of the bay below. In the distance you see the Captain Cook Monument on the water.

The Ueshima Coffee Company offers a personalized hands-on roasting tour. Visitors can process their own half-pound bag of coffee beans and then apply a customized label to the product. Those not touring may sample the different Ueshima coffees in the company store.

The Royal Kona Museum and Coffee Mill offers a free self-guided tour and coffee tasting. The museum displays some older coffee processing equipment and details the history of the Kona coffee industry. Visitors can also see operational coffee processing equipment down the hill behind the museum store. While you are there, take the opportunity to walk through the 500 year old lava tube near the drying docks.

Before returning to your car, climb the steps up to the turquoise “tree house” near at the parking lot for a beautiful view of the area. The lush vegetation below the coffee museum slopes gently to the sea over a mile away.

The nearby Kona Historical Society’s Kona Coffee Living History Farm provides an unusual tour through an early 20th century coffee farm, owned and operated by a traditional Japanese family. A male guide outlines the early farming methods and equipment employed to cultivate and harvest coffee beans. Later, visitors are taken through the farm house by a kimono-clad female tour guide. Here they gain insight into how this family made use of its limited resources. Coffee farming was not a lucrative endeavor so the family was forced to make clothing from used coffee bean sacks. After touring the farm house, take some time to taste some different coffee types.

Getting the Most Out of Your Kona Coffee Purchase

Those wishing to explore the finer points of coffee tasting would benefit by reviewing the steps in detail at www.wholelattelove.com. Remember the three “S”es: slurp, swirl and swallow.

If you do purchase some Kona coffee, George Wakefield-Rae provides the following advice for proper storage. Freshly roasted coffee should be consumed within the first 3 weeks of purchase so as to enjoy the freshest taste. Coffee beans are best stored in airtight containers with no exposure to light, moisture or freezing temperatures. Freezing the beans breaks down the oils but preserves the caffeine.

What was my first thought upon hearing George’s comment about coffee storage? Just this. With six pounds of coffee beans, I will be drinking as much Kona coffee as I possibly can in the next few weeks – and enjoying every minute of it. Finally, no coffee beans were harmed in preparing this article. However after completion, that is a different story.

Kona Tour: Coffee Plantation, Kealakekua Bay, Kaloko-Honokohau Park and Bee Farm

If You Go:

Kailua-Kona is the best base for your Kona coffee. With careful planning and coordination, all four coffee farms may be visited in a single day as part of a scenic drive south from Kailua-Kona. A rental car is the most practical mode of transportation.

Greenwell Farms
81-6581 Mamalahua Hwy
Kealakekua Hawaii
96750
wwww.greenwellfarms.com

Bayview Coffee Farm
Painted Church Road, approximately 0.4 miles north of the Painted Church
www.bayviewfarmcoffees.com

Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC)
82-5810 Napo’opo’oo Rd in Captain Cook
www.ucc-hawaii.com

Royal Kona Museum and Coffee Mill
83-5427, Mamalahoa Hwy, Captain Cook

Kona Historical Society’s Kona Coffee Living History Farm
82-6199 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua
Tour: $20 per person
www.konahistorical.org

About the author:
Troy Herrick, a freelance travel writer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. His articles have appeared in Live Life Travel, International Living, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines. He also penned the travel planning e-book entitled ”Turn Your Dream Vacation into Reality: A Game Plan for Seeing the World the Way You Want to See It” – www.thebudgettravelstore.com/page/76972202 based on his own travel experiences over the years. Plan your vacation at his www.thebudgettravelstore.com and www.plan-a-dream-trip.com sites.

Photo Credits:
All photos by Diane Gagnon. A freelance photographer, Diane has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines.