Laupahoehoe Point Park

Laupahoehoe Point Park
Near Hilo, Hawaii
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This photograph is from the nice little park on Route 19 on the drive from Hilo to Honokaa. Since the big earthquake in Chile last night the entire Hawaiian Islands (all islands, all coasts) is under a Tsunami watch with people urged to move to higher ground immediately. It took all of my willpower not to call my sister and little nephew to warn them about it. Although I did break down later and call even though it was the middle of the night. They should be okay since they live ‘upcountry’ on Maui at, I’m guessing around 1200 feet above sea level.

Laupahoehoe (Translated means: Leaf of Lava) Point Park was the scene of devastation by the April 1, 1946 tsunami, which started with an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is considered one of the most devastating waves to ever hit the Hawaiian Islands. Here is a quick link to some pictures of the damage and some more information. Link to: Dr. George’s Tsunami Page . The remembrance at the park was low-key and after a little research I realized how bad it had been. Nothing but nice, friendly waves and bright sunshine on our visit and if you driving up that way I would recommend a stop at the park, it is beautiful and historic. The trees pictured here are Ironwood ( Casuarina equisetifolia ). They are a handsome tree that looks a lot like our Pine Trees and they were growing all over the Islands.

Since this blog is supposed to be about flower pictures here is an Impatiens flower I found at the park. It was just growing wild. It had a nice color for a wild flower.