Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Aloha, my fine feathered friends!
Well it's a new month and a new island for us. We're trying to wrap up our Hawaii travels, as we've already been here much longer than we planned to be. Consider our slow pace a testimony to Hawaii's wonderful-ness.
Right now I'm sitting in the kitchen of the Hostel International Waikiki (a fantastic hostel, I'm quite impressed). Waikiki is quite a change from quiet Kauai! It seems a bit like Disney Land to me, colorful, VERY touristy, with fantastic people-watching. It was hard for me to find a good place to get on the internet on Kauai, so once again I apologize for the gap in communications. I want to share some stories from Kauai with ya'll!
Our "Home Base" on Kauai quickly became Annini beach park. Annini is on the north - eastern side of the island, a short drive from Hanalei. It is a county beach park, where permits are $3 in advance and $5 day of, and the rangers are great people. The first night we stayed at Annini we made a lot of friends, some of whom became our travel companions for the duration of our stay on the island. The beach is lovely, with good shell and sea glass hunting, and shallow clear water perfect for snorkeling. Across the street from the beach park is a big pasture full of happy horses. Picturesque.
Tsunami?
On the night of March 10th we were camped at Annini as usual, or so we thought. Just after dark that evening, a ranger came by, which was strange to start with, because they usually only come in the morning. He informed us of the massive earthquake in Japan, and told us that Hawaii was under a Tsumani watch. If we hear the siren, he said, we should leave the beach immediately and drive up the hill. (The main road nearby is plenty high enough to be safe, but the road to Annini is right at sea level and only a few feet from the ocean, in places.)
It took a while for this information to sink in with me... immediately I thought of Japan. I cannot imagine such an earthquake. Sitting at our quiet picnic table, listening to the calm ocean beside us, I thought of what must be simultaneously taking place across the Pacific. The only thing to do is say a prayer, I suppose, so that is what I did.
I didn't think too much about the Tsunami watch, right away. We were there with our new friends, some of whom have lived in Hawaii a long time and have seen many tsunami watches. They didn't seem to think much of it, and we carried on with our little party.
I bought a Ukelele in Hanalei a few days before, and learned enough chords to play my favorite songs. Amy had her small travel violin, and we were making some really nice music together that night! It started to rain, so we were sitting in a big white van, Amy and I and Mikey, and our friends Hawk and Aaron and Grizzley.
When the tsunami siren went off, none of us heard it. Amy and I were in the middle of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You", singing in heartfelt harmony, doing what we do best. Before we finished, though, a couple of people ran up to the van asking for a ride out of the park, and that's when I realized, oh my gosh. A tsunami?
We got out of Hawk's van and into our rental car (Homer, we named him), and left. We left our tent pitched on the grass.
Up the hill in Princeville, the gas station was The Place To Be. I think the whole town was at that gas station. The parking lot was crazy, and I didn't dare to enter the grocery store. It made me quite nervous to see the slight panic in the shopping center. We got online on Mikey's ipod and found out some more details... the wave was supposed to hit Kauai around 3:00 am, 4 hours away. With that knowledge, we drove back down the hill to Annini for the tent. (Also I think somebody had forgotten their beer :)
That night we ended up staying in the Princeville Park, a big grassy lawn with a playground. Everyone who didn't have a safe place to stay was allowed to stay there, and the atmosphere was kind of fun, to be honest.
At the end of the grassy expanse, there is a cliff that looks down over the ocean from high above. Just before 3:00 am, Mikey and I walked to the edge of the cliff. Sitting on a rock together in the dark, we could see down to the ocean, and there were lights on in several of the beach houses. We waited and watched for the characteristic "sucking out" of the water, that happens before a tsunami wave comes. We saw nothing.
The next day we returned to Annini, which looked the same as when we left it. There was a large wave, apparently, but hardly any destruction. Kona on the Big Island suffered lots of damage, I heard. And as the days unfolded afterwards, I'm sure you all witnessed the footage from Japan. It seems they need more and more of our prayers as the days go on.
So that's the story of my first tsunami watch. I hope it didn't bore you. Personally, I couldn't be more glad that it's kind of a boring story.
Love to you all! Check back soon for the story of our Na Pali Coast hike, and our visit to Kalalau valley, AKA the MOST EPIC ADVENTURE I've ever had.
I've gotta go catch the sunshine!
Love, Kristen
- comments