WATERFALLS, MOUNTAINS AND MAJESTIC TREES
The playground of the Hawaiian fairies, the Menehunes. Once upon a time….fairytales begin here in the mist. From the coolest mountain tops, upon the craggy cliffs, plummeting down the steepest waterfalls, through the densest jungles, dripping from the leaves of the trees, the water flows and dances down the mountains to the oceans in the timeless dance of nature.
~ PHOTO STORIES~
It was a day in late January, which is the rainy season in Hawaii. I had been trying to head into the mountains for several weeks to take pictures of the Ohia Lehua trees in bloom. It had been raining, a lot! I don't know if you know, but Oahu's mountains can be treacherous after heavy rains. The Pali Highway had already been closed several times due to mudslides. Finally it had been sunny for a week and I knew my window was closing. I had to get pictures of the Ohia Lehua trees before they stopped blooming. In addition there was a new disease that was killing the trees! I felt like it was important to get as many beautiful landscape pictures of the trees for posterity, just in case. I headed up into the Ko'olau mountains. I had seen some stands of trees while hiking in the summer so I knew where I wanted to go. That day had the perfect light and the trees still had many blooms on them. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise to have the craggy mountain peaks providing the perfect backdrop and texture to offset the bright red flowers. I entitled the photo The Lover's Singing Tree because of the Hawaiian legend about the Ohia Lehua tree. Afterwards I was caked in mud from the knees down and it made me so happy that I got the shots!
Vertical Divider
|
I took Pele's Magical Mist while I was on a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. A friend of mine who was working at Kilauea Volcano National Park called me and said "Get over here, a lava tube opened up into the ocean! You need to come take beautiful pictures of the lava flowing into the ocean!" Of course I jumped on a plane and flew to the Big Island that evening. I found a super cute bed & breakfast to stay in at Volcano village. Sadly by the next morning when we were going to head out to the flow, the lave tube to the ocean had already closed off. I had been up before dawn so I headed into the park and was wandering through the rain forest takings photos. If you know Volcano, it can get cold. As I was hiking around and laughing because I could see my breath, I noticed the Ohia Lehua trees were blooming on the edge of the steam vents. The flowers are so beautiful! It took a little bit of angling and support (okay I tied a line I had with me around a tree and my waist so I wouldn't tumble off the edge! Safety first!) to get the angle in the landscape for the picture. Doesn't the mist drifting through the Ohia Lehua rain forest create an esoteric otherworldly feeling?
Vertical Divider
|
The windward side of Oahu. No matter how many times I drive this road from the North Shore to Kaneohe, it always remains stunningly beautiful & picturesque to me. I’ve been driving this beach highway for about 10 years now. On this particular morning I was driving to my weekly art showing at the Buddhist temple. The morning was crisp and clear without rain or clouds. The winds were very calm too. Quite a feat for windward Oahu at this time of year! As I drove past Kualoa Ranch, I could see how glassy the water in the bay was. The reflections were beautiful on the serene ocean water. I was getting exciting for the potential of FINALLY getting pictures of the scene with the mountains & Mokolii in the distance (nicknamed Chinaman’s Hat). I had been trying for awhile to get this landscape scenic picture and hadn’t succeeded because wind and rain are a way of life there. That’s why it’s so green and lush! I had to flip a quick u-turn to park at the spot I had in mind. As I walked across the open field I could see conditions were perfect. The wind hadn’t kicked up. I was dreaming about the scene as it unfolded and the angles of the pictures I would capture. Then BAM! I was hit by a sneak attack. I stepped into a big mud hole that was hiding in the grass. LOL! Lucky for me I had my ‘yucky’ slippas still on. (Hawaiian pidgin for flip-flops). I made it to the waters edge a little worse for wear with mud caked between my toes and finally Kualoa & Mokolii posed for me.
Vertical Divider
|
It was flooding, in June. An unusual tropical depression blew up, roaring across the Hawaiian islands dumping massive amounts of rain. If you’ve ever been to Hawaii during one of these storms you may have experienced what happens when that much rain comes down that quickly, it creates stunning waterfalls between the towering mountain peaks. All the way from Waimanalo up the coast to Kualoa, the mountains become waterfalls. It was a Tuesday and I had an art showing that I usually set up at. In the morning I checked the radar. “Hmmmm….should I chance ‘em??? Sure, why not”, I thought. I’m a diehard by the way & it wouldn’t hurt for me to drive down and at least see if the storm would lift. I always carry my camera with me, just in case there is a photo op that pops up. If anything I could always go take waterfall photos. As I drove down to Kaneohe, it began to sink in how terrible the weather really was! At times I could hardly see the road. So much rain was coming down it was like a rain blizzard. There is a spot where Waikane stream floods over the highway during heavy rain and that bugga was right up on the edge of the highway! Five minutes after I drove though, I got an alert that they closed the highway due to flooding! I finally made it to the parking lot of the art show and sat there for a few minutes. There was no way I could unload. There was a river of water running through parking lot. Oh well, at least I tried, onto a photo adventure! I decided to slog up a dirt road I knew in a valley. I walked a little ways towards the mountains to see what waterfall scenes I could capture. I waited under my umbrella with my camera shoved under my poncho. I didn’t have to wait long for a little break in the rain. The clouds lifted a bit, a little light seeped through illuminating the mountains and then click The Tao of Paradise and Finding Zen waterfall and mountain pictures were captured.
Vertical Divider
|
Blue Urchin Hawaii photo galleries and online store showcase landscape pictures, mountain pictures, natural water falls, trees & native ohia lehua from the Hawaiian Islands. Shop a wide selection of aluminum wall art, fine art photo prints for sale, contemporary artwork & unique fun gift ides as seen through the eyes of adventure photographer Shannon Rae.