Things to Do on The Big Island – Living in Waimea, Hawaii

Snow in Hawaii?

Posted on October 19, 2018December 15, 2020 by JUDY HOWARD

Snow in Hawaii? Yes! First snow of the season on Mauna Kea

Do we get snow in Hawaii? You bet! https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/hawaii-snow.html I can’t be absolutely certain, because there may have been times when the mountain has been completely socked in and might have had snow on it, but I’m going to call this the first snow of the season. Usually when we have snow on the mountain the temperatures down at the 2500 ft elevation, where I live, are a little cooler. For whatever reason, I haven’t noticed a drop in temperature this morning.

You can barely see the observatories surrounded by snow in the picture, because the mountain is quite far away and I’m using my iPhone to take pictures. Today is Friday, and I don’t believe there are any winter storm warnings for the mountain, so this weekend some people may go up to the observatories with their pickups and load up with snow for the neighborhood kids to play in. If so, there will be pickups in town leaking melting snow. It melts quickly, but it is a fun way to celebrate the season.

Tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, and other citrus grow well in Waimea-don’t plant too many.

As Christmas approaches it will be difficult to give tangerines away, because so many people have at least one tree, and most trees will be full of fruit, but they are delicious! One of the mistakes newcomers make is to go a little wild on planting citrus fruit trees. The yields tend to be very high after the first few years, and it is easy to end up with far more fruit that you can figure out what to do with. North Hawaii Community Hospital cafeteria may still accept donations of fruit, and the Thursday Community Dinner at St. James would probably also be happy to receive some. Another option can be to befriend someone with a booth at one of the farmers markets and ask them to sell or give fruit away. Finally, when all else fails, freeze the juice for the long stretch when the trees will not be bearing!

If the tangerines are getting close to ripe, so are the oranges. Our local oranges look awful, if you’re used to sprayed, uniform looking fruit, but they are far superior to the oranges we import. They are sweet and juicy, with thin skins. A great way to eat them is to slice them, then pack them in ice and take them to the beach with you. They will be a cold, thirst-quenching treat!

Lemons and limes tend to bear year round. Meyer lemons do very well here, and are, again, far superior to the awful little imported ones usually offered at the grocery stores. There are many types of limes that do well, although I have not had great luck with lime trees. There are numerous other citrus varieties that grow very well here, but I have not tried to grow them. There are so many microclimates here, and sometimes it takes a little trial and error to figure out what works!

Citrus fruit marks our winter season, as does snow on Mauna Kea

Our seasons may not be very pronounced, but once you’ve lived here a while, you notice and enjoy the changes!

The Clear Night Sky in Hawaii: A Sight to See!

Posted on August 12, 2018December 15, 2020 by JUDY HOWARD

I just went outside a little earlier than I would have liked because one of my dogs insisted. While I was out there, I looked up and saw the most astounding panoply of stars, meteors, and one satellite. The night sky was beautiful!

The night sky here is glorious when we can see it! Here on the East side of Waimea, there are many nights when the stars are obscured by clouds, but that makes the brilliantly clear nights all the more of a treat. I love to use my Skyview app: https://weloveweather.tv/top-6-astronomy-apps/

There is a reason some of the most powerful telescopes in the world are perched on Mauna Kea, always within view from Waimea. The skies are usually clear at the top of Mauna Kea, and there is much less light pollution here than in many places on the North American continent. While we have winter storms at the summit, the weather is more benign than in many other places that would offer so little light pollution.

Other things I take for granted, but should not:

The quiet. It is 5:13 a.m. on a Sunday morning, and I can hear occasional drops of condensation landing on my porch roof from my house roof, an occasional coqui frog, and my dog chewing on her treat-filled kong bone. That’s it!

The temperature. It is in the high 60’s, both indoors and out. What a lovely temperature it is! As we progress toward fall and winter, the night time temperatures will drop a bit, and it may get as low as the high 40’s at night for a week or two. The days will tend to be clear and warm-they may even reach into the low 80’s. The weather patterns shift in the fall, and our trade winds decrease. That reduces the amount of rain and clouds we have, and results in warm days, and cool, crisp nights.

The friendliness of this place. If you treat people here with respect and kindness, it will be repaid. Smile, and you are extremely likely to receive a smile in return. I believe that sometimes people come from other, pushier, places, and become frustrated with the “courtesy dance” we engage in here. It is true: transactions, even those as simple as whether you turn into traffic first or wait for me, can take more time than they would elsewhere. And if you are the type that wants to always be first, please stay away! You will be miserable here, and you will make everyone around you a little less kind and happy!

What is there to do?

Posted on August 4, 2018December 15, 2020 by JUDY HOWARD

What is there to do in the Waimea area? We have beaches, which are both beautiful and offer almost endless opportunities for fun.

We have golf courses, and many places to hike.

We have whale watching, canoe paddling (and combining those two is a sublime experience), and scuba diving.

You can surf, wind surf, SUP, fish, or hunt for birds or pigs.

We have rodeos, polo, and cutting and reining competitions, along with various other clubs for other riding disciplines.

We have glorious farmers markets, and many excellent restaurants. We have a theater, and talks sponsored by the two observatories with offices in town.

There are many houses of worship, and lots of opportunties to volunteer or engage in civic activities. It is sometimes not easy to figure out which organization needs which kind of help, but checking with the school offices and hospital is a good place to start.

But our cultural events are limited, we don’t have huge shopping malls, endless shopping choices, or massive movie complexes. People do move here and then move away, saying there “is nothing to do”.

What is there to do? It depends on what you’re looking for. The Big Island is definitely more attractive to active outdoorsmen (and women) than to people who are accustomed to having multiple cultural events and shopping opportunities to chose from. It is also more attractive to those who are willing to forgo frequent visits with friends and family and are open to learning about different cultures and making new friends!

Big Island Weather

Posted on August 3, 2018December 15, 2020 by JUDY HOWARD

Two of my rescue pups. One snaps with joy, the other tends to piddle. But you can see how green the grass is

It changes from minute to minute, and is different from place to place! I live on the “wet” side of Waimea, also euphemistically referred to as the “lush side”, “emerald side”, “green side” etc. We tend to have wetter weather from January through September, but there have been many summers when we have suffered from drought. On any day of the year, it may sprinkle for a bit, and then the sun will come out. At other times, such as last night, we can have torrential rain and wind.

We are on the windward side of the Island, while parts of Waimea are on the leeward side. Those areas are much drier, but tend to have much more wind. And not 20 miles from here, in Waikoloa, the County has been battling a brush fire for a couple of days. They had enough rain earlier in the year to promote growth of grass and brush, and now that is has dried, it has become fodder for fires. The fire department has that one under control now, but they’ve closed a road connecting Waimea and Kona, leading to some serious traffic delays.

Recently I was driving up the Hamakua Coast from Hilo, and encountered blinding rains along the way. When I got home, less than 15 miles from the area where it was pouring, everything was dry. Whether on the windward or leeward side, it varies from spot to spot, season to season, and day to day!