Last December, I explored the natural beauties of the Island of Maui, Hawaii. In photographing Hawaii, I am especially fascinated with the tropical rainforests and waterfalls. Driving through the town of Hana, the tropical green landscapes continued through to the southeast part of the island. As part of the Haleakala National Park system, the Kipahulu area is a real gem; breathtaking waterfalls, natural pools, bamboo forests, and coastal views.
Wailua Falls, full of water after a heavy rainfall.
'Ohe'o Gulch ("Seven Sacred Pools") waterfalls cascading down volcanic cliffs with tropical vegetation down to the coast.
Maui is home to bamboo... a large part of East Maui is covered with bamboo forest! The trail in this part of Haleakala Park begins with typical jungle images with banyan trees and thick greens... A creek cascading down creates some waterfalls along the trail. As I climbed higher and crossed several bridges, the vegetation changes to bamboo. The bamboo forest gets thicker and thicker... almost completely blocking out sunlight. The trail gets even darker at mid day. The breeze and rain blows the tightly packed bamboo and creates clacking sounds in dim green colors. Sounds of water streams are mixed in.
Capturing this atmosphere, I had to set the shutter speed for 13-15 seconds with tripod in the low light. The wind swing the thin green stalks... It was hard to get sharp images.
Walking through the bamboo forest in rain was somewhat a spiritual experience... I had never felt this way when I was back in Japan among the bamboo forests there. "Zen" mind experience!?
Passing the bamboo, the tall trees took over the trail. Through an opening through trees, waterfalls on the green cliff could be seen...
Waimoku Falls dropped off a vertical cliff of 400 feet! Such an amazing end to the trail!
For the next posting, I will post some sunrise and sunset photos at Mount Haleakala Summit in Maui, Hawaii. Please check back in 2 weeks!
Last December, I explored the natural beauties of the Island of Maui, Hawaii. In photographing Hawaii, I am especially fascinated with the tropical rainforests and waterfalls. Driving through the town of Hana, the tropical green landscapes continued through to the southeast part of the island. As part of the Haleakala National Park system, the Kipahulu area is a real gem; breathtaking waterfalls, natural pools, bamboo forests, and coastal views.
