"Green Wall" - Tantalus Mountain, Oahu, Hawaii

One of the things that astonishes me is the diverse natural environment on the small island of Oahu, Hawaii. Within a short drive from famous beaches are the razor-like mountains of the Koʻolau Range which rise to 2,000 feet above sea level. Mount Tantalus, in the Ko'olau Range, is an old volcanic crater.

As the winding road steeply climbs up the range, the vegetation increases in density. A high amount of rainfall in the summit area creates a beautiful tropical rain forest. I looked for a spot where I could capture the sense of this mountain. Passing through a narrow curve in the forest, this large sheet of vines spread across the trees! Such an incredible view!

While I was waiting for defused light through clouds, this red car drove through... It was a perfect color against the green wall.

I know that Hawaii is famous for its beaches and coastlines; however, I have been more fascinated by the tropical rain forests and mountain landscapes on this island... I promise that I will post some seascape images another time.

Manoa Falls and Rain forest - Oahu, Hawaii

Greetings from Honolulu, Hawaii!! After 6 years of living and photographing in Alaska, I made a big move to Hawaii.

Hawaii's natural landscapes is very different from those in Alaska or mainland states. As a photographer, I enjoy capturing the majestic nature that this tropical island offers. You may think Hawaii is all about beaches... Yes, beaches and coastlines are huge attractions here; however, Hawaii offers diverse landscapes and other spiritual beauties. I am especially fascinated with tropical rain forests with jagged mountain ranges and waterfalls.

Less than a half hour from the famous Waikiki Beach, this island creates different climates and terrains. With significant amounts of rainfall, Manoa Valley is filled with thick green vegetation. Surrounded by tall trees, Manoa Falls vertically drops 150 feet to a forested valley.

One of my first photography trips in this island was to Manoa Falls. Within a short hike, I was already at the falls.

Manoa Falls itself is beautiful but more than the falls, I was stunned with the "jungle" plants along the stream. I wanted to capture the entire atmosphere of the area... so I set up the camera in the stream among the leaves and waited for the lights to arrive at the spot. By the time I finally got this shot, my legs were chewed by mosquitoes.

Beyond Manoa Falls, I explored the trail that reaches the overlook of Nu'uanu Valley. The trail leads through various tropical plants including a patch of bamboo forest. I tried capturing the "zen" kind of atmosphere where the bamboos and tree roots blend. Of course, there were more mosquito bites. 

After the muddy climb up a wooded cliff, I made it to Nu'uanu Valley overlook. The valley looked like a remote countryside! It is not too far from the heavily populated city of Honolulu!

Back from the trail, looking up above Manoa Valley, the tree canopies are outstanding!! The pattern of branches and leaves that created the detailed artwork in the sky! To capture this image, I handheld the camera straight up to the sky. I really like how this image turned out.

Okay, you may want to see an image of the ocean, here is sunrise at Sandy Beach, the south side of Oahu, Hawaii. I'll keep posting more images from paradise!

I'm heading to Alaska soon for a bear photography project. I'll stay in the McNeil River Sanctuary, north of Katmai National Park, for 4 days to photograph bears. In late July, the river is filled with salmon where the large brown bears (grizzlies) gather at the river. When it's peak season, as many as 70 bears can be seen in the area feasting on salmon! It is one place I am eager to visit...

Next posting will be in a few weeks after get back from Alaska.  Please check it back!

Virgin Creek Falls, Alaska

It was mid June and I finally made it to this small but tranquil waterfall in Girdwood, Alaska. This small valley is covered with thick green rain forest which reminds me of the scenery of the Pacific Northwest that stretches north to Southeast Alaska. With a short walk, the picturesque Virgin Creek Falls appeared in the woods.

The water level was higher than normal due to the heavy rains. The waterfalls were larger and more powerful as a result.

The creek was surrounded with green vegetation and moss covered rocks. It is like a little fairy tale world! I've always been attracted to the waterfalls with its lush green landscapes for my photographic subjects.

Kalalau Valley - Na Pali Coast, Kauai Island of Hawaii

After trekking the 11 mile strenuous Kalalau Trail, the beautiful remote paradise known as Kalalau Beach waited at the end. I camped on the beach the first night and captured a magical sunset with crashing waves on the Na Pali Coast. The next day was beautiful and I had one full day to explore Kalalau Valley.

Kalalau Valley is surrounded on three sides by rugged cliffs and ocean at the start. The valley is filled with thick rainforest with an abundance of streaming water. The first Polynesian settlers brought coconuts and taro root over 2000 years earlier and remnants of their habitation still exist. They built stone walled terraces for taro farming and also planted fruit trees. Taro root has been an important part of the Hawaiian diet since ancient times. Hawaiians moved out of Kalalau Valley to other parts of Kauai Island in the 1900s. Today, dozens of hippies still live in this jungle year round. They also grow taro and vegetables in the community gardens, and harvest an abundance of fruits and vegetables that grow in Kalalau Valley.

Searching for the hippie community gardens, I followed the trail deep into Kalalau Valley... The trail meandered through the rain forest along a flowing stream.

The entire valley is deeply shaded with tree canopies and lush green vegetation covering the ground. There were some signs of habitation in the valley, but the trail disappeared in the thick vegetation several times. Kalalalu Stream, surrounded with tropical greens, is a spiritual pathway up into the valley.

Crossing the stream several times, I finally found a well worn trail that led to the community gardens.  The jungle canopy soon opened up revealing patches of vegetable gardens with tall fruit trees. An irrigation channel meanders through the gardens leading to the taro fields. I felt like I was transported back to an ancient Hawaiian village. A topless woman came with a saw to do some garden work, and welcomed us to the gardens. She kindly showed me some fruit trees including the ever-present passion fruit trees. A long bearded old hippie known as Grizzly also guided us to the vegetable gardens. They were unexpectedly friendly to us outsiders. Most of the hippies live there for a few weeks to several months but some of them had settled there for several years to decades! Their life is simple and mostly sustainable; grow vegetables and pick fruits, catch fish, hunt wild goats living in the area... and sometimes trade extra camping food from hikers for locally grown herbs or vegetables or wine made from local fruits and berries. Hidden from State Park officials and government (living in State Park land is not permitted), some were likely tired of the modern world and choose to live a simple life at least for the moment.

Back to the beach to photograph another gorgeous sunset. The sky was bright red with thin clouds above the horizon that night. Each sunset is different and special. A huge cruise ship came across the sea after sunset... After all, Kalalau Beach is a remote location, but popular tourist destination to see by air or ocean if not able to physically set foot.

Here are some campsite images... Hikers can pitch the tents anywhere in the shady woods.

A small waterfall cascades down through the rocks at the west end of the beach. This waterfall is the main water source and shower for the campers.

Na Pali Coast/Kalalau Valley is an astounding place... It is a remote "Garden of Eden." I captured some beautiful moments but expressing the location's spirituality in such a short time was a challenging task... I hope you can feel the sense of this place through my images.

A few days later, I looked down the Kalalau Valley to the Pacific from above. Only a few miles above the Kakakau Valley, it takes almost 80 miles, 2 and a half hours, on winding roads to drive around the island to reach the overlook of Kalalau Valley. From above, the entire valley is filled with lush green rainforest.

As the sun lowered down on the horizon, the cliff glowed in reddish orange... and the last sun lit the rugged summit in crimson... Kalalau Valley was only a few miles below but I felt like it was far away. Sweet dreams . . .

Spiritual Path in Maui - Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

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!

 

Big Island of Hawaii #3 - Tropical Rainforest and Waterfalls

Nature on Hawaii Island (Big Island) is diverse; sunshine beaches, volcanic landscapes, rain forests, and a 13,803 foot high mountain.

The east side of the Big Island is located in the rain shadow with annual rainfall 150-250 inches. Abundant rain falls and with its year-round warm climate, the vegetation grows very well. The thick greens of the rainforest which includes typical jungle trees with draping vines; banyan trees, palm, ferns, and mosses cover the area.

There are numerous waterfalls throughout the Big Island's rainforest. Akaka Falls is one of Hawaii's iconic landscape images. The water drops 422 ft vertical down a moss and fern covered cliff, and its spray creates rainbows near the bottom. Just like paradise imagined...



100-foot Kahuna Falls are cascading through lush green cliff.

Beach is nice, but I'm more attracted to unique natural landscapes on the Big Island of Hawaii.

When I got back from Hawaii in early June, Spring had finally arrived in Alaska. Green vegetation was a welcoming sight. Summer is the most beautiful time in Alaska and a busy season for a nature photographer. I'll share some of new photos from Alaskan wilderness on the next posting.

Sitka: "The Most Beautiful Southeast Alaskan Town"

 

The misty rain enveloped the passage between forest covered islands... It's typical weather in Southeast Alaska region: one of my most favorites area. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Juneau arrived to Sitka in the afternoon when my adventure began.

Sitka is located on Baranof Island, about 150 miles south from Juneau. Like other Southeast Alaskan towns, Sitka is surrounded with green moss covered rainforest, glacier carved waterways, and snow capped mountains in the back drop. "Alaska's the most beautiful town" how many times I heard about this... so I'm here to see.

Sitka also has the rich history. It was an old capital for Russian Alaska, and the capital of the territory of Alaska after the United States bought Alaska from Russia, until Juneau became the state capital in 1906. There are some old Russian buildings remains throughout the town. Tlingit Native cultures are still deeply rooted in Sitka: totem poles and Tlingit carvings are scattered over the town.

I was hiking through the rainforest to the alpine ridge, through the wet meadow to the rocky coast, all under the overcast sky and in a misty rain. It was early in the season, the greens starting to appear among the brown grass. There was still snow high up on the mountain trail.

After half a year of living in the interior Alaska, I'm back in the rainforest in Southeast Alaska...for a short while. Surrounded with moss drenched tall trees, the smell of the ocean, and the sound of raven songs... plus hilly old towns... I love the Southeast Alaska!

Here is the Sitka's natural landmark, Mount Edgecumbe; it reminds me Mount Fuji in Japan.

(This story continued to next posting...)