Will Maui Be Infested With Another Invasive Species?

There is trouble on the Big Island, and I dearly hope it doesn't spread to Maui. In the early 90s, in a development called Hawaiian Paradise Park on the east side of the Big Island, notice was taken of a nasty little golden colored ant that really hurt when one was bitten by it. The ant is only 1/16th of an inch long but its sting packs an incredible wallop. First you get large raised red welts which ache and burn painfully. Then they begin to itch unbearably. And all this lasts for two weeks or more. That's just from the bite of ONE little tiny ant that you can barely see. Just suppose you are standing under a tree from which you are trying to harvest a few mangoes and the ants up in the tree lose their grip and begin to rain down on you, maybe getting inside your clothing. You are in for a few weeks of AGONY!

Where did these nasty little beasts come from? Their scientific name is wasmannia auropunctata and they originate in the tropical regions of the New World. It is thought that they arrived on the Big Island in a shipment of hot house plants. It seems very weird that businesses in the State of Hawaii, where just about everything grows, must import house plants from elsewhere. But that is reality. Back in the days of Mom and Pop businesses here, we didn't have as many invasive species because they bought their inventory from other local businesses. Then national chains like Wal-mart and Home Depot and Lowes gained a foothold in Hawaii. They don't fool around with nickle and dime stuff. If they can't get massive amounts of goods in Hawaii to resell, they import from any area that has massive amounts available. That's how we got the lovely kokee tree frog from Puerto Rico that has spread all over the Big Island. When they first arrived, one of our nightly diversions was to stand outside the plant department at the local Walmart and listen to the kokee tree frogs chirping and marvel at how something so small could make such a loud noise. They are only the size of a nickle but it's hard to sleep when they are in full cry, which they always are as soon as the sun goes down. Eradication methods were tried but to no avail. Tree frogs have no natural predators here, so they have had a merry old time enjoying a population explosion.

The little fire ant, which is the appellation (among other names!) that non-scientific folks use to refer to this nasty little beast, has now been discovered on the Kona, or west, side of the Big Island. I feel very sorry for the folks on the Big Island, but I really hope the little fire ant stays there and doesn't seek further green pastures on Maui.

Today On Maui...

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is building a website where you'll be able to check on the availability of reservations for campgrounds and lodging. You won't have to call them up any more. You know what a hassle that is! When it's up and running...some time in March...you'll also be able to make reservations with a credit card over the phone. No more in-person visits. That is also a hassle... I'll let you know when it's operational and give you the URL. Stay tuned...

I'm Back...!

I haven't posted on this blog for months because nobody was able to access it from the outside. I could only access it from inside the dashboard. When I typed Maui-in-the-morning.blogspot.com in my browser, and clicked "enter" I arrived at a site that had a big orange arrow on it that said, "Sorry, but that blog does not exist, but the name is up for grabs if you want to register it!" or words to that effect...! I was crushed! What was even worse was that I couldn't contact Blogger, or even Google, to ask them to please remove the Orange Arrow Of Death from my precious blog. Being still a newbie after all these years (I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed) I didn't know of any clever way to get their attention.

Well, the orange arrow is gone; I have no idea why, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. They did the orange arrow trick on a couple of my other blogs, also. I guess there wasn't much harm done, as I am probably the only one who has ever visited this blog. Well, I had fun writing the posts, and I'm really glad I'm open for business again. Thank you to whomever removed the orange arrow...!

News From Maui, The Magic Isle

Well, I see by The Maui News that Aloha Airlines is still having trouble and has shut down its passenger service. That is the airline that wags on late night TV were calling The Hawaiian Convertible a few years ago when the top of a plane flew off in flight sucking out a stewardess who was never found. Losing an airline makes it really hard on us because in this state, as you know, we can't just jump in the car and zoom down the highway if we have an urgent reason to visit our capitol, Honolulu. We have to go by plane, rent a car, do our business, drive back to the airport and fly home. Believe me, we are a state of frequent fliers!

News from the Magic Isle

The most unusual bed and breakfast in the state of Hawaii-or anywhere else, for that matter- is on the Big Island. It's called The Lava House and it's located in the now-mostly-covered-by-lava subdivision of Royal Gardens on the south flank of Kilauea Volcano. Jack Thompson, the 57 year old owner of The Lava House, is one of the only two residents left in Royal Gardens. He has lived in his home since before Madame Pele began pouring lava into Royal Gardens twenty-five years ago. He used to work in Hilo, but now he is retired and can spend all his time in his (still untouched by Madame Pele) home. His property is beautiful with lush landscaping and lots of fruit trees in his backyard. He goes back and forth to Hilo on his motorcycle across the lava, as there are no passable roads left.



Mr. Thompson says there are a lot of benefits to living in such an isolated style. He doesn't have to worry about crime. His neighborhood is very peaceful and quiet, which is just the way he likes it. There is a bit of light pollution at night from the glow of the molten lava pouring into the ocean down on the coast, but he has TV to watch, run by a gasoline generator.

Speaking of the glow at night, years ago when the lava from the Volcano first approached Royal Gardens, I had been invited to dinner and to spend the night with friends who lived in Royal Gardens. As I was driving there, it was dark and the whole sky was lit by a red glow, and the air was hot. As I drove into Royal Gardens, I saw families sitting out on their decks, playing cards, eating and doing whatever families do in the early evening. They seemed to be unconcerned about any encroaching lava. I, on the other hand, was very nervous. Have I mentioned that I am a coward? I turned around, drove back the way I had come, phoned my friends with some excuse, and spent the night in a hotel in Hilo. The next day, my friends were still there and hadn't been swallowed by hot lava in the night. They, and all the other families, were depending on Hawaii Civil Defense to warn them in plenty of time. That day eventually came and all those families have moved away and Madame Pele has had a field day burning up their houses...

But Jack Thompson's house is still untouched. He says he will stay there until he sees the lava rolling toward him. He is not afraid of the lava because he says that you can outrun it easier than you can outrun a car. So, with amazing sangfroid, he has turned his Lava House into a bed and breakfast. His guests arrive by helicopter. Strangely(!), most do not spend the night. They eat lunch with Jack on his lanai, then they get back in their helicopters and fly away again. So if you would like to spend some time in a very unusual bed and breakfast, you can contact Jack at.808-756-4270. You will have a great story to tell your grandchildren. But don't wait too long...

A Recipe For Mango Salsa from Maui, The Magic Isle

Here is a great salsa recipe. You can pretend you're on Maui while you're savoring this. You need a couple of very nice ripe mangoes. Peel and chop them. Then add one half cup of each of the following: finely chopped sweet red pepper, fresh cilantro (also chopped) and crushed pineapple (fresh would be nice if can, otherwise canned). To this, add one quarter cup of finely chopped sweet Maui (or Vidalia) onion. Then add salt and pepper and freshly squeezed lime juice to taste. If your taste buds can stand it, you could also add some finely chopped Jalapeno pepper. Mix it all up and you've got some ono grinds!

I think it's really good without the Jalapeno pepper, but some folks like to burn out their mouths...So do as you please, but by all means enjoy it. This is nice with broiled fish. I'm not much of a cook, but I can make this! I'm good at chopping and mixing...!

Aloha from Maui, the Magic Isle!

Well. over here on Maui we are getting a lot of the Vog from the Big Island. Madame Pele is starting up her fiery show again after being pretty quiet (for her, anyhow) for about nine months. There hasn't been any lava from Kilauea entering the ocean since last June, but now the spectacle of molten rock sliding into a hissing ocean is again enthralling hundreds of onlookers. The officials on the Big Island have built a road that will allow folks to drive nearly up to the area where they can watch the phenomenon. The sightseers just have to park and then hike about half a mile to the safe viewing spot. The County has supplied porta-potties and emergency water. But that is pretty rugged terrain that the folks are going to have to traverse, and there's no shade, either. Me, I'm staying cosily at home. I'll watch it on the TV news!

Madame Pele has been throwing her weight around for twenty-five years now. This current eruption began in January of 1983. Actually, as volcano goddesses go, Pele is pretty kind, if that's the right word. There aren't the terrible explosions and nasty showers of volcanic matter, like the stuff that buried Pompei in Italy back in Roman times. What comes out of Kilauea usually is pahoehoe lava which reminds me of taffy. Well, it's red hot 2000 degree taffy, but I think it's beautiful. It's kind of ropey-looking and it moves slowly.

Once that taffy stars moving, however, nothing stops it. There used to be a lovely ancient Hawaiian fishing village on the coast near where the lava is flowing now, called Kalapana. The lava reached it in 1986, but it didn't do too much damage then. The lava stopped for a few years, but another flow reached Kalapana in June of 1990. You can just imagine the resident's feelings as they watched the lava rolling slowly into town. One house after another went up in flames as the residents further down the road were frantically trying to get their goods out of their houses before the lava reached them. By September 1990, lava had covered Kalapana with about 30 feet of pahoehoe lava. Lovely Kalapana is no more...