December 2003 

     The leeward side of an island is "Kona" in Hawaiian. The Kona district of the Island of Hawai`i has many beautiul roads with abundant flowers and foliage. Here is an example of riding those little roads in Central Kona.. 

     If you choose to make these drives, please take it slow, as these are residential areas with kids, dogs, ponies, cats, birds, and other area residents who are here to enjoy the peace and quiet of our islands. 

     Turn mauka (mountainward) off the highway for a trip through rural Hawai`i.

     Ride with courtesy and kindness, pull over and let people walk their dogs and horses past you - the animals here are not used to bikes and could spook. If you see a horse, stop and shut off your motor until it is past. 

     Watch for uneven surfaces. Many of our rural roads are maintained by the residents who live along them, which can mean infrequent repairs.

Traffic is light, but present, so do stay aware! Many of the side roads are steep and hidden, so you won't see cars until they are in the road you are traveling. 

     Take it slow, and enjoy the beauty of both the native and exotic plants. The exotic "century plant", the paler green sharp spiky plant to the left, really IS bigger than my bike!

     
     Wood is a precious commodity in the islands. While we have many trees, few are construction grade. But we are abundant with rocks! Some of the rock walls you will see were built in modern times, others were built by our ancestors before Europeans arrived in the islands. The Earth is considered by Hawaiians to be our Mother, and the stones are her bones. Traditional Hawaiians take great care and respect when using the stones to build.

          Puamelie in Hawaiian, also known as plumeria or fanjipani, is an exotic ornamental brought in the previous century from Southeast Asia. They have become a favorite landscaping tree, and are popular for making lei. Above, you can see croton, puamaelie, and a coconut palm.

     Right, an African Tulip tree, another exotic ornamental, adds color to the roadside across from a modern stone wall.

     Below, exotic monkeypod trees, probably some 50 years old, shade the road. 

     Sisal, imported as an ornamental, never became an important rope plant here. The native hau and Polynesian-introduction coconut fibres were far more important. Sisal is often used as a hedging plant. The thorned varieties are useful in keeping livestock away from gardens.

     Below, banyan trees.

     Above, bouganvilla, a colorful exotic, also was introduced in the previous century, and has become a popular landscaping plant, "hiding a multitude of sins" such as concrete retaining walls. It provides beauty, color, and grace where other plants often will not grow. Over the years it forms an impenetrable thorny thicket.

     The end of the road - Turn makai (seaward) to return to the Ka`ahumanu Highway and the town of Kailua. Yes, that's the highway at the bottom of that drop-off. Take it slow and use both brakes. There is likely gravel at the bottom.

Sis's Evil Kona-Mauka Driveway

     It dosen't look that bad, but I couldn't take a photo of the bike on it because the bike kept sliding back down the hill! To get back out, I had to make a running-start. I tried stopping half-way up, but the brakes wouldn't hold the entire weight of the bike (I'd better get a brake job!) and I kept slipping back down the hill. To get back down, I had to slip the clutch and paddle-walk backwards.

     I tried to get Sis's boyfriend to shoot a pic of me riding up the drive, but he waited until I was at the top. I guess I'll just have to go do it again! ;-0

     Here is Sis's Evil Driveway, looking down. That monkeypod tree is probably about 50 years old. I think it is GREAT when people who put in new construction respect our grand old trees.