nature

Hawaii: State Bird

Leave a Comment | , , ,

Nene

A Rooster Named Ralph

We had a chance to see Hawaiian state bird, the Nene (top photo), in the wild when we visited Waimea Canyon. But I’d have to cast my vote for the wild rooster (bottom photo) as the state bird. These loud crowing cock-a-doodle-doo-ers were everywhere on Kauai, running through parking lots, backyards, roads, jungles and golf courses. Me and G went to a waterfall that was a 15 minute kayak and a 30 minute hike through the woods and sitting at the edge of the waterfall was a rooster. According to Wikipedia:

Some say a chicken farm was destroyed, causing all of the chickens to roam free that one may see today. Others say that sugarcane plantation laborers in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought and raised chickens (for eating and cockfighting) and many got loose over the years and multiplied. Whatever their original source, Kauai is now home to thousands of wild roosters and hens, roaming the island with few natural predators.

I posted a Kauai Wild Chicken Recipe after the jump:
…

Hawaii: State BirdRead More »

Hawaii Day 2: Canyonland

3 Comments | ,

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon

After a big breakfast and a quick dip in the ocean we piled in the car and headed up Waimea Canyon (wiki). Known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The views are great and the rain/clouds are plentiful. Much of the canyon is located in Koke’e State Park so if you are into hiking, this area can provide tons of opportunities. This trip is defiantly worth the time and effort.

The drive up the canyon is windy and steep but very pretty. There are periodic lookouts and pull-offs along the road the entire way up. The Kalalau lookout and the hike up to Pu’u O Kila lookout near the top provided us with some of the prettiest views we had during the entire trip. This is considered one of the wettest spots on the planet, so bring a raincoat. I failed to take this peice of advice and ended up getting soaked to the bone by the end of our hike. The state park and the nature center make for some great spots to stop for a picnic, rest, or short hike.

After our trip to the canyon me and G spent the rest of the evening swimming in the ocean and cooking fresh salmon on the grill.

Scroll to Top