Blake and Deborah in Hawaii: A Mighty Wind

The Big Island is indeed big in a relative sense – it is twice the size of all the other Hawaiian islands combined. Still, together all the islands comprise a state only a little bigger than Connecticut. But from east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the union. This is what happens when you combine continental drift with a hot spot on the ocean floor that keeps spitting up magma that forms into islands. You can think of the Hawaiian Islands as a series of peaks in a huge mountain range, most of which just happens to be underwater. The Big Island is the newest “peak” to form, and in fact is still forming. Kilauea, one of five volcanoes on the Big Island (along with Kohala, Hualalai, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa), is considered one of the most active in the world.

All that mountainous topography combined with the surrounding ocean and persistent trade winds make for a surprising variety of micro-climates on such a small island – anything from tropical rainforests on the east side to desert in the west Kohala coast to alpine chill on the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa – both of which are nearly 14,000 feet in elevation. It's quite something to fly into Kona airport located in the arid expanse of dark lava fields (which Deborah likens to a sea of cow pies) – not at all what you picture when thinking of Hawaii.

We are currently staying near the arid cow pies in Waikoloa Village, also know as WaikoBLOWa for the fierce winds that plague it almost constantly as the trade winds from the northeast get funneled between the peaks of Kohala and Mauna Kea and race down the valley. We could never live here. The temperature is comfortable but wind plus dryness plus open windows equals a constant battle with dirt and dust. Even if it ever got cool enough to close the windows, with thirteen cats and two smelly dogs you don't even consider that. We're really attracted to outdoor living but here you can't enjoy your outdoor spaces at all. It's like living in a hurricane. When watering the plants I have to constantly remind myself to stand upwind or I get an extra shower. No, too dry here, too windy. Despite its conveniently central location, Waikoloa will not be our next home. We'll be looking for the greener, calmer parts of Hawaii.