Puu Ualakaa State Park

You are lucky the sun only rises and sets once a day on Hawaii—otherwise, you’d spend all of your time transfixed by the horizon. Hike to the leeward (eastern) side of any island on a clear evening and train your eye over the ocean in search of the “green flash,” an optic phenomenon in which a green sliver of light hovers in the wake of the setting sun. (On Oahu, the remote Kaena Point is a good spot to see the flash.) Sunsets on Kauai, “The Garden Island,” make the beauty of the coastal surroundings even more poignant. If you rise early and tackle the Lanikai Pillboxes trail on Oahu or summit the volcano at Haleakala National Park on Maui, you’ll experience an unforgettable morning as the sun rises over the ocean for a new day.

When you are in the Hawaiian rainforest, you will smell a distinct tropical sweetness that seems to come from the ground. A number of flowering plants and trees give off a pleasant aroma. One tree that seems to overwhelm the forests where it grows is the eucalyptus tree. It towers above much of the other vegetation and it’s bark peels off in stages revealing a smooth skin beneath - giving it a variegated and beautiful trunk.

Ohiaai, or Mountain Apple is a refreshing and crisp fruit that looks like a red pear, but tastes a little more like an extremely crisp, lightly-flavored apple. It tastes like summertime. When they are in season, they are everywhere. Farmer’s markets sell them in abundance and trees can hang heavy with red fruit. Depending on the variety, there will be small seeds inside or a large pit which should be removed. Otherwise, a good wash, and mountain apple are a perfect way to refresh the day!