North Shore Travel Advisory Summer 2013

Very few fish can be seen on the algae-covered reef at Ke'e Beach

Ke'e Beach has been touted as one of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Kauai and twenty years ago, it was! It is still really beautiful, but this location is also ecologically fragile. Kauai is visited by one million people annually, and lately, it seems like all of those folks have been visiting the beach at Ke'e.

Many people come to Ke'e to snorkel. While the water is clear and the lagoon is fairly protected, the reef has been covered with algae and the fish populations have diminished. Despite the efforts of many tourism groups, visitors are not practicing reef etiquette and the lifeguards spend more time trying to save the reef than saving lives (they do a darn good job of that too). The beach here has also suffered from erosion and if you visit, you are likely to notice the exposed tree roots.

Visiting Ke'e, especially during the summer months, can also be frustrating. There is limited parking, and you may have to park about 1/4 mile away and walk in. That is, if you are lucky enough to find a parking spot at all. There are only a couple of restroom stalls, so folks that have been driving all morning may have to wait in a long line to use the restroom.

We keep hearing visitors comment that "they" should build more restrooms and put in more parking, BUT, a more likely scenario is that traffic will be limited here.

If you are traveling with your family this summer, we advise you to steer clear of Ke'e. The snorkeling is not that good, the travel distance is far, and the environment is fragile. Instead, visit Haena Beach Park just down the road and you can do some snorkeling at Tunnels where you will see way more fish.

We always advise you to check in with the lifeguards and practice reef etiquette, because all of the reef is delicate here and the sheer number of visitors is beginning to have an impact. However, you are sure to enjoy the beauty of the beach at Tunnels. Besides the amazing marine life that lies beneath, the mountain views are second to none. As always,we are sure you will enjoy your family vacation here on the Garden Isle.

Enter to win Kauai Children's Book

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Who Lives in the Sea? Ocean Animals of Hawaii

by Monika Mira

Giveaway ends March 14, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

An Angry Birds Birthday Party in Hawaii

On a recent visit to Lydgate, my son became rather enchanted with the sheer amount of driftwood available on the beach. While we were there, we built a fort, played guns and then I got an idea…. I said to my son, “Hey, we could make Angry Birds slingshots for your birthday with all this driftwood.” The next thought was, “Did I just say that out loud?”  Definitely a good idea in my little four year old’s mind. Luckily, his birthday was over two months away.

We collected for an hour and returned home with a booty of wood in the trunk and a theme for his birthday party. The birthday party was hit with all the kids. Here’s how it did it.

How to make Angry Birds Slingshots:

 

I employed dad to cut the excess lengths of the wood and make a simple and fairly even “Y” shaped branch. Meanwhile, I cut a piece of suede for the sling and punched a hole in either end. I looped fat rubber bands through each hole and then tied a second rubber band on the first to hold it to the wood. Mind you, these are for children, so they are not perfect, but they will sling the birds.

How to make Angry Birds Beanbags:

We would have to shoot some sort of Angry Bird from the slingshot, some sort of beanbag. Felt would be our best bet. The birds are round and triangular, and these shapes are pretty easy. I traced circles onto the felt with chalk using a water glass. Then I sewed them together using a ¼” hem leaving about an inch to fill up the beanbag with rice. After filling with rice, I sewed them shut. I used fabric glue to glue the simple bird faces on….

Lesson one: fabric glue doesn’t work too well on felt, it is too porous. I spent some time searching for “how to glue felt” on the internet. Most solutions involved ordering glue from the mainland, and I was running out of time. I mentioned it to a friend of mine who used to work in a costume shop. She recommended hot glue and it worked like a charm!

How to make the Angry Birds Piñata:

No child’s birthday party is complete without a piñata. Again, I spent some time looking for piñata instructions and came across this post: Kai’s Angry Bird Piñata. I wanted a rounder bird so I used a blow-up beach ball instead of a balloon. I then spent night after night shredding newspaper and gluing the paper mache. I used one part flour to five parts water for the glue and ended up using eight layers as suggested. Luckily, for the first four layers, my son wanted to help and it was a good project to let him get his hands…and feet…and legs, and everything dirty. We sat on a plastic tablecloth on the floor, so it was easy to clean up the mess. The only problem is that paper mache doesn’t always dry over night in a humid climate.

Once the last layer was dry, I put duck tape on either side of the piñata where I would put zip ties to hang it. Then I used Gesso to cover the newsprint before I began painting the bird. I left the eyes white and used two coats of red for the body. I painted card stock orange for the beak and attached with glue and tape. I filled it with candy, Angry Bird Stickers , Angry Birds Tattoos , and Angry Birds Rings (that I bought on Amazon) and put it in a trash bag to keep the critters out.

How to make Angry Birds Cupcakes:

This was a real challenge in Hawaii. First and foremost, it is hot here and the problem is that frosting melts. I decided to frost the cupcakes the night before and refrigerate, but the faces began to melt off the birds before I could even get them in the fridge.

Lesson Two: When making cupcakes in Hawaii, clean out your fridge first. Refrigerate your frosting after adding the dye. Then use refrigerated frosting to frost the cupcakes. This gives you a little more time. While it goes without saying, always frost cool cupcakes.

Before I began, I knew I would have to move fast, so I prepped the licorice eyebrows by cutting it into small pieces and slicing it down the center with kitchen scissors. I cut mini marshmallows in half for the eyes and pressed candy corn into the cake for the beak. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find candy corn in Hawaii in June?

With cupcakes in the fridge, candy in the piñata, and slingshots and beanbags done, it was time to Party!

Kauai author seeks support in MeeGenius! national author challenge

Meegenius! is a wonderfully unique and educational app that helps children learn to read by enjoying their favorite stories on your computer, tablet or other portable reading device. The app is designed to enhance children’s stories by reading them aloud while simultaneously highlighting the words that are being read. Recently, Meegenius! has initiated a national author’s challenge.

Local Kauai author, Monika Mira has risen to the challenge with her story, Hector the Hermit. Hawaii children’s authors tend to garner plenty of local support but tend to struggle when trying to acquire national attention. With only a few days left to vote, Mira is launching a campaign to increase her rank in the contest. In order to be successful in the challenge, authors must get their audience to vote for their stories by liking them on Facebook.

Hector the Hermit is the story of one hermit crab’s adventure to find a new shell and how he learns a valuable lesson about recycling along the way. The story is told in classic nursery rhyme style and can be read on the Meegenius! author’s challenge website. You can help this Kauai author by voting for or sharing the story of Hector the Hermit. Feedback is also welcome.

Mira is the award-winning author of The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book. Mira holds a Marine Science degree from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, so it is no wonder that her books tend to carry marine life and conservation themes. This is her first attempt to publish a title available for ereaders. You can learn more about Mira’s other works at Lucid Publishing website.

Kauai County Parks are great for re-energizing the kids

If you have been touring the island, it is possible that your little might get a little fussy from being stuck in his car seat all day. A trip to one of the many county parks on Kauai can re-energize just about any child, or at least wear them out. The nice thing is that the county parks are located just about everywhere. Parents might even feel energized after running through the grass, having a pcinic or sitting under a tree to get some air.

On the North Shore in Princeville the park is located just behind the Princeville library. This park has playground equipment for both the littlest of toddlers and the bigger kids who want to try scaling rock walls. There are numerous slides and a vast open field with an amazing view. There is even a workout course for the adults situated around an open field.

In Kapaa, I would suggest Lydgate Park, which is actually a community built playground with just about every apparatus imaginable. A 40 ft enclosed volcano slide, tire swing, balance beams, swings, suspension bridge, a hidden “jail”, conveyor belt bouncing bridge, music maker and much more can keep the kids busy while you relax on one of the many benches or tables provided in the shade. Since the playground is located next to Lydgate Beach, your family can take a dip after playing at this wonderful park.

On the South Shore, Poipu Beach Parks sports a playground on the beach. There are no swings here, but who needs swings when you also have the ocean. There is also another park just a mile away, right at the entrance to the tree tunnel.

In Kalaheo, Kalawai Park is little hidden, but if you turn mauka (that means towards the mountains) at the red dirt shirt store, make your first right and follow the road about ½ mile, you will see the sign for Kalawai. This park is a gem because it is quite big and there is rarely anyone there. If you are quiet, you might even hear the song of the Shama Thrush.

On the west side, Hanapepe Park is located right next to the Hanapepe Fire Station on the main highway and is also home to the Thursday afternoon farmers market. This park has a basketball court, a large field with an enormous Monkey Pod shade tree, swings, and a few other bonuses. You may even want to visit Hanapepe town for a snack or a walk across the suspension bridge.

These are just a few of the many playgrounds at your disposal for the enjoyment of the kids. Take advantage of them, the kids will thank you, and they may even fall asleep on the way home.

10 ways to protect coral reefs, they could be extinct if we do not act!

As of 2011, the National Marine Fisheries Services is considering whether to list eighty-two species of coral as threatened or endangered. Seventy-five of these species are found in the Pacific and nine are found in Hawaiian waters. Scientific research shows that coral reefs could be facing extinction due to overfishing, pollution, global warming and ocean acidification. Scientists fear that if we do not work to protect coral reefs they could be lost within decades. The loss of coral reefs could have devastating effects for the planet as a whole. Coral reefs provide food and economic benefits to populations around the globe.

I urge you to take a minute to consider Kauai’s resources and read the tips below. These tips can help you protect coral reefs, both here in Hawaii and world-wide. Many of these tips can be practiced while you are visiting Kauai, but they are also applicable when you return home, even if you live far from the ocean.

1.) Reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide contributes to global warming and ocean acidification, both of which can have devastating effects on coral reef ecosystems.

2.) Reduce your plastic consumption. Avoid plastic grocery bags (now illegal on Kauai), cut six-pack rings and recycle. Marine debris is a threat to sea birds and marine life by both ingestion and entanglement. Chemical leaching from plastics may provide an additional threat. Did you know there is an island of floating plastic the size of Texas somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and it is wreaking havoc on sea bird and other marine life populations?

3.) Take steps to decrease overfishing and support sustainable fishing practices. One way you can do this is to choose vegetarian and sustainable menu options when visiting local restaurants.

4.) Get educated. Learn more about oceans and reefs so that you can help others understand their value.

5.) Prevent marine water pollution in the following two ways: a.) Avoid the use of potential pollutants and chemicals by choosing eco friendly products and b.) Minimize your own runoff by decreasing impervious surfaces at home.

6.) Support green and reef-friendly businesses and/or encourage businesses to participate in reef protection and education activities.

7.) Support sustainable development, especially the reduction of impervious surfaces. Unsustainable coastal development in particular can present a huge threat to reefs and marine resources.

8.) Support local conservation programs and organizations such as Save our Seas and Surf Rider Foundation.

9.) If you are a boater, never anchor directly onto a reef. Instead, anchor in sandy areas or on moorings and only support tour companies that follow this rule.

10.) If you have a salt water aquarium, be an “informed aquarist”; choose cultured species and avoid purchasing gathered species.

Please feel free to comment below if you have additional tips!

Celebrate the Health and Happiness of Children at the Princess Ka’iulani Keiki Fest in Hanapepe Town

This year, the Princess Ka’iulani Keiki Fest will be held in Hanapepe town on Saturday, October 15th from 9:30am-4pm. Entertainment and activities stations will be dispersed throughout the event grounds from Hanapepe Park to Storybook Theatre and across the road to the Hanapepe Hawaiian Congregational Church.

Festivities will include: entertainment, celebrity story readers, hula performances, a keiki talent contest, coloring and essay contests, a main street parade, food and vendor booths and a visit from the Princess. Curriculum projects from local schools will also be on display.

The Peace Garden at Storybook Theatre will be the Princess’ headquarters. Here children will be delighted by the Princess’ birthday party and special performances on the stage including a presentation of the Magic Paint Box by artist and puppeteer, Margie Rex. Kimo Palama will be offering free pony rides in the park to remember the Princess’ favorite childhood gift: her own pony, Fairy.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Storybook Theatre at 335-0712 or visit their website www.storybook.org.