- THE MONGOOSE -
How It Came To Hawaii?:
In September 1883, the Hilo Planters Association released 72 mongooses from Jamaica along the Hamakua Coast on Hawai?i Island. The mongoose was introduced to control rats in sugar cane fields. This alien was also brought to the islands of Maui and O‘ahu at about the same time.
Impact Since Its Arrival:
The mongoose was an excellent cane field ratter, but did not stay in the cane fields. It can be found in almost every habitat in Hawai?i , though not on Kaua'i or Kaho'olawe. Although insects make up a large part of its diet, it is also a serious predator on ground-nesting birds such as seabirds and the nene goose.
THE HAWAIIAN LEGEND OF
THE WAIANAPANAPA CAVE
Waianapanapa Cave north of Hana on the island of Maui is the site of an ancient murder. A young chieftess named Popoalaea caught the eye of a powerful older warrior chief named Kakae and became his wife. Over time, Kakae became suspicious that his beautiful young wife was unfaithful and he beat her and made her life miserable. With her faithful female companion, she fled.
The cave has a pool of water hiding the entrance and it is necessary to dive into the pool to get under the ledge to get to the large lava tube cavern. They hid during days and came out at night to forage for food and figure out how to escape the island. Kakae kept getting angrier as he searched for his wife with a number of his men.
One day he arrived at the pool where they were hiding and caught a glimpse of their reflection in the water. Kakae and his men killed the two women. It's said that the waters foamed, the women’s blood darkened the rocks in the cavern; and on the nights of Ku when the night is darkest, the waters of the cave turn red. In the spring, the time the tragedy occurred, the gathering of the red opae-ula (shrimp) make the stones of the cave turn even redder.
Mom, TJ and Deb enjoying the black sand.
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