Well, it all looked better in the sun on Sat. morning. We had slept pretty well. Still pretty cool, but we cold-bloodedly took a shower, had breakfast in the garden and went out. In the morning, the top of Mauna Kea (13,800 ft./4,200 m), one of the three volcanos on the island, was snow-covered. Only got a short glimpse, then clouds were covering the volcanos again.
We visited three farmers' markets in Waimea taking place on Saturday morning, all of them with vendors selling locally produced goods of all kinds, but, as always, very expensive. One of the markets took place at the former Parker Stables and the Paniolo Heritage Center was part of it. This (a little out-dated) museum tells about the "paniolo", the Hawaiian cowboys and the Parker Ranch.
It began with five cows—brought across the ocean by British Captain George Vancouver in 1788, presented to King Kamehameha I.Over the next 20 years, the King’s cows multiplied into thousands. When Massachusetts sailor John Palmer Parker (pic) visited Hawai‘i in 1809, maverick cattle dominated the countryside. The King gave Parker permission, not only to shoot the wild cattle, but to supply meat and hides for local and foreign consumption. Parker quickly grew into a respected man, learned to speak Hawaiian and in 1816, married Chiefess Kipikane, granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. They were awarded two acres of land on the slopes of Mauna Kea and that's where they started Parker Ranch.
We drove through cattle country, lush hilly landscape to the Northern tip of the island (Maui in view) and stopped at the viewpoint seen on the photo on the left, in the Kohala Mountains first, about 3,000 ft. (900 m) high.
In Kapa'au the statue of King Kamehameha I (c. 1736? – 1819) is the main attraction. He was the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Heading out to Pololu Valley Lookout (pic below) on a dead-end road, fantastic landscape reminding of Kauai's north coast. At a farmstand (pic) we bought fresh fruit amazingly cheap before we continued our search for cattle and cowboys, without much success. Yes, we saw cattle and a couple of horses (at riding stables), but no cowboys, and not cattle in the quantiy we expected. Will have to do our research in this regard, especially since we planned an article ,,,
At Upolu Airport - driving through a sugar cane plantation - we watched the "Sky Divers" (paragliders), at Kapaa Beach (pic below) the whales, which were far out in the ocean. Therefore, haven't been able to take any good shots. Headed back to Waimea afterwards, along the rugged coastline, without a chance for a swim in the ocean, and called it a day in the Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea with "Fish Bites" and Green Chili Stew. Not much star-gazing later, still too cold to sit outside. Next time on Hawaii will travel in fall and hope it'll be warmer and more consistent then.
A common Red-crested Cardinal we watched at the farmstand:
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