Honua
D
AWN WASHES THE KOHALA
coast in a rose-tinged glow, morphing
its clouds into scudding puffs
of cotton candy. The breeze bears a whiff
of the sea, salty and fresh, and the stillness
of the early hour is broken only by waves
lapping in a cove, and the resounding voice
of Healani Kimitete-Ah Mow, the Mauna
Kea Beach Hotel’s Hawaiian cultural
ambassador. “E ala e, e ala e ka lā” (“Awaken
and arise the sun”), she chants repeatedly,
as she, I, and another hotel guest stand
shin-deep in the surf, feeling the warmth
of the sun on the backs of our heads as
it peeks over mountains to the east.
Honua, the world, awakens.
“Honua is Earth,” Healani explains, wearing
a floral head lei of orchids and fragrant, white
plumeria. “But it’s also the place where you are,
where you have a connection. Like my honua,
the island of Hawai‘i.”
Thatevening,IwitnessHealani’shonua
fallingintoslumberfromthe4,207-metre
summitofMaunaKea,thedormantvolcano
reveredbyHawaiiansasthepiko(bellybutton)
ofHawai‘iisland.Wearingaparkaandgloves
againstthecold,Iwatchthesunslipbelow
thehorizon,thenmove1,200metreslower,
whereit’slessfrigid,togazeatstars.
TheconstellationsCassiopeiaandScorpio–
afrigatebirdandthedemigodMāui’sfish
hooktoearlyHawaiians–sparkleoverhead,
andtheMilkyWayshimmerslikeradiant
gauze.Peeringthroughatelescope,Imarvelat
Jupiterandthreeofitsmoonsandatthecraters
ofourownmoon.Andasmeteoritesstreak
acrossthesky,spaceshipEarth,thehonuaofus
all,continuesitsvoyagethroughthecosmos.
A seven-hour 4WD van tour up Mauna Kea
for sunset and stargazing from `14,900/ person
with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures
(www.maunakea.com).TRAVEL FOR ISLANDS HAWAII