The Elements of Maui

My wife and I went for a walk this morning to welcome in the New Year. Although it is overcast and raining now, early morning was clear with only scattered cloud. We walked by the cliffs near to Ho’okipa beach Park, a favourite place for us. There is an old lava flow to walk out on and from there we took in the views looking towards the West Maui Mountains, Mauna Kahālāwai. That’s a view that I never tire of.

In the photograph below, it is possible to see the island of Molokaʻi off to the right.

There was a real sense this morning of the elements (as I think of them, maybe not the traditional elements) that brought these islands into existence, being present,

• water (the ocean)
• fire (the volcanic presence)
• wind (the Trade winds that keep these islands cool)
• air (the heat of the sun, the salt blowing through the air)

I sometimes imagine the time when the Hawaiian islands did not exist, a time when there was just what we now call the Pacific Ocean. Then the volcanic activity started on the sea floor, slowly building over time before eventually peaking out from the ocean’s surface. Continuing to grow to the vastness of the volcanos such as Haleakalā, the big shield volcano that makes up half of Maui. In time the lava rock became a ground for flora and fauna to take root, and eventually humans arrived. You can see some of this in action in the volcanic activity that currently takes place on Hawaiʻi (island) (The Big Island).

And through all of that the elements continue to batter against each other. The wind, the water, the sun, the air, all slowly eroding the islands, taking them back to the ocean. Signs are visible of the ocean making its way inland, eating away at the shore line as people try their best to slow down the advance with counter measures. Of course there is climate change as well. I don’t know what part that is playing in this dance?