You’ve probably heard of Australian tourist attractions the Big Pineapple, the Big Prawn and the Big Merino, but on a recent visit to Hawaii Don saw both geological and man-made features to top them all. At Sandy Beach, east of Honolulu, he was amazed to see gigantic kites of all shapes and sizes flying in the wind. Some were 20m (60′) long – too big for a human being to launch without some sort of motorised system.
In the distance Don pointed out Koko Crater, a huge cinder cone which was formed about 10,000 years ago by volcanic activity. According to Hawaiian legend the crater was formed when Pele, the Volcano Goddess, was chased by the Pig God, Kamapuaa. Pele’s sister, Kapo, lured Kamapuaa away from Pele by leaving her nether region on the crater. On the floor of Koko Crater is a 25 hectare (60 acre) botanical garden that, due to the unique conditions, specializes in dry land plants such as plumeria, succulents and cacti.
Further reading
Visit Plumeria Place, an excellent website packed with frangipani info and links to the Koko Crater Collection in Hawaii:
http://www.io.com/~jrm/plumeria.html#menu
