Lanikai Beach
So. We had arrived. We had wheels. Oahu was our oyster. What to do first?
Naturally, we went to the beach.
Hawaii is about so much more than its beaches, but, even so, it was a real treat to have a quiet, uncrowded beach walking distance from where we were staying. Lanikai Beach is not only one of the best beaches in Hawaii, but, some say, one of the best in the world. The colour of the water has to be seen to be believed.
The beach is backed by private residences and access from the street is through several public access walkways. There is no parking or facilities and it definitely has the vibe of a private beach in an upper-class neighbourhood.
The twin islands are called Na Mokulua (the two islands) or, simply, “the Mokes.” They are a popular destination for kayakers and we could see people sunbathing on the beach of the northern (left) island. The other island is a bird sanctuary and off-limits to the public.
Writing this post on a dreary, rainy day in Vancouver, it all seems like a dream, now. My sister and I checked out a number of beaches during our time on Oahu, but Lanikai was, by far, the best. My only regret is we didn’t spend more time here.
The Northern Lights
The whole world, it seems, was caught up with the light show happening in the skies above two nights ago, thanks to a geomagnetic storm on our nearest star. I myself jumped on the bandwagon and took a walk down to the beach around 11 p.m. to see what I could see.
To be honest? I was a little disappointed. As soon as I stepped out into my street, I looked up and saw a green haze overhead, visible even with all the light pollution generated in my neighbourhood, one of the most densely-populated postal codes in all of Canada. Down by the water, where it’s much darker, I could see that the haze was definitely aurora borealis, but it was faint. I set up my tiny camera on my tiny tripod, balanced it on a beach log, and tried a variety of exposures. This photo, taken with a 30-second exposure, was the best of the lot. The only editing I did was some cropping. That pink you see? Not visible to the naked eye. It only comes through with the long exposure.
Some years ago, I was travelling from Nanaimo to Vancouver late at night, and spent most of the ferry trip on the outer deck in the dark, watching a vivid display of dancing emerald green over the North Shore mountains. At the time, I didn’t know what I was looking at, but later realized it must have been the Northern Lights I had witnessed.
I didn’t know what I was looking at because it’s rare to see the Northern Lights this far south. In Alberta, they were almost routine. I remember many a winter’s night in Edmonton seeing white streaks of light in the sky like will-o’-wisps as I went about my evening.
The most spectacular Northern Lights’ display I’ve ever seen, and my first time seeing them in colour, was one summer while camping in northern Alberta with my sister and a friend. This was the same friend I had trained around Europe with the year before, and she and I started reminiscing about our travels as we sat around the campfire. My sister had long gone to bed when we noticed the Northern Lights above us. The mesmerizing dance of pink and green was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
I was kinda hoping for the same the other night. My suspicions are that the light pollution of downtown Vancouver interfered with my experience.
Even so, we got lucky this weekend with summer-like temperatures, so it didn’t take much effort to step out for a quick stroll before bed, and share an amazing other-worldly experience with dozens of strangers doing the same.
There and Back Again 