Manoa Falls

I've been in Australia a couple of days now and am at the site for the Turnfest 2007 symposium. That means I'm a week behind on the blog. I took about 600 photos yesterday, so I think it's going to take a bit of effort to catch up. The Kooralbyn resort, where the symposium site is, has a wifi hotspot in the lobby, so I might have time to blog while here. Maybe not, though, since I'm in a high traffic zone and the people here are very sociable.

To continue with the Hawaii leg of the trip, though, here's the last bit from last Thursday on O'ahu. Craig and Teri took me to Manoa Falls, a short walking trail to see a lovely waterfall. We started out in a bit of mist and by the time we arrived at the falls it was a downpour. What does that mean for a trail walk on this part of the island? Mud! Lots and lots of mud!




Part of the trail has a lot of invasive species, including this bamboo grove.

















I was hoping to see some endemic forest birds, but we were still in an urban zone. Thus, the birds seen along here were also introduced species such as this red-whiskered bulbul.








Here's a view of Manoa Falls. With the downpour, there was a bit of water coming over the rock.
















Teri and Craig were good sports about the rain and mud.

















All of this rock was the result of a huge landslide that happened last year during the heavy rains.










Did I mention that it rained?

















Yes, it did. Rain and mud ----- fun times for sure!


















Any ideas as to what tree produces this vividly blue fruit? I'd like to know, so if you have an answer, please leave a comment on the blog.