Sightseeing: Ice Pond, Rainbow Falls, Naha Stone

One of my friends who comes to Hawaii a lot and loves the Islands suggested buying Hawaii Revealed by Andrew Doughty. In it I found interesting bits of information I’d hadn’t read anywhere else. For example, Ice Pond. It’s at the head of Reed’s Bay. Cold water is supposed to intrude into this part of Reed’s Bay to the point that you can see it percolating to the surface. We didn’t see that and it wasn’t so cold that it wasn’t being used by children and a couple of teenage girls who pulled their car off to the opposite side of Kalanianaole Ave and ran across the busy road to jump off the bridge into the water a half dozen times.

Also suggested in the book was a visit to Rainbow Falls, a 2 mile bike ride UPHILL (where have my bicycle-touring mountain-climbing legs gone?) but still in the city limits of Hilo. 

Impressive! If you go in the morning when the sun in behind you, rainbows are visible. Supposedly, King Kamehameha burined the bones of his fater in the cave behind the falls.

In front of the Hilo Public Library is the spiritual Naha Stone. Ali’i infants were placed on the stone soon after birth. If they didn’t cry, it confirmed their royal status. In 1789, King Kamehameha, in his early 30s (Andrew D says he was just 14, however) moved the stone to prove he could fulfill his destiny to become king of all the islands. Since the stone weighs about 7000 pounds, Kamehameha was a very strong guy.  The Pinao Stone is in the background, it’s origins are uncertain, but it once stood near here on a heiau - a Hawaiian temple.