Journey North Mystery Class Spring 2006

Introducing Mystery Class #3--Kapa'au, Hawaii, United States
( 20.233 N, 155.800 W)

Flag of the State of Hawaii, USA

Aloha from Kapa'au, Big Island, Hawaii

We are two classes of home-schooled students.
Our ages range from 9 years old to 18 years old.

Our teacher, Susan Lehner, has been teaching us science and geography for many years. Some of us have been with her for 12 years! We meet only once a week, for 4 hours (for the younger students) and 6 hours (for the older students). There are 20 of us altogether. All the rest of our learning is done at home or out in the community. Most of us were born here in Hawaii, and a few of us have moved here from other parts of the United States.

The State of Hawaii became the 50th State of the US in 1959. Its chain of islands are regarded by many as the most isolated land mass in the world. We call the continental United States "the mainland."

We are located in the city of Kapa'au, on the the "Big Island" of Hawai'i, which is the southernmost and easternmost island in the Hawaiian Island chain. And it is by far the biggest!

The climate here on the Big Island is very diverse. In fact, we should say "climates", because most of the world’s climate zones can be found right here on this single island. We have snow-covered mountains here, white sand beaches, deserts, rainforests, and flowing lava!

Our tallest mountain is Mauna Kea, and from sea level it measures 13,796 feet!! If you measure it from the sea floor, where it begins, it measures 29,000 feet. That makes it taller than Mount Everest!

Rainfall in our town is about 40 inches a year. Eight miles east the rainfall is 120 inches a year. Two miles west, the rainfall is 10 inches a year. That’s because of our tall mountains and the rain shadows that they cast.

Our temperatures range from an almost constant 85 degrees at the beaches, 60 degrees up the mountain in the rainforest, 45 degrees up near the volcano at night, and below freezing on top of our highest mountains!

Here are a few photos in the town of Kapa'au
This used bookstore in Kapa'au is the largest one in the State of Hawaii.	Here is a scenic road in a nearby forest.

Much of the native life here—our bat, monk seal, honeycreeper bird, native owl (Pueo), native hawk (i’o), and many of our reef fish--is found nowhere else in the world.

We have beautiful coral reefs and our waters are the cleanest in the United States.
This ocean shoreline is located just outside our town.

This lush valley is just minutes away too.	Here is a roadside store in a nearby town

These beautiful cliffs sit at the end of our road.

A building and cemetery in the woods near our town.

The Native Hawaiian culture was suppressed for many years, and the dances and language were practically lost. But in the 1970’s, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded. Celestial navigation was relearned, the hula was taught in its original form, and the Hawaiian language was once again taught to children and adults alike.

Today, many visitors come here to see the real Hawaii. Our district of North Kohala, where our town of Kapa’au is located, remains one of best places to see the real Hawaii.

This coral beach is an old Hawaiian village called Lapakahi

Life moves at a slower pace here, and the beach is never far away!
You might try it sometime--come visit the big Island!