Yellow Hibiscus: The state flower of Hawai'i. Called the “pua mao hau hele” or “Ma’o hau hele” in the Hawaiian Language (ʻŌlelo).
Nēnē (Hawaiian Goose): The rarest waterfowl in the world. Nearly brought to extinction in 1990 with 50 wild individuals. Captive-breeding programs and reintroduction efforts have given the native nēnē a chance with now over 3,862 birds statewide. I was lucky enough to see wild nēnē goslings. Very special.
Honu (Green Sea Turtle): An endangered species most commonly found near the Hawaiian Island Chain. Typically reaching sexual maturity around 20 years of age, Green sea turtles nest on the same beach where they hatched. This is a photo I took of a female rising up from the shore to lay her eggs.
Landscape photos I took on my trip in Kaua'i.
Kaua'i is one of many islands comprising the Hawaiian Volcanic Island Archipelago. I bought a Kaua'i Geologic History Book to learn more about the island and I am very excited to read it.
On Thursday I got my mama’s finger print tatted as the shell of a sea turtle.
My mother ADORED sea turtles so so much. We have little sea turtle things all around the house because every Christmas I made sure to gift her something with a sea turtle involved.
My mom loved honu for many reasons.
It reminded her of the beach, of her home Maui, but it also reminded her of her late brother, my uncle Robert, who passed in 2009. He had this huge honu tattooed on his back. It was a beautiful tattoo. They would talk on the phone all the time, late at night over here for our Iowa time, for hours. Losing a sibling is hard and I know that personally.
The honu represents so much in Hawaiian culture to luck, guardian, protection and wisdom.
My mother was my comfort and my guide through life. My plus one. My number one. She will always be my guide and it doesn’t feel like she’s truly gone.
There are moments where I just know what she’d say or do. It’s really bittersweet.
Thank you so so much Amberly and Warrior Tattoo for giving me this tattoo. I love it more and more everyday and it’s so special. Can’t wait for warmer weather so I can show it off more.
Green sea turtles are also known as “honu” in the Hawaiian language. They spend most of their lives at sea, but will occasionally visit shallow waters.
Black light art collection!! Underwater inspiration. What should I add to the collection? You can find these listed on my Etsy! Link in bio🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙 . . . . #blacklight#blacklightartist#aealife#coralreef#reefaquarium #reef2reef #octopusart#jellyfish#honu#turtlelover#psychedelicart #marinelife#scuba#snorkel#artcollection (at Ballston Spa, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmEvIoHrC0s/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
"The honu is a powerful metaphor of the
connection between people, land, and
ocean. Hawaiian legend holds that the hero
Aiai created honu by drawing marks upon a
rock near the water turning it into a turtle.
Because it is part earth, the creatures must
return to land to lay their eggs. The honu
has a place in myth and legend as a messen-
ger, a monster sent to attack enemies, a
living canoe that transports lovers to each
other, and even as the foundation of some
of the islands. A famous hula imitates the
thrashing and digging motions of a turtle
laying her eggs. Turtle imagery appears in
rock art, tapa patterns, and in string games. Encounters with the creature are counted
as the highlight of many visitor’s trip to the
park. The ancient connection between land
and sea that the honu represents is still
strong today. "
St Thomas Day 3: Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Margaritaville, Jeep, Mexican and Tequila
It’s day 3 in St Thomas for us, December 24th, Christmas Eve, and our first excursion! It’s a jammed packed day, ya ready?
This was the first excursion we booked, don’t even remember the company, but we were supposed to go on the snorkel cat catamaran, but it turns out the catamaran was only going to two stops, so we opted for 3 and ended up the Breakaway. I’m wrong, just looked it up, and it’s…