The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-11
THE KONA
COUNTRY
Trip on South Side
Of the Volcano,
Island.

III the AdI emu Oh hdu d1Strlct, once
the receptacle of flow after flow of
kissing lava from the belching noun
| tain of Mauna Loa the traveller may
find much to divert his attention from
the busy cares of life and recall to
mind the days when the Hawaiian
people there had no mingling of races
to obscure their nationality
BY stage and steamer routes the
Kau district is easily reached and the
traveller is carried through and past
portion of the island which teens
with surprising geological and scenic
features.
AN INTERESTING DRIVE.
From the Volcano House the travel
Ter is taken to lower Kau by stage or
lighter vehicles, The road near the
Kilauea crater leads past cracks in the
surface from which clouds of steam
continually arise. A somewhat rough
road is overtaken for a period. which
gradually leads into fine stretch of
highway, as good as one meets with
on a Honolulu boulevard. On both
sides are great expanses of lava. most
ly the sharp pronged and tough IA,
the kind which rips and tears shoes
and wears the hoofs off from cattle
and horses. 1t is interesting to per-
ceive, springing from this desolate
stretch, trees, ferns and grasses. These
soil-makers assemble good earth and
more trees and grasses spring up, I'M
til now the country is embroidered
with verdure.
Far down below the outer rims of
Kilauea the road brings the traveller
to q. country covered with grass where
thousands of cattle browse and grow
fat On the right hand the burning
mountain of Mauna Loa with a chain
of craters showing clearly along the
ridge. looms UP majestically, the sum-
in the far distance to the south the sea
shimmers The road continues on
down stretch until the stage reaches
the seashore at Honuapo, giving the
traveller an opportunity to watch with
growing interest a panorama of ex-
traordinary scenic interest. Five or
six miles before reaching Pahala plan
tation, new. macadamized road is
met with and then the stage bowls a
long with scarcely a jar until the
plantation is reached.
Barring the ravages of the leaf hop
per at this place, the country shows
magnificent agricultural possibilities.
AS far up as the eye can reach the
cane lands are stretched. Where there
is no cane, cattle by thousands find ex-
cellent fodder, and hundreds of
Kau Nightingales or donkeys find grass
which makes them sleek and fat.
ON SMOOTH ROADS.
The road between Pahala and Honu-
apo passing through Hilea and one or
two other small villages is a fine ex-
ample of the transportation facilities
in the outer districts of the islands.
Along its entire stretch it is smooth
and of easy grades. The greatest care
has been shown in putting in a good
foundation, giving it in many places
the appearance of railway roadbed.
From the edge of the road on the right
hand side to where the clouds sail a.
long the slopes of the mountains. are
great fields of sugar cane. Miniature
forests of kukui and other island trees
dot the landscape here and there.
Close to the sea shore. however, is a
great mass of dark. almost black lava,
where the fiery liquid stone pushed far
out into the sea before it cooled. This
is particularly true near Punaluu.
THRIVING VILLAGES.
Honuapo is a busting shipping port
when the flagship Mauna Loa of the
Inter-Island line arrives to take on
sugar and discharge freight At this
rar.ol,1n+ af u II1atchirnsnI1