Outro - a photo on Flickriver

Outro

            Sunrise over Pauoa Bay, Kohala Coast, Hawai'i Island 

As I sit and sort through the photos, thoughts, and emotions I brought home from an epic trip to Hawai'i, it is hard to know where to begin with a post. So I have decided to start at the end, with sunrise on the day we flew home.

This was actually the only sunrise that I photographed on this trip. Something that is unusual for me in Hawai'i, as I usually catch at least a few, especially in the first days when I am still adjusting from my home time zone and tend to be awake very early in the morning. However, this time my daughter and I traveled with long-time friends of ours, and with 5 kids in our group, including 3 teenagers, and a swimming pool that was open 24 hours, there were no early bedtimes to offset an early morning. Thus I did more stargazing and less sunrising...a tradeoff for which I have few regrets.

On the morning of our departure however, I had to be up early anyway, so I set my alarm for 5:15am instead of 6am, and headed out with camera in hand as the first light of dawn began to awaken the sea and sky. That awakening was initially a disappointment as the mountains were shrouded in clouds and a rainstorm over the water drenched the horizon in shades of gloomy gray. But I decided to sit and wait, enjoying the quiet before a hectic day of travel, and just before official sunrise time, the first glimmers of light started to break through the clouds. And for the 40 minutes thereafter I was bestowed with a beautiful and enthralling show of light, color, and amazing clouds in every direction, where the main challenge was deciding where to point the camera. (Although I did have to make a hasty retreat from the spot where I was photographing the mountains, when the sprinklers at the edge of the golf course suddenly came on!) 

By 6:30am the sun was cresting the 13,803 foot/4207 meter peak of Mauna Kea and as it emerged from her shadow it felt as though someone had flipped a switch from lamplight to floodlights, and another bright Hawaiian summer day was underway. And as I went to wake up grumpy teenagers and prepare for our departure, I offered a silent, and heartfelt, 'thank you' for this farewell gift from the islands.

Taken in: United States / Hawaii / Puako (show map)

Taken on: August 2, 2023

Tags:

sunrise

ocean

clouds

sky

lava rocks

Pacific Ocean

Hawai'i Island

Big Island

Hawaii

dawn

seascape

nature

Pauoa Bay « less

Sets appears in: • Hawai'i • Sun, Sunrises and Sunsets more » • Oceans and Beaches « less

Groups appears in: • Sunrise, Sunset -- Anything Sun! • Seascapes and Seashores more » • clouds • Sea & Ocean ( invite your contacts ) • Hawaii Photographs • Clouds, Storms, Sunsets & Sunrises • SEASCAPES!!! • Flickr Social • Flickrology • *Pacific Coast Beauty* No People, No Vehicles, No SL « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX740 HS, f/4.0, 1/80 sec, 5.9mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX740 HS
Lens:	4.3-172.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	5.9mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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