Posts: 10,163
Threads: 343
Joined: Apr 2009
I know where Todd is coming from and think he has a point. Watching the news from our own TV stations and from those around the world, the journalists often give their reports near the junction of Pahoa Village Road and Hwy 130 (by Pahoa High and Intermediate Scholl. The shots often have police and the national guard in the background and their vehicles. Maybe Todd should have said Pahoa Town, but jeez, that would be pedantic.
Just so you know, Todd, Pahoa Town is not shut down, but the continual references to Pahoa in the mainstream media are often providing a poor and misleading version of Pahoa. The world is watching and some of the videos I've seen could certainly be interpreted as Pahoa (town) as being under military control.
Posts: 39
Threads: 15
Joined: Jan 2014
Not to wring this out more than it needs to, but I was channel surfing this morning and noticed the byline (I think that's the term for the words at the bottom of the TV screen?) read "Big Island, HI" and not "Pahoa." Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, and maybe I'm the only one laser-focused on this. To Tom K's point, yes, I should have used "Pahoa Town," as that's the specific area I was referring to back in my earlier posts. I stand corrected and appreciate the clarifications. I'll be more mindful going forward. As far as Kalakoa and Paul mentioning that the B.I. (and Puna) have much more to offer than Pahoa Town, that is true and probably one of the best takeaways in this entire string. Until now, my impressions from watching the massive amounts of TV coverage was that Pahoa Town was more or less off-limits unless one was a resident with a need to travel into town and further points south. Mahalo many times to all who have taken the time to reply and comment. When my wife and I visited the Big Island, we stayed 12 days both times, and flew in/out Kona (KOA) once, and Hilo (ITO) the other time. We drove all over this island, and only missed visiting the extreme southernmost point due to lack of time. There is a helluva lot to discover (yes, I know Native Hawaiians bristle at that term, as discovery happened centuries before the white explorers came). It's a bit of a shame that many tourists to the B.I. only take in the Kona side; they load up at Costco and spend the rest of their visit using a rented condo as base camp. The attraction of the Hilo side of the island is the laid-back attitude and pace; natural beauty and jungle-like vegetation abound, thanks to the rainfall. For us, we did enjoy visiting the lava fields, but that was not the only attraction, but it is a must see for any tourists, even if only once. I'm conscious that I've gone way off-topic and have gone into rambling, and that's my cue to simply wrap this up with our gratitude to the people of Hawaii for gracious hospitality and aloha spirit 99% of the time. The 1% being the serious "stink-eye" from the very large and heavily tattooed man at the gas station in Hilo. LOL. Stay safe, everyone and hope to visit soon (if not this year, definitely in 2019).
Todd
Todd
Posts: 1,252
Threads: 10
Joined: Sep 2014
One of the local news channels reported 2 nights ago (finally), that less than 1% of Puna is affected by a lava flow. Nat'l news has done a disservice in alluding that the entire east side of the island is physically affected by a lava flow.
People who live and/or work outside of the lava's path still need that income. Busy B & B's and vacation rentals in Keaau Lava Zone 3 have been heavily affected with cancellations every day.
Posts: 14,083
Threads: 424
Joined: Aug 2012
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018...efinitely/
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018...o-project/
Ironic how "impact difficult to project" yet somehow they've calculated that each missed cruise ship visit means $175K lost.
local news channels reported 2 nights ago (finally), that less than 1% of Puna is affected
The "local" news can't even get their messaging right -- but then again, "most tourists arrive in Oahu" and might merely cancel the Big Island portion of their trip.
Good thing State keeps most of the tourism revenue (GET, TAT) so they can continue to "subsidize" the Big Island...
