Dark past
I came of age when abortion was illegal. It wasn’t legally available, but that didn’t mean that women didn’t get abortions.
My mother was an registered nurse who managed a women’s health center during her retirement years. She was an excellent nurse.
She told me, in the early ’80s, that before Roe v. Wade, Los Angeles County General Hospital had to have a special ward dedicated to botched, illegal abortions, which came in every night.
After Roe, that hospital was able to close that ward. With Roe, abortion became safe.
Andrea Rosanoff
Pahoa
Visit Hamakua Coast
There is much confusion about what is accessible near Waipio Valley and within Hamakua. Let’s clear this up.
Many activities continue to be available to both residents and tourists above Waipio Valley and within Hamakua. The Waipio Valley Lookout’s spectacular scenery still provides the backdrop for local people and tourist photographs.
Near Kukuihaele, horse and ATV rides and fruit stands are operating.
Along the Waipio-Honokaa Road (Route 240) can be found a lava tube and Hamakua Ditch.
The new Honokaa Heritage Center tells the stories of Hawaii’s immigrant groups and the industries that employed them.
Honokaa restaurants provide Korean, Portuguese, Italian and natural foods, malasadas and plate lunches. Honokaa shops offer locally produced chocolates, teas and honey.
Honokaa farms offer both agricultural produce and tropical agriculture workshops.
Kalopa has its cool, forested state recreation area. Paauilo offers locally produced vanilla. Laupahoehoe has the largest planting of lilikoi in Hawaii and the Laupahoehoe Train Museum.
Honomu has its “Church Row” and Akaka Falls. Papaikou contains the Hawaii Plantation Museum focused on plantation life and the operations of the sugar industry.
Along this drive, Mamalahoa Highway (Route 19) is carried high above deep stream gulches by concrete-arch bridges and repurposed steel railroad bridges that allow views of the beautiful ocean and attractive waterfalls, such as those at Umauma.
Wainaku has its view of Hilo Bay and, of course, starting on the road into Hamakua starts with the Wailuku River.
This is just a short list. I strongly recommend that everyone participate in all that Hamakua continues to offer.
Ross W. Stephenson
Coordinator, Historic Honokaa Town Project
