Plastic rubbish at beaches
I am retired and live in Waimea. My wife and I spend a lot of time at the South Kohala beaches including Hapuna, Kaunaoa (in front of the Mauna Kea hotel) and Waialea. We walk the beaches, swim and snorkel.
It is extremely troubling and discouraging to see all the plastic items that are left behind by beach visitors in the sand and water. I always make an effort to pick up what I can and dispose of it correctly. The biggest offenders are plastic water bottle caps, child sand toys, microplastics and nonbiodegradable plastic cups.
Regarding the plastic cups, this is especially an issue on the hotel end of the Kaunaoa Beach. I have found many plastic cups on the sea floor while snorkeling.
I called Mauna Kea hotel to determine if the cups they use for the beach are biodegradable and unbelievably they are not. How is it possible that a large hotel like Mauna Kea that is serving drinks on the beach is not obligated to use biodegradable cups?
There are no trash cans on the beach, so many hotel guests simply leave their empty cups behind when they leave, allowing the tide or wind to quickly deposit of them in the ocean.
Please, I encourage all beach visitors to leave the beach cleaner then when you arrived. Pick up all your ‘opala, and respect the ocean that we depend on for life.
Gary Ryan
Waimea
Kind acts at craft fair
A big belated shoutout and mahalo to the very kind people on the first day of the Merrie Monarch craft fair on April 12.
That morning, I had an episode of hypoglycemia and passed out by the entrance to the women’s restroom. Unbeknownst to me at the time, some kind people had contacted the volunteers booth, and the next thing I know, I heard voices: “Auntie, auntie, are you okay?”
I opened my eyes to see people were surrounding me, someone was fanning me, someone else was offering me a cold bottle of water, someone else was asking what happened.
“I think my sugar is low,” I said, and a lady was going to get me candy or something, but I said I have glucose tablets in my purse. I was able to get to them quickly and proceeded to chew a few, and a lady handed me a bottle of cold water and told me to drink it.
I felt better afterward, then a gentleman and a lady offered to help me outside, found me a chair for me to sit, asked if I need a 911 call.
I said I was much better and was going to call my husband to pick me up, and the gentleman offered to stay with me until my husband came, but the lady who kept calling me auntie (which melted my heart) said she would stay, and another lady kept fanning me until my husband arrived. The first lady said, “Auntie, you’re my auntie now. Make sure to go to an urgent care,” before hugging me and put me the car.
I’m so sorry I did not known any of your names. You know whose you are. I am so thankful and grateful to every single one of you that day. I’m doing fine.
The biggest mahalo from the bottom of my heart. The aloha spirit is loud and clear!
Lena Pavao
Palm Coast, Florida
P.S. My husband’s family are Big Islanders for generations.