Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

Apr6

Holiday in Hawaii #13

The island of Oahu was formed by two massive volcanoes, Wai’anae and Ko’olau. The mountains that remain rise out of the sea, in some places as sheer, stony cliffs while elsewhere the slope is more gentle.

From Yokohama Bay on the dry leeward side of the island,

P1140611

to the white sands of Makapu’u Beach on the island’s south east coast, the landscape is spectacular.

P1110148

Viewed from Diamond Head Lookout, the city of Honolulu spreads across the coastal plain and up into the valleys and ridges of the mountains.

P1100527

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Landscape

36 thoughts on “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea”

  2. My ED goes regularly to Hawaii for a winter break [by ‘regularly’ I mean every two or three years 🙂 ] They love it. I’ve never been as I think I’ve mentioned before – and I’m amazed by your last photo and how small that large city looks nestled in a bay by the sea. You must have been quite high up!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I hope I am not repeating myself, but did I mention the programme on TV that I saw that explained how Hawaii is the latest in a series of island chains reaching back millions and millions of years?

    The chain that is above the water now is like the latest pearl in a string that stretches back to the north-east of Russia near the Baring Straits.

    As I understood it, the weak spot in the plates led to an eruption that formed the first set of islands.

    Then the plate moved onwards to the south east, cutting off the source that fuelled the formation of the islands.

    Over time those islands wore away beneath the sea and another island chain spurted out of the weak spot hundreds of miles further along the path.

    And now with sonic testing, we can see the remains of the islands like bumps in the sea bed, stretching like a necklace across the Pacific – recording the passage of events over millions of years.

    I was so amazed and happy to learn this. I honestly cannot say why. But it is satisfying somehow.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Geology is a fascinating subject isn’t it. These islands are relatively new compared with other parts of Earth, which is why the mountains are so jagged and high. We were told that even though these volcanoes haven’t erupted for 10000 years there is no guarantee they won’t again at some time. We would love to visit the Big Island to see the active volcano one day.

      Like

Comments are closed.