A gorgeous estate and garden along the Hamakua coastline.

I've recently visited a private estate and lilly farm owned by the Trotter family along the Hamakua coastline on the Big Island. A very lush and beautiful estate, its almost a botanical garden in its own right. It's a gorgeous property and the views are quite spectacular from the coastline.

The owners, long retired from a regular farming and nursery business now enjoy the property on their own and allow small local groups to come and photograph their amazing garden. You will be able to see almost every type of exotic plant, flower and fruit tree on this property which the owners have lavishly maintained for decades.
Come and join me on this tour with some of the hghlights below.

This is part one of two posts on this amazing estate, stay tune for some of the more

of their gardens especially their amazing collection of tropical rhododendron or ssss, its a very extensive and award winning collection.

If you would like to visit more photos of this estate, come and vist my flickr page here

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Beautiful leis for Lei day and May day celebrations

Lei day in Hawaii is a popular and fun way to cherish someone you love and care for with a beautiful lei, usually hand-made personally from the giver. There are many Lei Day celebrations occuring throughout the various islands of Hawaii on this day to commemorate this wonderful sharing of a lei.

Leis were used regularly by the early Polynesians and settlers to the Hawaiian islands to honor their gods by twining greens into wreaths and making these as offerings. They also used the wreaths and flowered lei made of fragrant ginger blooms to decorate and adorn their bodies. Other fragrant greens used included maile and hala leaves which were used extensively to celebrate various rites, special occasions and daily wear.

This concept of giving a lei was then popularized with the influx of tourism on the islands around the 19th and 20th century. Presenting a lei during the arrival or departure of a love one was communicated as a sign of affection and aloha and still is used currently as a symbol of affection.

Leis are now made with different and aromatic flowers to include plumeria, jasmine, ginger, roses, gardenias, tuba rose and scented orchids to create aromatic scents and beautiful displays. Every flower and color is used now with different types of materials, seeds, shells and other greenery to create different looks and texture.

(A gorgeous tutu or grandmother wears and elaborate collection yellow, orange and red flowered leis at a hula performance in Hawaii)

Greenery leis above include greens of maile, ferns and seeds or pods, along with a very thick and aromatic plumeria lei above. Hula performances are typical of when leis are made fresh and used for adornment for a particular function or hula performance.

Even leis are made to adorn horses in many of the annual parades throughout the islands. Here leis elaborate leis are created for the horse and pau rider for the annual Merrie Monarch parade.


Lei day celebrations today in East Hawaii are marked with lei and craft demonstrations, live music and performances and other festivities celebrating this well loved tradition. It seems so appropriate for the first day of May to celebrate spring and a beautiful day by making a lei and giving to someone special in your life..

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/
 

Polulu Valley overlook

Its nice to switch it up and visit the west side of Hawaii island for a change of pace. After an assignment in Kona, I wanted to drive out to Hawi and hike down Polulu valley to the black sand beach, and with any luck catch an amazing sunset which I've never experienced at Polulu.

Unfortunately, it seems like whenever I visit Polulu, its always socked in with clouds, stormy skies, and no sunsets - a little disapppointing considering the drive.


Oh well, here's the scene from the lookout point to the rugged coastlines on this grey, grey day.

The light was flat with even clouds creating a washed out atmosphere to the usually dramatic landscape. Walking back to the car, I did notice some beautiful wildflowers all over the roadway which I've never noticed before, and they were blooming everywhere. Its always amazing how inspiration can change instantly when you keep your eyes open and observe things differently in the landscape.

In this lighting, photographing plants and flowers is very flattering, framing the view with texture and color to create a pleasing image.


Inspiration comes back into view:

Beautiful white wildflowers frame this entire field creating a sweeping panorama with a gorgeous wild flower foreground below.

I'm loving this image that I converted to a black and white, the wildflowers just seem to pop out drammatically against the dark green hillsides. Even though this didn't turn out well for a sunset opportunity, I was able to find something just as interesting wih the wildflowers and creating a different mood to Polulu, definitely worth the drive.

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/


 

Big Island Chocolate Festival 2013

The Big Island Chocolate Festival was a chocoholic fantasy dream come true at the Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii. This three day celebration of everything centering around chocolate included chocolate demonstrations, chocolate farm tours, chocolate competions and of course an ample opportunity to see and savor chocolate at its best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student participation from the culinary schools around Hawaii brought out the best in group collaborations and imaginative creations. The attention to detail and focused concentration of the students to make nothing but the best shows the anticipation and excitement to the culinary events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, it was so hard to just pick one as a favorite dessert or savory presentation an the gala night presentation. Chocolate preparations were all on display from chocolate confectioners, bean to bar creators, chefs and chocolatiers were all putting on an amazing show.

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, a judging panel chose sweet and savory winners with the culinary team at the Fairmont Orchid receiving both sweet and savory award. They also won the people's choice award for the delicious sample below,cocoa dusted spicy ahi cone with truffle orange vinagrette and chocolate nibs.

Here's a sample of other sweet and savory dishes and chocolate inspirations from the gala evening event.

You get a delicous bite with this chocolate infused Kau pork belly from the Hilton Waikoloa, made with 72% Waialua chocolate from Oahu, pickled daikon and carrots and chile cilantro in a chocolate char siu sauce

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Executive chef Donald Wressel from Guittard chocolate was busy working on a floral chocolate fantasy masterpiece. It was amazing, but I'm wondering who got away with this forty pounder at the end of the event, wish I had a big enough bag to haul this puppy away!

The beautiful floral details to this chocolate sculpture.

 

A very odd and yet delicious mixture of sensations presented was the Big Island Hog Balls made with all local ingredients including nice big chunks of Hawaiian bacon, I think I polished off a good third of this platter alone!

The sold out event at the Fairmont Orchid was truly a chocolate connoisseur's tasting experience, and it also raised funding for equipment at a local Hawaiian culinary school and a community amphitheature at a charter school at Kaleakekua.





Its always great to support and sample locally made ingredients and finished products like Hawaiian grown chocolate and the Kona chocolate association and their supporters are making great efforts to promoting Hawaiian products and events so that more people can appreciate these products.


To see more images of the three day event, please visit my flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12701042@N04/sets/72157633085707831/

 

Discovering beautiful Pohoiki on the eastern Puna coastline.

On a beautiful sunny day, you can't beat driving down the lush forested areas along Pohoiki and Mango road down to the coastline and the boat ramp. Along this panoramic drive down idyllic papaya farms and tropical forests you end up eventually at the rugged coastline of Pohoiki and Isaac Hale Beach Park. The skies and ocean are dramatic and colorful and its inviting to explore and just watch the surfers and other water loving enthusiasts playing in the enticing waters.

The afternoon light is very attractive and everything looks so vivid and dynamic - its these amazing days when you just want to be outside, in the water along this gorgeous coastline. The black and white studies show this colorful area in a different and more graphic perspective that shows the contrast, light and environment in a more pronounced and bold way.

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/