Winter has arrived

Many people question whether we miss the change in seasons living in Hawaiʻi. However, the onset of winter does produce some very distinct aspects of Hawaiʻi that are not present at other times of the year. Just as in other areas, the temperature drops but certainly not as drastically. The daytime temperatures only drop a few degrees, but at night we have been experiencing temperatures in the low sixties at our house. That doesn’t sound bad but realize that we do not have heat so it does feel rather cool. In fact, we have an electric blanket that has been working all night for the past couple of weeks. We probably feel it more than visitors do, having acclimated to warmer temperatures over the past 20 years.

There is also a distinct change in vegetation. Just like in colder climes, we do have deciduous trees, only out here they are a variety of plumeria. They drop their leaves and do not flower, except sporadically in the winter. Many visitors don’t notice this, since most of the hotels plant a variety called Singapore plumeria which is not deciduous and does continue to flower in the winter. Also the hibiscus tends to flower more profusely in the winter. We also have poinsettias in full bloom at this time. In many areas the poinsettias grow wild along the edge of the highway, a sight most people are not used to. When we first moved into our house we were shocked to see bright red poinsettias appear in the yard during the winter. We didn’t even know they were there until they bloomed.

Of course, a big change is the number of people on the island. The winter is the time that many people want to get away from the cold weather elsewhere. While we have an influx of short term visitors in both the winter and the summer, this time of year brings the long term visitors, affectionately called snow birds. They come each year for several months. Therefore, we tend to have many more people on the island in winter than in summer. This means that you have to plan ahead for reservations at good restaurants, such as the ones we have reviewed. The beaches tend to be more crowded than in the spring or fall.

We also have an influx of humpback whales. They also like to come to Hawaiʻi for the winter, not for vacation but to have their young. They are prevalent along the shoreline and there are many cruises which assure you that you will see whales. You can sit on the beaches and watch the whales spout offshore. I can still remember the first time I was sitting in Hapuna Beach and looked out to sea and saw a humpback whale in a full breach. It came full length out of the water before splashing back down.  Just last week Betty was walking along the shoreline and had a whale surface and wave a flipper at her.

So yes, winter does bring changes to the island. The temperature changes, flowers change, the people change and the humpback whales arrive.