Great Barrier Reef - Norman Reef

I'm zigzagging across the Great Barrier Reef, first out on the shelf at Myrmidon, then back in the inner reef at Fraser Island, and now back on the shelf at Norman Reef. It is a small reef, but it is well-known as one of the best diving sites in the region.

Not wasting any time, I got in the water and started exploring. The visibility was excellent, letting in plenty of light on the corals. Large spreads of green lettuce coral were next to the fast-growing staghorn coral. There were helmet-shaped porites and plate corals that looked like dinner plates. Have you ever seen brain coral? They look just like brains! Many varieties are present, making identification a challenge.

Well, no matter because the green sea turtle gliding above the colourful coral garden was a fabulous distraction. It is one of seven species found on earth, of which six live within the Great Barrier Reef. The green turtle is a solitary creature, except for mating season, and is the most common turtle species seen on the Barrier Reef. While most turtles are omnivorous, green turtles are herbivorous as adults, eating algae and seagrass. Females may travel thousands of miles between feeding and hatching grounds. They often return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs, anywhere between 100-200 per hatch. The gender of the hatchlings is dependent on the temperature of the eggs. Those buried in deeper sand where it's cooler will hatch boys, whereas eggs laid in warmer or shallower sand will hatch girls.

Green sea turtles grow to about 5ft (1.5m) long, and their carapace turns completely brown at maturity with various patterns. Naming them "green" is not about their colour; it refers to the green fat that lies beneath their shell, resulting from their vegetarian diet.

Turtles are ancient creatures who lived with dinosaurs. The closest ancestor to modern sea turtles is Desmatochelys padillai. They lived during the Cretaceous period, around 120 million years ago, when reptiles ruled the ocean and were at the top of the food chain. It is hard to imagine sea turtles as apex predators, given that they are on the endangered species list these days. But there they were, hunting in the wild oceans alongside plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs.

I am glad today's sea turtles are docile reptiles. It allows me to observe them without worrying about being the next meal.



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Road to Hana - Mile Marker Zero

The north shore is sparsely populated with Paia town only a few miles out of Kahului being the last town on this route before Hana and no other town for the remainder of this journey. Paia is described as a small “eccentric, hippy, surfer town” and the nearby Paia Bay is a great location for accomplished bodyboarders and bodysurfers due to the near-shore surf break. The remnants of a pillbox (concrete guard post) stands on the edge of the shore as a constant reminder of Hawaii’s role during WWII.

Just 2mi (3.2km) further is the Ho’okipa Beach where windsurfers share the ocean with Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Indigenous to Hawaii, the sea turtles referred to as Honu are sacred creatures that “embody good luck, protection, endurance and long life”. Over harvested by westerners during the 19th and 20th centuries, the Honu became a protected species in 1978 and has since begun to repopulate. Still listed as an endangered species, the honu - should it survive predation, environmental hazards and/or marine debris – can live up to 100 years with the female reaching reproduction maturity around 25 years and laying up to 100 eggs every 2-3 years ashore.

Moving inland on Hana Hwy, Route 36 turns into Route 360 where the Road to Hana Mile Marker Zero, denotes the beginning of the narrow and winding mountain highway. This serpentine road has a staggering 620 curves, crossing 59 bridges (46 are one-lane wide) through a tropical rainforest. The majority of the bridges, built between 1908 and 1947, have historic designations and continue to be used today. Only one bridge was replaced in recent years due to erosion.

The construction of the Road to Hana hails back to the 14th century when Maui was divided into three regions, each with its own ruler. King Pi’ilani was the ruler of west Maui and through marriage became the ruler of Hana in the east. To provide access between the two regions he built a road that was the precursor to Hana Hwy. Legend says that “travellers swung over East Maui’s rushing streams with ropes made of vine” which were the precursors to the 59 bridges. Modern road construction began in the 1870s, carried on through the early 1900s and was finally completely paved by the 1960s.

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