Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Island of Oahu and has suffered somewhat from overuse. In 1956, dynamite was used to clear portions of the reef to make room for telephone cables linking Hawaii to the west coast of the US. The Hanauma Crater was created about 32,000 years ago during the Honolulu volcanic series, the latest burst of volcanic activity to occur on Oahu. The volcanic vents that formed Hanauma Crater opened on the sea floor. Upwelling magma vaporized the ocean water and steam explosions blew the magma into fine ash.
Hanauma is both a Nature Preserve and a Marine Life Conservation District. About 400 species of fish are known to inhabit the bay, it being known also for its abundance of Green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, known as Honu. Hanauma is a nursery ground for the immature turtles, which have their nesting grounds at French Frigate Shoals. Due to the lack of fresh water in the vicinity, the area was not inhabited by men. The bay was used as a recreational area by the Hawaiian nobility (Ali'i), including King Kamehameha and Queen Ka‘ahumanu, who fished, entertained visitors, and sponsored games there.
About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting Spicebush Swallowtail, is part of a definitive series with butterflies, about which I wrote here. The second stamp is part of the series Building a Nation, about which I wrote here.
References
Hanauma Bay - Wikipedia
Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 04.02.2014
Photo: Ann Cecil
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