On Friday, we got to take an ATV(All Terrain Vehicle) adventure along the Kohala Coast through an abandoned 22,000 acre sugar plantation. Sugar provided the Hawaiian Islands with a foundation, playing a key part in bringing the Islands into a cosmopolitan society.
The development of this industry through the decades was a key reason that Hawaii was annexed as a territory in 1898 and a state August 21, 1959.
The vegetation in Hawaii offered a perfect environment for raising sugar cane. Porous lava soil soaks up rain and stores water from the frequent tropical rains deep in underground pools. The sun shines all year round, and the cooling ocean currents keep the average temperatures around 75 degrees
Fast forward to 1959, when one out of every twelve people employed in Hawaii was in the sugar industry. The agricultural workers were the highest paid in the world. In the early 1960s Hawaii produced a million tons of cane sugar a year.
Thirty years ago the last sugar refinery was dismantled and shipped to the Phillipines. The area that we traveled has struggled but has been revitalized with tourism. A Japanese company purchased the 22,000 acres with plans to build a resort, but has been met with resistance from the local natives and unable to obtain the required permits. The land is currently used to raise cattle and provide ATV adventures for tourists. The scenery was beautiful and the ATV ride was a lot of fun. We enjoyed chewing on the raw sugar cane on a short stop along the cliff. At the end of our adventure, our guide thanked us for being their "sugar." What did he mean?
The development of this industry through the decades was a key reason that Hawaii was annexed as a territory in 1898 and a state August 21, 1959.
The vegetation in Hawaii offered a perfect environment for raising sugar cane. Porous lava soil soaks up rain and stores water from the frequent tropical rains deep in underground pools. The sun shines all year round, and the cooling ocean currents keep the average temperatures around 75 degrees
Fast forward to 1959, when one out of every twelve people employed in Hawaii was in the sugar industry. The agricultural workers were the highest paid in the world. In the early 1960s Hawaii produced a million tons of cane sugar a year.
Thirty years ago the last sugar refinery was dismantled and shipped to the Phillipines. The area that we traveled has struggled but has been revitalized with tourism. A Japanese company purchased the 22,000 acres with plans to build a resort, but has been met with resistance from the local natives and unable to obtain the required permits. The land is currently used to raise cattle and provide ATV adventures for tourists. The scenery was beautiful and the ATV ride was a lot of fun. We enjoyed chewing on the raw sugar cane on a short stop along the cliff. At the end of our adventure, our guide thanked us for being their "sugar." What did he mean?
2 comments:
It sounds fun being able to ride an ATV and eat raw sugar cane. My mom told me about Zorbing that also sounds fun.
TE
P.S. Zorbing is where you roll down a hill in a plastic ball.
Have a nice day and have a weeken. I hop you had a nice day at JAMESTOUN. and have a nice day today. c.p
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