At first we thought the long, slim cuddly looking animals running around the parking lot edges were feral ferrets, but it turns out they represented the thriving community of Indian mongooses.

They're a real problem for Hawai'i's desperately endangered state bird, the nene goose. We tried to find some of them (the geese) on Maui but never did, despite road signs, although we finally met some on Big Island, near our campground.

What other animals did we see? I've already mentioned all the underwater critters and some birds. Ah yes, geckos. The little lizards that stick to any surface. They live the world over in tropic zones, but I've never seen one before, so was happy to encounter a few kinds during our trip. Maybe a few too many, for we had to pick them out of the exterior tent webbing and take them off the car. During our tour of a chocolate factory, we learned they like to eat the goo that surrounds cacao beans.





Surfing Goat Dairy breeds carniverous goats that attack on sight. But their cheese is SO good that's worth the loss of a few fingers to tour the place.





The endangered nene (nay-nay) geese, here seen grousing down on fresh grass near a hiking trail head.





Shelley studies a hitchhiking gecko.





This gaudy gecko indulges in a taste for the gooey membrane protecting coco beans that have just been removed from their husk.