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Cellpic Sunday – Hanapepe’s Valley of Green

Hanapepe Valley.

April, 2025.
Hanapepe, Hawaii.

Halfway between Kalaheo and Hanapepe, there is a viewpoint lookout off State Highway 50, the Kaumualiʻi Highway. There is room for a few cars, but the first few times we went by, there wasn’t enough room for us to park, or the weather wasn’t cooperating. Finally, on a Sunday morning, we drove by when the weather was beautiful and there was room for us to park.

The Hanapepe River flows through the base of Hanapepe Valley. It originates from the confluence of the Kō’ula River and Manuahi Stream and winds southward, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the river’s presence, the valley’s fertile lands have historically been used for agriculture, including taro and sugarcane farming.

The lookout is easily accessible and protected by a guardrail for safety. It’s an excellent spot for photography, especially in mid-morning when the sunlight enhances the valley’s colors.

Hanapepe Valley Viewpoint-1
A broader view of the valley.

About the photos: The opening photo focuses on the valley, captured with my Samsung S23U cell phone. The picture immediately above is a wide-angle view that includes part of the foreground just behind the steel guard rail protecting people and cars from the steep drop-off at the edge of the roadway.

Both were simple to process, as are almost all photos generated by the S23U. One thing I’ve noticed with many landscape images from the camera is a noticeable blue color cast from the background scenery and clouds. I found Luminar Neo’s Remove Color Cast in the Color module helpful in those cases. Sometimes, even the terrain foreground takes on the blue cast. Usually, setting the slider somewhere between 50 and 75 percent removes the cast. Once I removed the color cast, these photos were so balanced with clarity and contrast that I didn’t even use my usual tweak with Accent AI.

Hanapepe Valley Clouds-1
Storm clouds in the valley.

It’s a few days later. Yesterday, we drove by the viewpoint again, and I saw dark storm clouds rolling over the valley. We stopped for a couple of photos and went on our way. A short time later, we were drenched with a heavy downpour in the Port Allen area just a few miles from the viewpoint. You can click on either photo to view it in 2K HD on my Flickr site.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s also acceptable. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner


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