Jun 27th, 2008
"Beware of Falling Coconuts"
When I first saw this sign several years ago on the Big Island, I thought it was intended to be quirky and funny. I didn’t take much notice of the actual warning. Then one day on Oahu, I saw a car parked below a palm tree with an odd dent on the hood. I also noticed a coconut on the ground beside of the car. Then I realized that this sign that I had seen a few years earlier on the Big Island was meant to be more than quirky.
Now, please don’t be terrified of falling coconuts. There’s no need to pack a hard hat when you go to Hawaii. Though I know I write some wacky things here on this blog, I can assure you that my silliness is all natural and not caused from being knocked in the head with a falling coconut. I’ve never been hit by a coconut or seen anyone hit by a coconut.
You might want to be careful about where you park your rental car. There might be a reason that shady spot is empty. Sometimes, you can just take a look on the ground to see if there are remnants of coconuts playing hit the car.
Do you have any falling coconut stories? Please share it in the comments.
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe by RSS or email and get daily updates!
Save & Share: 
8 Responses to “"Beware of Falling Coconuts"”
The coconuts fall because the invisible cows shake the trees!
http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/03/22/beware-of-invisible-cows-roaming-around-hawaii/
Hmmm…. Andy, I think you might be onto something. Hopefully David, our resident cow expert and Maui Online Guide Blogger, can give us some insight in this theory.
Andy’s right. This was actually an issue discussed by the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council a few years ago. I read the report on their website http://www.hicattle.org, but it’s since been removed. (something to do with the Superferry and invasive species I think)
According to the report “bovinae canotseitae” has been slowly migrating to the lower elevations of the Big Island. Besides the destruction of crops and danger they cause to unsuspecting motorists their presence has also caused an increase in the number of falling coconuts. The report didn’t explain why.
A couple of years ago while visiting Maui I met an old cowboy who was working for the Ulupalakua Ranch and we got on the subject of invisible cows. He said they’re on Maui too you know, you just can’t see them. So I asked him about the falling coconuts. He smiled and said, “well you know how cows just sometimes get an itch in places they can’t reach to scratch? They’ve figured out that coconut palms make great scratching posts. Whenever they get an itch they just head for that tree and go to scratching and it shakes the coconuts down.”
Mystery solved. But I still wonder how they manage to moove out of the way so they don’t get hit by the falling coconuts.
By the way, I think they’ve also migrated to Molokai. The Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove there has a “Keep Out – Danger Falling Coconuts” sign.
David
Hmmm… Do a Google search for “Coconuts Kill” and you’ll see just how terrifying coconuts are. LOL
I love this one… “Falling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year, 15 times the number of fatalities attributable to sharks.”
Or this one… “Coconuts kill more Americans each year than terrorism”
It’s all BS but there is some truth to the “Killer Coconut” myth… If there is a hurricane… Winds can reach 200mph. So, yes… A coconut traveling at 200mph can kill.
However… I’ve lived here a long time and I’ve never heard about anyone being injured by a falling coconut and that sort of thing would certainly make the news.
Thanks for the laugh, guys!
@ David -Bwahahahaha! Thank you for solving the mystery. Those invisible cows sure are sneaky little rascals!!
@ Dave - So you reckon we’re pretty safe from flying coconuts?
Um… Yeah… Just use your best judgment.
For example: Don’t go camping in a coconut grove during a hurricane.
I have a cow story, and not coconuts but mangos. When I was a teenager living in California (a scary number of years ago), my parents brought us here to the islands for a month. Except on Oahu, on each island we were met at the airport by the rental company staff with a camper. We loaded up our luggage and drove off for a week of camping out wherever we wanted (well, almost).
We stayed overnight at the top of Haleakala to see the sunrise when it was just a parking lot and an outhouse. We stayed at the southernmost tip of the Big Island and woke up surrounded by a herd of cows! That day we hiked to the green sand beach. And one night we got no sleep at all, because mangoes kept falling onto the roof of the camper.
That trip was the most awesome way to see the islands, and began my love affair with the islands. Now, and after many many many years I live here!
@ Dave - Got it! No camping under a coconut tree in a hurricane.
@ Sharon - Wow! You really got to camp is some awesome places! Thanks for sharing those stories. I bet you had fresh mangos for breakfast, didn’t you? Gosh, I love the fresh mangos there in Hawaii. OK….my mouth is watering now.