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Waikik reminds more of Miami than Hawaii… but I’m here! And so is the ocean~ so life is feeling pretty sweet. And the exciting news to this nature lover, is that right around the corner are the mountains.

I was hoping to get a real sense of place and get the stories of the land and of the people when I was here, and yet it takes time to gain a true sense of pace, so I figured I would cheat and hook up with a local expert.

When I heard about Hina Adventures I was beyond excited: they promise to take you on hikes, talk about the local plants and their medicinal meanings, and best of all, tell the local lore and legends.

I remember when I worked as a naturalist in Alaska and how people would go from elated to slightly deflated as soon as they realized I was their guide. They were expecting a rough and tough macho man with a big beard and a checkered shirt and gun to protect them from bears. Instead, they got me and a can of bear spray.

I experienced a bit of that same deflation when I opened the van door to discover my guide was a young white woman. I had been fantasizing about an older Hawaiian native medicine man with tattoos and hula skirt

But founder, Ena Sroat won me over in two seconds flat with her authentic interest, sensitivity, love of the land, extensive knowledge, and  knack for story telling.

Ena introduces the local gardens (a native plant restoration project): Na Pohaku o Hauwahine (The Stones of Hauwahine = a lizard/dragon shafeshifter goddess/ protector water-spirit of the marsh & ancient fishpond), on the edge of Kawainui Marsh outside of Kailua town on the Oahu.

Taken at the Ulupo Heiau, and aquaculture temple (heiau = place of worship), outside of Kailua on Oahu.

Ena tells the legend of the at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine (the tree you are looking at in this video)

Of all of the travel I did, this was one of the most connective days I had to Hawaii. It provided me a sense of place…total random side bar, but the experience reminded me of this story:

I worked on one of the first environmental expeditions on Everest a few years back. During that time I spent three months coordinating service projects in the Solu Khombu valley, and spent my time toggling between Namche Bazaar and Everest base camp. I mention it now because I was sitting in a tea house talking to another American as she trekked through the area. When she discovered that I was spending my entire three months in Nepal in this one valley she asked with authentic surprise, “How could you spend all of your time only in this valley?” and my response was, “How could you not?” I had gotten the opportunity to participate and get to know the people, experience the culture of sitting in the kitchens rather than just sit on the outside. It changed the way I wanted to travel forever, understanding that less (travel) really can mean more (experience).

Related links:

Coconut! Build with it, eat out of it, heal hang overs…and more~

[re]Thinking sustainability in Hawaii

Video Postcards of Hawaii

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii.  When I was a child growing up in rural Vermont, my father visited and brought back my first pair of earings. They were a soft orange and pink stone, unlike anything I had ever seen.  So my associations of Hawaii were of soft, gentle, exotic, Elvis, and…well surfers of course. But that was it.

I came with the desire to explore Hawaii’s place in the sustainability movement, find out why everyone started every email with Aloha and ended it with Mahalo, and make a study of what it meant to explore and travel with an eco conscious. To be introduced to the idea that the connections to the land was woven into the way of life for Hawaiians not only as a spiritual practice but also governing practice, was quite the intro into this enquiry.

Our first stop was Oahau. Needless to say, Honolulu was not the Hawaii I was expecting. It was a bustling busy bona fide city. But before my bubble could be burst, I was experiencing the spirit of Aloha as my seatmate offered to help me find my way to my hotel.

The hotel provided a tour of the grounds, and the guide introduced me to the sacred coconut grove where the royalty used to hold court, but also to the state seal which was carved onto every door of every room.  It read, UA MAU KEEA OKA AINA, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” As I stepped into my room, I realized I was stepping over a threshold, that I was being introduced to a new world that I hadn’t dared to fully imagine.

I pondered the term, and had to ask for clarity. Did it really mean what I thought?
The life
Of the land
Is perpetuated in righteousness.

To live righteously: words that come to mind include courage, stamina, strength, and bravery. So if I am to understand, in order for the life of the land to continue: we must perpetually live righteously. Now this is a new paradigm.

The next day I would speak to Kelvin Ho about the topic, as well as Stella Burgess, the director of Hawaiian culture and community relations as my hotel (how cool is that??) and would learn that looking at a life of enquiry: do you live in balance? What will serve? Do you hold yourself in balance understanding what you are connected with? Do you do your part as humans as stewards for the land. Check out Kelvin and Stella speaking for themselves.

I couldn’t have put words to it before I arrived, but yes, this is why I came, because Hawaii is a place where the people live so closely and intimately with the physical elements, that their relationship with the land is written into their state motto.  I was beside myself to understand how that translated to the way they looked at how they cared for their physical environment and addressed sustainability issues.

As I opened the windows to feel the warm humid air, I also took in the lush and exotic scent of flowers, plants, and trees I had never seen in person before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the land was prepared to grow over the buildings at any moment if the gardeners allowed it. That I didn’t know, but I did know one thing for sure, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I might just be in heaven. Suddenly the continent  (how Hawaiians refer to the states) felt very, very far away.