Wai-Wai

Aloha ....

It's been raining wealth in Hawaii this past week. The Hawaiian word for fresh water and wealth is one and the same: wai, and wai-wai (lots of water means lots of wealth). The East sides of our islands have had some pretty good soakings this last week, and I wanted to share some wonderful photos that my guests took on their adventure to Hana. The well traveled "road to Hana" is pretty darn breathtaking when the rain is really falling hard in the mountains, and on the East side of the island.

The roadside cliffs are often sheets of water sliding down the rocks and crossing the road toward the ocean. The road crews are busy keeping clear passage for all the folks who brave the Hana Highway in the rain. I always remind folks to be safe and stay out of the water on these days. Mother Nature is unscripted, and a huge amount of water can come down from the mountains causing flash floods.

Much of the water in Hana is diverted to the central valley for the sugar cane. This is a heated and controversial subject with many of the taro farmers in Hana. When we see this amount of water shooting across the falls and flowing to the ocean, it is hard to believe that there is not enough to go around. Equally hard to believe that these same falls are sometimes little trickles.

My German guests packed up all their photo equipment and headed out this morning for a photo expedition to Hana. I will add more great photos to this post as I receive them. I ask guests to send me some of their favorites when I see that someone is really into their photography.

These three wild shots are courtesy of Kevin and Lisa Zobrist. They shared some great pictures with me during their stay. Breakfast is sometimes a "show and tell" with all the guests passing cameras around the table. I get a chuckle seeing how enthusiastic everyone is. Serious photographers will often download their pics onto laptops for a slide show.

Taking pictures is such a wonderful way to share your adventures with family and friends, and is also a special keepsake to remind us of our good times on travels. My daughter and I both remarked today when we were chatting, how much we enjoy our ongoing slide shows on our computers of our trip together this summer.

So, Adventure Seekers, pack up your cameras and head on over to the islands. Winter is dramatic and makes for some amazing photographs and wonderful memories. See you soon!

With Aloha,

Cherie

Bamboo and Wai (fresh water)

Aloha from upcountry!

Although we have been experiencing a nippy winter with a fair amount of rain, I was told recently that we are still in a drought. When the big rains come, it is often from the south, Kona storms. Those rains tend to run off into the ocean...now, that is a cryin' shame!

The Hawaiian word for fresh water is "wai". Wai Wai means wealth. In the beautiful and amazing district of Hana, on the eastern side of Maui, there is controversy about the fresh water that travels all the way to the central valley to water the sugar cane.

This system of canals was built in the 1870's, and still is in use today. The kalo, taro, farmers of Hana district need water to grow their taro crops. Taro is a very important plant in the Hawaiian culture. There are many remnants of the kalo terraces from ancient times.

I am posting some shots of a recent hike that I took with my grandchildren. We walked through this amazing bamboo forests to get to the waterfalls. Bamboo is an introduced species that is dominating in many areas of the islands. It grows incredibly fast, inches a day. It was intoduced to Hawaii during plantation times as a food source.
The clacking of the bamboo as it sways in the wind is soothing. One has to be very mindful of where you plant it, and the variety you plant. The yellow elephant bamboo variety gets huge, and is very difficult to get rid of once it is going strong.
I just learned about the native Hawaiian bamboo. It does not grow that tall. I have yet to see it, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for it.

We are so blessed .

With Aloha,

Cherie