Written By Nina
Ukiah and I (Nina) took over as leaders of the week, starting off with an early drive to the Iao Valley. In this historically sacred and special river drainage, we met up with Ua, Lizzy and their dog, Joi, from Kipuka Olowalu. The group hiked through the valley to a spot very special to Ua. There we all collected Ti leaves that we all then later used to make Leis for our last day ceremony at Kipuka. After the leaves were collected the group also practiced the Hula Ua had taught us the week before that was also in preparation for the closing ceremony. Our preparation was then carried into the next day (Tuesday) at the Kipuka Olowalu reserve . We continued to practice the Hula and our chant for the next day. Tuesday continued with the whole group going to Hula Grill to see Ua, the man who had been teaching the whole group the past 8 days. Ua played his Ukelele and sang alongside two professional Hula dancers whoās hips and fluidity put our own āskillsā to shame. Ua as well as the restaurant gifted us with Hula Pies at the end of our meal which surprised absolutely everyone.
Wednesday was our last day at Kipuka Olowalu. We all came prepared with our lei and previously dirt dyed Kihei. Before the ceremony started we all made sure to go through our hula moves one last time to make sure we got all the practice we could of had. As many of the workers and volunteers who worked with us and got to know all of us who could make it came. Ekolu, the partial owner of the reserve and program was also able to make it. We then all took turns getting in front of the mic to talk about our experience and the impact it had on us. We ranged in topics from playing with worms to pulling trees out of the ground and of course the deep emotional impact working there had on us. Once everyone spoke including Ua and Ekolu, the group got up and performed the chant we were taught (this time without the cheat sheet) and the Hula. Even though we did do great on both I think one or two more Hula practices would have done the trick. Once we had all finished we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the campsite.
Thursday through Saturday we spent the mornings with Goofy Foot, the group who had done our surf lesson the previous week. Thursday we had our second and final surf lesson. Everyone was able to stand up and get a few waves. We even got some pretty rad surf pictures that day. We finished out Thursday with a 4 mile hike on the Mahana Ridge Trail. Even though halfway through we found ourselves at a random golf course and the end view wasnāt that great, just completing the hike lifted everyone and made us all feel accomplished. The McDonalds some ate afterwards made the hike even more worth it.
Friday and Saturday we did paddle boarding and canoeing. The highlight for most of the group both of those days was seeing the great amount of turtles that were swimming around us. Not only did we see Sea Turtles but also another Monk seal. We first saw it in the water while canoeing and later on the beach when we finished. We made sure to give it plenty of space to hangout and rest. We got to surf waves while paddle boarding with the assistance of our paddles. We also surfed on canoes by paddling, catching them, and then leaning forward and staying on the wave. We were able to canoe further out into the deep blue ocean where the depths below us reached 60 ft. Being able to swim in the great blue wonder was an amazing experience for everyone. We finished out the week on Sunday with some more snorkeling at Honolua Bay.
This week was quite challenging for the group on an emotional level. It was a week for being reflective and taking ownership. Everyone was able to learn and grow in different ways. Although it put a slight negative damper on the activities it was important to address these challenges. We will have to go through challenges and make difficult choices our entire lives. Hopefully things can now take a turn for the better and we can continue to grow and learn. Mahalo.
