Written By Elise & Issy
Come Monday morning, Elise and Issy spend their first day as leaders, waking everybody up for our first day at Kipuka Olowalu. The group spent the morning cleaning up plantain trees and clearing the surrounding area while also exploring the river and getting to know the amazing staff. After lunch, the group took a trip to Target to pick up essentials (candy and sleeping supplies) that they were going to need for the weeks to come. They then got the chance to meet Ian, a local Hawaiian, and learn about the dark history of Hawaii before returning to camp for dinner and shut eye.
Students once again wake up at 7:00 to start our regular routine of stretch circle and group breakfast. They began a project at the farm of clearing a walking trail for public use. After an hour and a half of hard work clearing tree stumps and dead bushes, Lizzy, an artist who works on the farm shared a fun activity with us called “plainting” (plant painting) where students got to create little pieces of artwork using the natural dyes that come from crops that are native to the land. The group then returned to Camp Olowalu for a group lesson on blogging 101, which they found very useful while writing this. The group leaders then went on a grocery run to Costco accompanied by Stace while the rest of the group spent a chill afternoon at the smoothie stand and landing which are located right down the street from Camp Olowalu. Elise and Issy returned to cook dinner with the rest of the group and finished off the night with an activity called roots and shoots, which allows them to get to know one another on a more personal level.
Wednesday was a jam-packed, but exciting day. The group woke up to make breakfast and perform morning duties before rushing off to the farm. They worked with Lizzy dyeing “Kihei’s” with red mud from the farm. Each student managed to make their design more complicated and beautiful than the last. They then went up to the trail and continued clearing the path using their new favorite tools (“puller bear” and pick axe). They returned to the farm to rinse their kiheis in the aqueduct, which was a really cool experience on their part. Ua, the man of many things, then began to teach the students the basics of hula dance. After, the group packed lunches of sandwiches, fruit, and Oreos to bring to Slaughterhouse Beach. There, we began the lesson of group agreements which allowed the group to talk independently about rules and understandings that they feel were important in this particular group setting. They spent the next hours playing in waves and caves and taking a variety of photos. This very quickly became the students favorite beach on this side of Maui. They returned after their long day to nice cold showers and group dinner with an early lights out.
On Thursday, the students woke up a little earlier than usual and headed to Lahaina to meet Karin at Ekolu’s house, two of the people that they met prior at Kipuka Olowalu. Karin who is a marine biologist and executive director on the farm, spent the morning hours teaching them about coral reefs and the effects of plastic on the ocean. The group got to accompany Karin in snorkeling and were able see corals and the different types of marine life such as sea slugs and urchins. After their eventful morning, the students spent the afternoon taking time to themselves to decompress and reflect on the week. The group finished off their day with a barbecue and evening conversation to then turn in for the night. The next morning, off the students went to Kipuka Olowalu for the last time this week where they worked with Teej and Duane finishing off their trail and learning about plants, worms, and the ecosystem. Ua came to spend some time with the group to practice their newly learned hula dance. Students spent another quiet afternoon before cooking an early dinner together to make space for our guest speaker, Harriet. Harriet taught the group a curious topic on the constellations and meaning of the stars and how it connects to Hawaiian/ Polynesian culture.
Saturday started off with an early morning of breakfast and sandwich making. The group then headed on their way to Lahaina to start their first of many surf lessons here on the island. After learning the basics and many wipeouts, all students were able to stand up on their surfboards and ride all the way to shore. After a successful surfing experience, students were given certificates on their first surf ride in Hawaii. The group then treated themselves to acai bowls and coffee before reconvening with the group for sandwiches, snacks and a lesson on Perspectives. From there, the students headed on a journey to the Nakalele Blowhole. However, one group was so mesmerized on the views from the car that they missed the blowhole by 2 miles, but they managed to find a hidden gem: The Olivine Pools. After a short, but steep hike down the mountain, they discovered beautiful pools created by lava flow. They spent time exploring and jumping from rocks into the salty pools. The other half of the group then got to experience these pools after seeing the incredible blowhole. The group that discovered the pools went on to see the blowhole and the students met back at the camp for a scrumptious dinner of quinoa salad. They finished off their night with another “roots and shoots” and conversation under the stars on the darkest night of the year.
Sunday was designated a “Maslow Day” to recuperate. We enjoyed a late brunch together, organized tents, did laundry, some went shopping in Lahaina, some went swimming, but overall relished in a pretty uneventful lazy day before restarting the program on Monday morning.