Waipo'i Valley - getting there

Ok my official favourite super wet, jungle place is

Waipo'i Valley

on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Loved it.

Never going there again.

Ever.

Here's why....

See the cliff face over there?

If you look close you can see a zig zag path near the sea end.

That's a walking path.

Where this photo was taken from was the opposite side,

from the parking lot where the guard makes you park

unless you are in a 4x4.

We were.

*Gulp*

 Going down was fine

cause I was on the back of a ute sitting in comfy deck chairs
with Patti and some of the kids.

Read: I couldn't see how steep the road was and

was fascinated by the beauty so didn't notice the sheer drop.

I did, however ask myself why would you walk down

when you had to walk back up?

Poor souls.

Coming back up at the end of the day was how do I put it?

Harrowing.

Once again on the back of the ute,

a manual one.

We'd had a quick, contained tropical rainstorm,

where soaking wet, getting a little chilled,

could hear the engine straining,

we were traveling at about 5 mph cause

there was no way you could go faster

and Alex's ute was in the lead and was leaking oil as he went.

It didn't help that earlier that day
Patti had pointed out a bunch of rusted, old, crashed utes

that had rolled down the mountain side.

I should have counted how many times I said

"we are going to die"

with absolute conviction inside my head.

I think I'm getting old.

Actually I think I would have said that at any age.

This is us cruising once we made it into the valley.

Waipo'i Valley is one of those hidden treasures.

The 4H crew had organised for us to meet

with our local guide Jasmine.

Apparently the valley resident's get a little toey with strangers in their backyard.

Without real roads it's hard for a stranger to delineated property boundaries.

It's not really got roads or even tracks.

The valley's river work as roads quite lumpily but very effective

because where there is a river flowing,

there is a house or a farm on its banks.

We walked up to Jasmine's hideaway house

where she lived without mains power, water or sewerage for a few years

before the commute

(down the river bed, up the side of the valley's protecting cliffs)

became a pain in the bottom

(probably because of the rocky river beds/roads).

Once we had seen and envied the beauty, peaceful simplicity of Jasmine's place,

we jumped back in the utes to park up at the horse trekking place.

(these are not the horse trekking horses)

Waipo'i Valley is a very relaxed place filled with family plots

that have been inhabited by same families

probably since the Polynesians arrived.

The valley doesn't really do fences other than those

around the actual houses to keep these guys out.

Waipo'i Valley wild horses.

They are grunty little beggars who are kind of tame

in that they come into contact with people everyday.

Jasmine told great stories of playing with her cousins when

some would herd the horses under trees

where the rest of the kids were waiting,

sitting on the branches,

ready to jump onto the backs of the horses

and have the ride of their lives.

If you go to the Big Island I recommend

taking a tame Waipo'i Valley horse treks.

We had a great and extra special time because

we were playing at being locals but

if you can't do that,

and you can't unless you know someone from the valley,

 you should take a trek.

They will will pick you up and do the driving too.

The reason we were in the valley was to walk for hours, no! 

Ok a little, but more on that later.

It was to meet Jason and see how they grew taro.

I can't say I've taken much notice of taro.

I mean I've eaten it when I've hung out with Sesi

cause she's Tongan and Tongans eat taro.

I've eaten poi when I've been to Hawai'i before.

Glue was the taste and feel that came to mind.

But I had no idea there was two methods of growing taro.

Taro can be grown in paddies or grown on dry land.

At the University of Hawaii Manoa we had seen dry taro patches

where students had native planting projects but

apparently taro does better in water.

It takes 14 months for taro to grow.

It is a starchy root vegetable that is staple in the islands.

The taro is grown traditional styles and is organic by default.

They have huge problems with a the apple snail

that eats the stalk of the plant,

hollowing it out and the taro root won't grow.

The apple snail was bought in to combat something else.

The ducks were bought in to combat the apple snail.

The wild dogs of the valley eat the ducks.

Yes there are wild dogs and wild horses and wild ducks.

Maybe not wild ducks.

Jason the taro farmer looked a bit stressed about the apple snail.

You have to know Hawai'ians to be able to tell if they are stressed.

Since I don't particularly know Hawai'ians

you can imagine how stressed Jason looked.

About a fraction of a Mid-West drought stricken corn farmer,

who would be a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Jason looked like a 6 on the Mid-Western Stress Scale.

Which is about a 12 on the Hawai'ian scale of stressedness.

I suspect when your family has been farming the same land for 700 years

you tend to have a slightly different perspective on agricultural impacts.

Waipo'i Valley poi is the poi to have.

They process it themselves and

the best days to buy it is Mondays and another day of the week

that I can't remember.

You need to check it is Waipo'i though cause

there is some other stuff from Oahu thats not too flash.

Or you can just not eat poi.

Or give it to Thomas cause he loved the poi.

The rest of us endured it.

The Hawai'ians all had suggestions on how they liked it.

Maybe it's something you need to grow up with.

To finish this post

(spoiler: there will be another about the delights of Waipo'i Valley)

here's a photo of the end of the valley near Jasmine's little house.

This is why the valley is a braided river covered with sediment

passing through on it's slow way to the sea.

The water and sediment flows from the moist highlands.

Though the Big Island is having a drought at the moment.

I know for most of us drought means

next to no river flow

but in Hawai'i this is dry.

On July 5th Louly and I took ten young New Zealand farm kids to Hawaii for an agricultural exchange for two weeks. They are members of the NYZF TeenAg programme. We were hosted by East Hawaii 4H specifically the Beatons and Stouts. We visited many kinds of agricultural and horticultural operations, varied and diverse, learned that American ag folks like to philosophise about their place in the world and had a great time snorkeling and shopping in the sun. These posts are in no particular order cause I was too busy to post while in Hawaii and can be rather abstract and should only be taken as an inaccurate at best record.

doing the telly thang

So today on my way to work,

about half way to work which is about 20 minutes along I remembered that

some TV people were going to turn up about 1pm and

do an interview with me about taking ten teenagers to Hawaii on Thursday.

Ten teenagers and Louly Worm that is.

Me and Louly will be doing the taking and

the kids will be following along with dazed and confused stares I’m sure.

As I was driving I suddenly remembered that

Rozzy had called me about 430pm on Friday

to see if it was fine that we do an interview about going to visit with East Hawaii 4-H next week,

which is now this coming Thursday.

At the moment I’m running to keep up.

My way of doing this is to slow right down and focus solely on the next task.

Which is not running at all but boy does it feel like it.

Today's next task was to get my hair cut.

So any thoughts of TV interviews had flown out of my head.

 This was especially bad because when I get my hair done I don't bother with make up

because Sarah, my hairdresser invariably washes off any powder on my forehead and

I end up with a bizarre high tide line across my brow.

This is not attractive but probably only apparent to myself or

are my workmates too polite??

This morning Sarah was able to get a direct hit with a drop of water in my eye

which for a second I stopped before I rubbed

cause I had to do a quick check to remember if I had put mascara on.

I hadn't which was a lucky dodge cause

the only thing worse than no make-up is smeared make up

and I already get enough cracks about Young Farmers partying all night.

But back to the TV thing.

This is how we roll in Young Farmers.

Media people phone up, and TV are the worst or the best depending on your view point.

They phone up and get passed on to one of the managers.

They then ask us what do we have on at the moment that's interesting - ah well.... 

we scramble around thinking what do we have on at the moment. 

Most the world, including Young Farmer members think that once

the National Bank Young Farmer Contest is over then we have nothing much to do at all.

This thought process does make it hard to explain why we employ 15 people but

thoughts are necessarily processed constructively in this modern world.

So Rozzy had txted Kate and Steph from Mt Hutt College,

who are coming with us to Hawaii,

so they could come down and be filmed while I blathered on about NZYF and

taking TAG kids to Hawaii.

These guys were from CTV.

Which is a regional channel most famous for their building named after them,

the CTV Building in which my friend Jo Giles was killed in

during the Feb 22 earthquake that hit Christchurch.

Jo worked as a presenter for CTV doing funky shopping shows and

intelligent personality interviews.

She taught me that being on TV is just like being at home in your lounge chatting with mates

but with really glaring lighting and that you really need make up, lots of make-up.

Rob Cope-Williams presents Rob's World on CTV.

It's all about Canterbury agriculture and i

s not very much like Wayne's World at all,

similarities end at the programme's name.

Rob rocked up earlier than planned,

Kate and Steph were coming but not at the office yet

(mostly because it's so cold here at the moment most people's pipes have frozen and

they had no water for a shower and a hair wash but looked great all the same.)

So Rob and I chatted about Young Farmers and

when the girls arrived we kept chatting but filmed as well.

Then we did all the angle shots and pretended to chat.

Then we moved and the girls and

I poured over a TeenAg Mag at my messy desk

(thanks Rozzy for letting me dump my stuff on your desk, you are such a team player).

While Matt the camera man did angle shots and

then some more angle shots and then they left.

And that's what happens with TV interviews.

A hiss and a roar and then they disappear to do

what they will with your words and images.

Im going to Hawaii

nahnahnah

except to Vanee, Becky and my peeps on the Big Island

cause I'm looking forward to giving you a

big, bare foot, warm as can be hug!

Oh I'm going next week...

it's only just sunk in.

I'm going to Hawaii

NEXT WEEK!

I have no summer clothes,

my feet are freezing cold,

I have the jug on boiling,

ready to fill a hot water bottle

so my freezing feet will warm up

when I hop into my cold bed

in my unheated bedroom.

Woe is me.

But not for long cause

I'M GOING TO HAWAII
NEXT WEEK

FOR TWO WEEKS

with ten teenagers

and Louly Worm.

Thank goodness for Louly Worm!

Will keep you posted....

Oh gosh I haven't made a waxing appointment!
Damn it.

consistency

is so not my strong point.

For once I had planned on keeping the TOFW posts going

and I will, 

but weird things are happening.

Like,

I can't get rid of the flu

and now its a chest infection.

Its a weird sickness cause one minute I feel fine and

next I have to lie down.

I am lying down at the moment.

Then just now I was fb chatting to Bub

and the huge wind storm blew up from the south

and blew open my front door.

Which does happen regularly but not as often as it used to.

I had to stop lying down to go and secure the door.

When I first moved to my little house

and was living here by myself

(awesome)

my front door didn't actually completely lock

and so I'd wake up and the door would be wide open

or come home from work

and as I drove down the street I could see the door standing wide open.

It was safe and all.

Other weird thing.

The screws in my lounge door handle are coming out.

For no reason.

That's weird.

Also weird is I've only ever seen my cat(s)

run across the road towards  my house

never away from it.

Which I guess is good.

I have also seen them climbing up the Fisherfullas parent's cabbage tree

across the road,

then belly flop out of it.

I couldn't see them land so I'm assuming they put their feet out before they landed.

Oh really weird is when Indie cat runs back towards my house

and a car comes (usually me)

he stops and stares at the car like he is saying

"What the heck do you think you are doing?"

Both the cats look at me like that often.

I think it's a reminder that usually I have no idea what I am doing

I just doing it cause it feels right and

I hope it'll fall into place

which 99% of the time it does.

Bub is getting baptised today

in Hawaii

because she lives there,

not cause it's a special trip or place to get baptised.

Did you know back in the day

and probably they still do,

the missionaries used to baptise people in rivers and streams

even in the sea.

I would think if that were me I would deny the Holy Spirits prompting

 until it was summer.

I got baptised Nov 26 which 4 days shy of summer

but it was in a font so it was warmish water.

Yay for Bub for making the choice to get baptised

even if she can't pronounce the Elder who is baptising her name.

As I said to Bub "getting baptised doesn't change who you are,

it makes you a better you...

if you let it."

Welcome

East Hawaii 4H on tour - Monday

 The East Hawaiian 4H kids and co arrived on Sunday the,

oh hell I can't even remember when they got here

but it doesn't matter

only that they got here in one piece

and didn't try to smuggle in fruit

cause you know how we are about that.

And you know that all the best people arrive on flights

at the crack of dawn.

And you know I'm the kind of person

who is at the airport at the time the flight arrives in,

not a guesstimate of when the passengers will actually

get out of Customs and Immigration.

So it was a bit of a wait.

I love airports and watching people

mostly cause we don't have people where I live.

Well not very interesting to watch people,

quite interesting to know though.

And you know how it is when a group of strangers arrive

and you get introduction after introduction

and you really have no idea which person is which.

To be fair I struggle with names en masse at the best of times.

Anyway you've met the crew in previous posts

so here is a wee report on their first two days....

Arrival Sunday morning,

first stop the supermarket,

I always go to supermarkets first cause that's real wherever you are,

random I know but knowing the price of things

compared to those at home is really helpful for context.

We drove to Hamilton,

stopped at the backpackers,

then out to Ohaupo to go milking at Jason and Heidi's place.

The kids all had a good at putting cups on the cows

and drinking raw milk.

We then had dinner at Kaye Kayes with all the Nonoas

and that's a tonne of people.

She put on roast mutton and pork,

salads and roast veges

but most importantly she put on

FRY BREAD!

Manna from heaven that stuff.

Love it.

Erica came by and did a wee speel about agriculture in NZ

and the kids fell asleep

This is before the kids fell asleep from jet lag.

That's wonderful Kaye Kaye with the blonde hair

behind the wee girl whose name slips my mind in pink

but I'm going Taytay.

And that's the decimated dinner table.

The next morning I picked everyone up

and we headed out to CRV Ambreed,

one of my favourite NZYF sponsors

(yes it's a plug - if you need bull semen, they are your men... um people)

Where we watched bulls donate.



Cause you can't start a tour of NZ agriculture

without a front row seat

where it all begins.

The glass window was for biosecurity

not for anyother reason....

Andy was giving us a commentary

and what he told us

basically applies to human males too.

They use young bulls to create a bit of testosterone filled competition

but they still collect from the young bulls

but the collection from the young bulls is minimal and too fast

so the old bulls are so much better.

They take a little longer but they are more reliable

and give a bigger donation.

Good to know eh?

Afterwards we went north to the Te Rapa Fonterra plant

for a tour with Loana who was just great

and gave us milk bottle lollies.

Did you know you can go for tours?

yup just give Loana a call and it's all good.

No photos though,

which I think had more to with not getting run over than anything else.

There are usually lots of trucks driving around,

not so much when we were there

cause the plant was closed cause all the cows are dry

so no incoming milk.

During lunchtime I remembered a

Country Calendar programme on

Kaiwhenua Organic gardens in Whale Bay, Rags.

I love google.

It will help you find anyone and anything

so I found Kaiwhenua's phone number,

gave them a call and we headed out to Rags

stopping to watch the surfers at Manu Bay

(best left hand break)

and up and around the corner

and we found Kaiwaka on his wee tractor turning mud.

Uncle Kaiwaka was generous with his advice and experience

talking to Mama Chioke, Reggie and Kainoa

who were all really keen to listen to the philosophy

and wisdom of growing biodynamic vegetables

with a good dose of Maori traditional practices.

Kaiwakas tupuna (ancestors) watch over each garden

making sure they are bountiful.

Which they are.

Kaiwhenua supply salad greens to Raglan restaurants

so go eat their yummy salads with fresh flowers and leaves

for your kai.

Ah Rags in the summer is bliss,

note to self: must go there this summer and bask for a bit.

We finished the day eating fish and chips

with Watties tomato sauce and L&P

in the dark in the van,

just like real Kiwis.

Hawaiian kids part deux

Kainoa, Wyllis, Reggie and Keoni

in Taihape,

the gumboot capital of the world.

So proud.

Reggie, Kalapana, Kainoa, Beautifull, Vanee, Maria

and Wyllis, in the front.

Ok I give up.

I don't have a photo of all the boys together,

which doesn't surprise me at all

cause they were like Brown's cows to get anywhere.

Got to the point where I started to hang on to them

when it was time to go back the van.

Reggie - full of wonder.  His enthusiasm for his own culture

lead him to want to know much about Maori culture.

Good thing there was a no tattoo rule on tour.

Kainoa - aka deer killer. His billet took him hunting and he shot his first hind.

Way better than coming to Grand Final evening show I'm sure,

except for a hoof to the head.

Kalapana - sweet Kalapana, sweet, distracted Kalapana,

sweet, distracted, ADHD in an island styles way Kalapana.

The highlights with Kalapana?

Leaning on him to get him to stop long enough to listen.

Him lying on State Hwy 1 in the middle of the night.

Hmmmm....

Keoni - smart, interested, had plenty to say all backed up with research.

Keoni took the time before he came to our shores to see what we had to offer.

And he follows instructions well,

wearing a tie and jacket to the Grand Final evening show.

Bless him, not so alert on day 6 of our tour.

Wyllis - deep, introspective, thoughtful, ambitious, charming.

He reckons he is quiet but I reckon otherwise.

So these are the crew I put through their paces

with a sprint tour of NZ agriculture.

I'll introduce the adults soon

and then take you through the highlights

of our time together

tripping across the land of the long white cloud.

Hawaiian kids part 1

Here they all are....

Keoni, Malia, Maria, Beautifull, Vanee, Reggie

Back row boys;

Kainoa, Kalapana and Wyllis

All trouble, all full of energy and all over here for 9 days*

All from East Hawaii 4H.

These delightful girls arrived on Sunday 26 June

and kept me entertained for all 9 days.

Maria on the left is an athletic young woman soon to be off to college.

Smart and fun she missed surfing and skating

to the point where she borrowed someone's skateboard

to help her with her withdrawal symptoms.

Beautifull, who is beautiful on the inside and out.

She was the glue of the group and naturally included

everyone in the group.  She is bold and smart.

Vanee, friendly and smart as a whip.

Keen to find out about people and just delightful.

Vanee was the link between the boys and girls in the group.

She was like a little tame bambi who wandered up for attention

and kind of nuzzled for some.

Very cute.

Malia on the right is such a farm girl.

Tomboy all the way. 

She reminded me of a puppy so keen to be into everything

interested and also smart.

She romped up to things,

then stopped and watched to make sense of it all.

Boy did she love to read

and boy do I love to read too

so yay Malia!

They all did really well that day

as we bounced around in the back of a ute

getting our jeans covered in sheep shit

in the cold wind high above Lake Rotoiti.

They are stars,

monstars.

And I miss them

but will be seeing them again next year when we take

our TAG kids over to Hawaii

and I am freaken staying on

(just for a little bit (just in case US Immigration read my blog)).



* It's ok they have gone home now ;-)