Almost Time To Say Aloha

This is the Aloha Sunset Cottage, our home for the last two weeks here on Kauai. Nestled behind big hedges, we are fairly secluded on this expansive seven acre property. Our hosts and their workers live in quarters that are quite separate from ours. Snow Flake the cat has been a constant companion while we have been in residence. We have enjoyed the quiet isolation from all the tourist madness and love to wake up to melodious bird song. The vegetation is rife with tiny birds that we can not spy. 

On the property are fruit and nut trees along with flowering ginger and plumeria in the garden beds. Avocado, grapefruit, limes and fresh eggs have appeared on our lanai......bounty shared by our generous hosts.

The nearest town is Kilauea, where the famous lighthouse stands guard over a bird refuge and the best whale siting on the island. Kilauea is a quaint town with some old lava rock buildings including the Episcopal Church.

We have found some new gems in Kilauea ...a fish market and a really good pharmacy. Our long time favourite is the bakery and it is here that we have sat to enjoy a latte and maybe a pastry on many a morning, after our hike, to watch the locals.

At every turn we are experiencing a strong community and an attitude of sharing and gratefulness for the bounty of this verdant North Shore. Here you see a local having a good browse through the bakery "library". Donated books for adults and children sit on this outdoor shelf. Kids' books $1 and Adults' books $2...all proceeds to the local literacy program. I watched more than $20 going into the pot during just one coffee break.

No, this dog is not behind the counter at the bakery, rather he is behind the counter at the Soap Factory next door. Bruce of course made friends with Sandy and her person explained "No she is not my dog. She sort of is everybody's dog. The person who owns the house where she sleeps has had to go to town (Lihue) today...so she is keeping me company."

There is a yoga studio in this town of about 500 people and a small medical clinic as well as a naturopathic centre.

The Ohana on the sign means "family" in Hawaiian. Patients wait outside on the lanai for their appointments here as they do at the Western Medical clinic across the road and at the pharmacy if one is waiting for a special compounded prescription. The pharmacist pokes her head out of a little window to call names as the prescriptions are filled and ready.

One of the ways that we educate ourselves on the history of the places we visit, is to explore the cemetery. Here in Hawaii this is like reading the story of the waves of immigrants who arrived from China, Japan, Portugal and the Philippines. The harshness of their lives is evidenced in the brevity of their time on earth. The child mortality rate and numbers of children dying in the same year tell of epidemics.

We saw this young woman, sitting by a newly dug grave in the Portugese section of a small graveyard. Of course we assumed that she was there to have a quiet chat with the recently departed. As we moved to her other side though we realized that she was chatting away on her cell phone. I decided that she was a garden worker just having a nice, quiet lunch break. Bruce decided that she was talking to her lover and had chosen this place so that her husband would not interrupt. Guess which one of us is currently writing a work of fiction?

Friends from Salt Spring Island, Neils and Nixe Gerbitz have been here on Kauai for the past week. We have hiked on three occasions together and yesterday visited the Limahui Gardens and Preserve ( a National Tropical Botanical Garden ) This gentle mile and a half stroll took us 2 hours as we doddled along with our guide books, learning about the plants and how they were used by the early inhabitants of this valley.

At the beginning of the tour one first encounters a replica of an ancient village. Nestled in a valley, with towering mountains on either side, the old terraced taro patches have been restored and a replica of a hale "house" has been built.

I added the sepia to the photograph which I took, to lend a sense of antiquity to the picture. Standing here in this spot, where many volunteers and Hawaiian elders are working very hard to preserve indigenous plants which are becoming extinct and a culture which is also becoming extinct is very awe inspiring.

At every turn, every day we have encountered beauty, compassion and malama....a love for the land.

BUT......

More Malama Aina, More Magic Mountain Vistas

Mahalo for your Malama Aina. "Thank you for caring for the earth." Somehow we are encountering these words and this theme at every turn here on Kauai and we are loving it!

Below, some of the signage on the Wai Koa Loop Trail.

We would not have found this place, but fellow hikers suggested that if we wanted a nice level walk  this would be it. At that point, all of us over 70's were gasping for breath at the top of a 1250 foot elevation climb that we had covered in less than a mile....a pretty strenuous climb and we were all trying to be dignified and disguise our panting and sweating. So...a flat loop walk sounded attractive.

The next morning was brilliant, clear skies, not a breath of wind. With our pals Gail and Wendy off we started on what we thought was going to be a gentle loop walk through the advertised mahogany forest. ....maybe a mile or two..a walk through the park. Ha ha!!!

We had stumbled upon the most amazing journey through 500 acre Anaina Hou farm which has opened its doors to the community, not only to walk through acres of mahogany trees (the largest forest in the USA), but where there are community garden plots, dog parks, a grotto around an ancient stone dam AND the businesses which you see listed on the signage above. It has all been developed through the vision of Bill Porter (ETrade).  What a gift and inspiration to the people of Kauai to move towards sustainable gardening and food production. 

Just look at this avenue of trees! It was all rather discombobulating.....we imagined fight scenes in some action movie with creatures on stilts running through the trees, becoming trees, transforming into trees again to confuse the bad guys!!! If you peer through the row of trees in the picture above you can see the "window" of light, that one never seems to reach no matter how far you walk!

Along the FIVE mile walk we met and chatted with a man who had grown up in this neighbourhood and was home on a sentimental journey. He told us that when he was growing up here all of this acreage was in sugar cane. He was looking for a waterfall at the edge of the property. In the pictures above you can see what has been developed around that old stone dam...a tranquil place for meditation or a picnic. A rope swing hangs over the pool. Wish we had brought our bathing suits.

The Wai Koa Loop Trail has inspired us to continue to find a Kauai beyond the shopping malls, commercial luau's, ATV off road adventures and 1/2 price mai tai's. 

Look closely to find Bruce at the centre of this picture, scrambling over rocks and the slippery red dirt of a steep mountain trail up Nounou Mountain..the Sleeping Giant. 

We are probably a little nuts to do this...but for us the rewards are worth all the huffing and puffing!

And it feels so good on the descent!

This is a "tree farm"...planted by the early missionaries....Norfolk Pines ...row on row.

Only one more week to go on this most amazing adventure!

Waking up in Kilauea

A fellow with whom we were chatting today on the Kuilau Trail said, as we fumbled around with Hawaiian place names of various trail heads and roads by which to access them, "Well, whatever the street or road name is it probably starts with a "k" and ends with a vowel." We all chuckled.....yup....here we are on Kauai, staying in a cottage near Kilauea on the North Shore.

Bruce and I are happy to be "home" on Kauai. He has asked numerous times in the last four days, "Why have we waited so long to come back?" This has been one of our favourite places over the last almost thirty years. In fact Bruce had lived on Oahu shortly before we were married and I know that I fantasized about our living together in Hawaii. We both love it here.

Kauai is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth, with clean air, lush vegetation, bountiful fresh water and turquoise seas. It is a spiritual place with mist shrouded mountains whose green ridges seem to rise and fall slightly, like ribs covering giant lungs.

Beneath these vibrant mountains, there are still taro paddies being tilled the way the ancients cultivated this precious, tasty (to them!) root vegetable. There is a trend here to live respectfully on the land and much of this impetus comes from native Hawaiians as well as long term Haoles. Just like  Salt Spring Island, there is great pride in locally grown produce, cultural traditions and Ohana...family. There are signs everywhere "Malama Aina" ....meaning "caring for the land."

We are struck by the similarities between the Hawaiian culture and language and that of the Maori in New Zealand and a resurgence of pride and political power amongst these "First Nations" peoples.

By hiking we get close to this land and some understanding of the people who are its stewards.

Yesterday we climbed this ridge overlooking Hanalei. (an "H" with a vowel this time!!) It has been ten years since we have done this hike. The official name in the guide book is Okolehao. (oops two vowels to start and finish!) The guide book says "This trail is a puffer. It gains 1250 feet in less than 2 miles. This means the grade is steep, tiring and unrelenting. It will seem much longer than it is." Hooray for these two old farts....we made it without a whimper! The folks from New Hampshire who took this picture also told us about a flat loop trail in the neighbourhood which is on the agenda for tomorrow!!!

Being at the meeting place of ocean, mountains and air is a powerful experience.

..and we have experienced this as well.

So envigorating, challenging and yet healing to be in this vast landscape on a small island.

Waking Up on the West Coast

After another great train ride over the New Zealand “Alps” on the Tranz Alpine line, we find ourselves at the New River Bluegums Homestay, a small “farmette” on the outskirts of Greymouth. We had journeyed from one coast to the other in a day and are now bedded down a few hundred yards from the Tasman Sea whose rhythmic rumbling lulls us to sleep.

The train ride was again comfortable with squeaky clean new cars, friendly stewards, good food and delicious cold beer or local wine.  We climbed up and over the mountain range with spectacular views up to and over the summit and through Arthur’s Pass.

We had overnighted in Christchurch in order to catch the early morning train. Our walk through the downtown area allowed us to take in the state of this once serenely beautiful city, now still struggling to recover from the devastating earth quakes of 2010 through 2012. Nothing tells the story more poignantly than the gaping hulk of what had been Christchurch Cathedral. While much of the city core has been rebuilt, this classic structure and many others remain in limbo. Boarded up windows and miles of fenced in rubble speak of the work yet to be done. But the trolley is back, punting on the river still goes on and the boys of Christ's College with their wide striped jackets, ties, shorts and knee socks still clatter noisily from building to building in their large campus area.

The black and white cheek patches are school colours at a Christ's College sports match.

We have been so impressed with New Zealand, its people, clean air, moderate climate, social awareness, cultural integration and more, but the highlight for us has been the hiking. New Zealand is world renowned for it long and challenging treks in Milford Sound and along the Banks peninsula. Usually 4-5 days in duration with huts along the way, these tracks bring experienced hikers from across the globe. What we have found is that there are miles and miles of trails (or tracks) for hikers of all levels of fitness. They are a national treasure as are the "reserves" through which they pass.

What makes these trails so marvellous is probably a combination of several factors

• the natural topography which is stunningly beautiful
• the obvious pride and community support in maintaining the tracks
• the trails are well advertised and information is plentiful about how to find trail heads and where to park
• explicit signage, directional and informational about the vegetation and wildlife
• uncrowded conditions and where crowds are expected a system of regulating starts and numbers of hikers is in place.

One of the interpretive signs on the Point Elizabeth Walkway taught us that the Maori people used this plant called flax as a material for weaving baskets and mats. Hikers have left "hello's" all along the trail to acknowledge this art and following are a few samples. So lovely to see along the way.

Back at our B&B....the garden is full of interesting nooks and crannies, including this work of art which I would not try to sit on!!!

Everything is "aw roight" as the Kiwi's say!

Waking Up in Paua Bay, Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand

 The old key (bottom right) shows Paua Bay on the Banks Peninsula. The volcanic crater which gave birth to the peninsula is very visible

We have awakened each morning here at Paua Bay Farm Stay just as the sun is rising above the horizon, one morning with a tangerine sky, one an immediate blue sheen and today, through clouds.

We loll in bed and marvel at our good fortune to have found this place at what seems to be the edge of the earth.

Surrounded by a lush, tumbling and exuberant English garden, the house is cradled between great grassy ridges where some of the 4000 sheep roam within the view from our bedroom. All of the farm buildings, sheep shed, equipment and dog runs are tucked away but we are free to roam the whole property, including the small vegetable garden, a swimming pool and an old claw foot tub down the hill where one can have a candle lit bath under the stars

In addition to managing 4000 sheep, and 150 head of cattle on almost 1000 acres, our hosts Sue and Murray also run tours of the farm for tourists off the huge cruise ships which anchor in Akaroa Bay, about 20 kilometers away. Up the winding road come the vans and 10-20 people come piling out to the sheep shed where Murray entertains the crowd with a family story that embraces the history of this part of New Zealand where his family have farmed for 7 generations.  They watch shearing and the dogs at work. It is all very low key and very interesting. Sue then serves everyone tea, scones and jam and away they go, leaving us all in peace.

Our Host Murray helped me get up close and comfortable with a ewe.

 Daughter-in-law Hannah made swift work of the shearing.

Exploring these vast hills on foot has been our focus for the last six days. We have hiked fields and forests and nature preserves, climbing and descending elevations that have challenged us.

Akaroa is a small town nestled in a deep bay. Here we can buy our nightly bottle of wine…always white, crisp and dry. We have been able to enjoy our libations on the veranda, but not tonight. It has howled with wind today, rained and hailed.

Tonight we will picnic here at the farmhouse, as we are alone. Everyone else has gone to town to play cricket or to party with friends. Bruce is reading in the cozy living room and I am at the long kitchen table.

We will be sad to leave on Monday morning, having spent one week here. Many have questioned our plan to stay here for almost a third of our time in New Zealand and we certainly wondered about our sanity as we came chugging over the hills towards this bay, with houses miles apart and precarious curves on the narrow gravel roads and windblown scrubby trees dotting the hilltops.

But Paua Bay will be one of those places that we will pine for in the years to come. We have relished the quiet isolation while living within the warmth of generous, gentle hosts whose love of the land permeates their stories and whose healthy life upon the land glows in their eyes, their skin and their smiles. They are happy here and so have we been happy here. We have hiked more vigorously than we have in years, learned a great deal about the history and growth of one of our Commonwealth countries and shared many a laugh with Kiwis whom we have found in general to be unfailingly cheerful.

 Leave us a comment or two! We miss you all and wish that you too could be on this adventure of a lifetime with us.