Waipi’o valley has always been a huge part of my life and overall well being. Since birth, I’ve spent countless hours at the beach, playing in the sand, swimming, surfing, hiking, kayaking and fishing..It’s my home. It’s a place of healing, where I feel like I can wash all my worries away and be spiritually connected. Since the closing of Waipi’o road I feel like a big part of me is missing.

Besides being a place of respite for me and my family, Waipi’o Valley continues to be a place for Hawaiians and Aloha ‘Āina to connect both culturally and spiritually. Waipi’o is laden with history and made famous not only for its captivating beauty, but also its long lineage of ali’i who’ve traversed the steep hillsides, as well as the ancient moolelo of Nanaue, Umi, and Kamehameha the Great. By taking away access to such a place—especially from Native Hawaiians— you take away a connection to our culture and eliminate place-based and hands-on learning opportunities that my husband and I use to teach our son about the history of his home and people, as well as limiting ocean access and opportunities for physical and mental health and well-being.

Waipi’o for my ohana is a place to connect with the ocean, the land, and our sense of place. It provides us a way to exercise, reset, and teach our son about currents, tides, habitats, and history. I guess we all didn’t realize just how important it was for our mental and physical well-being until this closure. We had always assumed that our rights to access the coast were not something that could just be taken away overnight.