This closure is a great thing for the valley. Too many people coming and going is what put us into this position. Unfortunately it’s the local surf community that is suffering the consequences of this closure more than anyone else. Please, we humbly ask that you restore access to the local surf community. Offer an annual pass. Weʻd pay a fee and sign a waiver. Get a sticker that allows access to the shoreline and put our entry fees towards fixing the road. Do not allow rentals to drive down ever. Limit the surf passes to around 100 vehicles. The surf community of Waipi’o is a very tight-knit family. We value our access greatly and ask that you consider options that allow our community to remain intact. Thank you for listening.

Waipiʻo has a presence that I feel when I just think of her. The valley walls, towering and pili with clouds at their end; the water-rich basin, gifting the capacity to sustain life like few others; the shifting black sand and boulder shore; the muliwai, where I teach my keiki to fish; and the powerful ocean who’s waves have provided me such joy and rejuvenation. To hold these experiences, and to continue these experiences with my ʻohana and community, is something I will not allow to slip away. I hope our voices come together to craft a future in which Waipiʻo thrives as do the people who love her so dearly.

Waipi’o represents my link to my life’s work– the preservation of Hawaiian ‘Awa. In the early 1980’s my life long friend (who owned a home in the Valley) and I would visit the old Hawaiian community member. Harrison Kanekoa. He shared stories of the historic ‘awa patches in the valley and invited us to get a few nodes. This is largely why we have so many rare Hawaiian ‘awa cultivars available today. I started a 501(c)3 and the rest is history.