This is a place of significant meaning to our family. Our children grew up knowing this as a place of connection to land and to the ocean. We have gathered here with our family and friends to surf, fish, pray and spend valuable time with one another. As an educator, I have been able to arrange for my class to help on the lo’i. We now grow taro on our own land in Puna after we learned from the farmers.

Waipiʻo is important to my family because it is part of what makes us…itʻs who we are. The ocean is our livelihood, and Waipi’o is one of the nearest access to the ocean for my family. It allows us to live the lifestyle that we need to survive in the modern world. Waipi’o provides sustenance for our mind, body, and soul. Waipi’o is the ever carried story that most share and that we continue to live.

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.