Apart from the intense beauty and the great surf, there is a spirit here that I’ve not found anywhere else in Hawai‘i. In the last fifty years I can honestly say it is my favorite place on the Big Island. To not be allowed down in the valley is a shocking development. To not be able to watch the sunrise from the beach or paddle the coast makes me want to cry.

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.

Waipio is a unique way to connect with this island and the island culture. This is a unique place for families to gather and children to learn about this special place where we live.