As a seasoned traveler, primary care provider, and yoga instructor, I can say that Waipi’o Valley has an undeniable energetic vibration that is healing to the cellular level like no other place I’ve experienced before. Meditating, swimming, running, stretching, and playing on Waipi’o’s black sandy beach with my dog renews my spirit. This energetic reset allows me to emerge restored and helps me to give to and hold space for others in my professional and personal life as well as my community. I believe we can find a middle way in which we can preserve this special aina.

My husband and I live in Paauilo Mauka and work full-time jobs at local schools. We also maintain our family homestead, so do not have a lot of free time. Other than Waipi‘o, there are no nearby areas to safely access the ocean as a family. Surfing for us is exercise, stress relief, and a way to strengthen relationships in the community. Accessing our local shoreline is a cultural and family practice and we feel it is important to share this with our daughter.

It is a place where I am able to recharge my soul, and connect to nature on a level that I can’t anywhere else.