Hello Friends and Family,
Link to this year's index by clicking here.
Moloka`i Seeing Deeply #3 |
We arrived at the beach-side park at the mouth of Halawa Valley at the appointed time but did not see Joshua, the fisherman who I met two days previous and who was to guide us to the waterfall. We met a few other folks who told us that Joshua went to town but would be back shortly — and to just relax for a few minutes until he arrived. Shortly thereafter, another fellow approached us and asked if we were waiting for Joshua. He said that he was Joshua's brother-in-law, Julio — and if Joshua did not return within a few minutes, that he would guide us to the waterfall instead. So he led us to his home, a wood-frame structure without electricity, where his mom came out to greet us and offered the loan of a walking stick — which I graciously accepted. We waited a few more minutes but finally, Julio suggested we go since he did not know when Joshua would be back and he didn't want us inconvenienced further. So off we went. We had only gone a short distance when the valley opened up in front our eyes and I captured this scene which was even better than the view we had from the beach. Wow! |
Of course, the waterfall is the source of water for the streams that we hiked along for a good part of the trip. The light trickled through the arboreal canopy producing numerous spots of incredible beauty. These same streams are tapped by the people living downstream to provide water for their taro patches and other crops as they try to live in the old style, living off the land as did their ancestors. |
The hike up was only a couple miles of moderate effort but what a reward at the end — Mo`oulua Waterfall. The name means "red lizard" although I don't know how the name was attached to this beautiful cascade. Words cannot do it justice — so I'll stop typing and let you soak it all in. |
The photo to the right is a closer view of the top. |
And it would not be an Eddie Soloway workshop without an "artistic" shot — where I moved the camera down at about the same speed as the falling water — the slow shutter freezing the water (sort of) while the vegetation blurs along side. |
Just below the pond at the base of the waterfall begins the rapids. This is another "Eddie Soloway" artistic shot — one that I rather like.
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And if you look downstream there are large rocks impeding the path of the water answering the call of gravity. |
Alas, all good things must come to an end, so we began our hike back down to the shoreline. Along the way, I happened to look down and see the most colorful mushrooms I've ever seen. Seeing Deeply! |
It was a real pleasure to meet these folks and gain an insight into their way of life — one that they are working hard to maintain. They (and others) say that they don't want Moloka`i to become like Maui and thus resist the exploitation that has become so detrimental to Maui (where they say they don't want to be like O`ahu). Curiously, a few days later when I arrived on Maui, I was checking out the new TV in the condo and ran across a station broadcasting a show about Moloka`i — and there was Lawrence talking about the land and the people and the history. It's a small world. This day was the highlight of my trip — awesome scenery and wonderful people. It nourished my Hawaiian soul — remember that I was Hawaiian in a previous life.
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Life is good.
Aloha,
B. David