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Waihee Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge, Halewaiu Road, Wailuku, HI

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Waihee Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge, Halewaiu Road, Wailuku, HI

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Waihee Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge, Halewaiu Road, Wailuku, HI

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In the ahupua'a of Waihe'e, in the moku of Wailuku, lies 277 acres of combined coastal dunes and wetland refuge acquired by Hawaii Island Land Trust in 2004.

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Rich in history, this area was known significantly in Hawaiian mythology from the 200 ft sand dunes created by the goddess Haumea,to protect the tree named, Kalaukekahuli. The wind in Waihe'e named Kili'o'opu was a strong wind that blew throughout the valley. This wind was named famously after the ʻoʻopu or the Hawaiian freshwater goby fish endemic to mountain streams . This tree was given as a gift from Muleia, the daughter of a high chief from Oahu, after the successful birth of her child. Primarily, Haumea's la'au lapa'au allowed a safe and healthy delivery of Muleias child.

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Located within the Waiheʻe wetlands is the site of the old Waiheʻe dairy. In total, it was about 40 sq meters and had about 100 cows that was once previously owned by the sugarcane company. Commercial sugar cane cultivation began in Waiheʻe Valley in 1862 when Captain J. Hobron acquired land from T.H. Hobron to build the Waihe`e Sugar Mill (Donham 1989). The dairy then closed in 1967. It also housed a slaughterhouse for cattle, it still retains many of the original sites of the caretaker home, maids quarters, and dairy.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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One of the many tasks I was instructed after clearing areas that were ready to plant was propagating ahuʻawa. An indigenous plant that grows about 40-110 cm long and itʻs flowers cluster in little spikes. It was commonly used by Hawaiians for its stems, after the stems were pounded it was used to strain the pulp of the ʻawa , ʻawa is a drink made from the root of the ʻawa shrub brought by the early Polynesian voyagers that traveled to Hawaii .

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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I learned so many interesting facts regarding the ahuʻawa which included the hands on experience of propagating itʻs seeds and the strainer used to strain the ʻawa root was created from itʻs stems. After pounding the stem to a thin fiber texture , it was combined with other stems pounded in a similar manner (about 20 other stems ) and then tied and dried. The ʻawa plant was medicinally and ceremonially used throughout Polynesia, specifically in Hawaii it was used as a relief for tension, stiffness, and fatigue in the muscles. The entire 12 foot plant could be used to cure a variety of sicknesses including: general debility, weary muscles, chills, colds, headaches, lung and other respiratory diseases such as asthma, displacement of the womb, feverish or restlessness in children, and diabetes. It often had an adverse affect of the skin and eyes of users making them dry and scaly.

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2-98 Wilipohaku St, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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2-98 Wilipohaku St, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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2-98 Wilipohaku St, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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Ke ʻaʻaliʻi ku makani. The ʻaʻliʻi is an indigenous plant that is known for itʻs deep roots and are tough plants once rooted in the ground. It is wind and drought resistant and can usually be found growing in dry coastal low land areas. Itʻs seed capsules are commonly used in leiʻs and for making a red dye. Pictured above I am replanting some of those very seeds which became one of the tasks I would complete while caring for the native nursery in Waiheʻe. The wood of the ʻaʻliʻi is used in making smaller hand tools and weapons.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Cleaning an ʻaʻaliʻi patch with volunteers. This internship allowed me to make many connections within my own community , from kaiapuni students to college students and to local church members. HILT provided an environment for everyone regardless of their own personal cultures to come learn about Hawaiian culture and history. Education about natural science and agriculture were regularly implemented into volunteer work days and questions were always welcome.

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Our weekends were filled with volunteers not only from Hawaii but all over the world who want to participate in clearing debris that line the shores of Waiheʻe. Lining the shoreline are numerous rocks that seem to replace the sand that is normally seen sprawling on Hawaiiʻs beaches. According to Dr. Scott Fisher , the Director for Aina Stewardship for Hawaii Land Trust, Hawaiian shield volcanos used to experience regular sheering of their rocky sides into the nearby ocean. Most of the rocks on this shoreline were contributed by the cliffs that are along the Kahakuloa shoreline.

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I was able to get a firsthand experience of how much our marine debris after being collected and separated can affect places such as Waiheʻe. Small things like picking up your trash after using an area, separating your trash into appropriate bins, and following guidelines set forth by organizations such as HILT and DLNR can help protect and preserve our aina for future generations to enjoy.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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My favorite quote from my mentor was " Ma ka hana ka ʻike, ma ka ʻike , ka naʻaauo"

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Stretching 10 miles long and having a total drainage area of 16.6 square is the Waiheʻe River. One of the rivers that make up Na Wai Eha, the Waiheʻe River is home to the ʻoʻopu or the Hawaiian fresh water goby and opae ʻula, the brackish water shrimp. There are many ponds and springs throughout the Waiheʻe River , one of them famously known as Eleile pond. This pond is the home of a moʻowahine, and in the past the pond was used to hide childrenʻs piko. After asking for permission by tossing a ti leaf into the pond to see if it floated or sank, locals would dive to the bottom of the pond and bury their childʻs piko.

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One of my most favorite memories was building the rock wall that surrounded the ancient inland fishpond. We would carry bucket after bucket of rocks called hakahaka (space) from the shore that would fill in the gaps of this fishpond wall. Built in the 1500ʻs, this fishpond was known as a loko iʻa kalo, serving as a fishpond and a taro patch. At itʻs peak production, this 7-acre pond could provide hundreds of fish per year and around 10,000 pounds/acre of kalo. The stones were used to build the surrounding walls of the fishpond by a technique called dry stacking . The different stones used to create these walls were categorized into their shape, size, and weight , these categories were named : niho ( teeth or foundational stones) , alo ( face or smooth stones that would create the outer layers of the wall ), hakahaka ( space or filler stones that would fill in the gaps between the two outer layers of the alo ) , and papale ( hat or cap stones that would cover the top of the wall once all other layers were completed).

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Repotting (1/4)

The loulu or palm grow to about 30 ft in height and is endemic to Hawaii. Itʻs round fruit is brown to black and is leaves are fan shaped. The first of my many nursery care tasks involved repotting loulu and ʻaʻalii plants into larger pots to allow their roots to spread more comfortably. I began by preparing the soil which involved mixing it with water to make sure that not only the top layer of soil was hydrated.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Repotting (2/4)

I would then place this hydrated soil into larger pots and fill it about 3/4 of the way . I learned that for special cases of repotting which usually involved endangered or rare plants and to ensure that there would be no fungal growth or other invasive species growth, some pots needed to be rinsed completely with water or cleaned with a special solution involving bleach and water.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Repotting (3/4)

Then, I would select the plant that needed to be replanted and create an indent with the existing flower pot in order to create a similar environment.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Repotting (4/4)

After placing the plant with itʻs existing soil into the new pot, it can be covered with another layer of hydrated soil and pat into place. After this it is ready to be watered to seal the new and old soil together and to prevent the new plant from being blown over from strong winds.

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Unnamed Road, Waihee-Waiehu, HI 96793, USA

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Loulu is used to treat ‘ea and pa‘ao‘ao in children and adults. Paʻaoʻao is latent childhood diseases that involved physical weakening such as tuberculosis. ʻEa was  a general term for infection and infectious diseases like thrush disease of children.

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The sugar cane industry implemented two irrigation ditches (Spreckels Ditch and the Waihe`e Ditch) which were constructed in the late 19th century to early 20th century to channel water south from the Waihe`e Stream to nearby fields.

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Although it is not one of the main irrigation ditches , I was able to participate in dredging the water that comes directly from Waihee River and flows by Waiheʻe Elementary School and nearby loʻi kalo.

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Indigenous plants such as the naupaka kahakai are also being actively replanted within the nursery located on the baseyard. Medicinally, the taproot of the naupaka was combined with salt and used for pains and sores.

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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Among the many varieties of kalo, farming and planting kalo in Waiheʻe had a specific reason for their growth. Varieties that were related to names of fishes were selected since their purpose was in a loko iʻa kalo.

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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72-158 Halewaiu Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

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I had the opportunity to bush whack and perform duties I was not familiar with especially regarding landscaping. I work in the Emergency Department at Maui Memorial Hospital as a medical scribe and looking back at this internship I have never been more grateful that I could participate and give back to the land that feeds me and gives me a place to rest. It was amazing to learn of the sustainability of our people in the past and the vision of creating that sustainability for our lahui is imperative. Not only was this knowledge important to learning about my own culture but applying this knowledge into my future career as a doctor. I hope to work within rural areas within the Pacific and incorporate local medicine in order to heal and remind our people of the part that it plays in our cultural identity.