Our first stop this morning was in Kalaheo at our Uncle Gus’ house. Gus is in his 90s, we think, and still lives in our grandparents’ home, where Kauai relatives and friends would gather each year to celebrate the New Year. The house is on a hillside with a sweeping view of the coastal plain all the way to the sea. The soil is fertile, and both pineapples and sugarcane once grew here. Now the area is largely sub-divided for houses that have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
Our grandparents, whom we called “Ojiji” and “Obaba,” passed away years ago; they are buried in Lawai, the next town over from Kalaheo, so we visited their grave next.
Then we drove on through Koloa Town to Poipu, which is known for its beach and resort hotels. Our destination was a remote beach we discovered by poring over maps of the Island. The paved road ends at Shipwreck Beach, which fronts the Hyatt Regency, and we bumped along on the dirt road for a couple of miles through this type of scenery:
We were rewarded at the end when we arrived at Maha’ulepu. This stretch of sand often shelters the Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi, and we were fortunate to see two individuals sunning themselves and resting on the sand. Hawaiian monk seals are among the most endangered of all the seals; it is estimated that less than 1400 individuals survive.
Shortly before noon, we headed back to Waimea and drove up the Valley to visit with Mrs. Ruth Cassel, an old friend. Ruth’s husband Jim passed away a year and a half ago, but she still lives on their farm, right next to the River and at the end of the road. As we ate lunch, we caught up with each other’s lives and talked about what old friends and neighbors have been up to.
In the late afternoon, we drove back to the Cottages, then decided to visit Kekaha again. We meandered through streets I remembered because I had biked through town so many times as a child, but on the Mana side, there is a whole section of streets and houses that were not there forty years ago. Finally, we stopped at Kekaha Beach to test the waters. The ocean here is always warm and salty, but the bottom is rocky and there is often a strong undertow, so we didn’t stay long. On our way back to Waimea, we passed our old house and saw the new owner out working in the yard, so we stopped to introduce ourselves. I’m so glad she said she loves the place! I still think of the house as my home.
