Makua to Makai

" from land to water we are all connected,  what's above flows below."

So, we spent the first half of the day yesterday cleaning up trash on Northshore above the famous surfing spot Jaws in Peahi. Jaws is known for its BIG waves.  Peahi actually means wave in the Hawaiian language. I mean these waves are no joke! But the actual nickname Jaws came from two surfers, John Roberson and John Potterick in 1975, who came across these huge dangerous waves (30-80ft waves) and gave it the nickname after the movie Jaws, because the waves were so unpredictable like a shark attack.

Peahi's traditional Hawaiian name for this spot  is actually, "Ke Kai 'o Waitakulu" meaning, 'The teary eye.'

Now that I've shared about the water there, let's move up to the land there. In 2016, Maui County approved the purchase of over 270 aces of former plantation land in Ha'ikū: Hāmākua Open Space Preserve, in recognition of the Hawaiian moku, Hāmākualoa. This area receives a ton of rain and sugar cane grass grows pretty rapidly here. Major concerns and conditions the County had of the purchase were land maintenance,  public access to sporting events at Jaws, water issues, etc. but were willing to support the purchase if the community felt so strongly about dealing with these challenges the land presented.

There have been issues along the way, with overcrowding and traffic control with major events, including cars breaking down on the muddy roads, to people using the open space preserve as a dumping site.

That's where we stepped in. Every last Saturday of the month is volunteer day. While, you'll find many community members cleaning up trash at any given day, there is a reserved date every last Saturday.  So yesterday,  the group as a whole picked up 100 tons of all kinds of trash, 6 engines, 5 transmissions, one mower, a bag of bones (hopefully animal), cow skulls, and so much more! We were out there for the better half of the morning and experienced intense sun, pouring rain, and all the humidity in between.

 By 1230 we called it a day and Brandi, Neil and I headed to some local food trucks for a vegetarian delight. The remainder of the day was spent in beautiful Wailea soaking up the ocean breeze and afternoon sun. Nothing like laying on the beach after a productive day.