Weeks two and three have really flown by! We’ve had a lot of free time since this is our independent research time and I’ve kept myself busy by hiking….lots of hiking. I’ve realized the culture here is much different then any other farming communities I’ve been around. Farmers are much less trusting, much less open to divulging information, and MUCH harder to get a hold of. That is definitely one of my biggest challenges while continuing my research, is talking to actual people. Emails are a dead-end, phone calls go unanswered, and texts are rarely returned. It’s the island life, but it’s taken some adjusting and I’ve had to alter my approach and my research methods slightly.
History first. Kauai has a unique history as far as how it was conquered by King Kamehameha. Every island was forcefully taken, but Kauai was peacefully surrendered to the king and still have a fond outlook on his reign. King Kamehameha day brought about a parade in Lihue, along with Hawaiian music and crafts. Below is a photo of a princess during the procession.
Onto hiking…there are some amazing hikes with spanning vistas throughout the island and I’ve been lucky enough to venture out to a few. I’ve hiked Sleeping Giant four times now, about 2 miles up and back with a 1,300 foot incline, along with the Kalalau Trail on the North Shore. Having really adjusted to island time, it’s been a great opportunity to spend an entire afternoon exploring these rugged coasts and mountains while gaining an appreciation for the frailty and power of Kauai.
Thanks to jet-lag, I am officially a morning person in Kauai! The island has a certain vibe to it and the first week supplied a slew of knowledge and realizations.
Touring Malama Kauai, our host organization located in Kilauea, brought a lot of the community’s issues to the surface and gave me some insight into what the needs of the island are, particularly the rural farming communities. I was connected with a few farming organizations, hopefully to garner some answers to questions about the current state of things on the island, along with setting up future interviews.
One of my first observations is the lack of solar photovoltaic panels anywhere on the island. You find them sporadically, but not nearly as prevalent as you’d expect, especially for a place that has had daily sunlight since I’ve been here. This is an underutilized energy source and I still haven’t quite figured out what the challenges are to installing solar, or if people even want to change their ways.
Another quick realization is the hundreds of shipping containers docked at the harbor and at each grocery store. With Kauai importing over 80% of their food products, these are a common sight and an uneasy one. Besides the local markets, it’s difficult to find locally sourced foods. If you do visit a restaurant that sources locally, you definitely pay the price.
One of many shipping containers throughout the island. This one is at Kapa’a’s Safeway grocery store.