Better Late Than Never Reflections of Kaho'olawe: Week 3 (by Rob Lau)

Being chosen to go to Kaho'olawe was a real blessing. It's the type of humbling experience that sticks with you for awhile. Not only is Kaho'olawe a historically, culturally, and spiritually powerful place, it also is a place to reconnect with the simpler pleasures in life, like body surfing, snorkeling, and star gazing. Working on the remote, undeveloped island of Kaho'olawe was a stark contrast to Oahu and reminded me of the importance of keeping the country country. One of the unique things about Kaho'olawe is that, because no commercial activity is allowed on the island, it draws certain types of people there: thoughtful, passionate, and spiritual people.

Pictured to the left is a short hike to Moa'ulaiki "little red chicken" that we did on our first day. Near the summit of Moa'ulaiki is a natural looking seat called the navigator's chair. From there you can observe the islands of Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i, as well as the channels and potential current patterns. With a nearly panoramic view and an elevation of over 1400 feet, Moa'ulaiki made for the perfect place to learn about ocean and celestial navigation.

My favorite work was carrying and relocating rocks and small boulders to make hoaka rock-walls. In the shape of a C, we dug about a foot into the dirt and then like a puzzle we fit our collection of rocks into a solid retaining wall. This will help with soil erosion and possibly provide wind protection for the sweet potato that will be planted within the walls.

In the foreground of this picture is the rock-wall that we completed. Behind that are rock-walls that were completed by other groups in years past. It's a good feeling to know that these sturdy rock formations will probably still be there for decades to come. Perhaps someday I or someone I know will revisit this site. In this small way I feel proud to have left my mark on the island.

Some of the bumps in the road nearly had us tipping over, but it

made for a fun ride. We did our best to patch up the big bumps in some of the roads by filling up bags of dirt and fitting them into the ruts. Collaborating with another HYCC team from Maui and working with the K.I.R.C. staff was amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to work at Kaho'olawe, don't pass it up :)