The Wandering Tattler

Today was unambiguously sunny and clear! We joined a native Hawaiian guide for a kayak trip up one of Kauai's few freshwater rivers. After paddling upstream for an hour, we hiked a mile or so through mud and over tangled tree roots to a hidden 120-foot water fall. Our trail had been thoroughly ripped up in places by wild pigs, which reminds me to mention that two days ago we saw two large feral pigs run acros the road in front of us in Waimea Canyon. (Feral pigs have been even more devastating to the native flora and fauna than goats and moongeese.) After lunch and considerable exposure to freshwater mist, we hiked back to our kayaks and paddled back to the marina. Our guide, a cheerful, very poised 20-year old (who carried a 60-pound pack!), paused from place to place to give us accounts of Hawaiian uses of native plants, and to show us a couple of archaeological sites in the forest. She told us that slightly less than half of the island's year-round population of 60,000 can claim native ancestry, but that few of the young people can speak Hawaiian any more. She shared a lot of her family history and was obviously keenly appreciative of the unique values of life on Kauai, which is beginning to change as tourism, the island's only solid economic activity, begins to boom. Cousin Don mentions that he was here in the mid-eighties. In 1992 Kauai was hit by a Category 5 hurricane, which caused major damage both to homes and business and to forest and agriculture. The sugar cane and taro industries are now basically defunct, leaving only tourism as a major source of revenue. The island may lose its very rural character sometime in the near future as major developments materialize and when an interisland car ferry begins operating, which will bring weekend visitors from Oahu, along with drugs and other unwanted commodities.

We leave for two nights in Honolulu tomorrow, and we'll have to pack this evening, so I'll put this blog to rest with a couple of last pictures of Kiahuna Plantations in Poipu Kai, our current address.

Best wishes to all our friends and relatives.