Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thing else your host family might need comes in handy. Plus, it's the perfect forum for organ-
ic growers to share their passion for natural foods.
PERKS OF WWOOF
•
Travel to some of the most beautiful parts of Hawaii for far less than you'd
pay for a hotel on Waikiki Beach.
•
Learn skills that will last a lifetime.
•
Come home fitter than you've ever been.
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Eat the most amazing food on Earth, all homegrown or homemade.
•
Feel good knowing that by supporting organic gardening you're contribut-
ing to the health of the planet.
WWOOF was started in 1971 when a London secretary recognized the need for city
folks like herself to experience the countryside. She organized a trial weekend at a farm
in Sussex (WWOOF used to stand for Working Weekends on Organic Farms, among other
things; see sidebar) for four people she met through a classified ad. It was a rousing success,
and WWOOF quickly spread from England to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Ger-
many, Austria, the United States, and many other countries. Now, there are even host farms
in Slovenia, Uganda, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Ghana. Although there are loosely fol-
lowed international guidelines, each country hosts its own list of farms and runs its operation
separately.
WWOOF Hawaii was launched by the organizers of WWOOF Canada. There's also a
WWOOF USA covering the rest of the United States if you'd rather work on the mainland.
Hawaii, however, with the perfect growing climate, offers endless possibilities and a wide
variety of farms. All told, there are more than a hundred organic farms, ranging from large
plantations to small community gardens, located on five Hawaiian islands.
On Maui, for example, you can work on a tropical flower garden in the middle of the rain
forest or on a bamboo farm that doubles as a meditation-and-retreat center. On Kauai, you
can work on a small goat-cheese dairy farm or on a farm that runs a whole foods co-op. The
Big Island offers the chance to work on the largest organic coffee farm in the United States
or a 50-acre oceanside property that produces Hawaiian awa (also known as kava), used to
make an age-old herbal drink with soothing effects, and noni, the fruit of which is believed
by many to have healing properties. On Oahu, you can live in a barn and help grow avocados,
bananas, and citrus or live in a 300-square-foot studio and help grow and sell a gourmet salad
