Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AUNTIE JULIA HOE
Localkupuna(elder) who sings and dances a much-lauded version of hula.
You're famous for?
I sing every Sunday at Coffees of Hawaii (
Click here
)
with a local group of home-
spun musicians, fondly known as Na Ohana Hoaloha (Family of Friends). Visitors
get to realize that our entertainers are sharing just as much as performing, and this
is the key to connecting with the culture of Molokaʻi.
What to do first?
Visitors need to take note of the airport welcome sign that encourages them to
slow down; right there they should know that they are in a special place. Then they
can approach their stay here with an open heart and mind. Greet all that they meet
with a smile; doesn't matter if you don't know a person, it is what you give off that
is important.
On sharing
Most locals will generously share their aloha with any who come with a true desire
to understand the Hawaiian culture, to learn more about living in harmony with
nature and with respect for what they find. Return the favor with a sense of gratit-
ude and aloha. We love our island, our way of life, our Hawaiian heritage and culture
and we are passionate about protecting it.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Kualapuʻu
Kualapuʻu is the name of both a 1017ft hill and a nearby village. In a fact that only a
booster could love, the world's largest rubber-lined reservoir lies at the base of the hill.
Its 1.4 billion gallons of water are piped in from the rainforests of eastern Molokaʻi and it
is the only source of water for the Hoʻolehua Plains and the dry West End. Operations
were threatened when its owner, the Molokaʻi Ranch, ceased operations in 2008.
In the 1930s the headquarters of the Del Monte pineapple plantation were located here
and a company town grew. Pineapples ruled for nearly 50 years, until Del Monte pulled
out of Molokaʻi in 1982 and the economy crumbled.
While farm equipment rusted in overgrown pineapple fields, small-scale farming deve-
loped: watermelons, dryland taro, macadamia nuts, sweet potatoes, seed corn, string
beans and onions. The soil is so rich here, some feel Molokaʻi has the potential to be
