Monthly Archives: May 2015

End of the Road

Continued from previous entry dated May 4, 2015…

What seemed a scavenger hunt, we knew we were headed in the right direction. Journal entries confirmed a place at the end of the road, near Ke’e Beach. There were references to an area revered by Hawaiians. Known as a Heiau (hey ow), locals told us it was next to the trailhead for the Na Pali Coast, at end of the road.

journal

Robin’s leather-bound journal from 2010 was the key.

trail info

The trail entrance to Na Pali is at the end of the road.

trail in

We found an overgrown path and walked through lush vegetation.

discovery

Approaching a rock wall, I felt elation, and knew this was the right place. The view was remarkable and whales spouted offshore. What an affirmation! Robin’s descriptions, photos and journal entries were a perfect match.

ocean view

Stones were laid in an orderly fashion by ancient Hawaiians. The site was a temple and served as a school for the Hula. Students would come from surrounding islands. It is said that the goddess Pele came here from the big island after hearing the drum beats.

arrangement

I tried to imagine what was here hundreds of years ago.

oval

There could have been thatched structures and large carved Tikis.

altar

A shelf in the rock wall looked like an altar where ceremonies could have taken place.

offering

Someone left offerings wrapped in Ti leaves and a beautiful flowered lei.

Ke'e

After finding the location of the Heiau, we explored the beach at Ke’e.

Haena

Ha’ena State Park is next to Ke’e.

Haena beach

The waves at Tunnels were big and breaking on the distant reef.

hanalei l

We spent some time on the wide crescent beach at Hanalei.

hanalei r

Surfers love Hanalei.

entry

The following day we began hiking the Kalalau Trail.

stream

There were torrents everywhere.

Ke'e overlook

The first overlook gave a spectacular view of Ke’e Beach.

precarious

At times the steep drop-offs were precariously close to the trail.

edge

coast

In a heavy downpour it got so muddy, we had to turn back after going in ¾ mile.

orchid

On the way back to our cottage, a man on the roadside sold us a lei made by his wife.

going up heiau

Early next morning we went to the Heiau with Robin’s ashes.

ascent

view from Heiau

It was a spectacular day, and a few whales breached from the ocean.

wall

We spent an hour contemplating the moment, and the sacredness of the site.

me

cocos

We placed the ashes up against a sheer rock wall, splashed an offering of Hawaiian rum and presented the lei.

lei

Our task was done.

 

 

The Journey

In the Fall of 2013, I did some blogging about Robin. He had a rich life but now is gone. We said our goodbyes and have had lots of time to reflect. Robin had directives in place to disperse his possessions. But there was also a last request. He wanted his ashes taken to the island of Kauai.

After he lost his wife Carey, to cancer, he returned to Kauai in 2010 to scatter her remains. Years prior, they made a number of trips to the island. Carey worked as a nurse at the hospital in Lihue and went again in 1993, after Hurricane Inniki ravaged the island. They were both very fond of the place and told captivating stories about it.

Robin wanted his final wish to be carried out by me and Denise. His directions where to go, were not crystal clear. As clues, there were vague vocal descriptions about “the end of the road”. There were also some photographs and a journal that we used, to narrow down the possibilities.

In March we embarked on a journey that ultimately took us to the North Shore of Kauai to carry out our calling. It was an introduction to a gorgeous part of the world. And for me personally, it was inspiration to remember a friend and revitalize my photography.

wing

Reality didn’t set in until I was cruising high over the Pacific Ocean bound for Kauai.

Waimea

The next day I was standing on the edge of Waimea Canyon.

secret

We spent some time exploring beaches around Kilauea.

nice

The water was amazing!

Kilauea

Kilauea Point is a National Wildlife Refuge with a lighthouse on it.

stairs light

Originally built in 1912, it was recently restored.

albatross

There were sea birds like this Laysan Albatross nesting in the surrounding cliffs.

farm

We hiked through a farm with 40,000 mahogany trees on it.

market

And we loved the local farmers market on Saturday.

taro

We saw how taro plants growing in Hanalei Valley provide critical waterfowl habitat.

Hanalei

Perfect waves at Hanalei were visible from an overlook a mile away.

bridge

The single lane, double bridge going over the Wainiha River would eventually take us where we needed to go.

one lane

to be continued….