‘Ōlelo No‘eau
Ola i ka wai a ka ‘ōpua
There is life in the water from the clouds
HE AHA KA MANA‘AO O WAI?
Wai or "water", is very significant to our lives as humans and as Hawaiians. Water is one of the biggest essentials for us to survive. We use water everyday in everything we do. Drinking, cooking, eating, cleaning, planting, etc., are many things that we need water for. Knowing that water is very significant to our lives as humans, it is important to sustain it and continue to care for it so that it can, in return, provide for us. As Kanaka Maoli, water to our kūpuna was extremely important. Not only was it used for everyday uses, our kūpuna used water for blessings and traditional ceremonies. Waiwai or freshwater is what is used to ensure the growth and flourishing of our lands. In many ways, wai takes care of us and in return we need to mālama it.
PRE-JOURNAL TO HUAKA‘I
Knowing that our field trip is arriving soon, I am very excited, nervous, and eager to go on this learning trip. I have never been to a waterfall nor this area which makes it more special to me. I am nervous because I do not know what to expect but I am excited and eager to gain the mana‘ao from this area and the connections it has to us besides our water unit that we are focusing on in class. I have packed my bag a few days early because I was that excited. I can't wait to take in the knowledge from this ahupua‘a and the significance our wai has to our lives as kanaka maoli.
HUAKA‘I: WAIHE‘E TUNNELS
On January 15th, our class got the amazing opportunity to go to Waihe‘e Water Tunnels located in Kahalu‘u. It was a great experience and I had lots of fun. Accompanied by , we were able to walk into the tunnels and learn some history about them. The tunnels were dark and we used flashlights to walk through. I felt very excited prior to the field trip because I had never been there before. After going into the tunnels, we hiked to Hanama Falls. The hike was such a blast! It was a little muddy and I took my time to enjoy my environment. I felt fulfilling in a sense of learning the significance of our wai and the logistics behind it. It was very interesting learning some mo‘olelo about the area. The water felt refreshing. I hope to get another opportunity to go back there. When we arrived to Waihe‘e Water Tunnels, we were asked to stay quiet within the tunnel and to use our flashlights if needed. Inside the tunnel was a long tube-like object that stretched all the way into the tunnel. It was very dark. When we reached as what it seemed to be the end of the tunnel, we enjoyed ourselves by the water that was coming from above the tunnel. It was really cold but so refreshing. We were also allowed to take wai home for traditional uses, drinking was not permitted. After the water tunnel, we enjoyed the hike to Hamama Falls. That was my first time going there and I loved every single moment. It was a little muddy traveling up and down the hike but I enjoyed it. When we got to the waterfall we took pictures and then headed our way back down.