Aloha aina

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Sitting in a pasture on the green hills above Hāna, it’s easy to take in the majesty of Hawaiʻi Nei.  Haleakala rises behind me and the North Kohala Mountains sit on the horizon.  Kaʻuiki, the sentinel puʻu above Hāna Bay, dominates the landscape as the rain slowly moves off the ocean to envelop it in a fine mist.  Hāna people call this rain Noenoe Ua Kea o Hāna, the fine misty rain of Hāna.  In ancient times, Kaʻuiki was a favored son of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the sea, and Noenoe was a daughter of Maui. Their mortal love was forbidden but Noenoe’s affection for Kaʻuiki was deep and she convinced Maui to provide for their eternal union by turning Kaʻuiki into a puʻu at Hāna Bay and Noenoe into the misty rain that forms on the horizon and slow dances ashore to embrace him—several times a day.

This landscape is filled with all of the things that make my home, our Hawaiʻi, so special.  From my perch, I can easily take in the beauty of Hawaiʻi, the vast bounty of Hāna, and the delicate balance of its natural systems and man.  Everything about Hāna is genuine, and it vibrates with community bound by the traditions of this land and a responsibility to one another.  Where else in Hawai’i do folks still come together, in the summer months, to catch akule in the bay and divide them up with their neighbors until everyone gets their share?

Spend a little time here and you’ll find that Heavenly Hāna is much more than a bumper sticker.  Yesterday, I met a guy who gushed about Hāna from the time he picked me up at the tiny airport until he dropped me off at the hotel.  A non-stop monologue professing his love for this enchanted place and her people.  He was born here and it will be his “pleasure to die here in the bosom of Hāna.”  His love is unconditional, faithful, and true.  He told me of a tourist from New York who asked, rhetorically, “Would you take a million dollars to leave Hāna?”  His answer?  “Take your million dollars and go back to New York, my Hāna is priceless.”

All of Hawaiʻi is priceless.  She may be fractured in places, like a small imperfection in an otherwise perfect spine, but her foundation is solid and she is resilient.  Hawaiʻi is my home and, like my friend in Hāna, I too will be privileged to die here.  Until then, I’m grateful for the kūleana of working for her health, independence, and vitality with Bio-Logical Capital—a team of extraordinary people, all of whom aloha our island home.

Guy Kaulukukui heads the Hawai‘i office of Bio-Logical Capital and is responsible for implementing the company’s vision to make long-term investments in projects that heal land, help people, and generate revenue in Hawai‘i. Specifically, he is working on projects that produce healthy food, reliable water, clean energy, and strong communities.