Tag: hawaii island

A Year’s Gone By

It didn’t sneak up on me the way time sometimes does. When I passed the one-year anniversary of my move to “The Big Island,” it very much felt like it had been a year. A long year.

Usually, I am better at keeping everyone well-informed. I’m sorry that I haven’t send birthday cards, posted blogs, or even been on Facebook very much. What can I say? It’s been a busy year.


At first, I was staying in Makoa Kabin, which is in a place called “Fern Forest.” It was perfect for the ducks, and even had a coop for them. Of course, it was expensive, so I found myself looking for more affordable options. Renting with ducks is hard, and we had to move three times before the house on Oahu sold, and I found and bought a house on this island.

I also left the Department of Veterans Affairs. I’d been there for a long time because I loved my job, but it came down to a choice: The only way I could afford to stay on Oahu was if I gave the ducks away and got an apartment. Losing my garden was soul-crushing enough. I couldn’t stand to lose the ducks, too. Look how cute they are!


Moving to Hawaii Island meant I could afford to buy a home. Many people asked why I didn’t move to the mainland where I have family and friends. I thought about it. However, a girl I knew tried to move to the mainland with ducks, and the State of Hawaii euthanized them. Dana didn’t even get to say goodbye. The quarantine folks found out that her ducks were adopted from Susie’s Duck Sanctuary (where there had been a case of bird flu) and that was that. Some of my ducks came from Susie as well -and even if they hadn’t- I couldn’t risk them being euthanized.

With dogs and cats it’s different. The quarantine folks think of them as pets, and give them the respect a pet deserves. However, with ducks, they think of them as livestock. Culling livestock “just in case” seems perfectly reasonable to them.

Besides, the mainland doesn’t have a continuously erupting volcano.


The last year I did a lot of neat things. With my job, I learned about how reef monitoring is done here. It’s different than how it was done with NOAA in Guam. I also got to spend time at the research station, and doing community outreach. I’ve had fun with a lot of my work-related tasks.

Outside of work, I was mostly looking for a house, then going through the process of buying a house, then trying to fix up a house. It’s been a lot. I try to sneak away with my friends who live on island and have fun from time-to-time, and I do get up to some of my own adventures as well.

I went to a very memorable Halloween Party at The Art Box. I learned traditional Polynesian wood carving. I hiked as much as my spine allowed. And, I saw some really cool things.

As your birthdays passed me by I thought of each of you and felt guilty. I knew that somewhere -in the things I have yet to unpack- there was a Tupperware full of stamps and birthday cards. I like my job, but it pays very little. I couldn’t go buy new stamps and cards and pens. Also, I live in a small attic since I am renting out the main floor of my house, and so I can never find anything. My address book is in here somewhere…


Things are finally settling down a bit. The ducks and I are grateful to be able to stay in one place, and I’m slowly adding plants to their yard. There is a lot of work to do. Despite the challenges, I hope to rebuild a life here that the ducks and I can be happy with.

Kailua-Kona Wood Carving Tour

Watch a video about my carving tour.

When you visit Hawaii, you have many options for tourist activities.

A “carving tour” might sound odd, but the ancient art of shaping wood has been a huge part of Pacific Islander culture since there were Pacific Islanders. If you have interest in Hawaiian history or culture, then a carving tour is a fun way to learn more.

I went to Aloha Adventure Farms to carve my very own Tiki figurine.


The tour is taught by a Tongan carving master named Mani. His father taught him all about wood carving since he was a child, and he is teaching his own children to carve as well. It’s a meaningful way to keep Pacific Islander culture alive.

Ancient Pacific Islanders carved wood into canoes to travel between islands, into dishes to eat from, and into Tiki figurines to ward off evil spirits.

During the tour, you are given a piece of Koa wood, and under the direction of the instructor, you shape it into the Tiki of your choice. However, you also get to talk story about the history of wood carving in the Pacific Islands, and about the meaningful place it holds in cultures from South Korea to the Pacific Northwest, and everywhere in between.


I didn’t do the ATV Culture Tour, but that tour takes you around to recreations of villages representing Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. You’re able to learn about some of the cultures that make up the Pacific Islands.

Walking around the property is also nice. There are vanilla vines on the gift shop. The ancient Hawaiian jungle is filled with interesting plants and amazing views. It’s a peaceful place to spent time.

Aloha Adventure Farms is a nice place to spend a day. If you visit the Big Island of Hawaii, it’s worth a trip.

The Big Move to the Big Island


The State of Hawaii (or the Kingdom of Hawaii, depending on who you ask) is made up of 137 islands, islets, and shoals. However, there are seven islands which are generally recognized as the main islands:

Hawaii (also called the Big Island), Oahu, Maui, Niihau, Molokai, Kauai, and Lanai.

Though I have family on Maui, I have been living on the most populated island for the last seven years. Oahu was our home, and the town of Wahiawa was such a charming, wonderful community that we hated to leave.

However, Oahu is an expensive island. Not as expensive as Maui, perhaps. But, more than I can afford right now.

In search of a more affordable place for the flock and myself, we made the move to Hawaii Island, nicknamed “The Big Island.”


Hawaii Island is very large, which means land is more affordable. This isn’t without risk. After all, this is the island with the volcano on it. However, there should also be many rewards.

For the ducks, I am excited to spend time at less crowded beaches and rivers. It’s been very scary to have dogs sicced on us, have people attack us, and generally be subject to the lack of Aloha on Oahu. It’s the city island. You can’t go anywhere on the island and be alone. It’s expensive and crowded, and though many people there are kind, many aren’t.

For me, I am excited to have more job opportunities, more affordable housing, and a slower lifestyle like I lived in Guam.

I loved my garden in Wahiawa. I loved the weather and my bedroom and my job at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System. But, change is a normal part of life, and you have to admit, it was unusual for me to stay in one place for seven years…

Here’s to the next adventure!


All the foster peeps were adopted, and it’s just Catarina La Pata Mascota, Chaos Duck, Amelia DuckPond, Betty DuckPage, Lucky Ducky, and Sizzle with me now.