As a class we recently went on a feild trip to the windward side of the island to a valley called Waipao. It is well known for being the home of Papahana Kuaola. We visited 2 pumping stations Hamama Falls and the Vault. Im calling it the Vault because I cannt actually remeber what that tunnel was called but it is on the branch off trail to Hamama Falls. It was so magical I truely fell in love with that valley even more when we where there. It is so different from Waianae it feels like a whole different island instead of another mountain range. The area that we where visiting Is called Waiheʻe or waters of the octopus.
When we arived there were where greeted by an uncle who was one of our guides. He works for the board of water supply. We were thensplit into 2 groups, my group took the hike to the water fall first. It was hot and long and mostly uphill but it was beautiful. So many plants that I almost never get to see the whole time. I only wish I had found some strawberry guava to snack on on the way. It was very slippery on the way down so muchso that we could have gone mud sliding.
I thuroughly enjoyed the whole trip was when we where in the cave. It was about 5 football fields to get to the vault. Im not sure how much that is, but the whole time we where walking through 2 inches of water in the dark. About 200 feet before the vault the tunnel turned from concrete to regualr stone. It remided me of an old mineshaft I once visited when I was younger. We went to the dry back first then to the wet bank. Uncle told us that if anyone was to ever open the vault it would be like getting flushed down a toilet. We could hear the wet banl long before we could actually seeit. It sounded like a rainstorm inside of the tunnel. There was so much water coming down from the ceiling and it was cold. It tasted so pure and fresh, unlike the oter times I got wet from fresh water streams I didnt feel dirty. I actually felt quit clean. Right when we were about to leave we had one last activity and this one was my favorite.
As a precourer I wanted to share a little story about myself. When i was younger I had an extreamly irrational fear of the dark. It was cold and scary, and uncomferable with all of the scilence around you. Back to the trip though, As a group we were told to stand in the cirle in the wet bank and turn out all the lights. Se we did, and when the last light went out, all of our visions went pure black. You couldn't even see the hand in front of you much less even try to figure out if your eyes where open or not. At this time I should have been terrified, but i didnt because of the chanting. With my vision stolen, my awareness of my surroundings hightened dramaticly. The voices of my peers resounded throughout the cave, the sound of the falling water, the water pooled around my ancles. I should have bee freezing but I only felt warmth, and it felt like my ʻohana. I felt them in my skin and in my soul. I never felt more connected to my hawaiian side anymore than I had in that moment. It was a feeling I dought I will ever truely forget.