The girls and I (Danielle) went up to the north shore twice this past week. One trip was to Waimea Valley, for our 3rd field trip there, and the second, was to the Polynesian Cultural Center (which we visited a couple of times back in May....which I'll post at a later date).

Waimea Valley is a great place that used to be run by the Audubon Society, then was taken over by a group that tried to turn it into an amusement-type park (with men jumping from the waterfall that is in the valley). Then fairly recently, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs took it over and declared the following about the valley:

"Waimea Valley is a cultural resource of the highest possible order ... There is no place quite like Waimea Valley on the island of Oahu, and very few places in the entire archipelago can equal it in terms of its religious associations, its preservation, or its potential for answering many questions about traditional Hawaii. It is deserving of the utmost care and protection, and this can be achieved only through recognition and careful planning."

Jacqui gathering dried "Loulu" (Hawaiian Fan Palms) for making a shelter.

It really is quite a special place. It was the first place that the Polynesians landed when they came to Oahu. It is also a botanical garden. This particular field trip was really cool. The kids learned all about the native plants of Hawaii, identified them as well as learned what they were used for. We all learned a ton and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The staff there is incredibly knowledgeable, not only of the plants, but also of the Hawaiian history.

Gabbi, Talulah and Jessie with the "Auntie" cracking seeds to figure out which seeds were used for making light in ancient Hawaii. The Kukui nut was the winner (a.k.a The Candlenut Tree).



At the end, those who didn't have any cuts on them, had a chance to go swimming in the waterfall pool that had been closed the last two times that we had visited. In all fresh water in Hawaii, there is concern of acquiring "Leptispirosis", which apparently can make one fell pretty sick. I didn't get to go in, but the girls said it was pretty cool. Hopefully, it will still be running this week when we go back for field trip #4 there.