Sunday, November 15, 2009

Musings: Powerful Message

The rain fell with an intensity yesterday that I have rarely seen, and regular calls exchanged with a friend in Hanalei confirmed that conditions up there were even more dramatic, though not in any way unwelcome.

“We love the rain,” was the message we shared each time we talked, and he was praying for more. As a Hanalei boy, he wasn’t worried, having stocked up on food when the bridge first closed, and relishing the peace and quiet that such a closure always brings.

I found it quite interesting that the big surf, lightning display and deluge coincided with the ‘Aha Ho‘ano that was held at the Wailua beach heiau during a 24-hour period that ran from noon Friday to noon Saturday.

The vigil, marked by chants, prayers and hula, was intended to draw attention to the sacred properties of Wailua, where a bike path is proposed to run along the beach. As The Garden Island reported:

Kumu Hula Kehaulani Kekua, one of the event’s organizers, said Friday afternoon following the 4 p.m. ceremony that she had “petitioned the elements to help us send a message,” and that she and other practitioners were “energized” by the lightning show, powerful surf and cool, comfortable temperatures.

And the elements responded by sending the most powerful message there is: nature, not man, is still very much in charge.

Just one episode of heavy rain had us reeling, stranded, paralyzed, stuck, complaining, as streams overflowed their banks and rocks and soil slid onto roads.

Many eastside ranchers had their fences knocked down by rushing water, and Farmer Jerry said that even though they’d been dumping water from the upper Kapahi reservoir for days, they couldn’t dump it fast enough. It was very full when I drove by it early Saturday morning, and the Moalepe trail looked like a stream bed.

In Hanalei, where the bridge is still closed this morning, the rain gauge broke yesterday at 13 feet — 7 feet is flooding — and cars were submerged and houses were swamped. An area that's been trashed and degraded in pursuit of the almighty dollar got scoured.

Another friend who lives that side said she walked Hanalei Bay this morning and “it stunk like sewage. There’s no way you can have that kind of development without an impact.” She said the smells reminded her of just how sick our island is because of all the crap — literally and figuratively — that's regularly dumped on it.

Yup, all the sewage and poisons and junk that people think will just stay put get washed all over every place when we get rains like this. (So much for claims that GMO taro could be contained from spreading when the loi are inundated.) Yet we keep pretending that we can make any kine, with no ramifications.

So will the proposed bike path — I mean, multi-use path — get moved off Wailua Beach, which this weekend was littered with debris from a big surf and a flooding river? (Btw, the mayor's office agreed to postpone the stakeholders' meeting, originally scheduled for Friday afternoon, out of deference to those who were participating in the vigil.)

To me, installing a boardwalk there is akin to putting a big piece of trash on the beach, because that’s what it’s ultimately going to be. Sooner or later, a big storm will take it out, and then we’ll have yet more junk floating around in the ocean. Because come on, what is the likelihood that public works will have the time, advance warning and manpower to pull up that boardwalk each time it’s threatened?

Yet a friend who attended the ceremony said that path mastermind Thomas Noyes and Councilman Tim Bynum, even when looking at the swollen river and surf debris on the beach, didn’t see any problem with proceeding.

Farmer Jerry said he remembered times when Wailua Beach would be full on rocky, entirely stripped of sand by big surf. In fact, the rock wall was built to keep beach debris from washing up onto the road, he said.

“People forget about cycles,” he said.

And then nature comes along and delivers a powerful reminder.

Will we heed it?

Do we ever?

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

"“People forget about cycles,” he said"

The cycle right now is that Wailua is an acreting beach - it is getting bigger - for the next few hundred years - that is what the expert told planning comm. He also said that boardwalks are strong and have minimal impact, and can be easily repaired or replaced if something happens.

I can't agree with the Noah's ark analysis - that Wailiua and Hanalei got slammed with rain because bad or profit-making people are in those places. I mean, couldn't God just strike the bad people instead of a whole town, or does God just not have "smart weapons" technology yet?

Unknown said...

Above comment is true: historical photos show a general trend for growth in Wailua beach over the past few decades. The path people did their homework in this area.

And does calling it a "bike-path" or "multi-use path" really matter? In either case, it can be a nice way to get around and enjoy the area. Again, consider the success of the Kamalani group. It made a nice park even better.

Anonymous said...

"I mean, couldn't God just strike the bad people instead of a whole town,"

Free yourself from that Old Testament human-centric mindset. It's not about punishing people. It's about making the necessary correction to raise the vibrational level of a PLACE.

Anonymous said...

"It's about making the necessary correction to raise the vibrational level of a PLACE."
The level has been rising for 200 years.
Now what about the kids from the 400+ DHHL homes that will be built on the South side of the river.
How will they get around?
By the shorest distance between two points along the Kuhio Highway makai shoulder.
BTW I measured the debris line this morning. 33feet to the rock wall.
Add a foot a year and we'll have picnic tables and shelters soon...

Anonymous said...

"In Hanalei, where the bridge is still closed this morning, the rain gauge broke yesterday at 13 feet — 7 feet is flooding — and cars were submerged and houses were swamped. An area that's been trashed and degraded in pursuit of the almighty dollar got scoured."

-- you know some photos would be really great. i think people would be very interested. would be instructive too


"So much for claims that GMO taro could be contained from spreading when the loi are inundated."

-- point taken. spreading via flooding cant be denied


"The cycle right now is that Wailua is an acreting beach - it is getting bigger - for the next few hundred years - that is what the expert told planning comm. He also said that boardwalks are strong and have minimal impact, and can be easily repaired or replaced if something happens."

-- we dont cotton to them there "experts" with their facts n data n such


dwps

Anonymous said...

"It's about making the necessary correction to raise the vibrational level of a PLACE."

What kind of new-age BS tripe is that??

Anonymous said...

The cycle right now is that Wailua is an acreting beach - it is getting bigger - for the next few hundred years - No expert can predict that, be real, what Dr. Fletcher said is there are erosionary and accretion cycles, and that area has accreted in the last few years. Unless you are blind, you can see that the beach has in fact eroded in the last few days and there is no room for a 14 foot wide path.
He also said that boardwalks are strong and have minimal impact, and can be easily repaired or replaced if something happens.

What he said was it might last 2-10 years. So consider the cost, and see if you don't think it makes more sense to properly site the bikepath so it lasts. At 14 feet wide, and made of plastic, how often will county workers have to scrub it with bleach to get the mildew and slippery off of it? And it won't be secure without the anchors to hold it in place, a misnomer on shifting sands, and a grave insult to all Hawaiian people, as the anchors desecrate and pierce sacred Iwi Kupuna .
Please show some respect.

Anonymous said...

Are there burials on that beach? Where?

Anonymous said...

Since there are no burials on the beach, the argument becomes "the beach is 'sacred'." Of course, once the 'sacredness' of one place successfully prevents any development then, guess what? Everyplace suddenly becomes 'sacred'!

Anonymous said...

State archaeologist did not require a Archaeology Invntory Survey, pretty lame considering the sands of Wailua are known to be ancient burial grounds, and are part of the National Historic Landmark,. Another huge failure of Nancy Mc Mahon.
Development on the beach is stupid, nonsense. How do you jump to conclusion there are no burials, and why would anyone tell you where they are?.

Anonymous said...

Beach burials usually on the mauka side of the dune crest. Read under the highway and in Coco Palms. They were found in Coco Palms in the 70's.
That beach is probably to migatory to be used as burial spot. But it can be tested!

Anonymous said...

Anon. 11:42 BTW I measured the debris line this morning.

Got to be Thomas Noyes. Who else would be out there measuring the debris line.

Anon. 4:13 Everyplace suddenly becomes 'sacred'!

Every place already is sacred. Treat the wai, kai and `aina with respect and it will take care of you.

Anonymous said...

"It's about making the necessary correction to raise the vibrational level of a PLACE."

What kind of new-age BS tripe is that??

... Yes, its true some divine being raised the vibrational level of hanalei yesterday by purging the cesspools up onto the land. This new vibration will have all of the poop-smelling people hungering for social justice and disavowing profit forever. hooray for the new age god and his flood vibration tool!

Anonymous said...

Every place already is sacred.

Every sperm is sacred
Every sperm is great
If a sperm gets wasted
god gets quite irate!

Ed Coll said...

Casey saud: "And does calling it a "bike-path" or "multi-use path" really matter?"

Yes it really does matter. Thinking of it as a multi-use path (or simple a path) as opposed to a bike-path, expands the imagination to conceive of many uses not just one. I think of this path as a low speed transportation path. A bike-path denotes single use. Does it make a difference if one calls a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) as opposed to an anti-personnel device?

Anonymous said...

I guess sooner or later those that say there are burials all over that beach are going to have to offer some proof.

There seems to be proof from the archaeologists that burials are at Coco Palms...but not from Wailua Beach.

Anonymous said...

"Every place already is sacred.

Every sperm is sacred
Every sperm is great
If a sperm gets wasted
god gets quite irate!"

Man, if that's true, I was a teen-age Hitler many many times over!

Anonymous said...

Got to be Thomas Noyes. Who else would be out there measuring the debris line.

Wrong!
Just someone who is tired of the playground bullies, hystrical science and engineering, voodoo threats and lack of vision...

Anonymous said...

Just someone who is tired of the playground bullies, hystrical science and engineering, voodoo threats and lack of vision...

Oh, so then you support moving the path off the beach.

Anonymous said...

Why does Ed Coll cover his yard with black mats?

Anonymous said...

Why does Ed Coll cover his yard with black mats?

........because the blue ones at costco we're too expensive. wtf?

Anonymous said...

because he doesn't like to mow the lawn?