Tag Archives: #alohaspirit

Da plane! Da TV! A FEMA “necessity”

I can’t live without the TV show Survivor. As you know from the stories in my book, I have had some experiences in American Samoa and in the Bayou of the deep American south that could qualify me for this show and have given me some useful survival skills. Enough so that when I watch the show, I can’t believe how dumb these people are!

TV is an important thing in life. I enjoy it, certainly, but did you know that FEMA considers your television set a basic living necessity? What TV show can’t you live without?

Speaking of television, and back to the #AlohaSpirit of stopping-to-smell-the-roses in Kauai point of all this, another spot you must see is “Tattoo Falls.” Anyone who was old enough to watch Fantasy Island in the 1970’s will remember this line, “Da plane, da plane!” They will also remember those beautiful waterfalls that “da plane” circled around during the opening credits of the show. These are found on the island of Kauai. Driving through cane fields, you see the random signs for these falls and a quick walk from a parking area brings you to the ridge that looks out over them. They are a must see.

da plane! Survivor, Fantasy Island

“Ricardo Montalban Herve Villechaize Fantasy Island 1977” by ABC Television. Public Domain

Hanamaulu Park and the roots of #C4DR charity

After Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai in September of 1992, there were many families left homeless because their homes had been entirely destroyed. Many of these folks spent months in temporary spots and then in tents. They were forced to use outhouses and eat from campfires or at the disaster relief centers. And believe it or not, come December, I was still going to visit tent cities to search for people in order to complete FEMA inspection ht_tent_city_jef_110810_wgpaperwork. This is how I found myself at the Hanamaulu Park tent city one morning. It had been raining for days and days and 100 or so households remained at this site because they had nowhere else to live.

I was walking around meeting up with folks when suddenly it occurred to me that these families would be in this tent city come this Christmas without anything. “Great,” I thought sarcastically to myself, “they’ll all have a delightful holiday season down here!” Suddenly, my inner Klinger-O’Reilly sprang to life. I could do something to improve their Christmas. I just knew I could! The wheels started to turn, and that was the first time it set in motion what would eventually develop into the idea for my C4DR organization.

Along my way, I have crossed paths with a few people who have tons of cash and charitable hearts. It was these people I reached out to in December of 1992, and they were willing to help me put together a Christmas for the families in #HanamauluPark. You can read more about this special Christmas (it is probably my favorite Christmas ever!) in my book.

Skip on over to my C4DR page and see if you’re not inspired to give to those suffering during disaster recovery.

Hike Kauai with an Insider

If you like to hike (I like to hike and camp and all sorts of outdoor stuff, which is a good thing when you’ve got to travel over mountains and through jungles to assess damage after a cyclone—ha!), Hawaii is an amazing place for it. You probably know that much already.

An insider’s secret that I like to share is to take the back roads to the end of the Wailua River. The Wailua River was the subject of my last blog post. There you’ll find hundreds of stone mounds (known as cairns) left by early Hawaiians. You also find heiau—ancient structures—in this area.

But the best-kept secret is the hike that you find past the end of the Wailua River trail. You take this trail and it brings you inside of the crater formed by the volcano that made the island. This is where the river actually begins, formed by the water seeping from the ground and the walls of the crater.

As it sits at the bottom of the mountain, beneath the famous Wall of Tears (which is where some of the waterfalls are found), it is obviously a good source of water and is a trail that you have to try if you like nature and are interested in the ways that fresh water operates in this environment. #Hikekauai just for fun!

Kauai insider tips

                       Swimming in the pools

The Aloha Spirit

travel tips, Robert Winter, Femabook

Leilani before her adventure to the South Pole.

It was really hard for me not to include in my book a whole bunch of stuff about Hawaii that didn’t have anything to do with disasters. Finally though, my editor convinced me that I could still tell my readers about it, but here on my blog! Ha! So welcome to a little slice of my life that I like to call, Stopping to Smell the Roses.

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I have seen quite a few places! The #AlohaSpirit of the place really got to me. I liked Kauai so much that after I was sent there to help with the disaster relief following Hurricane Iniki, I got myself a full time gig as a building inspector (OEP). I lived there only a short time before I became known for my own Aloha Spirit. I figured I arrived with the seed of Aloha Spirit in me, and that the environment of the island really made it bloom.

The post-Iniki marketing campaign to get tourism to return was “Kauai is Back,” and to do my part, I bought “Lailani,” a little island doll, and sent her down to my buddies in the South Pole. They snapped a bunch of photos of this gorgeous island beauty living it up in Antarctica. They then handed her off to someone heading home, and their job was to get the doll back to me. However, the spirit of adventure got the best of Lailani’s escorts, and it took a little over ten months for her to finally get home. When she did, it was clear that she had become a true global traveler and Hawaiian diplomat.

Flight attendants and other travelers took to putting pins and badges on Lailani and then sending her to the next exotic or distant destination. When she got home you could hardly see her for all the evidence of her travels.

If there was any more of an iconic symbol of Hawaii than little Lailani who had traveled the world to spread the word of Kauai’s spirit, it would be hard to beat it.

It wasn’t the last time I would show this spirit, and it never fails to surprise me how people react and respond to it.

Robert Winter, Aloha Spirit, travel tips, Kauai

Leilani/OEP sign at the South Pole

 

aloha spirit, Robert Winter

Leilani ready for her journey

You’d rather ride than hike Kauai? More insider tips

For those of you who aren’t much for hiking in the jungle, there are other ways to see the beauty of Hawaii away from the paved roads. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Andy’s Sailing Adventures – Their giant catamaran is fully netted and allows you to enjoy observation above the waters. They also take you snorkeling in some of the best spots. For those of you who have read my book, this is NOT Captain Gary Licatta! Ha ha!
  • #Thunderboat – This is a boat that goes around the island of Kauai in about three hours. In other words, you are flying across the water and you have to be strapped in for safety. It is a cigarette boat that skims across the waters and yet lets you see some of the most beautiful spots.

    fast tour of Kauai

    The Thunder boat, if you have a need for speed.

  • Ohana Helicopters – This is a gem of a tour company because their pilots are long time residents of the island and they have tremendous respect for the environment. They give you tons of information about the island, and not just the shallow touristy stuff. This is a reliable helicopter firm and one that never seems to get any complaints.

Aloha!

sail Kauai

Andy’s Sailing Adventures