We International Volunteers hadn’t really known what we had gotten ourselves into when agreeing (had I really?) that we would help out at the “PuHo” cultural festival when asked by email some months ago. I guess by that time I didn’t know where the Historical Park of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau was located (2.5 hours away from HAVO), nor what our task (unloader/loader and runners) would be. In addition, we were told to stay in a dorm house with other volunteers helping out, and you know how light my sleep is…

Well, we got a list of what to bring to the bunkhouse (pretty much anything, from linen, towels, pillows and blankets to cutlery and pots and pans, though we decided to ignore the latter and to take the chance of eating out in Kailua-Kona) a few days prior to leaving, and packed up the car Friday at noon for the long drive down. I had the early shift at the KVC Visitor Center that day so worked from 0730 to 1200, got the car filled up and ready and picked up the other guys. Ed was leading the way in his own car (he would stay at a hotel, smart choice…), and before 3 pm we were greeted by the staff at PuHo park and given some basic instructions on what to expect during the next two days. The program looked pretty spectacular, so looking forward to meeting all the local practitioners and learning a lot about Hawaiian culture.

The dorm, however, proved really gross. First of all, we had no keys so dependent on everyone else. There’s termite piles on the floor and the beds, and literally the male dorm room is four wood planks with no windows but rather just mosquito nets and some blinds. So, out of here, packed the towels and snorkels and off to Kailua. I took the other two downtown for some “Loco Moco” Hawaiian fast food first, then to Old Airport Beach, where we stayed until sunset. The location is great, and the waves are too, but unfortunately the entry is very rocky and not so good for swimming until your further out – I cut open my feet pretty good, so limping again…

Panorama of old airport beach park, kailua-kona, hawaii

Volcanic rock at Old Airport Beach, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Sunset, Old Airport Beach, Hawaii

Here’s the thing then, after the food that we really enjoyed, back at the dorm by about 9.30 pm – and everyone was fast asleep already. Worse still, someone had thought that my case with the linen and my pillows and stuff was “self service” and used that for his own bed and in the same movement just shoved all the termite piles from his bed back onto mine. I don’t think that was good behavior and display of HAVO employees (which apparently all were), and made me really angry to clean everything up and improvise in the dark. Well, from us three I was not the only one sleeping very badly and we really contemplated the idea of moving to a hotel (the other guys got up as early as 4.30 am!).

The other morning was really nice and the setting of PuHo is pure paradise – beach, grassland, pond, turtles and fish, an array of palms and the breeze always coming in lightly to help cut down on the heat. By 7 am, we were carrying mats to the 43 (!) activities foreseen for the festival and helped getting everything started. By 8, most of the practitioners for Kapa, Hula, Lomilomi, ‘ohe hano ihu and so many more. I really liked the Canoe race but couldn’t get into the water with my feet, but worked on my nose flute during the time we got to explore the festival ourselves between the jobs we were needed (it was not much really, just getting the stuff up and down in the morning and afternoon). I tried Kava (probably my first drug experience ever, if that qualifies), and contrary to many others I actually liked it somehow.

Panorama of Canoe at PuHo, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Beautiful gourd, PuHo festival

Ti Leaf sandal manufacturing, PuHo festival

Poi pounding from Taro, PuHo festival

There was so much to check out, it was really amazing. Some people mentioned – and I agree to a certain extent – that some of the Hawaiian tradition is not really authentic and got reinvented only after the Hawaiians discovered themselves again. It is true, for a while Hawaiian tradition was not recognized very well amongst themselves and everything should be as American as possible, but still it has a very good feel to it, and definitely it felt very right in this so magic place here. While tired and hot from the sun and the moisture and the heat, I enjoyed all of it and learnt to many new things. I am practicing my bamboo nose flute play, especially, and still think I should get that third hole in it – I will talk to the ‘ohe hano ihu players here at HAVO – the festival is coming up in two weeks!

In my next blog, I will continue with the second full day (Sunday) of the festival, what the food tasting was like and I performed at Kapa making…