A visit to Pahala Hawaii on a rainy Saturday in November 2010 was a journey in both space and time as we came together to learn from all over the island of Hawaii. We learned about the past of where the sugar plantation dominated the land and economy for over a hundred years. And the present and future where the people of Pahala are using the land to earn a living through growing coffee, macadamia nuts, and ranching.
The spirit and generosity of the people of Pahala were amazing. In a place that has been hard hit by the changing economy, drought, and vog the people we met were optimistic about the future and their ability to make it better. Bull Kailiawa shared his knowledge of growing award winning coffee with great Aloha. At the new coffee mill Jeff Silva explained how coffee is processed and how the machinery at the mill is used for the processing. Our tour guide for the day, Julia Neal, shared with us the history of Plantation House and other historic building in Pahala.
A hundred years from now I can only hope that Pahala will not be overrun by development as most other places have.
