As I walked through the rainforest at Waikamoi on that final day, I remember snapping a few more photos. Not because they were the best I have of Waikamoi — far from it — but because I literally took them that day. Mostly I just enjoyed the scenery. The sounds. The smells. The feeling. Warm and fuzzy all over. Something was definitely tingling within me.
I remember getting to about the midpoint of the trail, finding a small bench, and sitting down on it. To get a better view, I stood up on it. And then it happened.
Hawaii seeped into my very being like being struck by lightning. Call it whatever you want. The Hawaiians call it mana — life force. It hit me like a freight train. I didn't know what had happened to me at the time. I just felt different. The serenity, the peace, the sense of wellbeing — so much more than I can describe in writing. I felt empowered with something. Something ancient, and raw.
I sat back down for a moment. After a few minutes, as it began to get darker, I continued along the trail. I started thinking about a lot of things — especially things I wanted to do differently in my life. I passed a couple heading the other way and greeted them warmly with an "Aloha." I don't know what prompted me to say it, but I did.
I didn't worry about running out of gas as I headed back toward Paia. I didn't fret about all the things I usually let my mind worry about. My brain had seemingly converted to Hawaii-time. I don't know exactly what happened to me that day in Waikamoi. I still don't fully understand it. But whatever it was, it still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.
I call it my new-life experience.
Going home
When I got back to the condo, my friend asked why I had this grin on my face. I have no idea what I said to her, but I doubt she understood. I'm not really even sure I understood, not yet. We flew home the next day, May 18, 2002. It was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever done, leaving that place.
My friend and I only saw each other once in the months that followed. It was clear to both of us by then — we'd been on two totally separate trips. I had been given a gift. To her, it had been just another vacation.
I came back a new person. A revitalized person, full of life and a new wind in my sails. I changed a lot of things that year and the next. I changed my physical appearance. I changed my major in college. I found a new job. I formed friendships with people who, to this day, leave a lasting impression on my life.
I started studying Hawaii in earnest — the history, the culture, the language, the flora and fauna. I didn't fully understand yet what was happening to me. But my love for the islands grew quickly as I read everything I could find.
A garden, then a website
In particular, I really loved the tropical plants. Just having them around me reminded me of Waikamoi. I was raised on a small farm but had never shown much interest in plants outside of a little garden my mother helped me make as a kid. But in late 2002 and early 2003, I remember collecting my first plants from around the area that had Hawaii in common. A ti plant from my mother's greenhouse (which is sacred in Hawaii). A few palms here and there. Soon a variety of gingers and heliconias.
Over the coming years my collection grew from a handful of plants to hundreds. Many of which I'd later collect in Hawaii on subsequent visits. Today, nearly all of the plants I tend at home are directly from Hawaii. People might look at them and say, "Nice plant." But to me they're much more than that. They're the very essence of Hawaii. What grows in my yard and throughout my home are the same plants growing on the islands.
My love for Hawaii had begun. And I didn't even fully know it yet.
Being interested in web development, I decided it might be neat to share some of my Maui photos online with others. After all, it was photos of Waikamoi that I'd discovered online that had drawn me to Hawaii in the first place. So I purchased a new domain — mauipictures.net — and posted all of my photos. I have absolutely no idea how many people visited my site that first year. Maybe a small handful at best.
But as my knowledge of Hawaii grew, I decided to expand the site to be a fully comprehensive Maui guide. All of the research I'd done for my own trip could be useful to other people planning theirs. I was eager to share anything I'd learned during my visit — photos, maps, little tips I'd picked up. So I purchased MauiGuide.net and started writing about my favorite parts of Maui.
I had no idea what I was starting. It was just a hobby then.
And I loved it.
One trip, ten months earlier, I'd never even been on a plane. By the time 2003 was over, I'd built the foundation of a website that would eventually grow into Hawaii-Guide.com — and a life centered on a place 7,000 miles from where I grew up.
Aloha,
John
