Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #99
April 26, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #99
The last two weeks have been an adventure in pain and recovery from a knee replacement. Thanks to all my special care angels life is looking brighter and I can barely wait to get back in the old routine of gardening, swimming and just plain old living. After ten days away it is really great being back home with my buddies.
The couple of days on Oahu before the operation were nice and particularly a lunch at the Outrigger Canoe Club with Yana and Joey Cabel. Jericho flew over from Long Beach to be my Wing Woman and she was wonderful. She came back to Hana, got me situated and flew back a few days ago.
The Straub Hospital food and service seemed highly improved from when Bob was there several years ago. The doctor team was great as well as the wonderful nurses.
First Dinner
After one night we went to Makaha to recoup for some days and regain strength for the trek back to Hana. There was a gorgeous bouquet there from my girls Marcie and Rennie.
While at Makaha my friend and healer Bill came to support healing with acupuncture and various other techniques. My sister Gloria was also there and very helpful.
I am now doing PT here in Hana with a state of the art healing center at Hana Health and my pal Brendon the physical therapist. It is mostly all very painful and Brendon says he likes my screaming voice.
Pals and helpers Megan and Eli came out with lunch and installed a shade for the door window.
I wanted to get some form of my regular blog out, but there is not a whole lot to report. I have a wonderful garden helper Sarah who is filling in and she managed to get six squash starters in the ground this last week. Since I have had such good luck with this squash the plan is to have them cover the weed cloth and make a nice salable ground cover. We have had two harvestings of green beans which have been delicious.
The coconut seedlings are sprouting and we will have the next big planting on Memorial Day weekend.
We had a few days of rain while I was gone, but now we have to do some watering. It seems like there is much less rain when compared with the past years.
I have to close now and get to my PT. Wishing everyone a great week.
Aloha Nui Loa,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #98
April 5, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #98
Thanks for tuning in….This is going to be a very short one as I am getting ready to go to Oahu for a knee replacement and there is lots to do in preparation.
I will tell you briefly it has been another good week and we are finally getting some rain.
The sun is out and it is a beautiful sparkling day. The two kinds of recently planted potatoes are doing great.
Everything is going great actually. In a while they will hopefully cover the hill for a ground cover.
Living off the grid has its challenges. Yesterday James came and changed the water filter. This morning there was only a trickle of water coming out and then nothing. Luckily after I had tried some things he came up and found the pump had just gone off. So, that was an easy fix. Then I told him how the pressure was so different between the hot and cold water in the kitchen sink. So he looked at that and found that plumbing debris was clogging the hot water. All fixed now and rolling.
I made a trip to the dump this morning which is not a glamourous activity, but I had all kinds of stuff that needed to be cleaned up. It always feels so freeing leaving with an empty truck. So that is done.
I have quite a bit of gardening to do before leaving so will close for now. I am mainly writing because people worry when there is no blog. I will probably skip at least the next blog and see how I feel in two weeks.
I am continuing to make little clean up fires on the hill. Slowly, but surely it will all get cleaned up as we move higher and higher.
We have a great source for veggies and fruit here besides the Friday Farmers Market . On Tuesday and Thursday morning there is a truck at Hana Health selling all kinds of locally grown produce at reasonable prices. I try and stop there as much as possible.
Luckily my friend Jericho and her son Rolf are coming to help me get through all this. Hopefully the recovery will be speedy.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #97
March 29, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #97
It has been a grand week! The big news is we finally got our IRS designation letter for Koali Niu as a non profit. We were holding our breath that it could take a long long time with Trump’s IRS cutbacks. But, we lucked out and we are now a real 501 (c3). And, another bit of exciting news is we have a promised donation of $20,000 with another possible donor in the wings. We have decided to name a coconut tree in honor of any donor giving $20,000. or more. We will be grateful, of coarse, for smaller and any and all donations.
I have a great new helper Sarah and we have been working on clearing the small debris, roots, branches and weeds off the hill-laying weed cloth, making small fires, and planting potatoes for ground cover. It is so steep I have to weed on my knees. Challenging, but the hill is looking good and it will soon be ready for coconut planting.
Another move forward is Just today I was able to get KoaliNiu.org for our domain name in addition to KoaliNiuFarm.
The pool is now full, looking beautiful and the days have been hot so it is wonderful place to cool off and do some exercises. It has not rained much this week so we could use some water and are now in the “careful use” stage. I am planting a lot of seeds and badly in need of rain.
This is such an amazing community y! A couple of days ago I asked my friend James for some plumerias as I wanted to make a lei for my friend Mary Carol’s husband Steve. MC sadly passed away in December but today was her celebration of life. A day later James sent me a text picture of a lei his daughters made. Unfortunately the girls didn’t realize it was for a man so the lei was too small. After picking up the lei I went to various neighbors and picked flowers to make it longer and was very happy until today when I took it out of the bag and many flowers were brown and I couldn’t give it to him. BOO HOO The pinkish red petals are from our Pride of Burma tree planted twenty years ago and deemed the worlds most beautiful tree.
The celebration was at Hana Gardenlands and it was a beautiful party and celebration of Mary Carol with music, singing, and lots of great food.
I miss her presence and our get togethers.
It is now Sunday and after getting home yesterday I had to trap two cats to get neutered tomorrow morning. I delivered them this morning to my friend Sharon’s house who works for the Humane Society and will take them in and return back here tomorrow. I always have a hard time doing this, but otherwise there would be lots of black cats around here.
I am getting more and more comfortable with my Kawasaki Mule and am taking it carefully up and down the hill. It is really great for transporting things around the property and I LOVE it. I am going to have a knee replacement on April 10 and it will be my saving piece of equipment. I can drive it right up to the edge of the back patio.
The days are passing very fast and hard to believe it is almost April. Time is also passing fast and it is now time to get to work or get in the pool. The yellow boys are happy.
Thanks for tuning in….Wishing a great week coming up. The orchid log is coming together.
Also pictured is a picture of the bunk house platform when we first started. The picture was taken from down the road but shows how overgrown this place was. The coconut trees are behind the orchid log.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #96
March 22, 2025
Welcome to Blog #96
It has been another great week here in paradise.
I have been concentrating on getting some planting done this week. Sunday was a cloudy and rainy day and perfect for crawling around on the hill and planting potatoes. I planted quite a few which I am hoping will be a good ground cover, but there is a lot more work to do. And, I am hoping to plant some different varieties. The weeds are coming up fast and there are a few more fires to make.
Papayas seem to love it here and I have just planted some really delicious orange fruit seeds here in small seedling pots. Also getting Chinese peas, green beans, cucumbers, arugula and new pumpkin seeds started.
This last week we have finally gotten rain inter mixed with sun which makes all greens pop. The orange tree is full of oranges and bananas are plentiful-so many the dehydrater is keeping busy.
There is finally enough water in the big tank to finish filling the pool.
We will also be laying more weed cloth this week on the hill below the potatoes. As the potatoes grow and provide a ground cover we will take up the weed cloth. This area is where the next coconuts will be planted next month when Jit returns for the Taro Fest.
I had some visitors from Oahu who came for two nights.They were wonderful guests and they helped me get some much needed projects out of the way. Eli and Patrick, high school seniors, were strong and moved many heavy items around to a better place. They also cut some bamboo and did some weeding.
I am still working on the Koali Niu web site which seems to go on and on.
I put up a new tent for the cats and it was a gathering of yellows this morning and everyone seems pretty happy.
Friends are dropping by and there is much to do so am going to say aloha for this week. Wishing you a great coming week.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blow #95
March 15, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #95
Last week I got busy working with a garden helper and had to skip the blog. It has been a catching up time for the last two weeks-a lot of little things to make things here more attractive and organized. I also wrote a story for the Hana news paper about Koali Niu coconut gene bank. The article will come out in the June paper. I have also been working on the web site and it is coming along slowly.
Right now we have Koaliniu.farm is our address. I am trying to get another address, but time will tell.
I have been using the Kawasaki Mule a lot and getting used to navigating the hills here. It is just what I needed to haul stuff around the property. I am still waiting to hear about the next grant for a much needed tractor.
We have been doing a lot of work on a recently cleared steep hill. There was a lot of debris left to clean up. For the last weeks we have been making piles for burning. I had two fires last week and will do a couple more in the next few days. And, speaking of fires this is how we cleared the bottom part of this property.
Then I will plant potatoes which will serve as a ground cover under the next batch of coconuts. The hill is deceiving in looks, but it is very steep at the top and very difficult to work on. With a new helper we have been gathering up unused weed cloth and laying it out to try and slow the weeds down.
We still need rain. There is not enough water in the tank to fill the pool so I am waiting anxiously. Also wanting to grow vegetables which all need water.
Years ago we had a large monkey pod tree in the yard which has had a long history. On one visit we arrived to find it toppled over with roots in the air. I have a picture and have been looking, but cannot find at the moment. Bob had the wood milled into some beautiful big pieces. Then the root started to grow in an odd and unsightly way taking up a lot of the yard. Last month I had the root ball hauled to the side of the yard waiting for the next plan. One thought was to have it hauled to the school where a wood carver would work with school children teaching them to carve. A few days ago my neighbor arrived with a batch of orchid cuttings. Months have gone by and I never heard back from the carver so this last week we trimmed off some of the branches and I started an orchid garden.
This tree has seen many reincarnations…..
It doesn’t look like much now, but when it is covered with orchid blooms it will make a beautiful entrance piece.
Speaking of beauty, the blood moon on Thursday evening was spectacular in the Hana skies! My first sighting of this kind of event…..
Okay, time to move on to the next projects that need doing. Thanks for tuning in and best wishes for a great week.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Post
Welcome to Adventure Blog #94
March 1, 2025
Other than the political news it has been another nice week here-lots of sun and little rain. We need rain to fill the water tanks and the pool. Hopefully some is coming on Tuesday. Meanwhile we have been getting the recently cleared hill prepared for potato planting for a ground cover and food. Also going to replant the squash and seeds for a new vegetable garden. I had to get some potting soil from my friend Cheryl as my soil is rich in bugs that eat the seeds. My x-woofer has been with me for ten days and we have been getting a lot done garden wise.
BUT, there is always a lot more and that keeps it interesting.
Inflation has come to Hana. Saw this sign by the cash register when I visited The Ranch Store this morning.
The neighbors bull got out this week and caused a big commotion with the dogs who were very upset. The poor guy is lonely and just needed to get out. It was a while before his owner could get him back in their fence so that was exciting. He was running around the yard, eating a few tee leaves and throwing his heels up.
I am getting more and more comfortable driving my Kawasaki Mule 4 x 4 around the property. It is going to be a great help. Kira and I took it out on the street driving to a neighbors house to swim in her pool. Very fun, but cold coming back home with wet suits and the wind.
The back yard is shaping up and I love it!
I have been going through some old pictures of this property before I started clearing. It is a rewarding feeling coming this far and I look forward to the next steps.
First night on property
Unfortunately pictures do not show the original shack, but it was all jungle and soon to be coconuts. The web site is in progress and that will show the before and after and tell about the history.
Gotta run. Happy travels and thanks for tuning in.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #93
February 22, 2025
Welcome to Blog #93
Last week’s blog was skipped as I traveled to Oahu for the 48th annual Buffalo Big Board annual surfing meet held last Saturday.
My friend Jericho the first women’s professional surfer flew in from Long Beach and we spent two reminiscent days at the Moana Hotel. In the mid-fifties I have fond memories of when we lived on Royal Hawaiian Ave and my mother and I used to walk over there to visit a friend who stayed at the hotel to escape the Montana winters. I now have fond memories of our two fun filled days and nights there. By serendipity we met up with old surfing friends Yana and Joey Cabell passing through the piano bar and dancing area. They were heading to a friend’s apartment and invited us to join them for drinks and pups where we met three new couples. After that we returned to the Moana for conversation, music, and dancing-so fun!
Friday we headed out to Makaha where we were joined by twenty friends and new friends from Hana that camped in the yard. Five of them entered the contest so that was all exciting. The daybreak opening ceremony for the contest was over the top with chanting and pomp and circumstance like I have never seen before. They managed to get 90 year old Buff, healing from a femur break, on a jet ski and pushed him out through the six foot shore break. The Hokulea was out in the bay and after a visit they caught the first wave back to the beach with all the spectators cheering and clapping.
Some new friends from the Moana evening are the Pickerings who own the spectacular five hundred acre ranch Ohikilolo out past Makaha. On Saturday they took me out to the ranch for a ATV tour. The ranch is full of kiawe trees. The last picture shows an oven where kiawe wood was made into charcoal in the early 1900’s.
Back to the farm on Monday. After waiting over a year the plumbing is finally completed on the moved water tank and the back yard gutters attached to maximize water catchment.
We finalized a MEO Maui Economic Opportunity Grant for a tractor. It was a lot of work and rather complicated, but worth it hopefully. The farm logo was finally finished and I am now starting the web site.
Kira, my woofer from last year, returned on Wednesday and we are planning a lot of weeding and planting.
AND, my Kawasaki 4 by 4 farm vehicle mule arrived after many months of wanting. This will make a lot of jobs much easier.
Gotta run now-lots to do. Wishing everyone a great week.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #92
February 8, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #92
This has been an amazing week! Indrajit, my coconut scholar and practitioner partner arrived on Monday and we have had a very busy, but rewarding week. Every day we went out to various places here in Hana looking for indigenous rare Hawaiian coconut varieties for our gene bank. We found quite a few new varieties and Jit made a new gene bank waiting for sprouting and eventual planting here. We went to various farms and some special locations not to be divulged at this time.
We finally have our non profit— Koali Niu. We had our first board meeting on Friday/yesterday and adopted our by laws. We have a small but congenial and hard working board: James Pu, President, Indrajit Gunasakra Vice President and me Secretary and Treasurer. I am really “over the moon” that this finally happened.
Our mission is a cultural revitalization project focused on coconut agroforestry. This project is a partner of Niu Now, a Hawaii based community organization that envisions “niu as a relationship rooted in the community and aloha ‘āina.” Koali Niu Project is a non-profit that operates under a larger umbrella that is focused on revitalization of the Hawaiian ancient uluniu centered agroforestry system. . Currently, the Koali Niu Project is supported by the Kaulunani Grant Program under the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Green Grant from the County of Maui, as well as private and public donors. Koali Niu is located on an ancient system of lo’i, in the ahupua‘a of Koali in Hana. Following are pictures of our various visits over the week.
Below Jit has his drone filming the tree with the smallest coconuts we have ever seen. On the right is Jit with Beth at her Lau Lima farm getting nuts out of one of her trees.
For Bob’s architecture thesis he envisioned a taro (halo) research center here. We will also continue to plant as much taro as possible replanting the ancient taro lo’i.
Monday is planned to finally get the water tank moved and gutters re attached properly. This week I got four more solar panels which raises the output 40%. Thinking about adding one more battery before the technology changes.
All the four legends are doing well and are happily enjoying the sunny days after last weeks storm.
Happy dreams to everyone! The first part of one of my dreams happened this week. Dreaming and working towards that dream makes things happen.
One of the next dreams is a film documentary on my Wave Woman book. Here is a film trailor for funding.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #91
BLOG #91
February 1, 2025
Welcome to Adventure Blog #91 and what a week this has been! The main adventure this week was weathering the storm. The storm came through here on Thursday like a near hurricane blowing everything in it’s path. I felt so bad for the cats as they scampered for cover wondering what was happening. What the wind didn’t mess up the torrential rains followed and caused havoc. Apparently according to a neighbors rain gauge we had about 8 inches Thursday night. The patios got drenched as the wind carried in the rain, it was dark yet cozy on the inside and I laid low doing paper work.
Today the sun is back out and it is a beautiful warm day.
Several days this week were consumed with filing the quarter 2 report for the Green Grant. Getting the funds are really wonderful, but it comes with a lot of record keeping and paper work. When I see what was accomplished, though I feel it is all very worth the effort. Now I am waiting for the Kawasaki Mule to arrive-it leaves Hilo Feb 5 on Young Brothers. Next is some community outreach to let more people know what we are doing. The first coconut gene bank on Maui!
And, there is another grant possibility out there due Feb. 25th which I will write an RFP for funds to get a tractor. Which reminds me of something important I learned at Oregon grad school. I had a professor, Miss Gerry, who drilled us on “NEVER EVER say write a grant because a grant is what you receive NOT what is written”. Ta Da
James returns from skiing in Japan this week so hopefully the water tank can finally get moved and proper gutters installed. Indrajit is coming over on Monday and we will plant more coconuts and get our web site and 501C3 finalized. I have been working with a graphic designer on our logo. There were a lot of rounds, but I think we finally have it.
Willy, my new one eyed cat is doing so great. He runs all over and plays with the older cats and they seem to like him.
This will be short this week as I have a lot of cleaning up and laundry to do. The yard is looking so beautiful with that big monkey pod tree root gone over to the side. Hard to believe it is February already but longer days and spring is something to look forward to for me.
Wishing everyone is great week.
Aloha Nui,
Vicky
Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer by Vicky Durand 