Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer by Vicky Durand

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #70

Welcome to Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #70

July 26, 2024

The last few weeks have been an adventure in patience and perserverence. A lot has happened and a lot has not happened.

I think it started with my computer crashing several Saturdays ago. Without a computer I am really in trouble as I loose communication with the world I need to be part of. I took the into Mac Made Easy in Kahului and they said everything was gone and I needed a whole new memory board. Ten days later I picked it up but little did I know some important tools were not reinstalled-like Word. They also said nothing was saved in the cloud. After struggling with the computer for several days I reached out with an SOS to my friend Maureen who works for Microsoft. After spending part of two afternoons with her she got it all figured out and I am off and “running” again pretty much.

James put off the back patio build a month until August 14. He has looked at all the materials and hopefully things will be good to go in several weeks. It has been a long wait using every bit of patience I can muster up.

Meanwhile keeping busy with things that need doing. Some lady friends, Cheryl and Nancy came for dinner and generously hand sawed and helped me prune some fruit trees. I made my first big sale of squash this week-80 pounds to Mana Market in Haiku. Plans are to have the hill covered in different kinds of squash with papayas on the perimeter. This farming is so rewarding!

With James help we harvested some of the potatoes that are growing in the bank. Actually the bank is full of these beautiful potatoes. I am hoping to also sell them to Mana. The bananas are going off and I am trying to find homes plus set up my solar drier.

These days have had some sadness with the passing of Mr. Boki cat, a dearly beloved that I have had since Makaha days. Boki was in my hospice care for several months and was quite sick . Dr. Krista came out and something had to happen to take him out of his pain. It was all very peaceful as she is just the BEST, but he is really missed.

I am in the process of a Green Grant application due Monday so this is a short blog. And, I must admit getting back in the routine of writing takes some effort.

I am going to Honolulu next weekend for appointments, a book talk, and the last film (Locked In) of the Surf Film Festival at the Honolulu Museum. A long known surfer friend from California is flying in to meet me and then come back to Hana.

A friend recommended a book called Ikigai which is about the oldest living people in Japan and how they live so many more years than most other people. Also read the Gift which was enlightening and gave me some important answers about life.

The beautiful orange hybiscus flowers, the fire and the colorful sunset all make a cherie setting each evening.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing you happy coming weeks finding your Ikigai.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #69

June 29,2024

Welcome to Blog #69 and thanks for running in.

It is another blue sky gorgeous green day here in Hana and hard to believe we will soon be saying goodbye to June with the days slowly getting shorter. With our amazing reunion get-together and visitors June has passed so rapidly. I am still reeling from last week working and being in the presence of two coconut geniuses. We now have more information and ideas and the DREAM is getting bigger-really big! Besides other things we will be doing something that has not been done in two hundred years in Hawaii. We will taking the niu, the coconut, the tree of life, to a whole new level-the creation of a catalogue. This will be accomplished with the brains of Dr. Roland Bourdeix and Indrajit Gunasakara. After gathering various types of coconuts around this area they did the lab work. They sawed, sliced, quantified and analyzed the samples. Dr. Roland borrowed by big screen and did photoshop and created page one for the first Hawaiian coconut catalogue.

We have identified a young Hana man who will be mentored by Indrajit and play an important part in this project. If any of you are interested please google them as there is lots of information. There was a Wednesday evening PBS special this week on Dr. Manu Meyer and Indrajit’s Niu Now West Oahu project. And, do I feel lucky to be working with them!

This week Kira and I continued laying weed barrier cloth and shoveling hou chips. She has been a crucial part of getting the hill in shape for this planting and the project. She has been here since February and left on Thursday with the mail man to head back to Chicago where her family lives. She is just twenty and was missing them. Other than her experience here with me and my niunate friends she has had an unforgettable adventure-one that not many visitors ever have. I told her that her life probably would never be the same as my early visit to Kaulaupapa changed me. I look forward to knowing how this will affect her future.

I am anxiously looking forward to James coming July 14 to put up the frame work for my back patio and getting all the construction materials cleared away for raised garden beds with veggies and flowers. Meanwhile, in the last days I started a bed on the hill. It now just needs the plants and seeds put in the ground. This will look different next week.

AJ turned up yesterday to put the ridge piece of the cat patio. He did such a great job!
I harvested a huge bunch of Williams bananas. The tree was so heavy Chris had to cut various sections out. Also took a bunch of my squash to the farmers market for my friend to sell. These along with other varieties are going to be the ground cover and I have to find an outlet other than gifting to friends.

This is about all the news for this week. Wishing a happy and peaceful 4th of July.

This is the shower tree in full bloom gracing the entrance we planted about twenty years ago.

Aloha Nui,
Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #68

June 22,2024
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Welcome To Blog #68
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This has been a very exciting week with a visit from the world’s coconut authority Dr. Roland Bourdeix. Since they arrived we have been scouring Hana for rare Hawaiian varieties of coconuts. Besides various yards we have been to a coconut orchard and several large farms in Kipahulu-Wispering Winds and Ono, the largest organic farm in the state. Everyone has been welcoming and so generous with their time and driving us around the acreage in their Kawasaki four wheelers. Dr Roland and Jit have made some great discoveries and are doing the lab work to start the catalogue on them today. Some of the varieties will be put in our nursery and go into the gene bank after they are sprouted. As you can see from the pictures they found coconuts of all sizes and shapes. They also found some rare coconut flowers. It is all very thrilling to me to see this process and several genius at work.

Dr. Roland has written a beautiful book and his work is also about documenting migration throughout the Pacific with the coconut. This is all amazingly interesting and I feel lucky to have him involved with our Koali Niu project.

Besides the coconut work Chris has been clearing the point so there is a better view down into the stone beach part a bit of Wailua Valley where hundreds of Hawaiians lived. They hiked up here to work the taro lo’i.

We went to a woman named Pat’s house as someone had told me about a tree in her yard. Besides checking out the coconuts I got to know her. She was married to a man whose twin brother was in a sad Hana mishap where five Hana men got in the Sara Jo boat to go fishing and were never seen again. The boat and some bones were found down in the Marshall Islands many months later. Pat is pictures here with the boat where she will make a shrine for the men. Pat has many projects as I do so am looking forward to getting to know her better.

I forgot to mention what a fun weekend the reunion was along with seeing a few friends along with my water exercise buddies who asked me to do this blog. A lot of the reunion was about the past and now it is great to be moving forward with this meaningful project-a coconut research center and possibly an education center and museum. It is all in the dream!

It is a beautiful time of year here and the shower tree we planted is going off.
Thanks for tuning in and wishing you a great week ahead with some dreams.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #67

June 15, 2024

Welcome to Adventure Blog #67

After a great 65th Punahou High School reunion weekend and a busy time on Oahu I am back home trying to get out of the past and moving back into the future. The reunion was great meeting old friends and some of whom I had not seen in many years. Quite a few did not show up and made me wonder whatever happened to them. My bestie, Mahealani came from Las Vegas and it was wonderful to reunite. Her parents had a house at the opposite side of Makaha Beach so we spent many fun times out there between our camp site and her house. During High school she was always up for any wild adventure I could dream up, so there is a special place in my heart for her. She says she will come and visit here in Hana which I am looking forward to. She is pictured here with one of my favorite men , Dick Ednie from the big island. It was wonderful reconnecting with everyone. Sheila, my match maker with Bob, came from NY and we had some nice times together both at the gatherings and driving. And, always great seeing and visiting with Denby Fawcett who is an excellent writer now writing for Civil Beat.

I miss all of them now, but Oahu is so congested with people and traffic I am glad to be home in the country. This was a scene from the Saturday night luau where all the reunion classes gather. Pretty mind boggling with so many people under one tent. The luau food was better than past years and the music was loud, but good. We were the last to leave.

The Pacific Art Fest was also going on and the coconut convention was happening within that time period. In-between reunion activities I stopped by Pau Hana where Niu Now was stationed with Pacific visitors weaving and exchanging information on coconuts. Pictured here is the world’s authority on coconuts Dr. Roland Bourdiux. He and Indrijit Gunasakara are coming here on Tuesday for a few days. There was a full on coconut summit June 12 and 13 which I sadly had to miss due to a lack of animal care. A segment from the new movie Niu Forever was previewed. You can probably see it if you google Niu Forever. If not let me know and I can send it to you.

The weather conditions here during the past two weeks have made the grass go crazy so there has been a lot of mowing and weed eating to deal with. I have a lot of planting and am hoping to start that today.

My friend Maleka from the post office came for a visit with her son and daughter. The lychee tree is going off so we picked lychee and guavas and she took bags of each home. Yesterday when I went to the PO Maleka said she had something for me and it was a big bag of one of my favorite flowers-gardenias. So special as I have never had so many.

Chris, par excellence weed eater man, came and improved the view down into Wailua Cove. There is still more to do, but it is a dangerous job with the fifty foot drop off to the road.

Thanks for tuning in and I leave you with a picture of my water garden with flowers that just bloomed.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #66

Welcome to Blog #66
June 1, 202¢

Well, this is a very unusual start to this weekly blog which I usually do religiously on Sat. morning. But, today I felt compelled to go to book club with a great group of women that meet on the first Saturday of every month usually at a farm Hana Tropicals. Today was Jack London’s Stories of Hawaii and then the plan was to come right home to write the blog. But, plans are only made to change and It is now 3PM and I just got home from book club which started at 10 Am. After I went to the Post Office I was driving past the Ranch House Restaurant and two farmer friends from book club were standing outside so I stopped to say hi and asked if they were having lunch. They said they were meeting another friend who was not well enough to attend book club and was coming to join them for a drink. So, I said OK I will also come in and say a quick Hi to her. Another gal joined us and they all ordered martinis. For the first round I ordered lemon aid, but then saw I needed to join them on the second round with a martini and we ordered some food and had a lovely get together. This all took a big chunk out of the day so this will not be a long one.

This week we have been doing a lot of weed eating and mowing as the grass is growing so fast. There is no building till July when my back patio starts.

The big news is I now have hot water inside. This a great new luxury, but I am cautious about using it because quite a bit of cold water comes out before the hot arrives. Living off grid has made me mindful of every drip of water going into the septic tank and also the electricity usage. I have ten panels and a substantial system but we are supposed to unplug appliances even when not in use as they draw electricity just being plugged in. The water also hoses have to be guarded closely so the water tank does not get drained. It is all about needed total awareness living off-grid. And, when I get news flashes people are without electricity on various parts of Oahu I am so thankful to have a kind of independence from Hawaiian Electric.

My social life is picking up as I continue to meet and make new friends. Sunday evening was an Indian food dinner at Jan and Rick’s from Colorado. They have a one mile very rough driveway up to their house high above the airport. They also have the pool where Wednesday water aerobics takes place. Wednesday night Nancy came here for dinner. Nancy is an agronomist who gave me advice on pruning and caring for some trees which is very helpful. She is coming back to do some actually pruning.

Chris spent some time clearing the point making a spectacular view down into historic Wailua Cove. There is a little more to do, but tricky work as the 40 foot drop off is right there and very steep right down to the road. He also spent some time trying to dig a big rock up, but we finally gave up and just covered it with dirt so as to get the lawn mower over it.

Next weekend is my 65th high school reunion so I will not be doing the blog till the following week. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends. I will take pictures and tell you all about it.

I heard an interesting thing about worry. Busy people are too busy to worry during the day and too tired to worry at night.

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #65

May 25, 2024

Welcome to Blog #65

Almost seems hard to believe there have been so many weeks-and the weeks are going faster and faster.

It has been another good week with some progress-bit by bit things are coming together. This project is really teaching me the value of patience. And, without a lot of patience I would just be in a constant state of irritation.

One of my hesitations oncoming here was no vet, or rather the vet we have is so old he shakes when putting in needles. That situation has been solved with a fabulous mobile vet-Dr Krista. She came this week with her friend David who is her helper and a stunt man. They worked on little Ehu, shaving dreadlocks off Scruffy and checking Boki. Ehu who is feral ended up biting all three of us while dealing with her and drawing blood on Krista and David.

I am now just breaths away from hot water. Caleb, the plumber finally showed up for about a half hour and attached the on demand heater. He then had to leave for his regular Wed. lunch with the “boys”. He said he would probably return on the weekend, so I am waiting.

AJ always shows up and does the work also came on Wed. to finish putting black shade cloth on the green house tool shed. I crawled along with him in the dirt stretching the cloth while he put the wiggle wire on. This makes a better look and helps keep the mongeese at bay.

This time of year the grass grows unbelievably fast and there has been a lot of weed whacking to do. AJ picked up another roll of weed barrier cloth and we are putting that down to keep parts of the yard in check. After the cloth is laid we shovel wood chips on top. And, more coconuts will soon be planted.

I continue to be amazed by the uniqueness of this community. Before moving here a friend asked me what I was going to eat-like that might be a problem. There is so much food here it really would be nearly impossible to starve. Since there are so many deer causing problems a company is grinding up venison and Hasegawa market gives out the ground meat packages. I use some of it for the dogs and there are some great recipes. My friend Karen stuffed one of my squash last week with rice and ground venison. And, it was a very tasty dish.

Yesterday at the farmers market they gave out Kapuna bags of veggies and lychee. I have so many squash growing, but not yet enough to sell commercially at this point so I give them away. Eventually they will be a cash crop. The lychee tree is loaded with fruit which will soon be ready. There are always papayas, oranges, coconuts, breadfruit and limes. My young fig tree already has figs and I can hardly wait till they ripen.

Before typing this I looked over last week’s blog and saw some typos. EAKS! Also I forgot to show the pictures from the week before.

Here are the coconut lights finally installed. These are lights Bob and I flew up to Kauai to cut out of the ceiling at the Coco Palms before demolition. After sitting in dirty garages for many years I dug them out, painted them and had them rewired. They are now over my cooktop.

Almost every time I go into the I Love Hana Store a book sells and I do an autograph. This was yesterday a book for Pepper from Utah. I am still dreaming of a TV series or some kind of a movie for Wave Woman-The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer. I just keep putting it out there…

Wishing everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend remembering all of our loved ones. When you get to my age there are a lot to remember and be thankful about knowing.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #64

May 18,2024

Welcome to Blog #64

It has been another great week finishing projects and organizing building materials so they are not everywhere. Feels like I am still living in a construction zone, We but this should end in July. We survived the flood alerts with wind, some overcast and not to much rain here on the property. I am very glad not to depend on Hawaiian Electric after hearing about their power outages.

Sunday a couple of my new lovely friends Cheryl and Jan came for lunching to see the property. Jan took white native hibiscus cuttings and I shared greens from the garden with Cheryl.

Monday I made the merathon trip to Kahalui for food and building supplies. Hopefully I don’t have to return there until a few weeks until I fly to Oahu for our 65th Punahou High school reunion and the Pacific Arts Festival. The coconut convention will take place within the big festival June 12-14th. It is going to be very exciting!

Wednesday is water aerobics at Jan’s house high on the mountain above the airport. She has a grizzly long dirt and gravel driveway and the pool water is really cold, but the group of women are great company and they say cold water is really good for you.

AJ came and put the metal roof on the cat house patio and tool shed. No more struggling with tarps and water. I love his design and he is an amazing carpenter from Kipahulu.

Yesterday Chris my weed eater man was able to get the beautiful lipstick palm up to my entrance patio. It is very heavy and two Hawaiian men said they could’nt move it-too heavy. Chis wrestled it on a dolly and tied the pot to the dolly. The last part was up a hill where he was pulling and I was pushing and voila, after a lot of huffing and puffing and several stops for catching our breath we made it. The next challenge is getting the two big hunks of old growth cedar wood into place for benches. I will sand and refinish and maybe carve the seats out. These projects are really hard but, at the same time lots of fun to make happen.

Last night was Hawaiian music night at the local pizza place. Besides my step daughter Sarah A whole gang of new friends were there-Mary a retired American Airlines pilot, Nancy, an agriculture adviser, Jan, her visiting cousins, and husband Ricky, Terry and Michael from Entaben Gardens, Rebecca and significant other an amazing textile artist. A great group and I feel so lucky to have met them all and live in this community.

After all our picnic table friends left six Hana policeman joined us and were gobbling up pizza. Most of them were young recruits who are sent out here to start their careers. One of single men was trying to pick up Sarah-which was hilarious, but funny conversation.

Here is another Hana story. The bank does not open till 3:PM. After the Friday Farmers market I went up to the bank and was sitting on a bench waiting for the bank to open in ten minutes. One of the friendly bank tellers came up, said “hi Victoria” and asked what I needed. I said just going to cash a check for some cash. She said, “do you have a pen to write a check and I will get it for you.” I didn’t have to pen so she brought me one and I wrote the check, gave it to her and she went inside and brought me the cash. PRETTY amazing service!!

The garden is doing great, potatoes have covered the berm and the cats are pretty happy. That’s this week’s news and time for me to get to work.

These cats know how to relax.

Thanks for tuning in and hope everyone has a great week.

Aloha nui,
Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blo #62

May 11, 2024

Welcome to BLOG #62

We survived all the flood watches, but with lots of rain and mud this week. Last night there was beautiful lightening out over the ocean. Today is the most beautiful sunny day ever.

I am having trouble with my computer so am going to just hit some of the week’s highlights and get this out before anything more happens.

After years of planning the third coconut chandelier finally got installed over my kitchen work table and they look great! Kane, the electrician also did all the last electrical work which included four outdoor porch lights. I found some cool coconut designed lamps where the light will shine through the coconut cut outs.

Caleb the plumber came and did some minor work and assures me will return next week for the hot water and outside shower.

Thanks to a worker we got chips spread on two more lo’i. Things are green and growing. I have been harvesting delicious lettuce, arugula and cilantro for salads. The potatoes have covered the mounds of dirt and chips and look beautiful with their dark green leaves. There was a bumper crop of chioti (sp?) squash that Kira and I took to the farmer’s market yesterday and gave away.

I happily finished my last rounds of paper work for Hawaii State Compliance. That was quite a job and happy to have that work behind so more gardening is possible. There is lots to plant.

I am posting this without pictures as they are not coming through with the computer problems and I am trying to get help, but meanwhile….I will combine this weeks pics in next weeks blog.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing everyone a great week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #61

May 4, 2024

Welcome to BLOG #61

It has been a quiet week here, one with a lot of clouds and rain to fill the water tanks and water the newly planted coconuts and taro. They all seem quite happy and it is such a joy to look out at the hill and see the plants all doing so well. Most of the taro stocks now have two leaves.

I just watched the University of Hawaii West Oahu graduation where Kehau who came here two weeks ago to help plant the coconuts gave the student graduation speech. It was heart warming as she was a drug baby preemie born two pounds with little chance of survival and raised by two foster mothers. It was impressive to see so many local kids getting four year degrees.

Kehau giving her speech

It was a lovely graduation and made me think and wonder when the Chancellor gave the introduction saying we are our ancestors wildest dreams. This made me think of my Salt Lake City pioneer ancestors and how daring and creative they were to make the journey from England via ship and wagon train to make a new life. I wonder what they would actually think of our Niu Now and Koali coconut gene bank.
I am excited about this venture to be sure!!!

We had one of our last controlled burn for this first phase of clearing and putting weed barrier cloth this week. In another month more coconuts will be planted on the hill and as we can secure more grant money we will continue moving up the hill toward the pool and water fall.

This week I have been adding different color plumeria plants so to have them in the back yard garden. The first group of beets has been harvested to cook and lettuce is abundant along with arugula and cilantro.

This week I finalized a Green grant application for a Polaris to haul things around the property here. Will be interesting to see what happens.

The mongooses have gotten to be a big problem in the cat house. They come in for the food and are vicious critters. Everyday I have been trapping and relocating at least three. I bought three more traps so will continue this in a bigger way. This might be an ongoing activity as there are so many here. Many cats have left that space for cozier surroundings-my bed.

Looking forward to the green metal roofing for my new tool shed and patio off cat house that will arrive this next week. The lighting materials arrived and the Electrician says he will show up this next week. And, the plumber said soon for hot water.

A friend, Karen, just came up and was wooed by the progress. Things are really taking shape now and this is a big joy for me. She brought her friend and neighbor Mabel who showed me how to cook chiaotie squash. They sat down for a sample of chocolate sapote which I can’t say I love.

Well, time to sign out and get some paper work behind me. Thanks for tuning in and wishing everyone a great week ahead.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Vicky

Some´photos from this week

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #60

April 27, 2024
Welcome to Blog #60

Thanks for tuning in and I want to tell you it has been an AMAZING two weeks of progress here! It is actually hard to know where to start. Maybe with one of the most important…..Last Saturday the first coconuts were planted on the hill-the beginning for the first coconut gene bank on Maui. It was a very touching and beautiful ceremony thanks to the Niu Now group -Indrajit, Jessy, Chris, Kehau and Wainani. As everyone was cutting holes in the weed barrier cloth and digging the holes Wainani was chanting a beautiful chant for success and growth. Planting was also started at 4 PM, a time during an important astrological happening and the moon was in a great place for planting according to the Hawaiian Moon Calendar. A perfect timing after two years of planning and working to make a dream actualized. I might add the Kaulunani Grant also made this all possible. We are hoping this is just the beginning of the project.

After the planting everyone hiked up to the pool and waterfall and went swimming.

Before the coconut planting the group harvested and cleaned taro from my little taro garden. They made the garden bigger and after the coconuts were planted Jessy planted taro on the lo’i that probably has not seen taro for over a hundred years. Just in one week there is a leaf on each stem. SO SO EXCITING! I can tell the taro is very happy…
We will keep planting the lo’i and that along with squash will be the ground cover.

Another great happening was Kane an electrician who came to properly install electricity. He showed up with a crew of two people who got the job done professionally and . They were here for two days drilling into metal and putting it all together according to code. It was great getting rid of all the extension cords. Two of the coconut chandeliers were hung over my kitchen work bench. I am waiting for more chain and cord for the middle light. These lights are antiques as years ago Bob and I flew to Kauai to cut them out of three rooms at the Coco Palms Hotel. I had them wired and painted for the coconut institute.

A super carpenter AJ who came to finish my windows. So happy as they were just barely held in place with wood and screws and water was coming in. He had some extra time so I had him rebuild the patio off the cat green house. This will double as a tool shed and we are waiting for the metal roofing. Now that will be weatherized and it looks 100% better.

I also found a mobil vet Dr. Krista who came to visit last week as poor Justin had cancer. She is a gem and will come out to Hana every month if not sooner.