“I thought I couldn’t travel to Hawai’i…”
Thanks for paying attention. You’re just the type of person we want on this trip…
Every year 6 MILLION tourists flock to the Hawaiian islands and spend an average of $4,000+/week. These tourists partake in exploitation, depletion, and displacement of the Native Hawaiian people.
Well this experience does the exact opposite.
There is no ethical way to travel to Hawai’i without Hawaiian people. And there is no Hawaiian people without ‘aina (land).
AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO TRAVEL TO HAWAI’I.
As someone born & raised on the Hawaiian islands, I intimately feel the issues that tourism, militarization, and colonization brings.
I feel loss & rage when someone asks me for advice on “where to stay” or “how to visit” knowing that my reality of living in Hawai’i is VERY different than the paradise they’re expecting to experience, away from the hurt and trauma.
For years, I’ve thought about how this could all be so different. If people just LISTENED understood what has happened & continues to happen here. That colonization is not a thing of the past but a current & ever present threat.
So finally, I have decided to TRANSMUTE that anger into something productive. Alongside my kanaka kumus (Native Hawaiian teachers), I put together a REGENERATIVE model to travel to Hawai’i that honors the people, the land, and ourselves. Where tourists can participate in regenerating capital, land, and hear the voices of Native Hawaiian People.
Hence, a journey of what it’s REALLY like living in Hawai’i…
Tour highlights:
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Learn
From Native Hawaiians about the effects of military and invasive tourism on their everyday lives.
Hawai’i has such a unique biosphere that only kanaka have the knowledge to heal the land and waters through their cultural practices.
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DINE
Harvest your own lau lau on the taro farms of the Hawaiian valleys and experience an authentic “luau”.
We cater kalua pig slowly smoked in an imu (underground oven) that is 100% kanaka grown and locally produced from the land.
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EXPLORE
'Iolani Palace and learn about the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
The occupation of Pearl Harbor with a Hawaiian veteran to discuss the destruction of the sacred spaces that once existed.
The coral reefs for a lesson on how to regrow coral at an accelerated rate.
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STAY
At a unionized hotel where the majority of workers are generationally Hawaiian from the plantation era and whose manager was born and raised in Hawai'i.
Walking distance to the beaches along the Waikiki strip with access to speakeasies, restaurants and world class shopping.
You are personally invited into my home…
Did You Know?
Hawai’i is 3,000 miles away from any land base making it the most isolated island in the world. Therefore its biodiverse ecosystem exists ONLY on these islands.
Day 1
Welcome to Hawai'i
The way that you are being invited to experience Hawai’i is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. This is our way. And you must follow OUR protocol. So first things first…
Prepare to come straight off that long plane ride and into the ocean for a cleansing ritual called KAPU KAI or ceremonial sea bath which is done in privacy and with prayer to purify oneself from any physical or spiritual defilement.
Here we will set out intentions for the trip, clean our energy and greet the akua (gods).
When you emerge from the waters, you'll be walked through Hawaiian Protocol on how to behave moving forward.
You’ll then check you into your hotel, freshen up, and get ready for your WELCOME DINNER!
Each meal is specifically selected to tell the story of Hawai'i.
Did You Know?
Ti leaf is not native to Hawai'i but is embedded in Hawaiian life ways. It is used for hula skirts, underground ovens & treating fevers. When you receive a ti leaf lei, you are receiving healing.
Next we head over to 'Iolani Palace for HAWAIIAN HISTORY. You'll learn about Hawaiian royalty and what the palace grounds were to the ali’i (Hawaiian nobles) before there was a monarchy. Then learn about how it was all destroyed when American businessmen illegally overthrew the Queen.
The decision to annex Hawai’i as a US state was made without a single Native Hawaiian in the room nor with the ability to vote.
You will meet and discuss the ILLEGAL OVERTHROW with the Native Hawaiian researcher who found the petition signed by thousands of Native Hawaiians that was hidden in a basement in Washington D.C.
You will end your day at the MAHU STONES. Where you will learn about the legend of the stones and what it means to be MAHU from a Native Hawaiian Mahu kumu and how the concept of being “trans” exists in harmony in Hawaiian lifeways.
Lei and gift-giving are Polynesian traditions so today we will be making our gifts to give to our kumus (teachers) for the remainder of the trip. This is incredibly important as no Hawaiian person comes empty handed into receiving knowledge.
Sit down in the grass with your Lei Kumu and get ready to make Ti Leaf Lei. Ti leaf is one of the most traditional leis to make and most common in hula.
Day 2
Hawaiian History
Our first activity of the day: LEI MAKING.
Did You Know?
The majority of Native Hawaiians signed a petition and successfully convinced the Senate not to annex the nation. However, the petition was hidden & found 100 years later accidentally by a Hawaiian student!
Did You Know?
The average home in Hawai’i costs $1 million–displacing many Native Hawaiians resulting in the highest rates of homelessness in the US.
Day 3
Demilitarization Day
Pearl Harbor is the most visited monument in Hawai'i. While it's an important landmark to Americans, it is also a very important place to Hawaiians for different reasons.
Our DEMILITARIZATION kumu is a Native Hawaiian veteran who speaks from the perspective of being both inside and outside of the military. He will explain what Pearl Harbor is to Native Hawaiians BEFORE it was occupied and the effects of a current military occupation.
Then we head to Hawaiian Homelands to learn why Hawai’i has the highest rates of HOMELESSNESS from those living on land for displaced Hawaiians.
A $700 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot.
Day 4
Pono Lu’au
We will head over to the valleys to meet with a Native Hawaiian celebrity chef to harvest our own taro leaves and prepare to make our own lau lau - a traditional Hawaiian meal that is wrapped in two different types of leaves. Once we harvest and gather, clean and stuff, we wrap the food in leaves and then leave them to bake.
Next, we kick off our shoes and get straight into the 'aina (land) where we will weed the taro patches for the next people to come and learn the mo'olelo (origin story) of what taro means to the Hawaiian people.
You will learn a lot of how Hawaiian lifeways are directly tied to food and how Hawai'i used to be a fully self sustaining land before the illegal takeover and decimation of native species with mono crop cultures & big agriculture.
Did You Know?
The word "lu'au" actually means the top of the leaf, which is usually what is cooked at an 'AHA'AINA or a gathering meal.
Day 5
MAY DAY
May Day is a a statewide celebration of the aloha spirit. We have been invited by a local school to participate in their performances.
We will start off the day in OLELO HAWAI’I class where the kids will teach us how to speak Hawaiian. Next we’ll head to the May Day performances of the day where you’ll interact with CHILDREN FROM THE PACIFIC and they will present to you where they are from and showcase their cultural dances. If we are lucky they will ask us to participate with them…
Caution…tears to flow!
Next we will partake in our own HULA practice from a Kumu Hula. However, hula is a spiritual practice. You will learn the history, the different styles, and when it is appropriate to be performed in this class.
Did You Know?
Practicing Hula was once banned in Hawai’i but was allowed to be performed only for tourists. This became one way for Hawaiians to preserve their language.
Day 6
Kuleana Corals*
Today we will learn the mythology of coral as it relates to Hawaiians before exploring the science to better understand how we should interact with living coral.
There are Hawaiian ways of growing coral at an accelerated rate and today we are learning from a Native Hawaiian scientist on how to mold and produce fragmented coral.
Now you know how to safely interact with the wildlife and coral AND you’ve contributed to growing more coral to the ocean.
This activity requires a lot of work and is subject to scientist availability.
*This activity is not guaranteed to be available. Our alternative is SCIENCE THROUGH A KANAKA LENS on how science is embedded into the Hawaiian language and how CLIMATE CHANGE is affecting the Hawaiian islands by a Native Hawaiian scientist.
Did You Know?
The creation story, according to Hawaiians, begin with coral.
Day 7
Closing Ceremony
Our last day together will end with a Native Hawaiian led reflections workshop on everything we learned before entering into a CLOSING CEREMONY.
Early Bird: $4,350
After December: $4,550
All quoted prices are based of double occupancy (shared rooms).
Private rooms are available at an additional cost.
A $700 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot.
What’s included:
Accommodations
Breakfast + lunch included everyday from Kanaka-owned and/or generationally Hawaiian locally owned businesses
Welcome dinner
All activities lead by kanaka kumus
Airport and ground transport
24/7 support
A full list of recommendations of walkable dinner spots we support & a scavenger hunt of speakeasy's should you want to opt into night time activities
NOT included:
Airfare
Entrance/VISA fees
Alcohol
Daily dinner
Souvenirs