Hawaii adventure - two

After breakfast we headed towards Wai'pio Canyon where we were scheduled to meet a tour into the canyon. On the way we passed the well known Parker cattle ranch. The tour start point was at a gallery that displayed a lot of local art which was quite interesting and we were glad to have some time to relax before the tour started. The tour vehicle was a 4 wheel drive van because the road into the canyon is very steep and only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed. As you can see from the overlook at the top, it is a very steep narrow canyon and the road hangs to the side of the canyon to the left and descends rapidly to the valley floor. Once on the floor we learned that the land is all private, so getting to the beach or water falls is nearly impossible unless you walk the creeks. We did learn that you can walk down as some did but it was very steep and narrow so we were glad to be escorted. Only locals and licensed tours are allowed to drive on the road which is restricted to 4 wheel drive vehicles only. We learned that it can be very expensive if you break down at the bottom as towing a vehicle out can easily cost nearly $1,000. The canyon used to be more populated but a large tsunami hit the shore and pushed up the valley destroying most everything. Now only a few live in the valley and they have no electricity and very limited roads. The major crop is taro and it is hard to make a living growing it because it is pretty labor intensive. Our guide's uncle had a small operation there and he shared much knowledge of his growing up in the valley and local lore. We were amazed at the variety of wild flowers and abundance of native plants that seemed to grow quickly as you would expect in a rain forest jungle. We were glad to have such a wonderful guide and our tour ran overtime as he wanted to be sure we did not miss any of the history of the area. One interesting fact was that many wild horses are in the valley. They are the remains of herds that used to be raised in the area. When the Tsunami hit the valley the horses seemed to sense the approaching danger and rushed up the valley. Many of the people who followed the horses survived, but many of those people who remained in the lower part of the valley perished in the Tsunami. After a full day, we worked our way back to the condo to collect our thoughts and relax for the next adventure.