I’ve been spending a fair amount of time exploring Kahua Ahupua‘a lately. June and I want to build a home at Hamakua Springs Country Farms on this piece of land.

Makea Stream. On the left of this picture and less than 30 feet away there is another stream running parallel.

Makea Stream, the northernmost border of our parcel, is also the northern border of Kahua Ahupua‘a, where two intermittent streams join Makea. The “Y” that is formed as the streams join makes a nice island of tropical foliage. At one point the streams are as near to each other as 20 feet, and then they meander apart about 100 feet. They finally join Makea about 200 feet downstream.

My friend John Cross says that wherever one finds a banyan tree on a stream it marks a water feature. In this case, it’s a small waterfall.

I spent several hours opening up a trail around the edge of the streams with a machete. I started from a place where the banana workers had mowed. The two streams were so close that I could hear them.

I’m thinking I need to plant something that will throw shade on the stream in the distance. There is sugarcane right up to the banks.

I just started cutting my way to the left bank and followed the stream’s edge all the way to where it joined Makea and then went back up the other side. It wasn’t too hard because I followed an old pig trail.

These are individual ohi’a trees in pots.

There was white ginger and ‘uluhe growing throughout, which are doing a good job of suppressing weeds. All the while I was thinking about where I will plant ‘ohi‘a, hapu‘u, kukui, hala and other plants.

Our neighbors used to have the lauhala shop on Kalakaua St., and we have a bunch of hala trees growing wild on our boundary. I’m going to plant the lauhala along the river.

There are some scrub trees that will need to be taken out, but not now. I want to strategically let in some sunlight to establish some ground cover and also bring in some trees. Later, as the ground cover takes hold and the trees can use more light, I will remove limbs to let in some more light.

Mom has been transplanting the ulu keiki as they sprout from our tree.

I threw some fertilizer on the ‘uluhe and the ginger only. Hopefully they do well and help suppress the California grass and other weeds. This is going to be fun.