A mixed bag today, giving us a full day of activity with no down time. But that’s what we’re here for, right? We can kick back and relax next week. Or maybe it’ll have to wait to the week after. We’ll see how the summer develops.

First up: a ride to 100 feet beneath the surface in a real submarine. The sub holds 64-passengers and navigates through a field of structures where fish and turtles like to congregate. The structures have been placed there by the sub company. They include blocks, cages of various configurations and two wings from a cast off inter-island airplane plus a fishing boat that met its demise in a fire. The crew tried to douse the flames with teriyaki sauce. Coupled with the smell of rotting fish bait, the hulk was sold for a dollar and sunk to attract fish and tourists.

It was an interesting ride but frankly, the number of fish we saw was small and fleeting. I’m looking forward to snorkeling to see fish and coral close up. But you can’t fault the sub company for trying.

We had free time from roughly 11 to 2 PM. Some caught an Uber to Diamond Head to climb to the crater but Esme elected to go shopping with some of her friends. Lots of window shopping and some work in the changing room. But shirts that Nana and I bought were the only real addition to the Waikiki economy. We decided on doing smoothies at the Haagen-Dazs store rather than a sit down meal.

The afternoon activity took us to a sustainable taro farm on the north shore of Oahu. Our hostess was a Filipino lady and her husband who, even though not native, have fully embraced traditional Hawaiian values as they relate to humans’ relationship to the environment. She’s a teacher and she drilled us in Hawaiian language phrases. They have observed that early Polynesian settlers of Hawaii lived in close harmony with their natural surroundings. Rather than striving to produce as much as possible, they took only what they needed, leaving the remainder for future needs.

While not advocating a return to the way of living that existed before the arrival of Captain Cook and subsequent Europeans and mainland US explorers, who brought their “modern” ways, they do believe that it is critical that we return to a more balanced relationship with the natural environment. She  lectured us on the many ways that the Hawaiian environment has deteriorated, in terms of species of plants, animals and marine life that have disappeared and the influx of invasive species. Correcting these problems is essential if we are to leave a world in which our children can survive. They are striving to implement that approach in their taro farm.

Taro is grown in shallow ponds. The water in the ponds comes from an artesian well on the property. We participated in helping with the farming effort by pulling out weeds encroaching on the ponds. Some of us waded in the ponds pulling the weeds. Others on shore raked and hauled off the weeds for composting. This activity demonstrated the Hawaiian value of helping one another.

Our hosts prepared our dinner meal. Pork sandwiches and poi, produced from their taro plants were the featured entrées. In keeping with another traditional Hawaiian value, the youngsters waited on their kupunas as (elders) before serving themselves.

Mel’s family tradition, held by many Hawaiians, is for elders to tell stories as an evening entertainment. One of our kupunas told a story that revolved around his mother. Judy has been asked to tell a story. Her subject will be Onawa.

Finally, we were introduced to a set of Hawaiian games and we were given a brief hula dancing lesson.

Tomorrow there’s one last surfing opportunity in the morning and then we’re off to the Big Island.