LEO 'ELELE - TRUSTEE MESSAGES

Honopua Farm – the handiwork of Marie McDonald, Roen and Ken Hufford

Robert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i

On the Waimea Plain, where the wet and dry edges of Waimea meet, you will find Honopua Farm. Honopua is tucked neatly beneath the green hills of the Kohala Mountains. Her Majesty, Mauna Kea, is Honopua's southern view. Honopua is one of the “wonders” of Hawaiian Homestead farming on Moku O Keawe. What one NOW sees is the result of thoughtful planning, hard work, patience, love for the land and aloha for Honopua across 30 years. Marie McDonald (yes, one of our Living Treasures), her late husband Bill, daughter Roen and son-in-law Ken Hufford have taken a kikuyu grass pasture where cattle once roamed and turned it into their “Heaven on Earth.”

What is amazing is this family quartet had no farming experience. What they had was gumption, work ethic, pride and confidence in themselves, a desire to try something “brand new” and to succeed at it. Marie was a schoolteacher. Bill was an engine mechanic. Roen once worked for P&R, City and County of Honolulu and Ken for the Department of Health. Overnight they became farmers and have done well being mahi'ai. They are a DHHL success story as they are able to make their entire living off of the farm.

It's a “Back to the Future” kind of saga. In 1978, Marie and Bill McDonald made the plunge into homesteading a portion of Waimea's renowned Hawaiian Homes Community Pasture in Pu'ukapu, Kohala Hema. They received their award from DHHL in 1978 and wasted no time turning a cow pasture into a work of art. Honopua was once a thriving native 'ōhi'a forest. In the late 1800s and the early 1900s the forest was razed to make way for a new industry, which had both the blessing and sanction of Kamehameha, cattle ranching. Now, Marie and the Huffords are bringing back some of the forest, which was gouged out and burned down more than a century ago. This new forest is different from the forest that was. Times have changed and with changing times come new ideas and a new landscape. Where once there was 'ōhi'a, 'iliahi, māmane and a host of endemic ferns, there is now podocarpus, lilacs, agaves, succulents, lavender, rosemary, wild olive, agapanthus, lollo rosa, kale, wauke, snapdragons, camomille, salvia and much more. The old Waimea and the new Waimea meet in “perfect harmony” at Honopua.

In 1978, it was just Marie and Bill. Being a lei maker and artisan, Marie wanted to have a place on which all the material she needed to support her craftwork were within easy reach, from palapalai and leather leaf ferns, to liko lehua, pansies, protea of several sorts, baby's breath, 'ākulikuli. She is a lady of many talents and skills. Artist, author, teacher, lecturer, researcher, farmer, businesswoman and practitioner. She grows wauke, beats and colors it and out of the beating comes the most special of tapestries. Her hands have fashioned some of the most beautiful lei I have ever seen. Her pen has produced several books. Nā Lei Makamae is a masterpiece. (Her co-author was Paul Weissich, director emeritus of Honolulu Botanical Gardens). She (along with the Berdon, Olsen, Aiona and Batchfelder-Kaniho families) was instrumental in starting the Waimea Homestead Farmer's Market, which is Waimea's premier Saturday morning event where one can buy flowers, the best greens in all of Hawai'i, potted orchids, a “living bird house,” a 2-pound bag of poi for $8, and much else. Marie spends her time now making kapa. Bill passed away several years ago but his involvement and investment in Honopua lives on in the roads and structures he built, the trees he planted and the memories he left behind. It was Bill who encouraged Marie to apply for a farm lease. It was Bill's fishing buddy, Al Berdon, who encouraged Bill to encourage Marie to do so.

In 2008, it's Marie, her daughter Roen, and Roen's husband, Ken, who share kuleana for Honopua. Roen and Ken became a part of Honopua in 1990. Prior to that they lived and worked on O'ahu and then for a brief time on Kaua'i. Roen has been an artist for most of her life. Like her mom, she is able to work magic with flowers and with plants. Her husband, Ken, is an academic turned farmer. Ken holds an MSW and did social work for many years. Roen and Ken are vegetarians and their interest and focus on moving to Honopua was to grow healthy food organically, the tastiest and freshest of greens, from lettuce, to spinach, kale and herbs. They have brought balance to Honopua's menu. Marie's focus is flowers. Their focus is healthy greens. The combination is a winner in the marketplace. When Roen and Ken got involved in farming, they first grew vegetables for their table. That evolved to growing produce (as well as Marie's flowers) to sell at the Waimea Homestead Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings to supplement their income. They continue to do both, but now they have several commercial accounts to service as well. If there is a Success Story to be told about homestead farming in North Hawai'i, the McDonald/Hufford story is only one of a handful to be told. Roen says, “One cannot be an armchair farmer. If you want to be a farmer you have to get out there and work. You have to prove you can grow something.”

1978-2008. It's been 30 years and Honopua remains “A work in Progress.” It continues to evolve and grow. Marie, when searching for a Place Name, landed on Honopua, “Flower Place.” That is its literal translation. Honopua now has its own spirit. Honopua's kaona, says Ron Niau, a family friend, is “A Place of Budding Inspiration,” a place which allows one “to touch the earth and bring forth” the most beautiful of flowers and plants. It is also a place where one can dream, create and be inspired and moved to stretch one's mind to its greater limits. “Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.”