star gazing at sea

the thought of watching a meteor shower while floating on a boat is one of those things that has captured my fancy ever since i stumbled upon the wild side specialty tours website a few years ago. you have to head out to the west side to enjoy this overnight off the beaten path adventure which only sets sail when the stars are aligned and mother nature has chosen to cooperate.

tours head out in time to catch the sunset and, after dinner is served on board, it's time to be schooled in celestial navigation 101 while the crew shares voyaging tales and island legends as you snuggle down and wait for the star show to kick off in the wee hours of the night.

wild side's crew of marine biologists also take guests out for morning wildlife tours of the waianae coast and you can always opt for a sunset sailing if a meteor shower is not in the stars. the company operates on the not-just-for-profit philosophy with tour proceeds helping to fund their wild dolphin foundation which also offers volunteer opportunities for those who dream of the life aquatic and want to tap into their inner jacques cousteau.

{photo credit: tori cullins, wild dolphin foundation}

no. 5 - mala'ai'opio

as often as we have driven out to the west side for my fella's dawn patrol surf sessions when we go home, i never realized that there were as many as 200 mom & pop farms hidden throughout the valley. one of them is the grassroots effort at mala'ai'opio (aka ma'o) which was established a few years ago as an organic farm where the 15 to 25 demo on the waianae coast could simultaneously receive vocational training while learning to care for the 'aina.

many island foodies have enjoyed ma'o's organic produce which is dished up at alan wong's, town restaurant, and aloha 'aina cafe. with the popularity of its produce growing, ma'o is working to expand its programs at waianae h.s. and turn the current 10 month internship into an associates degree at lcc. the good work they are doing to make the waianae coast more self-sufficient is as cool as their mantra:

no panic . . . go organic!

click here to learn how you can make a difference!