Going Home Again – North Shore Oahu – 1987-1990

(Click on map to enlarge)

It started out quite exciting from the get go when I called the moving company to check on my shipment of household goods. As I mentioned in my last "GHA" post, I was a bit up in the air as to where I would finally pitch my tent in Hawaii, so I thought I would double check the shipping status now that I had found a home. Well good job that I did, as the shipper had my container of goods going to Maui not Oahu, seems I neglected to let them know my final plans. Oh, well you don't need much to live in Hawaii, just a swim suit, towel and a pot to cook the rice in.

The place I rented really was a country place, more shades of green then anyone could ever imagine, in every direction you cared to look. I think one of the things I delighted in most was the sound of mornings – with the dawn of the day's first rays of sun you could hear the unlimited variety of birds welcoming the new day in their own voice. I didn't have a white water view; just a vista of various hues of blue as it changed from sea to sky. Some days I could hear the pounding of the surf resonating up the canyon from Waimea Bay, especially in the winter months when the surf was at its highest. If you drove out to the North Shore during the summer months you would wonder what all the hoopla was about with these infamous monster waves, in the summer there were times when the bay looked literally like a child's play pool.

Living out in the country in Hawaii is so very different from the post card scenes that most people imagine when thinking of Hawaii. Seeing horses grazing in the open fields was the norm, chickens too were in abundance, though to be honest, the locals probably had them for "gaming" purposes and not for their egg-laying ability. Country living also meant living with all types of little critters, big and small. My favorite housemates were "Da Geckos", you know that cute little GEICO Gecko from TV, well several of his non-employed cousins lived with me.

My place was A-frame in construction, which meant I had this tall ceiling in the living room, and those little Geckos would climb across the ceiling with their sticky little toes. Usually we never had a problem, but on occasion, when I was engrossed in watching TV, one of those little devils would lose their grip, dropping down with a thud right next to me on the couch. It would scare the 'you know what' out of me. Little local experiences you never have to deal with when staying at swanky hotels.

Other fun experiences included power outages, when the big kawowo winds would knock down trees, which in turn would take out power lines. I remember after one storm getting out my little butane camp stove and cooking rice and chicken and eating by candlelight. It was fun.

Probably the most spectacular thing was the stars. When you live, out, away from the light pollution of urban areas, you see stars with a clarity never experienced elsewhere. I mean you see billions and billions of stars, really awesome – and that was the last view I had on most nights before drifting away to sleep, it was better than counting sheep.