GOING GODDESS™

Moki Aloha

Underneath the blistering midday sun i rummaged through Koloa town, thirsting for water and hungry for a taste of the sweet pleasures of yesteryear. After swigging down half a bottle of Hawaiian Springs, i rambled past the village farmer's market and found my way to the welcome shade of a giant monkey pod tree fixed next door to a quaint refurbished plantation house, now a specialty t-shirt store. Comfortably seated on the porch, i found one of the locals playfully caressing her dog, beautifully sculptured, and frozen in time. This life-size hand carved effigy named "Moki Aloha" was created by Reems Mitchell of Maui in 1963. What a gratifying morsel of a colorful and significant part of Hawaii's history.


Mr. Ding and "Barney"

One of my most memorable and striking encounters occurred during a stroll along a stretch of beachfront property joining Wailua and Kapa'a. Camera in hand, i fancied a curious display of coconuts, shells, rocks, and other natural items in a yard, keenly placed and beckoning to be photographed. As i looked toward the house, i saw a man sitting on the porch caressing his dog. The scene was a deja vu of the experience i had a few hours earlier in Old Koloa Town with "Moki Aloha". I respectfully asked if i could take pictures of his yard and without hesitation he gave me an ethusiastic 'yes', then invited me to join him on the porch for a bit of storytelling. After a friendly exchange of our personal backgrounds, Mr. Ding allowed me to photograph him and his adorable 'Barney'.


Moki Up Close

Located along Kauai's south shore, the small town of Koloa is a popular attraction as the site of Hawaii's oldest sugar plantation. Founded in 1835, the town has some of the oldest buildings in the state. Koloa opened its first sugar mill in 1835 and set the precedent for commercial sugar production across the islands. The sugar era opened the door to a wave of immigrants that make up Hawaii’s multicultural population today.