Can you see Puff? Accompanied by local resident, Anne, British friend of our Toronto neighbour, Chris, and two Canadians from Nelson, B.C., Bo and Grace, we meandered through the Hanalei Natural Wildlife Refuge on our last day on Kaua’i. Driving by cultivated fields of kalo, the root (taro) of which is pounded to make a local starchy staple, poi, favoured by native Hawaiians, we actually saw very little wild animal life but for a few egrets and those ubiquitous roosters and chickens. We passed by simple little homes tucked away almost hidden from sight behind dense tropical vegetation. One must come to the tropics to see all our common houseplants, shefflera, dracaena, bromeliads and ti plants, to name just a few.
Duncan and I donned our proper hiking boots for a short trek to a famous viewpoint. The others wore Tevas and Dockers. Were we “overdressed”? Actually no, even though the trail was fairly tame, it was steep and could be slippery; the rusty red soil on Kauai tends to get very greasy even when slightly moist, and it was hot and humid in this Hanalei valley. We were puffing when we reached the viewpoint after the short but strenuous little hike. We could see the dragon-shaped coastline across the valley, the inspiration the song made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary about “little Johnny Paper’s” dragon, Puff, from the land called Hanalei! ”Oh yeah”, to quote two Americans who came wandering by. Magic!
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