Waihapakai

Our mission is to educate and strengthen communities knowledge on our relationship to Hawaiis fresh and salt waters.Waihapakai is a restored lot kalo and coastal food system space in Punaluu, Oahu, named for the place where fresh and salt water meet. This mixing of wai reflects abundance, interconnectedness, and the continuum between upland and nearshore ecosystems. Guided by this principle, our programs integrate hands on food education with freshwater, estuarine, loko ia, and coastal ecology to teach that wai (water), aina (land), and kalo (taro) are inseparable foundations of Hawaiian food sovereignty and community healing. Our place based learning includes loi construction and maintenance, watershed and streamflow education, salinity and estuary monitoring, invasive species and pest management, loko ia (fishpond) ecology, and nearshore ecosystem studies. We serve learners and communities from across Oahu, including students and teachers, kupuna, families, community volunteers.