“The most memorable places for me in Kalaupapa were the Kauhako Crater and the Old Woman’s Cave. At the Kauhako Crater I felt like the king of the crater because that’s where all the Ali’i watched the games during the time of the Makahiki season. As soon as I walked up close to the edge, the high winds came. All I could hear was the wind and the trees swaying. As for the Old Woman’s Cave, I liked it because it is a good hideout and you can see if anyone is sailing in. It’s peaceful in the cave because you can hear the ocean crashing against the rocks, and you have to climb down into it to get into the cave. I will never forget these two places because they are where I found my peace.”—Ryden R.
“My most memorable part of our Kalaupapa trip was when we went to look down into Kauhako Crater where the deepest lake is. Uncle Albert told Justin and me that, in ancient times, people used to play a game where they would jump off the edge of the crater and let the wind pick them up. If they were connected with their kupuna, then their kupuna would take the form of wind to save them and carry them back up. I also liked the crater because there is a lake in the middle that is really deep. The last time the people who work at the park tried to measure it, they used 800 feet of cord and still didn’t hit the bottom.”—Shawn P.