Ted Blake has long looked at some of the signs on Maluhia Road as he drove past and wanted to stop and clean them.
Saturday, he did.
“Now, you can see it,” he said with a big smile.
Blake and a handful of volunteers took part in the annual community cleanup of the famous Tree Tunnel for about three hours on a rainy, cloudy morning. They wiped away the grime and dirt on signs and raked and cleared brush. They even unearthed an old tire hidden in the overgrowth.
“We try to do everything we can for Koloa,” said Blake, who is also director of Malama Koloa.
The popular road was closed from Kaumualii Highway to the Ala Kinoiki junction. With eucalyptus trees towering overhead, men and women placed small piles of trash and debris on the roadside, where county crews doing roadside maintenance collected it and hauled it away.
The beautification project of the “Gateway to the South Shore” was done in preparation for the
upcoming Koloa Plantation Days. The annual event is spearheaded by the Poipu Beach Resort Association.
During the road closure, traffic was diverted to Piko, Omao and Koloa roads.
Kuulei Akeo and Ana Kapahulehua, after finishing their cleanup chores, took advantage of the peace and quiet on Maluhia Road to enjoy a long walk back to the pavilion at Anne S. Knudsen Park, where volunteers were treated to food and drink as a reward for their efforts.
Both women laughed as they recounted rising early in Kekaha to meet up with friends and fellow volunteers.
“We wanted to support our CrossFit,” a smiling Akeo said. “They said, ‘Are you available tomorrow?’ ‘Yeah, I am.’ So we woke up at 4 a.m.”
It was so worth it.
The work hardly seemed like work, they said. It was more of an honor to be there. And the walk back down a traffic-free Tree Tunnel was a blessing, too.
“The rain was so beautiful, the wind, the mist, everything. It was beautiful,” Kapahulehua said. “It was a joy.”
Likewise for Akeo.
“It was beautiful with the cool air, it wasn’t hot,” she said. “It was perfect. It was perfect for today even though it was raining.”
The rain and wind made conditions a bit uncomfortable early on, but workers soon settled into their tasks with energy and enthusiasm. By 10:30 a.m., most were done and headed back.
Blake, carrying a brush, spray bottle and a bucket, was the last of the volunteers still out there.
While he had hoped for a larger turnout and better weather, Blake went about his duties cheerfully on Saturday, paying attention to detail as he eyed his surroundings.
He explained that his family has surfed the South Shore waves for generations and will for more generations to come. The land needs to be cared for and he said he was glad to do his part.
“I got plenty of stake in Koloa,” Blake said.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
