28 October 2006

The North Shore

by Steve onboard the Esperanza

©Greenpeace/Maria C. De Vega Gonzalo

So, we departed last night from Hawaii, from a place called the North Shore. I had heard of the North Shore before, because I've seen loads of surfing movies and have seen photos of the huge waves that this place is famous for. But, I had no idea that the people there would be so warm and welcoming and supportive of Greenpeace and the Defending Our Oceans expedition.

There were so many people who came out to our events. We met an incredible and inspirational woman named Jane, one of many amazing community leaders there, who helped us get in touch with the right people to help us get the word out about the problems facing our oceans. We also met Jeannie, who hosted us at her house on Sunset Beach, and came out to nearly all our events. There was also Crystal, whose work to get the positive messages out to the schoolchildren of Hawaii is so important and such a great help for the overall cause. A great guy named Mark helped us clean beaches on the North Shore, and kept telling us that despite the huge problem facing our world, he was tired of plastic polluting our beaches. There was also a woman named Cora, who's always trying to bring attention to the problems facing the environment up there. Really, the list could go on forever, but the point of the story is that these folk have inspired me so much.

Many of these folks came out to the dock at Haleiwa to bid a fond farewell to Esperanza. Some of them even paddled out to wave goodbye. In Hawaii, they talk a lot about the "Aloha Spirit," which I hadn't really understood until yesterday when we left. Aloha means hello, goodbye, and love. Its spirit guides the work of so many on the islands, and it was in full effect during our stay there. As I rode in the boat to board Esperanza, and the paddlers waved goodbye to us, I couldn't help but feel embraced by the aloha of these fantastic individuals. Every now and again, we can bear witness to the power of a community, and I really feel honored to have spent even a little bit of time in the North Shore of Oahu, and to have met even some of the folks up there whose work is so necessary and profound. Although we're now in the Pacific, I just wanted to thank all of the people there who showed us the true spirit of aloha. I don't know when I'll be back there, but hopefully soon, because the people there have impacted me more than they could ever know.

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