Essay | Is the Grass Greener?

Yosemite National Park, 1987.

Cheryl (right) and I on our first Mainland road trip at our first national park. Thoughts really do have power!

“You’re from Hawai‘i? What are you doing here?!”

That’s the question I’ve often been asked when road tripping on the Mainland.

My response, “Because I’ve never been.”

And it’s true.

I’m blessed to have been born and raised in a wonderland of white-sand beaches, untouched native Hawaiian rainforests, a place embedded with a history of Hawaiian royalty and its respected culture and traditions, and good, honest local folks willing to extend a helping hand to others.

But I’ve always been in search of something different, places unseen or roads untraveled — a forest of towering, decades-old redwoods; snow-capped mountain ranges and glacial lakes; anything that’s unlike what I’ve grown up surrounded by. Sure, some people haven’t been as nice or friendly, but most often they are.

My mother has family and friends in Japan, so I’ve been on many trips with her since elementary school. Then came trips with fellow church goers as I got older.

With college came a new friend and eventual travel partner. From 1987 to 2005, Cheryl and I began with small trips to Maui, the Big Island and Kaua‘i. But you can only explore an island so much.

Our eyes turned toward the Mainland where true adventure awaited because we’d never been. I would plan the route; reserve the flights, vehicle and motels/hotels; and map out stops along the way. The bubbling excitement was very real.

I believe this excitement had its roots years ago in 7th grade. It started with a school folder. It had an image of a huge monolith that towered behind an open field and river in autumn. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was a picture of El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. One seedling of a thought sprouted in the back of my mind at that time — one day I’m going to visit this place.

On our first road trip, I made sure Yosemite was on the itinerary. It was my first national park and I was blown away by its grandeur — it’s nothing I’ve ever seen in Hawai‘i. Over the years Cheryl and I crisscrossed the United States on various road trips that took us from New Mexico into Canada, and Oregon to Michigan. We finally made it to the East Coast on our last trip. We may have gotten lost a few times, but it was always part of the adventure. We also experienced 9/11 while in Washington State.

After losing touch with my travel partner, I itched to travel again. Traveling alone for my job in earlier years had provided some of the confidence to know that I could be comfortable going somewhere on my own, however, I’d never traveled to the Mainland by myself.

I started with California. Then came Arizona because I’d never been there on my own. Then came Oregon and Washington. One day I saw Hawaiian Airlines’ route to Auckland, New Zealand for $600+. Wait, our summer is their winter, right? Heck, I love cold weather!

It was after this first real international solo trip to New Zealand I knew for sure — I can go anywhere. And can go it alone. Traveling solo really became part of the thrill of experiencing new places.

When COVID-19 effectively kept us here on the island, I began to revisit places with a friend that I hadn’t been to in more than five to 10 years.

The botanical gardens, Lyon Arboretum, Waimea Valley, Makapu‘u Lighthouse Trail, a couple of trails in Makiki Valley, the Honolulu Museum of Art, Arizona Memorial … even to Waikīkī when Mayor Kirk Caldwell closed down Kalākaua Avenue for local folks to get out and exercise. Mini road trips to the west side, windward side and along the Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline provided additional reminders of our island’s natural beauty.

I also visited Iolani Palace, the Queen Emma Summer Palace, the State Capitol, Ali‘iolani Hale that’s home to the Hawaii Supreme Court building, and other locations. Remembering the stories, practices and people of times past reignited a flame to study even further, because really, we can never know enough.

Because my world — our world — was taken down a notch, like so many others I could slow down and truly immerse myself in each experience. Not having a nine-to-five that entailed rushing to get there and back home five days a week didn’t drive me on the weekends anymore as it often seemed to do.

I have always appreciated being able to call this island my home. But in the back of my mind, the “grass was always greener” elsewhere. These field trips into my own backyard were opportunities to not only remind myself of the beauty I’m surrounded by, but they were opportunities to further deepen my appreciation and knowledge for the place I live in.

Hawai‘i, all its good and bad, lives and breathes in me. Every single time I’ve returned home after being away for weeks and seen O‘ahu’s western shoreline inching into view through the airplane window, I’ve felt the warmth of a smile deep in my heart. I AM HOME.

A lovely surprise at the junction of the ‘Ualaka‘a and Moleku Trails in Makiki.