The Sweet Spot: The Back Story
I came to Big Island in 1986 and after co-founding a community of jugglers and circus performers I moved on to create a place that was more aligned to my values around sustainability. So in 1991 I broke ground on a 1/2 acre parcel of land having a choice to buy land that had a view of the ocean and lava fields or one that had giant trees. It was an easy decision and I have never looked back. Under that canopy of green my soul relaxed and I felt like a babe in the arms of his mother. The land 100ft wide by 200 feet deep had a dramatic drop off and elevation change in the middle so there was either standing out under open sky or descending into a grotto (or as they say in Hawaii ‘puka’ literally meaning hole) into another world that was enchanting, magical and just the sort of place where divas, fairies and ‘menehune’ (Hawaii’s Little People) would live. Over the years two different psychics independently of each other pointed to the same spot as being a vortex. I have yet to have anybody who visited sit on that spot and not take a deep breath and let out a deep sigh.
To build a house took a maestro with a bull dozer to cut a path down that wall to create access and the man who did that, God rest his soul, was “Bulldozer Max ‘Nuf Said” as his machine read. And it was true. When alive he was legendary. He was well into his 80’s when we met and would smoke a ‘big phatty’ and get to work with a little dozer that he masterfully cut the lava into delicate terraces that step down into this wonderland. There was amble evidence that Hawaiian’s had lived there as there was an emu and pig pen in place and the mango trees, that were clearly planted by somebody. One mango towers over 100 feet with a truck that is massive. At the base of the trunk is now the outdoor shower. That same tree has a brother in an eternal embrace, a monkey pod, whose branches yawn out over the property about 20 feet off the ground. Because of the lands topography, those branches are skimming the ground and enfold the upper house’s shower so the bather is literally taking a shower in the tree top.
Over the years I have been able to cobble together two other lots that fit this one topologically to create 1 and 1/2 acres of land that resembles a park more than a residency and now it is with so much pleasure and joy that I can share this wonderment of Hawaii with visitors from all over the world. Just in this last month we have had couples from Australia, Germany and NYC and all have a similar experience to mine, ‘this is such a sweet spot.’ We look forward to sharing our aloha with you and for you to feel loved by the land.
