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Hanalei, Kauaʻi

Experience Hawai`i in a new way and become a part of its regeneration with Waipā Foundation's Hawaiian Food Systems & Conservation Immersion.

From the uplands to the sea, discover how an ahupua`a holds the wisdom and the resources to feed a community.
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Join us on an unforgettable learning journey through Waipā, a lush 1,600 acre river valley on Kauaʻi’s north shore. Walk and ride from the coastline at Hanalei Bay to the cool uplands of Waipā stream exploring the ecosystems that support its food plants, native wildlife and the invasive species that challenge them. All while learning about the traditional values and practices which ensured the sustainability of the Hawaiian people and how they are adapting and applying them along with modern tools and technology. Be a part of the reforestation work at Waipā, where you’ll have the opportunity to plant native trees that will help restore the watershed.

ABOUT WAIPĀ

Waipā is an ahupuaʻa learning center where Hawaiian values and practices guide and inspire stewardship and are shared through transformational experiences.

Waipā Foundation is a place where education isn't about lectures, but about hands in the earth, where ancient wisdom creates thriving community through action and connection. Where children learn their ancestors’ knowledge not from books but from working alongside multiple generations of practitioners. What makes Waipā extraordinary isn’t just their restoration of 1,600 acres or their revival of ancient irrigation systems, it’s their unwavering belief that knowledge shared is knowledge preserved. They’ve created youth programs that re-establish a deep love and cultural connection to place for children and families who have been losing access to their land, resources and culture for over 200 years. For what you love, you care for. They’ve created spaces where volunteers become family, where the simple act of weeding and planting together becomes a lesson in reciprocity and care. This is a place that understands some truths can only be learned through doing – the weight of wet soil in your hands, the patience required for things to grow, the profound satisfaction of sharing food you helped cultivate. Your visit here doesn’t just support programs, it sustains a vision of an ahupuaʻa where the land, resources and people are thriving and overflowing with abundance, inspiring a healthier global community.

Learn more about the meaning of this Immersion from Waipā's Executive Director, Stacy Sproat.

Immersion overview

Step into a working Hawaiian ahupuaʻa, where your visit creates tangible impact for generations of local families.

This exclusive Immersion is designed to transform relationships with food and ʻāina (land and resources) through Hawaiian values and lived philanthropy – where your family doesn't just observe restoration work, but becomes part of it. Waipā Foundation invites you to join their 30 year restoration journey, from helping to restore a native forest in the uplands, to harvesting ingredients for a meal you’ll share with your family and the Waipā team. This is an immersion with the potential to create lasting connections between your family and ʻāina, that which feeds you. Every tree that you plant helps to restore a 1,600-acre valley that once fed thousands – and with your help, it can again.

This experience will change the way you view Hawaiʻiʻs natural landscapes and environment, knowing the cultural features and significance that lie within them.

Your children will discover how food grows in relationship with place, not in isolation, but as part of an interconnected system where water, soil, plants, and people all play essential roles. You’ll harvest invasive ferns (turning a problem into a delicious lunch), plant sweet potatoes using methods passed down through generations, and connect more deeply with the land the way Hawaiian families have for centuries.

The morning culminates in sharing a meal prepared from the valley’s bounty – including ingredients you helped gather. But more meaningfully, you’ll share this meal with the Waipā team, hearing their vision for food sovereignty in Hawaiʻi. Engage in conversations tourists rarely have, and connect with the land and people in a way that transforms you. 

Every action you take here – from removing invasive species to planting native trees – directly supports Waipā’s mission to restore Hawaiʻi’s natural food systems, and preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture for generations to come. Your participation funds youth education programs, supports weekly food distribution to elders, and helps maintain the restored systems that are slowly returning this valley to abundance.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Join Waipā’s mission in restoring Hawaiʻi’s food systems, and leave knowing your family didn’t just visit Hawaiʻi – you helped heal it.

Behind Hawaiʻi’s paradise facade lies a stark reality: The islands import 90% of their food while tour buses drive past empty fields that once fed thriving communities. Waipā Foundation is reversing this – acre by acre, season by season – but they need allies who understand the real story.
Waipā Foundation’s mission is to restore Waipā’s vibrant natural systems and resources and inspire healthy, thriving communities connected to their resources.

Your direct impact:

  • Restores watersheds – Each native tree planted captures moisture, prevents erosion, and ensures clean water for generations.
  • Preserves knowledge – Your participation helps the foundation continue its legacy work of teaching cultural practices to the community.
  • Feeds local families – The gardens you support help provide increasing the amount of fresh produce shared with the community.
  • Creates jobs for local youth – Your fees fund positions for young people learning both traditional practices and modern conservation.
  • Builds bridges – When visitors understand the true cost of tourism and actively help repair it, it changes the entire dynamic between locals and guests.

This is lived philanthropy – where giving back isn’t an afterthought but the purpose of your visit.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Experience Hawaiʻi in a new way and become a part of its regeneration with Waipā Foundationʻs Hawaiian Food Systems Immersion.

  • Welcome Circle Meet the Waipā team who will share what this land means to their families.
  • Behind the Scenes Access Walk through areas closed to general visitors, understanding the valley's transformation story.
  • Hands in the Soil Remove invasive species, plant native trees, harvest crops – real work with visible impact.
  • Forest Restoration Plant your family's tree in Waipā's restoration forest (they'll send you photos as it grows).
  • The Hidden Work See restoration projects tourists never know about – the unglamorous but essential work of regeneration.
  • Farm-to-Table Connection Harvest ingredients, learn their stories, then taste them in your communal meal.
  • Talk Story Share lunch with the Waipā team, hearing their dreams for this valley directly from the people dedicating their lives to it.

Your immersion includes expert guidance from community members rarely accessible to visitors, all materials for restoration activities, your family's native trees to plant, and a meal that tells the story of this land through taste.

Book Your Immersion

COST:

  • $10,000 for a private tour of up to 10 people.
  • 80% of the costs go directly to Waipā to fund their restoration work.

What’s Included:

  • Rare behind-the-scenes access with Waipā's restoration work.
  • Your family's native tree planted in perpetuity.
  • Hands-on conservation work that makes a measurable difference.
  • Farm-fresh lunch shared with the Waipā team.
  • Small group experience (max 10 people) ensuring meaningful connections.
  • Direct support for youth education and food sovereignty programs.

Curious to learn more?

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