Ahh I miss Hana!! Here are some photos of when I WWOOFed in Hana, Maui with my best friend on a Cocoa farm. I highly recommend wwoofing to travelers, especially those who are young because it's a cheap (and awesome) way to see new places! You sign up and make a profile at, https://wwoofusa.org/ . This particular site is the one I used, however places outside of the U.S.A would be a different site. Make sure your profile is detailed and has photos of yourself, as this is like workaway (see my previous posts for info), and is based on mutual trust. So you want to make sure to accurately and in detail, show the hosts who you are. The main difference between Wwoofing and workaway is that Wwoof is exclusively work on organic farms.
Once you make a profile this site connects you to Hundreds of U.S farms that need your help, in exchange for room and board! The only real thing you gotta pay for is your transportation to and from the farm. Your meals, and place to stay will be covered by the host, in exchange for about 5 hours of work each weekday. Make sure you talk with the possible host about what work they expect from you, because some farm work can be rigorous, talk about what you are and are not comfortable with to ensure that you both are happy with the arrangement. This post is about when I wwoofed in Maui, and yes the work was sometimes intense, but very rewarding and it was a treat to work in such a lush beautiful place!
Like workaway, I made lifelong friends through doing Wwoof. The stories I could tell are endless, from hacking open coconuts with a machete, swimming in a pool of water where fresh water meet the ocean, to being invited to go to a remote, vegan, commune and watching a hippy man burn a bag of hair in the fire (somtimes you get treated to weird experiences too). Hana has a special place in my heart and I hope to visit my host and his family again in the near future!
Making wwoof life look glamorous ;)
...andddd not so glamorous. It rained on and off ALL THE TIME.
A great host, teacher and friend.
Incredibly lucky to have a best friend who enjoys traveling as much as I do.
Best part of working in the jungle is finding new wild creatures, we were stoked!!
Here I am in public...In my underwear... because I forgot my swim bottoms that day...Oh well!
Here I am more clothed, lol
Coco the cat was our first friend in Hana. She cuddled us our first night and helped us feel comfy.
A lot of the work we did was clearing the land, so our host could plant more Cocoa plants. He had just bought a new property and needed all the help he could get. Ordinarily he only takes people willing to stay 3 weeks or more, however due to our college break ending we could only stay 10 days. We messaged him and asked if he would still take us, and luckily he said yes and that he needed tons of help. So we totally lucked out! The work was difficult at times but rewarding once we stepped back to admire our efforts. Sometimes wwoof hosts will have a certain amount of time they require you to stay to host you, this is often because there is just so much to learn it's impossible to do so in a short time, but if you see a farm you really wanna go to for a shorter period, it's worth asking about! After our stay was over, David (our host) said we were some of the most hardworking wwoofers he had ever had and that he was glad he chose to let us come for a short time. He is such an awesome guy and we hope to see him again soon! Here is Elif doing some work!!
Young Cocoa plants ready to be planted!
Chillin.
"Auntie" Elif giving piggy back rides, the kids would often call older women their aunties.
Being their "Aunties" was great :)
FLOWER POWER
If you get a chance, GO TO HANA!
Relaxing after work.
REMEBER
Wwoof is based on mutual trust. Make sure to thoroughly check out your host, call or skype them and make sure they are normal and safe people you feel comfortable with.
Most Hosts have reviews left by other people who have stayed with them so be sure to read those!
You can leave a wwoof situation any time you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Have fun but be respectful of others lifestyles while you live in their home.
See you soon Hana!