Hanalei resident Terence Moeller has spent the last decade hiking the Kalalau trail collecting stories from those who hiked it, and from those who made the valley their home. His book “Dramas of Kalalau” chronicles the stories of those who
Hanalei resident Terence Moeller has spent the last decade hiking the Kalalau trail collecting stories from those who hiked it, and from those who made the valley their home.
His book “Dramas of Kalalau” chronicles the stories of those who have made the sometimes treacherous 11-mile journey to the Kalalau Valley on the Napali coast.
The inspiration for “Dramas of Kalalau” came to Moeller years ago as a teen. He left his home in Texas to live on the beach in Maui. There, he met an author named Jim Bishop. Bishop was doing research on the people that inhabited Makena’s “Little Beach,” who were considered a social phenomenon at the time.
“It intrigued me that a world-renowned scholar would take interest in these outcasts and thought how cool it would be to do the same one day -— travel the world to exotic places interviewing unusual people and writing about it,” Moeller said. “Three decades later when the opportunity presented itself to write about the Kalalau Valley, I seized it.”
The opportunity was presented to Moeller by Bill Gladstone, literary agent and founder of Waterside Productions. Moeller met Gladstone on the set of the 1998 Harrison Ford movie, “Six Days, Seven Nights,” which was filming on Kaua‘i.
Based on his own experience of living off the land in Kalalau, Gladstone became fascinated with the people who lived in the valley. The idea of collecting and compiling the stories told around the campfire was developed. Gladstone ended up hiring Moeller to write the book, with the title already chosen by Gladstone.
With the help of trail guide Ikaika Pratt, Moeller began his journey to capture the experiences, adventures and misadventures of Kalalau.
In order to capture the true “Kalalau experience,” Moeller made several solo hikes into the valley. Each time he returned, he had “a more profound interest in Napali and its place in Hawaiian lore.” Moeller also realized it would take many years and extensive research to tell the story of Kalalau.
Moeller introduces the reader to the “Kalalau Outlaws,” a cast of characters that live in the Kalalau Valley without the permission of the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The outlaws have created their own utopian society, surviving the Napali wilderness and playing a game of cat and mouse with the DLNR. They move around the valley to avoid being ticketed, and possibly arrested for violating state law.
With names like Surfer Fish, The Natural, The Goat Decorator, The Plantation Mutation and Noni Nancy, these Kalalau characters tell stories of their way of life in the valley.
One of Moeller’s most memorable moments in the Kalalau Valley involved a laser pointer and some kindling. At a birthday celebration one evening, Moeller soon realized Ikaika had left with the flashlight to return to the campsite across the Kalalau Stream. The only light Moeller had was a laser pointer. As he was testing the light capacity of the laser, he noticed The Natural breaking wood for kindling. Every time she snapped a twig, Moeller would flash the laser pointer on the wood.
“The moment reminded me of Mark Twain’s novel ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ where a modern-day youth travels back in time to Camelot with a satchel of modern technology,” Moeller said.
Feeling like “an anthropologist experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon,” Moeller captured the entire discovery on his pocket tape recorder. Upon discovery, the Kalalau residents exchanged theories that the red light could be extraterrestrials, the military or a spiritual affirmation.
Moeller entitled the essay, “Have You Been In Kalalau Too Long?”
Moeller also includes stories of those who have survived in Kalalau during Hurricane ‘Iwa in 1982 and Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992. Another story involves a Kaua‘i resident climbing 4,000 feet out the “back door” of Kalalau after he gorged himself on wild bee honey.
As a companion to the book, Moeller also produced a DVD, “Inside Kalalau.” The DVD offers an inside look at the Kalalau and the people who live there.
At noon on Sunday, Moeller will do a book signing at Borders Books in Lihu‘e.
• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.
