KALAHEO — Maureen Herrick-Macarthur of Kapaa said the trip to Kalaheo Sunday was worth the drive.
“This is a perfect project for Alana Roselani,” Herrick-Macarthur said. “She goes to K.I.D.S. school who is on winter break, and loves to paint. I’m also involved with a canoe club, and the ladies have a lot of fun hiding them along the river. This is such a healthy project, and gets the kids outside.”
Herrick-Macarthur and her family was among the group of people who collected at The Right Slice pie shop to meet with Kauai Rocks, a group led by Melissa Mia who get together to share talents, ideas and raise community awareness.
The gathering was hosted by Sandy Poenhelt, who was involved in demonstrating her technique for creating rock mandala.
“We have all different types of rocks,” Poenhelt said, applying a central dab of metallic paint. “We use river rocks that we buy at The Home Depot. There are quilt rocks where a central message is at the center of a patchwork where different people fill in their messages.”
Once completed, the rocks are hidden to await discovery. Clues can be posted on social media, and when discovered, the Kauai Rocks group asks for a photo on social media after which the discoverer can either keep the rock, or hide it again.
“I’ve had two of my New Year rocks found,” said Taryn Kanoa of the (hashtag) MNS Blackstad Crew. “One was found in Tennessee, and the other was in Arizona.”
Enjolei Perreira of (hashtag) Da PoCho Bunch from Lawai responded by saying one of her rocks was found on Maui.
Discoveries are posted on their social media page, said Gemma Souza, who has been doing rocks since the group started getting together eight months ago.
“You can also exchange rocks,” Souza said. “Sandy just got back from Las Vegas, where she found someone doing rocks and exchanged a Kauai rock for a Las Vegas rock. It’s just a lot of fun. I got to meet people from all over who get excited when they discover rocks, and you get to hear the stories of how they found them.”
Mahalo for the write up, we are grateful for the community we support and all the artists who give their time. Melissa Mia Costales