Mauna Kea Oral History Appendix - Office of Mauna Kea Management

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But then, when it really got out of hand, it was during the war. The army took all that
makai country back. We weren’t allowed to go in there for several years so it got a real
good start all through that Range (Paddock) country. I don’t think he could have kept it
out anyway, because it was so strong.
Quite amazing! Just the changes that you’ve seen and what’s happened as the
management...the care of the land. That the values…
The way you treat the land, the way you treat the land.
Alright. Going back to grasses, the Pä‘auhau area, the makai section was nothing but
Hilo Grass. Then kikuyu came in and that kikuyu grass kind of took a back seat, and then
Pankola came in. Pankola is a comparatively new grass. that we planted all down
through that makai Pä‘auhau area. That took over and that was really good feed, the
cattle really did well on that. So kikuyu came in as a fairly new grass taking the place of
the old grasses which to my mind, were real good.
You think it was primarily a weather thing though
Weather changed.
The weather changed, those grasses, those older good grasses that you knew as a
young man were having a hard time to survive So kikuyu comes in, they’ve got the Imex
problems
Imex.
And see these changes, transitions going on.
Now you got this yellow flower [fire weed] plant that’s all through Kohala and Kahuä,
that’s taking over.
Do you know what that is Not the dandelion thing
No, growing all on the hill up here.
It’s from New Zealand or Australia, Rally
Australia, I think.
Billy was telling us, it’s toxic down there.
Yes.
The cattle don’t touch it here.
Yes.
Wow!
It’s up on this hill up here too, someday it’s going to be all yellow and beautiful.
Amazing! I don’t want to wear you out, I don’t want to over talk.
No, no, you don’t wear him out, he’s strong.
I know it can be kind of a hassle talking story, especially if I’m not…
No, it’s interesting.
I am really intrigued by all of these things that you share, you’re coming into the
transitions and how you folks finally kept a couple hundred head down here. And that you
were running them, trucking them basically, across the section from Puakö out to
Kawaihae. Just the changes that have occurred on the land. Is there a place that stands
out as being… Was there someplace that the Hawaiians pointed out to you as being,
Mauna Kea– “Ka Piko Kaulana o ka ‘Äina”
Kumu Pono Associates LLC
A Collection of Oral History Interviews (HiMK67-050606) A:44