Following Darwin’s footsteps

Having spent most of my childhood and young adulthood in the Hawaiian Islands, with its abundant, colourful flora and fauna, warm Pacific water and a dizzying array of tropical underwater life, thoughts of nature and care of the a’ina – land – and kai – the sea – were often at the forefront of my mind. 

Those concepts became almost second nature and were part and parcel of everyday life. This was the case whether protecting the beach habitats for turtles to seasonally lay their eggs, enjoying the magical show of humpback whales spouting or the concerto of their breaching, or collecting limu – edible seaweed – that had washed ashore to give to our Japanese neighbours who devoured it with near reckless abandon. The appreciation and adoration of wonders unique to island milieux thus became an ingrained character trait.

I would carry this with me around the world as I explored islands both near and far.