Hale Moana Hawaii Bed & Breakfast

03/22/2020

Updated: The order is intended to bring tourism to a near halt. But top lawmakers want Ige to go further and require residents to shelter in place.

06/25/2019

Aloha Friends,
It’s been over one year since we lost our home and B&B in the lava. It’s time to give you an up-date and summary looking back and sharing where we are at this point in our lives. Time has been racing and slowly crawling at the same time, there is so much that happened in the past 14 months.

Seismic activity started in late April 2018 and increased to earthquakes every few minutes by May 2. This was also the day, when we discovered the first crack in the road right by our property. On May 3 the first fissure opened just two streets down from us and we evacuated that evening packing our pets and whatever we could fit into our vehicles. The next 3 weeks were a roller coaster between hope and anxiety. I had thought for sure that we would be returning back home at some point, however on Memorial Day weekend we realized that this was not going to happen. We watched the lava consume several of our friends’ homes and we knew that it would not be too long before our place would be taken as well. Shortly after midnight early Memorial Day I received a call from my neighbor letting me know that he was standing on my roof watching his house burn – ours would be next. When I arrived the next morning after getting through the road block part of the house was still burning, most of it was already gone. Over the next few days the lava crept over our property and covered the whole corner of our neighborhood. Today, our land is under 60 feet of lava under the berm to the perched channel. The channel is a canyon (300 yards wide, 50 yards deep) about 100 yards from the back boundaries of the property. It transported all the lava from fissure 8 down to the lower laying lands and into the ocean. Today, it is empty and like an amazing landmark carved into the landscape.

For the time of our evacuation and transition we rented a place in Hawaiian Shores, which was a true blessing as we had a stable place to live from the first moment on. Many evacuees had to move from place to place or stayed in the shelter for extended periods of time. In September 2018 we bought a new home in Hawaii Paradise Park, which is about 10 miles from where our old house and the B&B were located. Our new house is an older home and it took 3 months of remodel, necessary up-grades (electrical system, new water tank, filter/pump system, structural enforcement) and clearing of wild jungle and junk trees to get everything ready. Shortly before Christmas we moved in. From there step by step we have been putting our lives back together. Each day in our new home helped to lessen the feeling of homelessness, untetheredness, depression, loss and grief. It was a challenging time for each of us in different ways. The kids live more in the presents, for me the loss included 20 years of a home, beautiful land and precious neighborhood with many networks and friendships, daily interaction, familiar faces, etc. Our new home is much smaller, cozy and comfortable. Sleeping in our own beds, Replacing things, hanging pictures, cooking in our kitchen, hand grading the land to save the soil, planting fruit trees and ornamentals were steps that helped to heal and recover.

As some of you may know, I went back to school in 2015 for a MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. I passed my finals in January 2018 (3 months before the lava) and had already started to work as a therapist for Child and Family Service in Hilo helping clients involved in domestic violence and s*x abuse. I will eventually get my license and open a private practice in Pahoa. Pele, goddess of the volcano, helped us to transition into the new phase of our lives very quickly. There was no chance to gradually process through change and growth. We rarely volunteer for change and so with this situation we had to embrace what was there and move forward. As we are feeling better, joy, peace and faith are returning. I believe in intent and purpose of all that happens to us and I know, that this latest chapter has opened new doors and put us on a different path.

The children have grown through this experience. They have reached greater awareness, resiliency, and the knowledge that you can move through crisis and come out on the other side as a stronger and more compassionate person. Chris will be graduating next year and going to college on the mainland. Alyssia will graduate 2 years later and then also go to college. Both are amazing people and I am very proud of them.

Our future will not include a hospitality business. It was an 18-year part of my life and we greatly enjoyed it. We loved our customers and all the people we worked with. It was a privilege to welcome so many visitors from all over the world and to share with them the beauty of this island and the deep meaning of Aloha. There is great sadness to let go and with it the heart and soul that went into all the up-grades, improvements, strategies, building of networks and customer relationships, establishing of our reputation and nurturing friendships with the people we served. It took some time to complete all the necessary steps with our customers, business partners, insurance, IRS etc. to close down the business. In the next few days I will be taking down the B&B website and then surrender our business license. It would be wonderful to stay in touch and if you PM me I will give you our private e-mail address.

This recoveyr would have not been possible the way it went without your support and your many gifts – monetarily, your words, arms, shoulder, hearts, thoughts and prayers and hands-on help in our rebuilding process. There was amazing support through the community that encouraged us to move through the first days, weeks and months and it continues to be there. We are filled with gratitude, humbleness and the blessings you have given to us. Mahalo to all of you, we love you! Please, stay in touch…

A Hui Hou,
Petra & Kids

09/28/2018

Aloha Kakahiaka - Happy aloha Friday!

This is a post from four years ago that popped up in one of my B&B guests memories. She shared it and I’m sharing it with you....I keep it with Bob Dylan: For the times they are a-changing! Love and Aloha to all of you on this beautiful new day!

Dear Friends,
As we are waiting and watching the lava to come down and cut our little town of Pahoa in half, I would like to ask you to support all Pahoa businesses. Once the lava crosses the Highway please, continue to come to Pahoa and support all the businesses and communities "behind the flow". Please, hold us in your hearts and minds: You will be in many ways our lifeline and we will need your continued support: visit our restaurants, stores, come to the farmers' markets, stay at our accommodations, request our services, help us to keep up our supplies...

Your support and prayers will make a huge difference! We are filled with deep gratitude for your compassion and Aloha!

Blessings to all of you!

Petra Wiesenbauer

06/01/2018

Aloha Kakahiaka on this Friday, June 1, 2018. Life is so very different from one month ago, when this all started: on Memorial Day, in the early morning ours our house started burning and by the time I was able to get to it, because of the curfew, it was almost gone. The lava had not touched it yet, it was the methan gases and the heat that ignited it. I went back multiple times and each time the lava progressed a little more. I hear that yesterday the whole back end corner of our street was covered by lava.

People ask, how I feel....it’s a question that cannot be answered in one word, one sentence, not even one paragraph - it depends on the moment you’re asking and includes a million dimensions and layers of feelings and thoughts, memories, worries, plans and things that need to be done. It also includes worries we no longer have: where is the lava going next, can it destroy the house, what else do I need to get from the house, how much work will it be if we ever move back, can we move back...

On Saturday, May 19 I went back to cut the grass filled with hope to be back... one week later on May 27, the last time I was in the house, it felt like it’s spirit and soul had left already, it was merely a shell. 12 hours later all was gone.

Today, I am standing, looking toward the future. Behind me a chapter of my life that has closed. There is serious grieving going on at times that takes my breath away, but I look forward and know there are so many doors that will open. I trust and know that we will be ok, we will be ok!

Thank you for everyone’s support, your love and care, your many thoughts and prayers....I am including a link to an interview with KHON2 news, our local news station. Fox and CNN picked up the story... http://www.khon2.com/news/local-news/bed-and-breakfast-destroyed-by-lava-owner-returns-back-to-wreckage/1209665388

Love and Aloha,
Petra & Kids

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates Has taken our home and business in the early morning hours of Memorial Day. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost everything -our home, our beautiful garden, the healing place came to visit this amazing part of the world. We were a...

05/25/2018

Aloha Kakahiaka, as the days go on I am never ending to be surprised by the generosity, kindness and support of so many. The kids and I want to thank you deeply for hanging in there with us and giving us your love. As we are trying to come to peace with what is happening the lava is continuing to fountain and flow and roll through our once beautiful neighborhood. It is a mix of being in awe about this amazing event of nature and its beauty and power and at the same time there is fatigue to read about new events and the only colors we see of red, orange and black. It is the challenge and being torn between hanging on what we had, letting go with great sadness and the effort and need to move forward. I bounce back and forth between the two sides...some moments I am so shaken by the sadness, but then I can see how the times of letting go and opening up toward what lays ahead are becoming more. I feel that I am getting more grounded again.

Our house is still there at this time, however the lava is getting closer on neighboring streets and the ground cracking has greatly intensified. Cracks are 3-5 feet wide and I know, they will get to us, too. The fact is, that lava is rolling through our neighborhood underground and it creates the cracks....Once there are these cracks there will be lava following... It's just a matter of time.

We will go back and recover a few more items this weekend and then the one big piece we need to get out is Lili's piano....So far we left it there, because I truly had hope that we would be moving back some day, but I am not hopeful now...

At times I feel guilty about worrying about my own situation compared to so many that have already lost everything or are displaced living in tents or the shelter...I feel guilty about still having our house, while I look at videos of friends watching their homes getting consumed by the lava. It is such a crazy world these days.

In 4 weeks we will be going to Germany to see our family. It was a trip that had been planned a long while ago and it is right in time as there are some health issues with my dad and we will be there to support my parents. I am hoping that our house will go before we leave here. I rather have this closure and I feel still responsible for it and don't want it to be abandoned and by itself when it is in its last moments....But it's not in my power to ask for that. Letting go, letting go, letting go....

As people are getting more and more stretched and stressed we all can witness how responses and reactions become affected by our anxieties: there is hysteria, immediate escalation, blaming, complaining, victim mindsets, feelings of being screwed and left behind....To remind us of our kuleana (responsibility) to respect each other and live Aloha in our daily lives there are some powerful testimonies and lines that help us through the days: , , and for me IMUA (move forward and heal).

Love and Aloha,

Petra & Kids

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/24/2018

05/19/2018

Aloha Kakahiaka to all of you out there in the big world watching our little world on the Big Island! Every day I go to work or the kids go to school, it is a stepping into a different world. A world that is normal day-to-day living for everyone else not affected by this crisis. For us, who are part of it, it seems strange how people can go on with their lives in a normal fashion. I went through a hand out at work about people's responses after trauma or disasters: emotional, physical and mental coping and affects....In one way or another we have encountered every single one of these symptoms. My daughter finally broke down crying last night. I am glad that she was finally able to: feeling lost, afraid that we will loose our home or not be able to return to it, hearing the big booms and noises from the eruption while at school, there is fears and uncertainties and many of them cannot be expressed with words. There are definitely existential fears and powerlessness, helplessness and overwhelmedness especially for our keiki. As adults we can rationalize many things, we have life experience to reference our own responses and feeling with. Kids don't have that, they don't have a lifetime history of comparing to other situations of crisis and how they dealt with it then. They are in the moment and need our utmost support to make it from one moment to the next. Initially when Lili said last night, that it's been a long day, I said, what do you mean, you guys got out of school at noon....Then she shared and I felt bad for my own insensitivity of not really listening to the messages in between the lines. It is the quiet messages that are hard to hear in these loud and action oriented times. I am much more of an action and take charge person myself and so it takes extra care to hear the tiny voice of my daughter. My son is much different, he is much more expressive and it is easier read him. He also is two years older and has a solid group of peers that support each other. Lili is much more quiet and she internalizes....As a mom I'm trying my best to support my kids and other kids coming through our house these days to give them a safe, secure and stable environment in creating new routines, bringing normalcy, talking, reflecting and loving them. The daily phone calls with my mom, talking to friends, people at work, checking in at the Puuhonua, seeing old neighbors, visiting our old home, touching the plants in our old yard, doing yard work and practical chores...that's all ways of trying to cope with this on-going situation.

For all intents and purposes I want to say this: we are so damn lucky compared to so many others who have lost their homes, who have no place to really go and who are still trying to figure out the basics of what comes next. We will be signing a lease with the property manager here shortly. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Jeana Jones and the owners of the house, who have given us a beautiful sanctuary and safe place since the evacuation.

At this point I would like to give specials thanks and acknowledgement to Caty Briggman and the Washington DC postal service. Caty is my niece and has permission from her union to organize a donation campaign to benefit the Puna community. All donations will be mailed to the Pahoa post office, I will pick them up and then take them straight to the Puuhonua o Puna relief hub.

While all of us are trying to figure out our lives, Pele is moving continuously. I drove down Hwy 132, about 4 miles down from the Pahoa stop light and was able to see the lava fountains from the road last night. For any of you, who know how tall old Norfolk pine trees can get - some of the fountains were three times as high. We could see the silhouettes of the trees in the foreground - the lava right behind....Here is a link to the latest map with fissures and out breaks from Google maps. I amgrateful for these maps to be up-dated very frequently: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer….

For today, I am thanking all of you for your continued support and prayers.

Love and Aloha,

Petra & Kids

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/14/2018

Aloha and good morning, this is day 12 after the evacuation. The lava intensity has increased with fissures and seismic activity moving down toward green lake and the ocean. Fissures in Leilani Estates are no longer actively spewing lava at this time, but emitting a lot of SO2 gas and therefore the air quality is very bad at times. Our home is still standing and so far not damaged by the earthquakes, which is truly a miracle. There are big cracks a little further down the road, with the road sinking. All of this means, the whole area is in tectonic up-roar and there is no way to predict what will happen.

The kids are doing quite well. It would be good for them to go back to school, though. Hopefully tomorrow. They need the structure and stability, seeing their peers and receiving counseling through the school. Even though everyone is connected through social media, it is so much more healing for them to be together in person with their friends: each has a story of traumatic experiences, each family (students, teachers and school staff) has a different way of coping....All revolves around grief and loss, being displaced, anxieties about families' economic future, being ripped out of normal routines and surroundings, etc. We are all in a state of mental stretching and vulnerability.

I for myself am trying to keep it up as much as possible. There are many decisions I have to make: insurance, cancelling services, communicating with former and future guests, connecting with local business partners, travel agents and on-line service partners... I started to refund deposits. It will be a little bit of a process as I am working on the funds to cover all. Please, hang in there with me, everybody will get their money back. It's just a matter of time.

But even though we are so fortunate and doing so much better than many others, I have these crying spells that come on and I just can't stop them. It goes in waves. I realize how each of us responds so differently and how we all have our way of coping with the situation. As long as we are in complete action mode, we don't feel the pain. Once we stand still and start to rest a little it hits everybody. It is like thick air, making you not want to move, all efforts are too exhausting, no decisions can be made, all you feel is numbness. It's hard to get up and stand up straight. I have started to look after others that are so stressed that they feel they are on the edge of breaking. Just trying to talk to them and acknowledge the pain and anxieties. Many of them are older residents and kupuna in their later phase of life, which I would call the "golden years", when you would really enjoy life without having too many worries. I see the despair of having to start over again and no longer having the energy and life strength to do so. It is particularly hard for our elder population that has moved here from other places and does not have family locally to support them. For us being of the younger generation, we still have that energy and the potential to start over, change directions and re-invent ourselves with new goals.... Also, deeply affected are the community members that have no housing, in the shelters, tents, cars, etc. I realize how devastating it is, to loose all the safety of your own home, being tossed into nothing, no place to put your belongings, no privacy, no security, no place to cook your own food, fully depending on hand-outs and other people...You feel completely worthless...

I want to thank here all the people, who have supported us so far. It is amazing to know, that there are people from all over the world watching us and standing by this community. If you would like to support in other ways, Pu'uhonua o Puna, our 100% community driven relief center at the entrance of Pahoa, is "the place". They have been moving mountains, including making deliveries into inaccessible areas. Many, many people are involved and there is no red tape or bureaucratic hurdles. Donations come in and they are dispersed right there, food is provided every day and each person coming there is greeted with utmost respect, nurturing care and Aloha. Financial donations are used to buy additional supplies needed, such as batteries, tents, camp stoves, baby food and diapers, tarps, blankets, etc. Here is the link to the relief center's page: https://www.facebook.com/puuhonuaopuna/. List of needs is being up-dated regularly.

Aloha to all of you, may you all have a blessed day, Mahalo from the bottom of our hearts. This community thanks you for your involvement, prayers and caring intentions! Each of us can make a difference, near or far....

Petra

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/12/2018

Good morning friends, again today I want to express my gratitude for your amazing support. It means the world to us. We are now into the second week of this disaster and even though things were calmer over the last couple of days, we all know, that the event is far from over. The impacts on the whole region are great and affect many more people than just the residents of Leilani Estates. There is very bad air quality in all of lower Puna, cracks in the roads and only one road to access subdivisions along Hwy 130/137 and Kalapana, continuous earthquake activity, etc. I'm not even talking about economic impacts at this point. It will take years for this area to recover. The level of anxiety and emotional stress is high and it can be felt by everyone. People are on edge, easily escalate emotionally and tempers are flying high. We have to keep that in mind and whatever disputes and hurts are created during this stressful time, we have to remember to be gentle with each other and that this is a time where everyone is outside their normal way of functioning.

We are safe in our vacation rental and can stay here for a while. We have started to unpack a few things and bring some order and normalcy back into our lives. It will be good for the kids to go back to school on Monday, to see their peers and receive some counseling.

I was really holding it together until yesterday, when I just simply crashed, coming off the adrenaline and autopilot of the last week. I just cried, cried and cried....I couldn't stop. It was a mix of being displaced and not at our home, having all of our belongings scattered in 7 different places, and then me, the independent woman I am now being a burden to so many others. There is so much learning and humbling in all this. Receiving is not as easy as one thinks...I find it much harder to accept than to give. I am grateful this morning for the teachings of letting go, dealing with my anxieties and learning to trust....I have wonderful people by my side that carry me and us and are patient and understanding.

We had a family sit down last night after dinner and talked about the future and different options. We are hopeful that our home will be spared and that we will be able to return. Things will be very different and we are wanting to share our home and the larger of the B&B suites and create living space for friends who have lost their homes or are in need otherwise.

It started yesterday after I was done with my breakdown, when a new vision began forming. I feel that the forces of the universe and nature we are encountering will birth completely new perspectives. I am calm today and curious about what life has in store for us....

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/10/2018

I want to thank you for your outpour of help, support and encouragement. It gives me and the children so much strength to know that you are all standing by our side and holding us in your thoughts and prayers. Mahalo nui loa from the bottom of our hearts.

It's been a week since we evacuated and left our home. It seems like as if the events, decisions and impact stretched way longer than just 7 days. We moved into a very nice vacation rental and after looking for different options on where to go next we were offered to remain at our current home for right now. This is so huge, because it means we don't have to move and create more chaos and transition. We are able to settle in for a while and a certain sense of normalcy can start to happen.

In the meantime we were able to go into Leilani Estates several times to recover many of our items. The first time was on Sunday and while we were moving things onto trucks and trailers, the lava was marching down our street. Thankfully, it stopped Sunday night and is now about 500 yards from the house. It is said that this particular fissure that fed this lava has plugged and there is no more lava coming out of it. However, in the meantime many more fissures have opened up and there are daily new events and seismic changes in the whole lower Puna area. Everybody is on high alert, nerves are raw, all are on edge. There are new evacuations in different areas every day. As we are safe and sound at this time, we are now able to help others. There is so much wonderful support and it is my deep wish to reciprocate and pass forward what has been given to us.

Many of our things are stored with different friends and it feels like a jigsaw puzzle thinking of it. Both kids have come back to the property with me in the meantime and it is part of their healing process to see all the details of the lava and at the same time our house still standing. Lili recovered yesterday some of her very special items, that we left before. I cleaned out our refrigerator, because there is no power at this time.

I have returned to work and it is surreal to move between our - up to this point - regular world and our world as lava evacuees. All together I am in a place of acceptance and the knowledge that there is a greater plan. I have closed down our bed & breakfast and am starting to contact people about their need to find new accommodations and refunding of deposits. It is a mix of sadness and relief, knowing that new doors will open up.

I'm sitting here this morning with the day breaking and know that this new day is filled with new opportunities to make a difference and move into our new lives one step at a time.

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/08/2018

https://www.gofundme.com/recover-from-lava-flow

The recent lava flow in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawaii has made living in our home and running our B&B business impossible. For my children and myself together with our pets we have lost an important part of our financial resources. It will take some time for us to recover and get ba...

05/06/2018

It is with great sadness, that I have to make this announcement: Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast is no longer receiving reservations and visitors. It has been 18 years ago that I first started to open our doors. Over the many years we have had visitors from all over the world. Many times during their stays we would become close and it was not only in-depth information on island sites, events and affairs that was shared, but we often became close. Many of my guests I have been in touch with over the years, many of them came back multiple times or recommended Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast to family and friends. A good number of them loved it so much that they bought property and homes and moved here inspired by their experience here at the B & B. I loved sharing with everybody about the beauty of this island, how special this community is, the Hawaiian culture, the importance of malama-ing the places we visit and the sharing of Aloha. I loved meeting people and welcoming them to this very special place, giving them a chance to experience Aloha and to be able to take back to their homelands a memory that was beyond the sites and checklists from a guidebook. Many guests have become close friends that are part of our day-to-day lives.

The lava inundation of our beloved Leilani Estates and the fact that we don't know, if we can ever again live in our home, however, make it necessary to take this step and close this chapter. It is difficult to let go of this amazing part of my life, but I have come to accept the circumstances and events. At this part of my post I would love to give very special thanks to my trusted friend and partner in crime Shawna Nyberg, who has been with this operation for almost 6 years. She was available to back me up at any time and she gave her all to provide great services to our guests. Many of you have met her over the years. There were others helping in the background to make this operation go smoothly: CJ & Keoni our maintenance guys, Miriam & Joe, Jasmine, Chris & Chase, my special neighbors Val, Logan, Ryan & Jen, special friends always there to help (Maureen, Jay & Gloria, Bo & Pete), repair people from Sears (especially Billy & Jeff), Hawaiian Telcom, etc. I want to thank the people I worked with from Reservation Nexus, Acorn-IS Internet Services and Expedia. Thank you to the many travel agents (Umfulana, Aloha Breeze, BeBack Hawaii, My Hawaii Tours, EEST Reisen, etc), Partners in Pahoa $ Puna (Kaleo’s Bar & Grill, Ning’s, Paolo’s Bistro) and other partners for your many years of support and great collaboration. Special mahalos go to Ikaika Marzo & Kalapana Cultural-Tours, Shane Turpin & Lava Ocean Tours, Warren Costa & Native Guide Hawaii We love you all!

There will be a new chapter in our lives: Chris & Alyssia - my kids, our two cats (Spirit & Leo), our dog Anela are saying Mahalo from the bottom of our hearts and A Hui Hou - until we meet again. Please, stay in touch, we love you!