‘Happy Farm’ is what we call our 2-acre home in Upcountry Maui.
We are located at 1311 Omaopio Rd, Kula, HI 96790 (Google Maps). This is 2000 feet above sea level on the slopes of the volcano Haleakala, making it about 10 degrees cooler than coastal Maui. It’s still very hot in the summer but it cools off at night.
There are 5 structures on our property:
- Our two-bedroom home, where we live with our two boys (Rumi, 2 & Asher, 6) and two kittens (Lulu & Bella).
- My Creating studio where I meet with clients virtually and in-person
- Private guest house with full modern kitchen, fast wifi, smart TV, brand new toilet/shower, and AC.
- The barn which we use for gym/workshop/laundry*
- Cottage at the far side of the land, leased by an awesome couple named ‘John’ and ‘Morgan’ (!!)
*The barn is actually attached to the back of the guest house.
Experiencing Maui from Happy Farm
Maui is ranked as the third best place in the World to visit and Maui’s beaches are ranked #7 in the world!
While my promise is that your traveling halfway around the world to create with me in person will absolutely be worth your investment of time, money, and energy, you will also want to take advantage of the incredible opportunity to see and experience at least some Maui as well.
In service of this, you should know that there is nothing within reasonable walking distance of our home. Even the nearest bus stop is 1.7 miles away uphill and takes 40 minutes to walk to. We recommend that you either rent a car (Turo is popular here) or roll the dice with Uber (about half the time I check, there’s a car available).
Food Options
As mentioned, there is nothing close to our home and this includes nowhere to walk to get food or groceries. If you’re doing a Paid Creating Retreat, we’ll buy some groceries for you, but dining out and work-trade stays will require your additional transport and expense.
Airport Transfer
Airport transfer to/from our home will be an additional expense. Due to the fact that we have only one car, existing commitments, and we go to bed at 8 pm, we likely cannot be available to pick you up at the airport when you arrive. Depending on our schedule, we may be able to drop you off at the airport if you are departing on a Saturday, but this is not guaranteed. Uber works well from the airport, but they aren’t always available for pick up where we live, but we can help you make return transfer plans in advance.
Paid Creating Retreat
Includes free stay in our private guest house, the use of our pool and laundry, and if you provide a grocery list on the Monday before arrival, we’ll stock the kitchen and fridge for you with organic food.
2 Days @ $5000
Two nights’ stay in our private guest house Thursday – Saturday and a single 3-hour Creating Dialogue session w/ JP on a Friday morning.
3 Days @ $8000
Three nights’ stay in our private guest house Wednesday – Saturday and two 3-hour Creating Dialogue sessions w/ JP, occurring on Thursday and Friday morning.
Work-Trade Creating Retreat
1-3 Weeks @ 30 hours of farm labor per week
Includes free stay in our private guest house, the use of our pool and laundry, and a single 2-hour Creating Dialogue session w/ JP on a Friday morning.
More details on the land/farm and the work…
We do not have a substantial ‘working farm’ as of yet. We purchased the 2 acres in November 2021 and are currently in the process of cleaning it up and preparing it for the cultivation of crops and more fruit trees. We do have a dozen or so fruit trees that bear amazing fruit; 6x citrus trees (orange, lemon, lime), 3x macadamia nut trees, 3x avocado trees, 3x banana tree patches, 1x papaya tree, and 1x fig tree, which you are welcome to share in when ready for harvest. We also have a few young mango trees, a cherry tree, a guava tree, and passionfruit vines that have yet to bear fruit. Beyond these fruit trees, we have a myriad of native and non-native flowering plants surrounding our home and the guesthouse/barn.
All of our existing plants/gardens need pruning, weeding, and raking. Some of it is very overgrown and needs total cleanup/rebirth and some of it we just need help maintaining.
Regarding the land that is not yet cultivated, we need help some unskilled labor help (i.e. raking, hauling, etc) to prepare the ground for growing. We also need more skilled help installing irrigation systems (digging and laying hose/pipe) and installing fencing.
As for livestock, we currently have 25 chickens which are low maintenance. Once per week we need the coop cleaned out and the fence moved, which only takes about an hour. Feeding is handled by us but you’re welcome to join in and also welcome to share in the fresh eggs.
In addition, general cleaning is required because lots of dirt/dust collect on outside surfaces that need regular wiping down.
In the summer, it gets very hot here during the day. The sun rises around 5:30 am at the solstice, so working between 6 am-12 pm is ideal. This also gives you the majority of the day to explore the island if so desired.
