How we started
Classic Enrique Diaz: Find an abandoned jungle and turn it into a spectacular oasis. Only this time, with endless opportunity to continue building and growing past any other point he had reached before. There are not many people who can do what Enrique does. In fact, I have never met anyone like him before, with his vision, discipline, generosity, and determination. He has a work ethic that is hard to compare, and a passion for creating an environment that is worth sharing. Enrique is truly one of a kind.
Time and time again I watched him take over a special space that had long been forgotten, transform it into a magical place only to have it taken from him. The saddest part was always that if you returned months later you would find that his hard work and effort had not been maintained. It seemed that no one had a clue what it took to do what he did, or understood just how much dedication and daily devotion were necessary to preserve such beauty. This is one reason it is now so hard for him to leave his ranch. Because no one can do everything he does. No one sees what he sees. I’m telling you, if one piece of grass is too long, he can see it from far away, and it will keep him up at night. He rests his head on his pillow each night only to wait for a new day to get up and get started again.
So how did we end up here? Why did we leave the lives that we loved, that we never imagined we would leave, on the islands in Paradise, Hawai’i? Well, the short answer is that we found our own Paradise. A magical place by the sea, with a river running through it, and enough space to make our own polo field. Private, exclusive, where we can lock the gate and forget about the chaos and drama that exists outside in the world. A place where we can grow our own food and live a more sustainable lifestyle. Where the sun and moon rise and set, red, into the horizon, and the birds call and sing sweetly while the breeze sways the trees. A special piece of land, internationally protected in a nature reserve. A place where we could make our dreams come true.
Of course it had been abandoned for quite some time and looked nothing like it does now. But the first time we saw this land, all we could see was the potential. It was as if we had found gold. The weeds were taller than us and the trees were growing themselves into the ground. There were various dilapidated structures to tear down, fences to tear out, forests to clear and of course a polo field to make. We’re talking five years of work for one man to do, mostly alone, with his hands. One very special man.
He started with a machete and a broken lawn mower. A machine that had made it here all the way from the Koko Crater days. What used to be an automatically propelled grass cutter, now required full body force because it had become a barely pushable machine. But that wouldn’t stop him. Nothing would. Up against over 200 pine trees with nothing but a hand saw, he carried on. Raking and burning and cooking and training. A whole new herd of horses to make.
The work here never ends but neither does our desire. A true purpose for our passion and always a next level to reach. Planting trees for shade in which we will never sit. Building the blocks for the future, and a legacy that is worth carrying on.