High above Oahu's west side, where access is limited and the views are unreal, small groups gather to make lei po'o -- a lei worn on top of the head -- at a historical cabin designed by midcentury architect Vladimir Ossipoff.
The host of the workshop, Andrew Mau, grew up in Honolulu before studying furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design and now runs Island-Boy shop in Kaimuki, where lei and floral workshops are held regularly. "In my shop, you know, we try to keep it really dynamic," he said. "We have a flower room, flower studio, and we make lei and flower arrangements there. And as part of that, we teach workshops.
At the Kaimuki location, workshops, priced at around $125, are intentionally small and participants can learn different lei-making techniques. "It's a classroom setting, and you're working pretty closely with the instructor," Mau said. "Typically, the workshops will be six to 10 people."
The atmosphere is social and unhurried, as it lasts about three hours. "People usually aren't in a rush when they come to the workshops," he said.
The Ossipoff Cabin lei po'o workshop, hosted in collaboration with Courtney Monahan of floral shop Paiko, offers something a little different. The four-hour experience includes the 25-minute drive up the mountain to the cabin, followed by three hours of instruction overlooking the Waianae Range. "It's stunning," he says. "It's a view that very few people get to see."
Participants make one lei po'o during the session. "Our emphasis is to utilize and showcase the variety and the uniqueness of the flora that's growing up on the mountain at the elevation," he said. The workshop, priced at $165, includes the flowers, material for wrapping the lei, refreshments and snacks. "We just try to make sure that people who are on the mountain with us for that period of time are comfortable and enjoying being there," he said.
A percentage of the proceeds from the Ossipoff Cabin experience benefit the nonprofit Palehua Conservation Initiative, which protects and stewards the land while educating the community. "That nonprofit arm has a multigenerational goal, like maybe 300- to 500-year goal of reforesting that mountain in native species," he said.
"So, it's going to outlive us."
For participants, the finished lei becomes more than a floral piece. "The lei that you make there really represents your experience of being up there and how unique it is," he says. "And it's almost like its own little souvenir."
Mau said visitors often attend his workshops. He advised to check the calendar regularly, as he only releases dates up to three months in advance. "Check back often, and if they're interested in either of the workshops, I send a newsletter out monthly with my happenings, and the cabin does as well."