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Kainoa Iranon and his wife, Danielle, will be the first to say having a big family brings big blessings. Counting everyone in their ohana, the number adds up to more than 100, which means their home in rural Volcano on Hawaii island is always bustling with activity.
“In addition to six kids, we have horses, chickens, ducks, cows, pigs, goats, bunnies, sheep, turkeys, tortoises and a miniature donkey,” Iranon said. “Caring for the animals is a lot of work, but it builds character, integrity, respect and appreciation.”
He was raised on his family’s 1,000-acre ranch nearby, and Danielle grew up on a ranch in Angels Camp, Calif., a historic Gold Rush town. Both of strong faith, they married in November 2008, four months after meeting at a ministry school in Redding, Calif. The following February, they moved to Oahu to work as in-home caregivers.
Major life changes occurred in quick succession after that. They had their first son, Aurelius, and started Hawaii’s Church of Aloha in Hawaii Kai in 2011. Two years later, their second son, Legend, was born, and two weeks after that, they adopted their three older children, Kiana, Isaiah and Tryton Poasa, who were then just 14, 10 and 7 years old, respectively. (Their brother, Tristan, was 21 and legally an adult; although he, his wife and 2-year-old daughter now live in California, they are very much a part of the Iranon family.)
“Their mom, a single mom, was our close friend,” Iranon said. “She passed away in 2012, and after much prayer, Danielle and I knew welcoming her children into our family was the right thing to do. It was a huge transition, especially since Danielle had just given birth to Legend, but there’s no limit to the amount of love the heart can hold, and that proved to be true again in 2015 when our youngest son, Valor, was born.”
Over the next few years, the couple’s schedule got increasingly busier as they juggled family and church responsibilities.
“Finally, we had to ask ourselves, ‘What is our priority — to save the world or to be good parents to our children?’” Iranon said. “That was easy to answer. We wanted to raise our kids in the country like we had been raised. Let them get dirty. Let them breathe fresh air away from noise, crowds and traffic and have plenty of space to run around in.”
As it turned out, a 20-acre rental property that his parents owned in Volcano was being vacated and was theirs if they wanted it. It came with a mortgage, weeds and shrubs that were taller than the children, and a three-bedroom house in need of repairs. Without knowing how their lives would unfold, they made the move in June 2017 and, over the next two years, completed the renovations primarily with sweat equity and recycled materials.
“Danielle is the visionary and the designer,” Iranon said. “She says, ‘We can plant this, we can build this, we can do this; it’s going to be great!’ She wanted chickens, so we could have eggs. I built a coop for them, then we got a goat and a cat. The more land we cleared, the more animals we got and the more shelters we built, and it escalated from there. We didn’t intend for this to happen; it just evolved.”
“This” is the Lili House Farm, which offers a petting zoo and fireside tea service, complete with silverware, Noritake china, cloth napkins, espresso, an assortment of teas and Danielle’s delicious peasant bread, blueberry scones, hand-shaken butter and strawberry-rhubarb jam. It is named after Iranon’s maternal grandmother, Lillian Rodrigues, who passed away a few years ago.
“We wanted to honor her because she was always full of aloha, and that’s the spirit we want to have here,” he said. “Our animals are a big part of that; when you’re around them, you can’t help but smile and relax.”
During the two-hour Deluxe Farm Tour, you’ll meet the adorable menagerie, including Arthur, a miniature donkey; Mr. Tom and Lady Tom, Royal Palm turkeys; Jefferson, Rosemary and Onyx, Holland Lop bunnies; King Koopa and his ladies, Flash and Dash, African tortoises; Sherman, Julie and Charlie, pot-bellied pigs; and Dot, a Nigerian dwarf goat and her 6-week-old kids, Ella and Emma.
“Danielle and I had been thinking about what kind of business we could start at home, and after much prayer the thought hit us: Why not open our farm to visitors so they can experience the life that we love?” Iranon said. “Our guests really enjoy spending time with the animals; some of them live in big cities and had never been close to any animals except cats and dogs before.”
Everyone in the Iranon household contributes to keep the farm and tour operating smoothly. All the children have chores, including gardening, collecting eggs, feeding the animals, milking the goats, cleaning the pens and setting the table for tea when tours are booked.
Danielle homeschools the four younger children. Isaiah was accepted to the University of Hawaii at Hilo and will attend classes there in the fall with Kiana, who’s a junior. They understand fulfilling their responsibilities at home are just as important as maintaining their GPA in college.
“From the time our kids were young, Danielle and I have taught them that we all have to pitch in to sustain our family, our little community,” Iranon said. “We’ve also encouraged them to be themselves and not be afraid of challenges. We’ve seen them plant flowers, ride horses, run in the fields, laugh and play as loud as they like, discover where food comes from and learn the value of caring for something other than themselves.
“When visitors come, we share the joy and gratitude our family feels every day. We don’t have a lavish life, but we have a rich life.”
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IF YOU GO: DELUXE FARM TOUR
>> Where: The Lili House Farm, 19-4535 Amaumau Road, Volcano, Hawaii island
>> When: Daily except Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
>> Cost: $35 per person, including tea service and playtime with the animals. Free for kids 2 and younger. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance.
>> Info: 808-640-6325, email connect@thelilihousefarm.com or go to thelilihousefarm.com
>> Notes: Wear clothes and closed-toe shoes that can get dirty. Having an umbrella and a jacket or sweater is a good idea because the farm is in a high-elevation rainforest. You may bring carrots, lettuce, bananas or apples for the animals; they love treats! The Lili House Farm also offers a petting zoo experience daily (except Sundays) from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Cost is $12 a person; free for kids 2 and younger. The farm is available for private functions.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
For 19 years, Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi has traveled the state to uncover destinations our readers might have never known were waiting to be discovered in their own backyards. We want to say mahalo nui loa to her for her informative weekly columns, which have inspired readers to explore our Aloha State. Unfortunately with such uncertain times ahead, this will be her last column.
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