Jeff
and Karen Hay have been caretakers for many years. Care taking a 26-acre
private island, 400 meters off the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii for a
Japanese billionaire, and a ten-acre organic orchard at the top of the
South Island of New Zealand are, literally, worlds apart. Yet, in many
ways, the lessons they’ve learned from both situations hold true regardless
of the different circumstances and responsibilities – trust is the key
ingredient for success as caretakers – trust in you, the caretaker, by
the property owner and trust in the property owner by you…but first you
should know a little history about Jeff and Karen.
They met 17
years ago in southern California. Jeff flew over from Hawaii for a friend’s
wedding, met Karen and decided to move to California. Karen had a managerial
job in marketing and advertising with a large savings and loan and Jeff
was offered a lucrative sales management position. But when they decided
to have a child they started questioning their lifestyle. They wanted more
time together with a slower pace of life and decided to climb off the corporate
ladder.
Jeff had done
care taking before on Kauai and knew that through networking with friends,
he could scout out some other Hawaiian care taking opportunities. They
found Coconut Island, a 26-acre private island estate in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.
(Note: The opening shots of the "island" on the TV show, Gilligan's Island
were, in fact, Coconut Island). They were responsible for the oversight
of several employees and managed/maintained multiple dwellings, two boats,
vehicles, equipment and the extensive grounds. The absentee owner had friends
from Japan visit the island and they hosted the guests, as well as other
special events. Jeff says, “We received a generous salary, including benefits,
a two-bedroom two-bath home on the island, and the use of the boats and
vehicles. When the University of Hawaii decided to buy the island, we left
Hawaii to travel with our two children. Care taking had allowed us to home
school them and we explored Mexico, Costa Rica and most of the southwestern
United States.
