2024 Hawaii, HI

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First Obsidian team retreat. We shared a villa in Puako on the Big Island, near Kona, for a week in January. Cracks in the runway at Kona airport closed it for more than a day after heavy rain,1 so our flight on Monday 15 January was diverted to Honolulu. We spent the 15th and 16th there, which we were not prepared for and which taught me everything I needed to know about how I pack, and we were at the villa by the 17th.

I am torn between two highlights. One was walking out over 30 metres into the ocean, right by the villa, and the other was going up Mauna Kea on the 18th to watch the sunset from the top. Worth the entire trip.

Leaving Hawaii, it was fun!

Days

Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 January

Diverted to Honolulu

Our flight from Seattle was due into Kona that evening. The runway had cracked, so the airport closed and we were diverted to Honolulu with a lot of other stranded passengers. We were not ready for it, and we had far too much luggage for an unplanned stop. Kona reopened on Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday 17 January

The villa

We got to the villa and joined the others. The team had planned the week around morning work sessions, lunch, a social activity in the afternoon, and dinner, with board games and video games in the evening. Cooking was split between us, so everyone took a turn leading a meal. I planned fajita tacos for ours, with beans so the vegetarians could eat them too.

Thursday 18 January

Mauna Kea

The team had a tour planned up Mauna Kea for the afternoon. We went up for the sunset, stayed for the stargazing once it was dark, and then went back down.

Friday 19 and Saturday 20 January

Work, walks and brunch

The mornings were for work, and the afternoons were open. Saturday was left wide open for us to organise our own activities. Sarkantu and I hosted a team brunch that morning, and in the afternoon we drove to the northeast coast and walked through a rainforest, and then we ate at Fish and the Hog.

Sunday 21 January

Leaving

We had the villa until 7:30 PM, and checking out meant washing all the towels. Our flight home was in the early hours of Monday, from Kona through Seattle.

What came out of it

Several things we talked about that week have since shipped, so this was where some of them started:

  • Mobile performance was on the table, and the app now loads faster on iOS, iPadOS and Android, which landed in October 2024.2
  • Bases was one of the projects we discussed, and it went into early access in May 2025 and became public in August 2025.3
  • Improving the community directory was on the list too, and a new directory for plugins and themes was announced in May 2026.4
  • Background sync on mobile came up as well, and it is still listed as planned on the public roadmap.5

Where I stayed

A villa in Puako

The team rented one villa in Puako, on the Kohala coast. A small general store is a two-minute walk away, and the nearest proper grocery is about 10 km away in Kamuela, so we had our first groceries delivered. The ocean is right there, which is where I walked out over 30 metres.

What I packed

My work computer, and too many clothes

I brought my computer, since I had just started working at Dynalist, and clothes, but far too many of them. That is what made the unexpected layover in Honolulu so much worse.

Lessons

Lessons

  1. Unexpected things will happen Roll with it instead of fighting it.
  2. Pack one bag An unexpected stop in Honolulu with extra luggage is a different trip from one without it. The layover would have been fine with one bag.
  3. Check the aircraft before booking Boeing planes are genuinely uncomfortable. On Airbus planes, book the exit aisle, which has excellent legroom about 99% of the time.
  4. Aisle seat, always Window seats make me nauseous.
  5. Bring your own snacks, and eat breakfast The complimentary snacks are not food, and you will be grateful for breakfast later, even a small one.
  6. Do not let the tour people give you a map You have a phone. Their map is a trap.
  7. Expect cold showers and no microwaves Adapt, and embrace it.
  8. Bring light gear Find a travel-friendly camera that adds no real weight, and lightweight noise-canceling headphones. Corded is fine. I got neither, and I regret the camera.

Footnotes

  1. RV Times, A cracked runway caused the shutdown of an entire airport, 16 January 2024. ↩

  2. Obsidian, Mobile 1.7.4 changelog, 16 October 2024. ↩

  3. Obsidian, changelogs for 1.9.0 early access and 1.9.10. ↩

  4. Obsidian, The future of plugins, May 2026. ↩

  5. Obsidian, Roadmap. ↩