Like the photo above as much as we do?

It’s the grand prize-winning entry of HAWAII Magazine’s 10th Annual Photo Contest.

Back in March, we asked HAWAII readers to send us their best photos of the Islands. There were four categories: Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. More than 800 entries later, our staff selected two winners for each category, plus a grand-prize winner.

There was little argument over the best of the bunch—Carson City, CA, resident Robin Riggs’s photo of a Hawaiian monk seal sunning on Kauai’s Poipu Beach. In his story behind the photo, Riggs wrote:

“Two male seals were resting on Poipu Beach. Outside the boundary, I waited for a couple of hours in hopes that one or both would do something other than sleep and snore. This young male lifted his head up briefly just as the sun was setting.”

Riggs reward for the winning photo? Airfare for two to Honolulu from Hawaiian Airlines and a six-day, five-night stay at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach hotel in Waikiki.

Our first-place prize winners in each category will receive $100, a gift basket from Lanikai Bath and Body and a book prize package from Watermark Publishing that includes The New Wave Mai Tai, The Hawaii Beer Book and The Hawaii Coffee Book.

Our second-place prize winners in each category will receive $75, the Watermark Publishing book prize package and a collection of CDs from The Mountain Apple Company that includes discs by The Brothers Cazimero, Kaumakaiwa Kanakaole and Leokane Pryor and Friends.

Finally, a big mahalo from all of us at HAWAII Magazine to all of our generous photo contest sponsors above, and everyone who entered this year’s competition!

Our 11th annual photo contest rules and deadlines will be announced in the May/June 2009 issue of HAWAII.

Until then, we hope you’ll be inspired by our 2008 photo contest prize-winners and finalists entries in the slideshow below. Enjoy! (Click the slideshow frame to enlarge.) 

 

Barack Obama is trading the snowstorms and wind chill of Chicago for a family Christmas in the frothy waves and warm sands of Kailua Beach.

Jealous? We are too—and we live here.

The Hawaii born-and-raised president-elect arrives at Honolulu International Airport on Saturday for a 10-day holiday with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

The Obamas will stay on Oahu with family friends in a Kailua beachfront compound—a posh lot that the Associated Press has reported includes three multimillion-dollar houses that wrap around a lagoon-style swimming pool.

Obama’s vacation schedule is loose. No public appearances are planned. But he plans to mark the death of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who passed away in November, two days before he was elected. Obama was last in the Islands this past October to see his then gravely-ill grandmother for a final time.

The Obama family took a weeklong vacation to Hawaii in August prior to his presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention. They stayed in Kailua on that visit as well (above photo). He also visited the USS Arizona Memorial, took in some bodysurfing at east Oahu’s Sandy Beach, snorkeled with his daughters at nearby Haunama Bay and, of course, grabbed some shave ice (right photo). He also addressed supporters at a rally at Keehi Lagoon.

Obama has made regular holiday season visits to the Islands in recent years but missed the trip last year because of his intense presidential campaign schedule.

If you see him around Oahu this holiday season, be sure to wish him—and his Secret Service retinue—a very Mele Kalikimaka.

 

It’s that time of the year—when fierce winter winds blow, snow falls (even here in Hawaii) and Travel + Leisure Magazine’s globetrotting staff return from far better climes to bestow its annual gift to hotels, inns, resorts and lodges worldwide: a spot on the pub’s annual 500 World's Best Hotels list.

This year, 23 Hawaii properties get the early Christmas present from T+L’s writers and editors, up from 16 on last year’s list. And the property with the biggest gift of 'em all is on sleepy Lanai.

T+L ranked the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele 15th overall in the world—the only Hawaii property to crack the top 25. It’s also listed as the 4th best hotel in America.

The Lodge at Koele has racked up the T+L honors this year. In a July poll, T+L readers named the resort one of the World’s Best.

The Lodge is a unique property for Hawaii: an upcountry manor, nestled in the forested highlands of Lanai, yet just 20 minutes from the warm white sands of Hulopoe Beach, and sister property the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay. Hunting, horseback riding, hiking, skeet shooting, golfing and laying about its lengthy veranda with a good book are its main activities.

Our online editor Derek Paiva documented a recent stay at the Lodge with adamant fondness.

Here are the other Hawaii properties that made T+L staff’s 2009 cut, ranked in order of their list placement:

1. Four Seasons Resort Lanai, the Lodge at Koele, Lanai
2. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Maui
3. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island of Hawaii
4. Halekulani, Oahu
5. Hotel Hana-Maui & Honua Spa, Maui
6. Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui
7. Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay, Lanai
8. Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Big Island of Hawaii
9. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Kauai
10. Fairmont Orchid, Big Island of Hawaii
11. Kahala Hotel & Resort, Oahu
12. Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, Maui
13. Royal Hawaiian, Oahu
14. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui
15. Princeville Resort, Kauai
16. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Big Island of Hawaii
17. Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, Maui
18. Moana Surfrider, Oahu
19. Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Big Island of Hawaii
20. Ihilani Resort & Spa, Oahu
21. Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, Oahu
22. Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Kauai
23. Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu

One interesting note: The Big Island of Hawaii's venerable Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, closed since Oct. 2006 due to earthquake damage, seems to have made in onto T+L's 500 list solely on anticipation of its Dec. 20 reopening. That's some serious love in our book.

 

A dream vacation in Hawaii doesn’t have to be a casualty of these tough economic times. If you’re ready to pack your bags now, you could enjoy the Islands for less money than you might think.

Businesses statewide—from resorts and restaurants to activity vendors and B&B’s—are coming up with new and creative ways to entice you into a Hawaii vacation right now.

The details on their collective efforts and some helpful tips from travel industry professionals make up HAWAII Magazine’s January/February 2009 cover feature, “5 Ways to Get More Hawaii for Less.”

Our five essential tips for putting together a Hawaii vacation that doesn’t put you in the red?

1. Look for package deals that include multiple amenities.
Many lodging properties in Hawaii are stressing value—throwing in everything from free extra nights to complimentary golf—to get you to come their way. We give you tips for finding these packages.

2. Get on the Web. Do your research. Know where to look.
The Web is a powerful resource, chock full of information to help plan your affordable Hawaii vacation. Navigating through it all can be a tricky affair. We point you in the right direction.

3. Consider timeshares, vacation rentals and bed-and-breakfasts.
These lodging alternatives specialize in offering what traditional hotels and resorts often can’t—longer stays at lower rates, a chance to connect with towns and communities outside of our resort areas and more. We show you what else these properties deliver.

4. Eat off the beaten path…away from resorts.
Think searching outside of your resort area for a great place to eat is too much of a hassle? We’ll explain why a little bit of culinary exploring saves money and offers a broader taste of Hawaii’s mix of multiethnic cuisines. We've also got tips for finding great food.

5. Find a Hawaii-connected travel agent.
These specialists always have the lowdown on the best resort packages and deals as soon as they become available. We show you how to find a Hawaii-certified travel agent in your area.

For the complete text of our “5 Ways to Get More Hawaii For Less” feature, pick up a copy of HAWAII Magazine’s January/February 2009 issue, on newsstands this month, or by print subscription.

Have any Affordable Hawaii pointers of your own? Share them with us by leaving a comment below or send us an e-mail. We’d love to hear from you.

 

An increasing number of Hawaii residents and travelers are volunteering to help preserve Hawaii, activities like pulling invasive nonnative plants or protecting sea turtles eggs from predators.

But if you should be so inclined, where do you start? Who do you call?

Kirsten Whatley’s new book, Preserving Paradise: Opportunities in Volunteering for Hawaii’s Environment, is a helpful guide featuring more than 70 organizations.

Preserving Paradise is easy to navigate through, by island and project. Readers can easily find out projects that match their interests and time frame, whether it be hours or months.

Whatley even rates how hard each project is and provides the necessary information about how to sign up and who to call.

“This book doesn’t just tell you how to walk more lightly, it shows you how to actually give something back,” says Whatley, who lives in Maui. “I wanted to offer people a more authentic way to experience Hawaii, a way to build relationships that would help sustain our Islands’ environments far into the future.”

Copies are available for $9.95 at Island Heritage Publishing and Amazon.com. For more info, click here.

To learn how Hawaii’s government and citizens are working to protect endangered reefs, seals, plants and turtles, read “Preserving Fragile Hawaii” by Catherine E. Toth in our upcoming January/February 2009 issue of HAWAII Magazine.

 

All of Hidden Hawaii is not geographic.

Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. The First Friday evening of every month is the time to see Honolulu’s Chinatown Arts district—filled with theatres, galleries and trendy nightspots.

On a recent First Friday, photographer David Croxford and I hit the streets to bring you these glimpses of the nighttime scene. You’ll find the full text of our evening out in the January/February 2008 issue of HAWAII Magazine.

Click anywhere on the slideshow frame for larger images.
 
 

We’ve all heard of Santa Claus, but what about Scuba Claus?

The Maui Ocean Center’s most unusual attraction—seeing Scuba Claus swim in the Open Ocean Exhibit—starts this Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Scuba Claus will be wearing his diving equipment and fins, and, of course, traveling with the big fishes instead of his eight little reindeer. You can catch his underwater appearance through Dec. 23.

Visiting Scuba Claus is just one of the activities included in the Center’s “The 12 Days of FISHmas,” which started yesterday afternoon. If you missed it, there are 11 more fun-filled days of holiday performances, crafts for the keiki (children) and presentations on marine animals with holiday-themed names including the snowflake eel, candy cane shrimp and the Christmas wrasse.

All activities are included with the park’s admission fee. Call (808) 270-7000 for more info or click here.


 

26 miles. 42.195 kilometers.

Runners from all over the world are arriving to run that distance Sunday morning as the Honolulu Marathon fires the starting gun on its 36th year.

This year’s marathon has attracted nearly 22,000 participants. That’s nowhere near the kind of record numbers that has made it one of the most popular marathons in the country. But it’s a respectable count, nonetheless.

Why does the race draw a large following each year? No surprise … it’s the weather. Hardcore marathoners enjoy the challenge of running in Hawaii’s tropical climes. For casual runners, the warm weather is a welcome change from fall season races like the New York City and Chicago marathons where long underwear seems as much as necessity as a good pair of running shoes.

From its start near Ala Moana Beach Park, the marathon course goes west along the waterfront toward downtown Honolulu, and bends back east through Waikiki, around Diamond Head, and out toward the suburbs of Hawaii Kai. From there, the course doubles back toward the finish line at Waikiki's Kapiolani Park. Click here for an official marathon map.

Partly sunny skies are forecast for Sunday’s race, with a predicted high of 79°F. Among the runners will be Boston Red Sox All-Star pitcher Hideki Okajima, sporting No. 37—the same number as his jersey.

If you’re on Oahu and want to check out the festivities you’ll need to rise early. The race starts at 5 a.m.—fireworks and all. President-elect Barack Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, will fire one of the starting guns.

The winner typically crosses the finish line in just over two hours. The Honolulu Marathon record is 2:11:12, set in 2004 by Kenyan and reigning champ Jimmy Muindi. Runners will be crossing the finish line all morning and into the afternoon at Kapiolani Park.

Bring a lunch.

UPDATE: The winner of the 2008 Honolulu Marathon is Patrick Ivuti, 30, of Kenya, with a time of 2:14:35. Kiyoko Shimahara, 31, of Japan, won the women's title with a time of 2:32:36. Last year's winner Jimmy Muindi finished in fifth place with a time of 2:21:43.

  

With the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor still fresh in the minds of Americans this week, President George W. Bush  proclaimed nine historic sites in three states a unified national monument. A number of spots around the Pearl Harbor area are included, along with sites in California and Alaska.

According to a White House press release, the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument will serve to commemorate “various aspects of the war in the Pacific.”

Five Hawaii sites are featured: the USS Arizona Memorial and Visitors Center, USS Utah Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, six Ford Island officer bungalows and several mooring quays at Battleship Row. Recognized for their connection to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the sites are “milestones of the Pacific campaign that mark the beginning and the end of the war,” according to the release.

Noticeably absent from the list are the actual USS Arizona and USS Utah battleships. They will not be designated as part of the national monument to allow for the Department of Defense to retain control of the vessels.

Being selected as a national monument generally increases a site’s protection and visibility. The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will manage the Valor in the Pacific Monument.

Among the other sites listed: Northern California’s Tule Lake, which once housed Japanese-American internment camps, and three of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, including the site of the only land battle fought in North America during World War II.


 

The most popular attractions at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are Mother Nature-made: molten lava entering the ocean with explosive force, turbulent plumes of hot steam and ash escaping from open cracks in the Earth, pristine forests filled with native Hawaii plants, birds and wildlife.

If you have some extra time on your next visit to the park, though, seek out an attraction that is manmade, but no less breathtaking: Puu Loa petroglyph field.

Located on Kilauea volcano’s southern flank, Puu Loa is home to one of Hawaii’s largest collections of petroglyphs—images carved into hardened lava by ancient Hawaiians.

There are more than 23,000 petroglyphs carved into the mostly pahoehoe, or “smooth-surfaced,” lava field at Puu Loa—images of animals, humans, sailing canoes, geometric shapes and other designs.

The petroglyphs are essentially a large outdoor journal revealing the lives and thoughts of their creators. The designs commemorate important events, tell stories of travels and even express lessons and moral guidelines for life.

Many of Puu Loa’s images include what archaeologists called “cupules”—carved-out holes where the umbilical cords of newborns were placed and covered with a rock in the hopes of ensuring a long life for the child. Translated from Hawaiian, Puu Loa means “long hill” or “hill of long life.”

Archeologists estimate Puu Loa’s carvings were made between 1200 and 1450 AD.

Kilauea volcano area residents, volcano watchers and regular HawaiiMagazine.com contributors Stephen and Donna O’Meara took the above image of the Puu Loa field at sunset on Dec. 1. Our thanks to them for another terrific photo for our Web site!

Click here for a National Park Service archeologist Mara Durst’s informative essay on Puu Loa’s petroglyphs.

The Puu Loa petroglyph field hike is about two-miles round-trip, rated easy to moderate by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park rangers. Click here for map directions.