*This story was updated in January 2026. I had never hugged a tree before. But there I was, on a recent Saturday morning at Lyon Arboretum in Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu, doing just that—well, actually, stroking a tree’s weathered trunk and marveling at how tall and straight it was. There was something calming and gratifying […]
Are you game? If so, the 40-minute tour of the Subaru Telescope will literally whisk you out of this world. Mauna Kea, on Hawaii Island, is regarded as one of the best sites in the world for astronomical research. Thirteen observatories operated by 11 countries are clustered on its peak; the Subaru Telescope, part of
Upcountry Maui has long been known as a hub of ranching and farming; three small businesses are also putting that verdant region on the map with their fine wines and spirits. MauiWine, Haliimaile Distilling Co. and Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery offer tastings and tours that include an insider’s look at their production facilities. During
When most of the Big Island is asleep, Dean Edmoundson is at his creative and productive best. Late at night, he’s slicing, measuring and mixing ingredients for the popular from-scratch breads, pastries, cookies and spreads sold at Mr. Ed’s, the homespun store and bakery he and his wife, June, own in the sleepy-even-by-day former Hamakua
For more than a half-century, Wayne Subica spent most of his free time hunting for artifacts related to Hawaii’s sugar-plantation era on eBay and at antique stores and garage sales. Some of the vintage items he purchased are chipped. Others are rusted or discolored. But, to Subica, each is a priceless vestige of the agricultural
I’m standing in the middle of Maui Gold Pineapple Co.’s 1,500-acre plantation near tiny, rustic Haliimaile town, savoring a just-picked, golden spear of the company’s world-famous namesake fruit. The midday Maui sun is intense. There’s no shade in sight. Still, sweet pineapple juice dribbling down my chin and hands, I’m in heaven. An hour into
In the hours following Hurricane Iniki’s devastating march across the island of Kauai in September 1992, the only visible damage to Hanalei’s historic Waioli Mission House seemed to be three broken glass window panes. Closer examination revealed that a far more ominous outcome had been narrowly dodged. Iniki—to this day, one of the most powerful
On February 19, 1929, Hawaii’s first neon sign, “Gump’s,” flicked on, announcing the opening of the esteemed San Francisco retailer’s Waikiki store. Its location at the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street, across from the elegant Royal Hawaiian, was ideal. Well-heeled guests of the hotel, which had opened two years earlier, just had to walk
I took my first train ride when I was 10 years old—an overnight rail trip from Vancouver, B.C., to Banff, Alberta, on a family vacation in Canada. I’ve long since forgotten the scenery of that 500-plus-mile train ride. But I do recall as clear as yesterday how awed and excited I was when I boarded
