Actors Rita Moreno and Howard Keel during the filming of “Pagan Love Song.” Photo: Kauai Historical Society In 1950s Kauai, the tourism industry was just beginning to take off. There were no direct flights to the island, but visitors could now travel eight hours from Los Angeles to Honolulu by plane—a lot faster than the […]
If you’ve ever caught sight of a pueo, the Hawaiian short-eared owl, perched and looking at you with its wide, intense stare, or seen one flying in the air with its elongated wings, swooping over a large, grassy field, you know immediately that you’ve just witnessed something special. “I can’t think of any other animal
Wondrous, historic and one of a kind—Hawaii’s scenic coasts and coastal areas are destinations worth traveling for alone. If you’ve seen any of these in person then you can attest how unforgettable they are. 1. Photo by Tim Wilson Hint: It’s one of this island’s oldest valleys. 2. Photo by Daniel Ramirez Hint: It’s
Each night, The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali shares a treasured piece of Hawaiian history with the island—a traditional cliff dive or lele kawa. I visited The Sheraton Maui to find meaning in the elusive ritual. “The Hawaiians were the first people to do cliff diving,” the Sheraton’s cultural advisor, Jack Stone, explained.
Last week, while the Merrie Monarch Festival’s competitive hula dancers performed, the festival’s Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair drew crowds into two buildings on Hilo’s Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium grounds. Dozens of invited vendors offered uniquely Hawaiian products—teas and body tinctures of Hawaiian plants, abundant flower and shell lei, even copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, translated
Leomana Turalde is a hula dancer for Kawailiʻulā, a hālau (hula school) in Kailua, Oʻahu. Turalde is from Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island. I love when the clock hits eight on that Merrie Monarch Sunday. It’s such a freeing feeling. The first shot of adrenaline for the week. By this time I’m usually 30 minutes deep
*This story was updated on Apr. 14, 2025. Each spring, the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium on Hawaiʻi Island roars with exhilaration and pride as thousands of footsteps announce the arrival of hula’s most prestigious event. The same way that sports fans worship championship games during peak season, avid hula fans consider the Merrie Monarch Festival
These influential wahine (women) and their achievements in Hawaii’s history paved the way for all of us. 1. Queen Emma Photo: Wikipedia In 1859, Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke established Queen’s Hospital to save the rapidly declining Native Hawaiian population, providing free services to those suffering from foreign-introduced illnesses like smallpox and influenza. In
Breaking news out of Waimea today: The Eddie will go. Organizers of The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, commonly called The Eddie, have confirmed the event will happen at Waimea Bay this Wednesday—the first time the contest has been held since 2009, and only the ninth time in its 32 year
More than 50 years ago, the Hawaiian lei made a surprise appearance during Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic Selma to Montgomery marches at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. To give and wear a lei is a Hawaiian emblem and gesture of love. And, during the third and final march that started on March
“I think you can go thinner,” says Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond, leaning over my work with a critical eye. I nod seriously, like a good apprentice, but feel a flash of annoyance. I’ve been pounding my scrap of kapa for more than an hour. My back is sore from sitting cross-legged on a lauhala (pandanus) mat. My forearms are tired from the
Hawaii has so many distinctive land formations with interesting backstories to their popular nicknames we couldn’t just limit it to one post. Here are eight more alluring natural landmarks… 1. Dragon’s Teeth on Kapalua Christopher Michel/Wikipedia Commons Sink your feet into this unique rock formation on Maui’s Makaluapuna Point, a result of one of the
