It’s 6 a.m., Thursday, in Kealakekua. The sun has yet to break through the morning haze lazing over the small town on the slopes of dormant Hualālai volcano, just south of Kailua-Kona. Not a car is in sight on Māmalahoa Highway, winding through town. On the pastures below the Kona Historical Society’s H.N. Greenwell Store […]
It’s easy to brand the popular and pervasive North Shore O‘ahu shrimp shacks and trucks as tourist traps. On most days near lunchtime, it’s not uncommon to find dozens of packed tour vans parked outside shrimp purveyors between the North Shore towns of Hale‘iwa and Kahuku, their passengers scarfing down plates of shrimp. Catch us
We thought we were early for lunch. It was 9 a.m., after all. But by the time we walked up to the entrance of Sam Sato’s, an unpretentious, old-time restaurant in Wailuku’s industrial area, a crowd of hungry patrons were already gathered, names written on a little yellow pad at the takeout window. Waiting to
It’s 10 a.m. on a sunny Saturday at Kalaeloa Beach Park. Early in the day for resident beachgoers who, on most afternoons, flock to this lovely, hidden stretch of white sand in the backyard of one of Oahu’s largest industrial parks. Not so early for overnight campers already firing up small barbecue grills and popping
There’s no shortage of bakeries across Hawaii, serving everything from exotic Japanese cake rolls to old-fashioned apple pies to extravagant modern desserts. There are old-time neighborhood bakeries like Kamehameha Bakery in Kalihi on Oahu that sells some of the best—and inexpensive—glazed donuts around. Or donut shops like Regal Bakery—three locations on Oahu—with its creative donuts,
*This story was published on May 1, 2013, and updated in February 2026. The phone in Mike Hirao’s office is ringing off the hook. He doesn’t answer it. “I bet this person wants chichi dango,” he says, eyeing the noisy phone. It’s 3 p.m. on a Thursday. Nisshodo Candy Store has been open since 7
Elmer Guzman was so desperate for a poke bowl while working in New Orleans for Emeril Lagasse he came up with a version using Louisiana ingredients. Instead of Hawaiian ahi, he used escolar (a deepwater fish similar to tuna). With no kukui nuts, he resorted to grinding pecans to give the poke its signature nutty flavor. Some sea
Rob Pacheco wipes up the coffee he spilled in the cab of his massive Toyota Tundra but keeps driving. He swears he’s not in a rush. Pacheco, the owner of Big Island adventure tour business Hawaii Forest & Trail, is simply really excited to get to the upper elevations of Hualalai, the 8,271-foot westside volcano
Climbing into the hills of Kau, the Big Island’s southeastern district, there’s a breathtaking, sun-streaked view of coastal plain and shoreline that stretches from the far-off lava fields of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to the cattle-dotted, green pastures now surrounding me. I’m riding in a truck that’s absorbing most of the bumps on a country road
Editor’s note: Dr. Sheila Conant has received awards from the Hawaii Audubon Society and the Hawaii Conservation Alliance for Lifetime Achievement, as well as being named the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Champion Award in 2012. In 2014, she received the Ralph W. Schreiber award, a national honor which recognizes extraordinary scientific contributions to the conservation, restoration, and preservation
It’s about five minutes past 9 a.m. and I think I’m late. I imagine a shirtless and tanned tour guide from Outfitters Kauai waiting impatiently for me at Nawiliwili Harbor, the starting point of my day of stand-up paddle boarding along Huleia River. Darting toward the harbor, which is nestled against Lihue on the island’s
The calm, clear waters of Kealakekua Bay have been called one of the best spots for snorkeling and scuba diving in the main Hawaiian Islands. Situated roughly 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island’s sunny west side, the 315-acre bay is the island’s largest sheltered natural bay, and a protected marine-life conservation area.
