A thousand-year-old heiau (stone temple) stands in the middle of a Honolulu suburb. The last remaining heiau in the ahupuaa (land division) of Waikiki, Kukaoo (standing digging stick) was dedicated to agricultural rituals. It rests atop an ancient lava flow with 60 species of tropical plants. Two-thirds of those plants are native, meaning they came […]
Watching the sun set is one of life’s simple pleasures, especially here in the Islands, where the skies put on a Technicolor show as the sun slowly dips below the horizon. But watching the sun rise is, perhaps more rewarding. It’s the start to a new day, full of possibility, and unless you don’t mind
We’re bouncing across the waters of Kaneohe Bay in a small shuttle boat I hopped on with my son at Lilipuna Pier on the east side of Oahu, speeding our way to the offshore island of Moku o Loe only a short distance away. The island colloquially is known as Coconut Island for its several
Actor and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will host a free music and comedy event this Saturday, October 22 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Oahu—a tribute concert to America’s military and service members. Johnson, who spent the transformative years of his youth in Hawaii, is currently filming the sequel to “Jumanji” on
The last week of August 2016, a new three-story shopping center opened, replacing the iconic International Market Place in the heart of the city. It’s still called the International Market Place, but gone are the ticky-tacky kiosks, vendors hawking honu pendants, aloha shirts and tikis—and all for cut-rate costs if you had serious price negotiating
Standing behind the counter of Kamaka Hawaii’s Honolulu store, Fred Kamaka strums through each of the nine ukulele hanging on the wall next to him, and the conversations of the people chatting around me fade away. It’s the signal that the factory tour is about to begin. The large factory is seperated into many stations and
Hurricane season in Hawaii runs from about the beginning of June till early November. Fortunately, hurricanes are rare—the last major hurricane to hit Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki, which severely damaged Kauai in September 1992. Below are some helpful traveler tips we received from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center of things you should know if you are
Sure, you’re on vacation, and have been dreaming of relaxing on a white-sand beach with a shave ice in hand. But, vacationing in Hawaii doesn’t mean you have to abandon your exercise routine. Local tried-and-true running routes can be found all around Waikiki, within walking (or warm up) distance of many hotels. Ala Wai
You’ve seen big-wave surfers collectively charge Waimea. You’ve seen impressive, mind-boggling lines carved out on Peahi. But this weekend in Waikiki, you’ll see an entirely different display on a wave where craftsmanship, costumes and childlike imagination take center stage. Granted it’s a far gentler wave than its north shore counterparts, it still packs a punch
It doesn’t look like much. I’ve just parked in the driveway of Shangri La, which was once the home of Doris Duke, but I’m wondering where the house is. I see a small, plain white windowless building nearby, which I’m guessing is a visitors center, and lots of plants, but nowhere do I see an
In the past few years Honolulu’s art scene has been exploding with wider international appeal. Case in point: avant-garde art star Yayoi Kusama, who notably installed her first Hawaii exhibition this past spring—the polka-dotted “Footprints of Life” sprawled across Ward Village’s IBM building courtyard, a prelude to a new commissioned piece she’ll present at next year’s
It’s cloudy and very windy outside the six-story Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, New Zealand. A delegation from Hawaii flew from Oahu to Aotearoa a few days before and are walking in a tight procession, following the deep, trumpet sounds of the taonga puoro (traditional Maori musical instruments), up an outdoor staircase. These men
