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. […]
There are more than a few places on the Big Island that defy rental car GPS navigation systems. The verdant, forested mountain slopes above Paauilo, a 1.2-square-mile town on the Hamakua Coast, home to a population of 595, is one such place. Still, negotiating the weathered bumps of rural Pohakea and Paauilo Mauka Roads has
Jim Gusukuma sits at a picnic table near Rainbow Drive-In, his board shorts still damp from his morning surf in nearby Waikiki. A line of customers is already at the takeout window, ordering plates of fried rice, loco mocos and buttermilk pancakes. This is Thursday ritual for Gusukuma, owner of the iconic comfort food haven,
Feel like enjoying some great Japanese cuisine tonight—and lots of it? If you’re on Oahu today, check out the 6th annual Taste of Marukai, an annual food and sake event benefiting community organizations that perpetuate the Japanese heritage in Hawaii. The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Marukai Wholesale Mart in Honolulu
Californians who’ve had a taste of Hawaii-style poke love it as much as Hawaii residents do. And they’ve got two—count ‘em, two—upcoming festivals that prove that amore. In April, San Diego and Huntington Beach are hosting I Love Poke Festivals, showcasing more than 15 different styles of the favorite Hawaii snack-appetizer-lunch-dinner-whatever mainstay. Poke— pronounced “poh-KAY”—is the
Imagine strolling through a fine art museum — except everything on display is made from Hawaii-grown woods. That’s what it’s like walking through the Hawaii Forest Industry Association’s annual Hawaii Woodshow: Na Laau o Hawaii. This year’s 19th annual HFIA juried furniture and woodworking show begins Sat., April 9, and runs through Sun., April 17,
We really didn’t need a survey to tell us, but it’s nice to have it validated just the same. Hawaii was named the happiest state in the nation, according to the recently released 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Hawaii scored a 71.0 average well-being score, out of a possible 100 points in the annual poll. That’s
It’s raining, as it has been for the past few days on Kauaʻi. Cars swerve to avoid potholes and people are armed with hooded sweatshirts, umbrellas and newspapers held over their heads. The scene in Līhuʻe looks more like Seattle in the summer than Kauaʻi in January. Still, while the bus stops and parking lots
It’s not a coincidence that manoa, in Hawaiian, means “vast.” Not only is this lush valley on Oahu’s south shore immense in physical size — extending from the emerald peaks of the Koolau Mountains to the coral reefs off Waikiki — but its history, its culture, its people and its offerings are vast, too. A
Hawaii may not have the largest Irish population among U.S. states (or countries in the Pacific Rim, for that matter). But such trivialities never give a moment’s pause to the thousands of people who turn out every year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Honolulu. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Chinatown Block Party—just a
“Every brushstroke and every word has brought and will forever bring wisdom, beauty, inspiration and understanding.” That was a quote by Hawaiian artist, historian, author and founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Herb Kawainui Kane, posted on his website this morning. Kane died quietly last night in his longtime Big Island hometown of Kona at
Honolulu’s award-winning public transit service, TheBus, turned 40 years old this week. If you’ve spent any of your Hawaii time on Oahu in the last four decades, either as a resident or visitor, chances are good you’ve also spent some of that time on TheBus. Fact is, TheBus has become such an omnipresent, reliable and
