You Ask. We Answer. We got an e-mail from a reader named Cathy, asking, “Is Waimea Valley Audubon Center anything like it was years ago when it was Waimea Falls Park?” Short answer: No, and no. Oahu’s Waimea Falls Park was a commercial operation, with shuttle service, cliff diving exhibitions, kayaking, horseback riding, mountain biking, […]
For our July/August 2008 issue, photographer David Croxford and I took a trip to North Kohala, a seldom-visited peninsula that sticks up like a green thumb at the top of the Big Island of Hawaii. The little plantation towns of the peninsula—Hawi and Kapaau—almost disappeared two decades ago. Their buildings were shuttered and decaying, but
At the end of broadcast journalist Tim Russert’s funeral service this week, the attendees left to “a ukulele version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’” said MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann. The song was, of course, the late Israel Kamakawiwoole’s magical recording of the tune—which was a favorite of Russert’s. Outside the funeral, people were amazed to suddenly
Recently we had the good fortune to hang out at Ron Jacobs’ Whodaguyhawaii.com studio, when two-thirds of the Makaha Sons showed up for a visit. In cyberspace, Whodaguyhawaii.com may be international in scope. But the Kaneohe headquarters of the internet Hawaiian music station are hardly spacious. Moon Kauakahi (left, in pic) and Jerome Koko, accompanied by
Our Chicago correspondent, Peter Van Buol, did a post for us on Hawaii’s best known chef, Roy Yamaguchi, and the Chicago stop in Yamaguchi’s 20th anniversary tour of the United States. We got curious about what Roy planned for the 20th anniversary celebration in Honolulu. Hang onto your hat–there’s a magnificent $1,000 a plate fund-raising
You ask. We answer. A California reader e-mailed us: I, like many of your subscribers, cannot wait to receive the next issue of your magazine. I read it cover to cover as soon as I receive it.I have visited Maui eight or nine times over the past 20 years, and I am now contemplating retiring
I was the last person to check out of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel—at least for a while. Yesterday at 11 a.m., the landmark Waikiki hotel shut down for a seven-month renovation. There were no chaises on the beach. The last drink had been served at the Mai Tai Bar. The shops with their 50 percent
It is a ceremony both moving and serene. Yesterday evening at sunset, I stood with my feet in the warm waters off Oahu’s Ala Moana Beach Park, one of hundreds of people about to release a paper lantern—inscribed in my case to my mother, who died this year—the lantern illuminated by a softly glowing candle,
Here’s something we’re looking forward to. The 27th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival will work its Maui magic from June 26-29 this year. The three-day festival is presided over by Master Sommelier Fred Dame—who we enjoy for his genial wit, as well as his palate. It kicks off Friday with chef demonstrations and a
You ask. We answer. HAWAII Magazine reader Dorci Whittington writes: In the early part of the ’90s, I went to see a dinner show at the Maui Tropical Plantation starring Buddy Fo. It was the most fun show I have ever been to. We went every time we were on Maui. When we came back
You ask. We answer. HAWAII Magazine reader Charles Eldon wrote: “Can you tell me when (or if) the former Poipu Beach Hotel will open? It was, before Iniki, my favorite place to stay.” In 1992, three Poipu hotels—the Sheraton, the Poipu Beach Hotel and the Stouffer Waiohai—suffered the most from Hurricane Iniki. It took
You ask. We answer. We got an e-mail from a reader who forgot to sign his name. “On all my trips to Hawaii I heard one sound that I love and have never heard anywhere else. I assume it’s a bird. I have looked up all kinds of birds and listened to their sounds and
