Between freeing whales tangled in ocean debris, such as twine and nets, and investigating what causes the massive mammals to be entangled in them, Ed Lyman, the Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, has his hands full year-round, literally. His busiest season of the year, however, is […]
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
As the sun slips behind the gentle green hills edging Kauai’s quiet southwest side and nightfall is in the offing, festive lights flicker to life in the windows of art galleries, eateries and shops along the main drag of Hanapepe town. On this late summer Friday evening, a mix of visitors and area resident are
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
If you happen to be in the Islands during the Thanksgiving holiday, you may hear talk about turkey cooked in an imu. Note: the Hawaiian word sounds like emu — an ostrich-like Australian bird. If you’re unfamiliar with the Hawaiian term, it’s possible that you may find yourself wondering whether traditional holiday tables here feature
When Mother Marianne Cope and six Roman Catholic sisters sailed into Honolulu Harbor on a fall day in 1883 aboard the new steamship Mariposa, they were greeted by pealing bells at Our Lady of Peace Cathedral on nearby Bishop Street. A crowd gathered on the wharf to welcome the habit-draped women who’d traveled all the
I took my first train ride when I was 10 years old—an overnight rail trip from Vancouver, B.C., to Banff, Alberta, on a family vacation in Canada. I’ve long since forgotten the scenery of that 500-plus-mile train ride. But I do recall as clear as yesterday how awed and excited I was when I boarded
There’s an alluring scent unique to the Windward Sides of all the Hawaiian Islands and Halawa Valley, on Molokai’s east side, is rich with it. The scent—a marriage of fragrant flowers, humid air and damp jungle—permeates just about everything in the valley. I breathe deep as we begin ascending the hiking trail to 250-foot Moaula Falls,
“Do you dirty your poi?” I’d never been asked the question before, and the look on my face proved as much to Kealalokahi Losch. He leaned back against a desk at Oahu’s Kapiolani Community College, where he teaches, and rephrased his question. “Do you know what it means, to dirty your poi?” Standing 6 feet
If you’ve taken a town or country drive in the Islands on a Friday or Saturday night during the summer, when our weather turns even warmer than usual, it’s likely the sights described in the next paragraph will be wonderfully familiar. Rings of dancers clad in festive, lightweight yukata kimonos and wraparound happi coats, as well
If you happen to be in the Islands tomorrow, you’ll be in one of the best places on the planet to witness a rare celestial alignment, during which Venus passes between the Earth and Sun. The planet’s trek across the disk of the Sun — known as a transit of Venus — will be under
Two Hawaiian songs — one played on slack-key guitar, and the other on steel guitar — are among 25 sound recordings recently selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Marking the 10th anniversary of the registry, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington last week released a list of 25
