Six of us stand outside ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu, looking through a wrought-iron fence encircling a mound covered in grass and flowers. “That is a burial mound,” Lopaka Kapanui says. “Sometimes, groundskeepers still catch people trying to unearth the bones that lie underneath.” The sun has already set and the humid summer heat seems to […]
Some people have their first cup of coffee in their late teens, maybe early 20s, and some never have coffee at all. Shawn Steiman, who has more than earned his moniker, “Dr. Coffee,” had his first cup at age 10, and he’s still buzzing. Steiman is, without a doubt, one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the field
There aren’t many situations more stressful than getting on a plane with a toddler. But I had wanted to spend a relaxing weekend at a beach house on Moloka‘i—just my husband, our son, another couple and me. It was the “our son” part that complicated the plan. I calculated what I needed for two nights and
This year may just be the year of peak poke. As far east as New York City, you’ll find hip restaurants and lunch counters slinging bowls of the seasoned cubed fish, piled high with every topping under the sun, from boiled soybeans to crunchy puffed rice. More often than not, these teeming bowls are starkly
On the North Shore of Kaua‘i, there’s a farm where plants are called allies and the farmers are herbalists. Kaua‘i Farmacy creates plant-based medicine from crops grown on the company’s Kīlauea organic farm. My first experience with its medicinal potions was eight years ago, through the screened window of a mobile “farmacy” parked on a side road off the
By the time you read this, things will have already changed. (In fact, I’ve had to update this letter since it was originally published in our Summer 2020 issue.) By late March, COVID-19 was widespread and this summer it only got worse . There are nearly 200,000 deaths around the world and more than 10,000 confirmed cases in Hawai‘i.
It’s not a beach day without something to snack on. And you can’t just bring any snack, either. Nothing that melts or spoils—so chocolate-covered mac nuts and poke bowls are out. Here are our picks for grab-and-go snacks that are sure to satisfy—and will last an entire day at the beach. Coconut Chips, Foodland
Who doesn’t love pineapples? Here are 13 ways to show your love for the edible bromeliad—and yes, you can buy most of these items online. No trip to Hawaiʻi necessary.
(Editor’s Note: This story was published in our Summer 2020 issue. Currently, as of Aug. 27, all of these restaurants have had to close dine-in services and many are only doing take-out or delivery. Some may have temporarily closed. Use this as a resource for your next trip to the Islands.) If breakfast is
It’s notoriously windy in North Kohala. Trade winds reliably blast Hawai‘i Island’s northern coast and the smoothed hump of its oldest volcano. It’s morning as I step out of an air-conditioned tour vehicle onto the dusty landscape. Tucked behind a row of windmills, on a 40-acre plot, leafy stems tower above me, shaking in the wind.
On Hawai‘i Island, wooden totems greet you at the entrance to Don’s Mai Tai Bar, the largest open-air oceanfront watering hole in Kona. These tall, carved columns look out over the ocean, just a few feet away from the circular main bar made of wood and stone. Above your head is a thatched grass roof and
Stepping out of my rental car high up in the balmy hills of Lahaina, I find myself in a land of miniatures, otherwise known as the Lahaina Animal Farm and Petting Zoo. I raise my hands to protect my eyes from the unrelenting sun and focus on two pint-sized ponies. They give me an inquisitive
