A group of wet-haired kids pours out of a traditional Hawaiian canoe on Waikīkī’s Kūhiō Beach, smiling and laughing. The kids are from Waimānalo, a rural town on the windward side of Oʻahu. They’re spending the clear, bright day in Waikīkī with their teachers. The adults, sporting rashguards, revel shamelessly in the sunshine, too. The […]
The sun is shining down on me as I order an açaí bowl from Wishing Well Shave Ice, a food truck situated right off the road at the beginning of Kauai’s dreamy town of Hanalei. The north shore of Kauai was hit hard last April by record-breaking rains that resulted in flooding, but the line
“Paddle, paddle, paddle!” Dustin Tester shouts to Elena, who digs her hands swiftly into the warm Maui waters. With a gentle push from Tester, the board Elena is lying atop gets picked up by the oncoming wave’s momentum, and now she’s coasting. Slow, but steady to her feet, Elena stands on her large, foam surfboard—
On a corner in Kapaa, at a comfortable bar that was once Eastside Café, my taste buds are in a state of disbelief. “These are the best empanadas I’ve ever had,” I tell Erin Keller and José Cortez, husband-and-wife co-owners of The Local Kauai. And I’m not lying: Filled with purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, Hawaiian
“There’s something funny about putting on a wetsuit and then walking across a golf course,” jokes Tim Rollo, our Maui scuba instructor from Tiny Bubbles Scuba, about our nighttime excursion. We’re strolling the beach path that’s right next to the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course, clad in wetsuits for our night dive at Puu Kekaa, aka
I’ve heard the stories: whispered tales of blind turns, perilous cliffs and precarious one-lane roads, all told to me by unlucky souls who’ve had to experience this treacherous stretch of gravel firsthand. So as I take the wheel on the Road to Hana, prepping to drive it for the first time in my life, I
I tried to mentally will the gray clouds away as we approached the left turn to the posh Aina Haina neighborhood in East Oahu. My husband and I, our dog in the back seat, were heading to the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail and the drive over was becoming increasingly overcast. The nearly 5-mile round-trip trail is
May Day doesn’t have to be the only reason to give or receive a lei*—beautiful necklaces of flowers, leaves, feathers or shells that have become synonymous with the Hawaiian Islands. Rooted in deep Polynesian history, the lei were worn by ancient Hawaiians for adornment but also were used for distinguishing themselves apart and for ceremonial purposes. Tourism
Charging the biggest waves you can find. Knifing the drop on a 30-foot bomb. Hacking and slashing, turning and smacking every wave that comes your way, big or small. That’s what it means to be a female surfer. And through the persistence of these determined female big-wave riders, efforts to change the course of
Peering over the edge of Kilauea Caldera, I instantly feel dwarfed by the mammoth landscape in front of me. I’m at the Jaggar Museum Overlook and the sun has just set, turning the puffs of smoke and ash emanating out of the 3-mile-long Halemaumau Crater into pretty hues of pink and orange. Now huddled with
I’m starting to lose my grip. Ten feet above the ground, my toe is cinched in a small inlet and I’m reaching hard for the next hold. My hands should be sweating, but they’re covered in white chalk, which keeps them dry. My focus is entirely set on not falling off this rock. I make
The camera’s light flashes. White gloved hands shift King Kalakaua’s pipe ever so slightly. Beside us is a room filled with relics, not often seen on display. Having belonged to Hawaii’s kings, queens and noble people, these are no ordinary antiques. Every delicate piece comes with a story, bringing history to life. Take a look
