The weather here in Hawaii has been all over the place recently. Heavy showers, thunderstorms and now—snow! Photo: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope With an elevation greater than 13,000 feet, snowfall on Mauna Kea isn’t rare, but the sight of Mauna Kea’s highest peaks covered in a white powder is an incredible view to behold. While much of the snow has […]
It doesn’t matter where I’m visiting—Kenosha, Wisconsin or Kyoto, Japan—I seek out independent bookstores. I love browsing the shelves, running my fingers along tattered spines or finding something unexpected in the not-always-organized rows of books. And you can learn a lot about the place you’re visiting from these locally own shops, too, which often showcase staff
It always happens when I’m standing at the overlook at the start of the Kilauea Iki trail, seeing the barren floor of the caldera, the scene of a spectacular eruption in 1959. The once-geologist major in me stirs. This roughly 4-mile hike is one of my favorites in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island.
It had rained for nearly a week straight, and the thick mud along the steepest road of its length in the United States filled the air with the heady scent of fresh, wet, vegetative earth. The sun was shining, finally, and it was the perfect time to visit: The abundant rain left waterfalls streaming down
My son was only a couple of months old when he embarked on his first hike—snug in an Ergo and napping the entire 2-mile trek to the top of the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail along the southeastern coastline of Oahu. It’s an easy hike I’ve done my entire life growing up here, and one I did
It feels like I’m descending into another world. One step onto the steep 500-foot-long boardwalk at the entrance of Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden and I am transported back in time. Leaving the modern world behind, I follow the walkway to the bottom of the valley. There’s a canopy of trees above me, and I’m enveloped
In need of some puppy love on vacation but couldn’t pack your own dog? The humane societies of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island offer “field trip” opportunities for their adoptable canines, where you can take a shelter dog out just for the day. (Oahu’s Hawaiian Humane Society doesn’t offer this program.) Visitors and residents alike
A messy-haired boy in a superhero-red T-shirt and Crocs lowers himself to the level of two baby goats. One nudges his hand with its bony head, and the kid laughs hysterically. “Mom, mom, the goat head-butted me,” he calls out, smiling. Getting up close and personal with farm animals is part of the experience at
On a Sunday at sunrise, the South Kona sky painted in pastels, I drive bleary-eyed on Māmalahoa Highway heading south past monstera and banana plants toward the hulking mass of Mauna Loa, rising nearly 1,500 feet into the sky. Two quick turns past roadside fruit stands and my car rumbles into the parking lot of
A short and easy hike for people of all ages, Manoa Falls Trail, just outside Honolulu, is known for its lush vegetation and dramatic 100-foot waterfall. It’s a view that’s definitely worth the trip. Have Aloha Will Travel, powered by HAWAII Magazine, creates micro-documentaries and short films about the Islands. Our storytellers and videographers travel throughout Hawaii
A crackle comes through the two-way headset snug over my ears. “Have you been on a helicopter before?” our pilot, Keith, asks me. “This is my first time,” I say. “How about that,” he answers. “Me, too!” Keith, of course, is joking. He’s a skilled pilot, trained and certified, with Paradise Helicopters. A locally owned
Inside each tank is an adult day octopus—called hee in Hawaiian—native to Hawaii waters and active during the daytime. At Kanaloa Octopus Farm, it’s a look and touch kind of experience. It’s a sunny Friday afternoon and I’m on a tour with 20 other people. Kanaloa Octopus Farm is located at scenic Keahole Point, about 10
