Unlike O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and even Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i’s youngest island is also the biggest in the state. And that’s very exciting. Those with a sense of wanderlust, who love exploring unmarked dirt paths, who are always searching for the next best thing, will find solace on Hawai‘i Island. Calling the island and its beaches, businesses and boroughs hidden is almost […]
It’s a rainy day in Hilo, but I pack my three kids into the mom van and make the 45-minute drive to Volcano with a hopeful heart and a quick prayer for sunny skies over the Lili House Farm, a petting zoo, country tea time spot and agricultural oasis that has become one our family’s
It was called the Hau Tree Lānai when I was growing up, an open-air, oceanfront restaurant right on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. It was the spot for bridal showers and brunch with friends. And because of its location—on the ground floor of the iconic New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel—many visitors to Oʻahu have fond memories
There was something great that happened in 2020. A new Hawaiian monk seal was born. And this month that pup (RM90) got a name. It’s Mele, the Hawaiian word for “song.” The pup, who was born in either late spring or early summer on Oʻahu, was given her name by a group of third graders
Growing up in Kailua on O‘ahu’s Windward Side, Ryan Katsuno would go to Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop at least once a week, stocking up on sweet bread, pastries and—the bakery’s signature treat—malasadas. Malasadas are Hawai‘i’s quintessential comfort food. They’re basically deep-fried, sugar-dusted doughnuts, brought to Hawai‘i with the 1878 arrival of Portuguese plantation laborers from the Madeira and Azores islands. And
On a crisp Saturday morning, people begin arriving to rural Pukalani for the weekly open-air Upcountry Farmers Market. Here, rain showers often yield morning rainbows, adding to the breathtaking view that spans lush Haleakalā and the serene Maui coastline. Family and community are central to this market, with children proudly manning stalls alongside their parents and greeting
HAWAIʻI Magazine’s annual photo contest is back, and judging which shots won this year’s categories—Land, Ocean, Wildlife, Sunset and People—was harder than ever before. Fortunately, our editors, art directors and staffers made some tough calls and came out with a decision, adorning each category with a first prize winner and an honorary runner-up. Congratulations to all of the
(Editor’s Note: Mochi Do Hawaiʻi closed in 2021.) If you haven’t heard of mochi doughnuts, maybe you haven’t been to a bakery or farmers market lately. These chewy versions of the fried dough confection, made with sweet rice flour (mochiko), is popping up everywhere, from Seattle to Houston to Canada. In Hawaiʻi, several bakeries have
(As of March 2022, the ranch is permanently closed.) Gray clouds overhead, some drizzle on my skin and a pristine mountain range ahead of me. I feel like I’ve stepped into another world. In reality, I’m only 4 miles from the center of Kīlauea town on Kaua‘i’s North Shore. I’m with my husband, meandering on horseback through 300
“An hour in the garden puts life’s problems in perspective.” This is on a sign posted on the door of Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden’s visitor center. I’ve only been here a minute, but I can already understand the sentiment on a spiritual level. Ever since my girlfriend, Kaila, and I crossed the the Ko‘olau Mountains on
UPDATED, March 9 2021: Starting March 15, Diamond Head State Monument will be open six days a week, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on Wednesdays. Quietly, and without much grandeur, Diamond Head State Monument reopened on Dec. 18, 2020 after being closed for nine months. The hike, and its views, remain unchanged
Ask anyone who’s driven past Hanauna Bay on Oʻahu recently—or better, anyone who’s waiting to get inside the nature preserve in East Honolulu—and they’ll tell you: It’s beyond crowded. Since Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve reopened on Dec. 2, 2020, there have been long lines of cars along Kalanianaʻole Highway waiting to get into the parking lot.
