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 […]
Ocean recreation tour operators in Honokohau Harbor kicked off a very early start to the 2012-13 whale-watching season yesterday morning when they spotted a humpback whale in waters near the Big Island’s Kailua-Kona area. The confirmed sighting may be the earliest to be documented in recent history, according to a news release issued by the
A photography exhibit detailing life at a former settlement for Hansen’s disease (leprosy) patients at the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Molokai, is now on display at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. A Reflection of Kalaupapa — Past, Present and Future, with photography by Wayne Levin, features portraits of Kalaupapa patients and their families. Supplemented
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,
Nearly 300 top endurance athletes are getting ready to do battle with strong currents and waves in the 16th annual Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships, slated to get under way at 7:30 a.m. this Sunday, July 29, on Molokai’s Kaluakoi Beach. Athletes on both prone and stand-up paddleboards (SUP) will compete in solo and team races
Google has added scores of interactive-panoramic images of popular Hawaii visitor attractions to its Google Street View gallery. A post on Google’s official blog notes that its expanded Street View of Scenic Hawaii, which now zooms in on everything from beach parks to volcanic lava fields and historic landmarks to shoreline resorts, aims to take
Bon dance season in Hawaii is now under way. The Japanese observance of o-bon — Hawaii shortens the word to “bon” — honors the spirits of family members who have passed away. You’ll find o-bon festivals slated for just about every weekend at Hawaii hongwanji missions and temples, from June through August. According to tradition,
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
They drift about on trade winds, marring Hawaii’s landscapes and posing threats to marine life. Floating plastic bags can kill marine animals, such as green sea turtles (hono) that become entangled or ingest the buoyant trash, mistaking it for a jellyfish snack. Also, in addition to cluttering beautiful scenery in the Islands, non-biodegradable plastics and
Entrance fees at three Hawaii national parks will be waived for a nine-day stretch, starting tomorrow, to celebrate National Park Week. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, both on the Big Island, and Maui’s Haleakala National Park will waive the fees from Sat., April 21 through Sun., April 29. The
The Vatican announced this week that Blessed Marianne Cope — a Roman Catholic nun who cared for Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) patients on Molokai for three decades beginning in the late 1880s — will be named as a saint during a canonization ceremony set for Sun. Oct. 21. The ceremony at the Vatican in Rome will
Hawaiian Airlines and New-York based JetBlue Airways this week announced a partnership agreement that will aims to ease travel to the Islands from the East Coast. Starting this week, customers will be able to purchase single tickets combining travel on both Hawaiian and JetBlue, allowing for “seamless” travel between the carriers’ networks, according to a
