This week, as we celebrate Earth Day, green-minded voluntourism opportunities in Hawaii, ranging from beach cleanups to native plant restoration efforts, are in the works. By volunteering for even a few hours with endeavors aimed at preserving paradise, you can gain a deeper appreciation of Hawaii’s awe-inspiring yet fragile environment. Environmental voluntourism offers vacationing visitors […]
Glossy bursts of Hawaii foliage that greet you at Makiki Valley Loop Trail can be stunning, even for hikers well acquainted with Oahu’s lushly landscaped areas. Visitors from especially arid terrain take note: If, upon entering Makiki Valley State Recreation Area — a 10-minute drive from downtown Honolulu — suddenly your feet feel firmly fixed
You’ve gotta love Windward Oahu’s Kailua town. From the shoreline of Kailua’s sugar-white sand beaches you can paddle a kayak in gentle waters to the nearby Mokulua Islands, which serve as a protected seabird sanctuary. On breezy days you’ll see wind surfers twisting colorful parachutes above the waves in Kailua Bay. After working up an
If you’re on Oahu this Saturday evening, April 9, HAWAII Magazine would like you to consider taking some time out to attend—or lend your kokua (help) to—a benefit for a cause that hits close to home for us. Tickets are still available for “With Aloha,” a food- and entertainment-filled benefit aimed at raising money for
Feel like enjoying some great Japanese cuisine tonight—and lots of it? If you’re on Oahu today, check out the 6th annual Taste of Marukai, an annual food and sake event benefiting community organizations that perpetuate the Japanese heritage in Hawaii. The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Marukai Wholesale Mart in Honolulu
Imagine strolling through a fine art museum — except everything on display is made from Hawaii-grown woods. That’s what it’s like walking through the Hawaii Forest Industry Association’s annual Hawaii Woodshow: Na Laau o Hawaii. This year’s 19th annual HFIA juried furniture and woodworking show begins Sat., April 9, and runs through Sun., April 17,
If you’re on Oahu on Sat., April 9, HAWAII Magazine would like you to consider taking some time out to attend—or lend your kokua (help) to—a benefit for a cause that’s near to our hearts. We’ve all seen the devastation wreaked on the Japanese coastal city of Sendai by the catastrophic March 11 Tohoku earthquake
A statewide holiday and annual celebrations this weekend on Oahu and Kauai will honor the birthday of Hawaii’s Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. Who is Prince Kuhio? Born in the south Kauai town of Koloa in 1871, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole created much of the Hawaii the world sees today. A prince of the Kingdom of
It’s not a coincidence that manoa, in Hawaiian, means “vast.” Not only is this lush valley on Oahu’s south shore immense in physical size — extending from the emerald peaks of the Koolau Mountains to the coral reefs off Waikiki — but its history, its culture, its people and its offerings are vast, too. A
May Day may be lei day in Hawaii. But really, any day in the Islands is a good day to celebrate the art and culture of Hawaiian lei making. And if you’re on Oahu this weekend and love lei, you’re in luck. The Honolulu Academy of Arts is once again dedicating an entire spring weekend
There’s still much talk swirling in the national and international media about just how much of Hawaii is really open for business in the wake of last Friday’s tsunami-generated ocean surges, spawned by the Japan earthquake. So much talk, in fact, that Hawaii tourism officials and Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie took to issuing multiple media
Hawaii may not have the largest Irish population among U.S. states (or countries in the Pacific Rim, for that matter). But such trivialities never give a moment’s pause to the thousands of people who turn out every year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Honolulu. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Chinatown Block Party—just a
