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
You know the saying that it’s all about the journey and not the destination? Most people think that refers to life, but we’re going to say it was originally spoken about driving the Road to Hana. Maui’s famously serpentine drive is an all-day (or better yet, multi-day adventure) that’s packed with waterfalls, hiking trails, beaches,
The Kahuku Unit of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is perhaps one of the park’s most underrated areas. Open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., this grassy section was once a historic ranch and spans 116,000 acres. Guests can expect to see remnants of ohia lehua forests, unique plant and
When thinking of Oahu’s surf, a few images come to mind. The throaty barrels at Banzai Pipeline. The dangerous, shallow reefs of Rocky Point. The large, gargantuan waves of Waimea Bay. But really, from the North Shore to Honolulu’s south coasts, there are surf spots geared toward all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Check
Bernadette Perreira often comes from her home in Pukalani, Maui, to walk through Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. The 704-acre wetlands, near Maalaea Harbor, is home to her favorite birds, aeo, or Hawaiian stilts. Thanks to Maui County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Perreira and other visitors can easily enter the wetlands on
“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—
“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 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
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
Snaking across the upper rim of Kauai’s Nualolo Valley, a footpath thrusts its travelers onto a sheer edge. That’s where I find myself this sunny December morning, teetering on the ridge after a two-hour traipse through damp woods where spongy mushrooms and delicate wildflowers grow. Pitted against an unblemished blue sky that melts seamlessly into the hue of the
