Queen Emma’s Church
Kate Kealani H. Winter As visitors and locals hurry along the Hawai‘i Belt Road (Highway 11) near Kealakekua, they look mauka (toward the mountain) and see an old lava rock wall that seems to enclose a very old graveyard, and…
Fred Keakaokalani Cachola
Fred Keakaokalani Cachola was born at a time when Hawai‘i was still a territory, graduating from Kamehameha Schools in 1953, six years before Hawai‘i became the 50th state. He was in the U.S. Army, yet remained a Hawaiian in every…
Habitat for Humanity
By Karen Valentine To build a community takes more than money. Habitat for Humanity West Hawaii has come up with a term that is friendlier than fundraising. Want to make friends? Engage in a Friend-Raising activity with Habitat. This year,…
Featured Artist: Michele Iacobucci
Michele Iacobucci moved to Hawai‘i Island 3 years ago, after spending 4 decades in the design industry in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. She was drawn to work with this year’s Chinese zodiacal figure, the Rooster, because…
Kainaliu Town
Venturing south from Kailua-Kona is the charming town of Kainaliu. Whistle-stop in size, this quaint, island-style locale is named for an ancient canoe bailer who served under King Keawenuia‘umi in the 16th Century. Kainaliu means “bail out the bilge,” and was…
Ke Ola Pono: Feast or Famine
By Leilehua Yuen In the Northern hemisphere, the season of feasting is over and we are now heading into a more ascetic phase. Whether this is through religious doctrine, or simply following the cycles of nature, it still holds true.…
The Worldwide Voyage of Hōkūle‘a
Mālama Honua Update The iconic Hōkūle‘a sailing canoe is now making her way back to Hawai‘i for a triumphant homecoming in June of this year through the middle of the Pacific. This is following a brief period of drydock at…
Kohala Youth Ranch
By Denise Laitinen A man is standing on the outer edge inside a round horse pen in scenic North Kohala trying to get a horse, who is standing in the middle of the ring, to obey his non-verbal commands. It’s…
Man on a Blue Mission: Bryce Groark
Chances are if you’ve ever been on the Fair Wind snorkel boat, you’ve sat in on a Bryce Groark fish class. Although Bryce’s cinematography and marine research work takes him all over the world, his roots are in Kealakekua Bay.…
I Love a Parade: Aunty Penny Keli‘i Vredenburg, Mistress of Ceremonies
Standing in front of the fire truck, armed only with her cordless microphone, Penny Vredenburg brings the Waimea Twilight Christmas Parade to a halt. She climbs up on the running board, looks in, then shouts out to the folks along Waimea’s…
Managing with Aloha: Ho’omau – Love the One You’re With
The song lyric, “Love the one you’re with” is superb Ho‘omau-driven advice quite applicable to business. Its language of intention resonates. “Love the one you’re with” is better coaching than “practice continuous improvement.” It sounds more intriguing, and well worth…
Kukuau Studio
Build it and they will come. And come they have. Since opening Kukuau Studio in downtown Hilo two years ago, musician and music/vocal teacher Bub Pratt has created a community center that provides music instruction by day and performance art space…
Almanac in the Sky
Like many peoples around the world, from ancient times Polynesians have been guided by the stars. The constellations move in predictable rhythms across the sky, with mathematical precision, unchanging over the course of many human lifespans. Weather patterns come and…
Meet the Artists of South Kona
Artists are often reclusive people. You may imagine them sitting in a messy studio, contemplating the universe until some inspiration enters their being, causing a masterpiece to be born. That may not be too far from the truth! Bringing their…
Hawai‘i Maintains Japanese Tradition of Mochi Making
By Karen Rose Hawai‘i’s culture is unique. Many of the state’s traditional practices are a fusion and adaptation of customs brought to the islands by multiple ethnic groups who migrated here to start new lives. These varying immigrant groups each…
Chinese New Year
Around the world, the new year is celebrated at the stroke of midnight on January 1st to ring in the coming year. In Hawai‘i, we celebrate another popular traditional New Year’s event as well, which happens about a month later.…
It’s Cherry Blossom Time!
The age-old tradition of hanami is celebrated on Hawai‘I Island every first Saturday in February during the annual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival. It’s when cool-clime Waimea, often back-dropped by a wintery white summit atop Mauna Kea, boasts an eruption…
