• Ke Wehena: Nani o Pele

    Na Kumu Keala Ching He ‘Ike I Ka Nani a ‘o Pele He ‘Ike I ka nani a ‘o Pele Ka wahine o ke ahi luapele Noho ka wahine Hōpoe Lehua Hi‘ileilani o Hi‘iaka Pā ahe Pu‘ulena o Kīlauea I…

  • Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a: Energy Ranch

    By Jan Wizinowich Approaching Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Ranch, a sylvan scene of sheep and horses grazing in pastures unfolds. Standing above this pastoral landscape is the Blue Planet Energy Lab, a powerhouse that produces 400 to 450 kilowatt hours of renewable energy…

  • Featured Cover Artist: Kathy Long

    “It’s the people who are creating the renaissance of the Hawaiian culture that truly inspire me. I hope that by documenting this moment in time, their stories will live on.” – Kathy Long Kathy Long’s pastels and black & white…

  • Hula is Pleasing Because of the Drummer

    By Leilehua Yuen Dancers gliding, hands gracefully depicting misty rains or delicate flowers. Feet grounding powerfully on the earth while knees thrust forward in the motion of a lava flow. Voices evoking the many moods of lyrics newly written or…

  • Resilience is the New Sustainability

    By Michael Kramer It’s been 30 years since the United Nations Bruntland Commission put sustainability on the global map of consciousness. Has it taken hold here in Hawai‘i? Ten years ago, Hawai‘i created the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan, which involved…

  • City of Murals

    By Alan D. McNarie The aged plantation era buildings of downtown Hilo used to radiate an aura of slightly seedy gentility. That’s all changed— the city is now erupting in tropical pastels and bright primary hues. That’s partly due to…

  • Health: Ke Ola Pono—Ka Niho

    By Leilehua Yuen I don’t care what “The Internet” says, don’t use a combination of baking soda and lemon juice to whiten your teeth. It’s the dental equivalent of using Brillo on your lacquerware. Sure, it will work the first…

  • Queen Emma’s Church

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.…

  • 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

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    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…

  • 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!

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    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…

  • Wedding Lei

    The lei, that iconic symbol of our islands, is actually found in many cultures. Swiss maidens, Hindu priests, Thai brides and grooms, the flower children of the 60s, and Neanderthal of 60,000 years ago all have been noted for their flower…