A Royal Wedding
One of the best documented royal weddings of Hawai‘i’s monarchy is that of Alexander Liholiho (King Kamehameha IV) and Emma Na‘ea Rooke. Their wedding captures the height of that romantic era in Hawai‘i’s history. On the morning of June 19,…
Exotic Wedding Recipes
If you’re looking to get married in a beautiful place, where you can start your “happily ever after” in a dreamy location, look no further than Hawai‘i Island. Tropical breezes, stunning sunsets, lush, green rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, and mountain backdrops…Hawai‘i…
Feeling the Touch of Aloha with Aunty Tutu
The rich, deep tones resounding forth from a conch shell announce the beginning of the ceremony—like the first strains of “Here Comes the Bride,” or the ringing of a church bell. This is the Hawaiian way, with the pū (conch…
Ka Puana: The Canoe Maker’s Son
Author Cecilia Johansen is a Waimea, Hawai‘i Island resident. These excerpts are used with permission. Page 31 Nāihe was well-respected from Kaimū all the way to ‘Āpua. However, the men would not offend him by saying they had already seen…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Lekeleke
Na Kumu Keala Ching Eō e Keauhou, kaulana Lekeleke Kaua pili kapu, kapu o Kuamo‘o Mālama ke Akua, Akua o Pili Kūka‘ilimoku Akua ko Kamehameha ē Kaulana Lekeleke, Kuamo‘o iho nō Kaulana Lekeleke, Kuamo‘o a‘e nō Kekuaokalani, he ali‘i kō…
100 Years of Giving: Hawai‘i Community Foundation Celebrates a Century of Helping Hawai‘i Island
By Denise Laitinen Nonprofit organizations can impact our lives in so many ways that we aren’t always aware of how much we benefit from their services. For 100 years, Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) has been helping nonprofit organizations statewide, including…
Home Grown to Fulfill a Need: Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union
By Fern Gavelek Businesses come and businesses go, however, the Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union (HCFCU) endures after 80 years. With a charter membership of struggling coffee farmers, the credit union has evolved over eight decades to serve people from…
1500 Shades of Aunty Betty Webster
By Catherine Tarleton Aunty Betty Webster and I are having lunch at a local restaurant. She walks in, grabs two menus, and sits in the first booth, facing the door. Aunty, Waimea’s official “sunglass queen” is sporting big bright yellow…
The Spirit of Kohala Lives on at the Christmas Lu’au
By Jan Wizinowich The story of the Hawi Christmas Lū‘au is the tale of a plantation community finding and holding its heart. Although sponsored by the Mormon Church, the entire community participated, beginning weeks in advance. You offered what you…
Worldwide Voyage
Leg 23 brought Hōkūle‘a to Sorel, Quebec, Canada—the furthest north that she will travel on the Worldwide Voyage. As Hōkūle‘a navigated through the most extensive and complex lock system of her voyage, she has traveled through an incredible 61 locks.…
How to See Papahānaumokuākea–And How to Say It!
By Karen Valentine From exploring and visiting a real gem of a visitors’ attraction in Hilo. Mokupāpapa Discovery Center is the primary interpretive center for the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument—more correctly named Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Not only…
Lale Kam: Walking Sunlight, Living Aloha
By Kate Kealani H Winter Lale says her name means “sunshine” in Hawaiian, which seems perfect for this child of Hawai‘i, who has spread aloha across the U.S. for decades. It also may refer to a legendary bird known as…
The Joys of the Season
By Sonia R. Martinez From Thanksgiving until the end of December is the perfect time of year to open your home for entertaining. Your house will be showing its best side by already being decorated and ready for the festive…
Recycle Hawai’i: Promoting Reuse in a Big Way
By Paula Thomas Recycle Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization based in Hilo, has a stated goal to increase resource awareness and to encourage recycling and sustainable practices in our community. Its mission? To promote resource awareness and recycling enterprises in Hawai‘i.…
A Historic Family Business and Building: How the Koehnen’s Family Roots Correspond with a Historic Hilo Building
By Megan Moseley On the bustling street of downtown Hilo’s bayfront, visitors and residents alike often stroll by a bright green building that hugs the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Waiānuenue Street. To residents, it’s called the “old Koehnen…
Ke Ola Pono: Makahiki Resolutions
By Leilehua Yuen Makahiki, Christmas, and the New Year all are times of fresh beginnings. Many people make resolutions at this time to do better or be better in the coming year. While making resolutions is common around the world—according…
Makahiki: The Hawaiian Winter Holiday
By Leilehua Yuen Long before Christmas was celebrated in Hawai‘i, we had our own winter holiday—the Makahiki. Makahiki can be a confusing word. It means “year,” “new year,” and also refers to the months-long season that heralds the new year…
Celebrating a Long Time Advertiser: Kona Boys
Two surfing friends who wanted to leave the mainland big-business world and follow their passions are now making their passion their business. After graduating from Northern Arizona University, Frank Carpenter had worked for a large corporation and several start-ups in…
Managing with Aloha: ‘Imi Ola: We are meant to be Seekers
I admit it: I jump to an either/or conclusion when I learn that a manager has worked in the same position and same company for a long time, and they are not that company’s owner or founder. I conclude they…
Featured Cover Artist: Patricia Leo
The holiday theme of artist Patricia Leo’s painting showcased on this issue’s cover is a dreamlike scene from a magical, enchanted forest in Hawai‘i, illustrated in vibrant, glowing colors. Part of her ongoing series, 16 years of Christmas in Hawai‘i,…
Spirits of Ocean and Land: Wayne Levin and Jozuf Hadley Team Up for Multi-Media Exhibit at Kahilu Theater
By Karen Rose What do a pidgin poet and an underwater photographer have in common? In the case of Wayne Levin and Jozuf Hadley, it’s a love of the spiritual aspects of artistic expression. This fall, the Kahilu Theatre in…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Kō Kona
Na Kumu Keala Ching Kaulana kō Kona, ka makani ‘olu‘olu Pā ahe uka nō kō KonaKaulana kō Kona, I kai ‘Ōpua ‘O ke kai kaulana nō kō KonaKaulana kō Kona, Ma Hualālai ‘O ka mauna malu nō kō Kona Kaulana…
Parker, The Little School that Could
By Catherine Tarleton The red ranch building with the wide white porch rail is 101 years old, and has lived three different lives: as a social hall, USO, and now Parker School. This small school, originally created to serve “indigent…
Mālama i ka ʽĀina: The Dryland Forest Hui ʽOhana Gathers for the Forest
By Jan Wizinowich Expecting lush tropics, many visitors are surprised when flying along leeward Hawaiʽi Island, to see a landscape dominated by seemingly barren lava fields. There are treasures there, remnants of dryland forests that in the past stretched continuously…
A Hidden Gem: Historic Honomū—Local Businesses Join Forces to Mix the Old with the New
By Megan Moseley As locals and visitors alike stroll through the town of Honomū on their way to Akaka Falls, the remnants of yesteryear cannot be overlooked. Visiting Honomū, Hawaiian for “silent bay,” is like stepping into another time and…
Renaissance at Honomū: Successful Former Residents Return to Help Lift a Sleepy Plantation Town
By Karen Valentine A sleepy town sits with remnants of yesteryear, while locals and visitors drive by toward the Hāmākua Coast tourist attraction of Akaka Falls. Is there hope of rebirth, perhaps with the right formula of dreams and talent?…
Peace Through Mediation
By Shana Wailana Logan In this modern world of violence and rampant injustice, there are few solutions more powerful than peaceful mediation. Ancient Hawaiians would call it ho‘oponopono (to make right), a process which allows families and community members to…
Ulua Fishing Kau Lā‘au Style with Uncle Aku Hauanio
By Denise Laitinen Fishermen rarely share their secrets, yet Uncle Aku is about to tell me the special ingredient to his fish soup. Not just any soup; soup featuring ulua, the most sought-after shoreline fish in Hawai‘i. “Coconut milk makes…
Myths and Legends of Mauna Kea
By Leilehua Yuen In English, when we speak of literature, we generally classify works as fiction or non-fiction—made up or true. How does one define true? Sometimes, a story that does not adhere to quantifiable data, yet draws on emotion…
Managing with Aloha: Ho‘ohana as Our Work Ethic
Ho‘ohana is the value of worthwhile work. Work with purpose, and full intention. Work so it matters, and becomes fulfilling. By Rosa Say Ho‘ohana values the work ethic we most admire. I’m constantly able to observe work ethic within my…
