In Pursuit of Ecotopia: A “Garden-Raising” Diary
By Marya Mann Most of my life I have gardened, a vocation for which I credit my grandmother Ina. In old photographs of her home in the West Texas Panhandle, vertical stands of lacy asparagus and succulent butternut squash on…
Gilmore Art Inspires Native Plant Renaissance: Jamie Gilmore’s Botanical Portraits Reflect Nature’s Brilliance
By Marya Mann At 3:15 on a sunny day in Ka‘ū, Jamie Gilmore sits at her table, meticulously painting every petal, flower and sand granule in her watercolor portrait of hinahina, a hardy yet vulnerable native plant indigenous to Hawaiian…
Gather Round the Yurt: Growing in Popularity, the Yurt’s Attractions Begin at the Center
By Noel Morata There’s a saying that once you’ve stayed in a round home, you can’t go back to a square and angular home. “Primarily, the appeal of yurts covers a large spectrum of the marketplace,” says Becky Kenery, the…
“A Gift, Not a Bill”—Hi‘ilani Ecohouse
Sustainable, carbon-neutral, 4,000-square-foot, two-family residence—created by stewards of the land as a model for others By Catherine Tarleton Walking beside building innovator Robert Mechielsen along the steep path leading to his current Hāmākua Coast project, we pass 90-year-old Hāmākua coffee…
Then & Now: Hāmākua Coast—Sugar, Landings, and Shipwrecks
By Pete Hendricks The Hāmākua Coast from Hilo to Waipi‘o Valley is a 50 mile stretch of rocky shoreline, deep valleys, and imposing cliffs. Such a windward coast seems an unlikely place to find what was once the dominant industry…
Bruddah Kuz’ Family Album—Maunakea Family Productions: Music, Family, and Youth Advocacy
By Hadley Catalano The story of Iopa Maunakea’s community dedication is woven like a melodic theme through his life’s work, beginning with his grandmother, Katherine Maunakea. His story is not complete without hers. As a community organizer in the district…
Puna Men Sing from the Heart
By Noel Morata When friends and newcomers first attend a performance by the Puna Men’s Chorus (PMC), they are mesmerized with the surprises in every show. Part cabaret, part theater, all these beautiful voices meld together in a superbly entertaining…
The Natural Kahu – Daniel “Kaniela” Akaka, Jr.
By Richard M. Esterle The year is 1991, and preparations are being made to craft the Mauloa, the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s replica of an ancient single‐hulled canoe, using ceremonial protocol throughout the process. A group is gathered inside a tent…
Then & Now: Puako—A Resilient, Ocean Focused Community
By Pete Hendricks Puako, on the northwest coast of Hawai‘i Island, had been a fishing and salt producing settlement centuries before the arrival of Captain James Cook in early 1779. When Cook left Kealakekua Bay to continue his ill-fated third…
Aloha e Ku‘u Māmā: A Dedication to Mother Earth
‘O ‘oe ka lani, e ho‘onani nei Nāu e ku‘u ‘ike, e kāko’o nei ‘O ‘oe ka lā, e ‘alohi nei, Nāu e ku‘u aloha, e ‘imo‘imo nei ‘O ‘oe ke ao, e ho‘omalu nei, Nāu e ku‘u pili e…
Jazzy Maggie—a Musician for Life
By Colin John Walking into and experiencing a Maggie Herron show is like stumbling serendipitously into a tropical jazz oasis: soothing, calming, exciting and eminently enjoyable. The sounds that emanate from her piano, combined with her jazzy, sensual voice, make…
Plumbing Strategies, Inc
Close friends and business associates for more than 25 years, Alex and Heather Austin and Tony and Leolani Welsh, found life in the northwestern part of the mainland a little gray. Even though they loved the area, says Tony Welsh,…
Nooho‘ana Solar Technologies
The company name—Noho‘ana—means “way of life.” “That is really what we are promoting, a new way of thinking about how you use and generate power for your business and home, your way of life,” says Julia Paschoal-Cano, president of the…
Malama Pono Health Care
Claudia Christman has a deep-seated desire to help people live healthy lives. She began her medical career as a nurse practitioner who helped people manage chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. “Seeking new learning,” Dr. Christman says,…
Healthy Skin Clinic
Dr. Alice Adee came to Hilo from California in 1992 as a young family practice doctor with two babies and no job. After briefly working for Bay Clinic, she started her own practice. After a few years, she decided to…
Marooned! An excerpt from Noni: The Complete Guide for Consumers and Growers
In a sense, the human race is marooned on a small island in a vast sea of space. The island is called Earth. On this island, we depend on plants for survival. The existence of the human species is made…
Feng Shui Hawaiian Style: Expand, Grow and Manifest your Dreams with the Wood Element
By Marta Barreras Have you been faced with a need to change your life plans lately? Has the economy or other recent challenges impacted your business, your vitality or your relationships? As job loss, foreclosure and unexpected events have continued…
Healing Grass: the Amazing and Versatile Vetiver
By Jessica Kirkwood Just past the 7-mile marker, above Mamalahoa Highway along the Hamakua Coast, sits the quaint little town of Papaikou. The directions read: hang a left up mauka about a mile; there will be some cows on your…
…And Trees Fly Forward: Puna Farmer’s Bhakti Yoga Practice is Immersed in Farming
By Richard Mark Glover Sankirton Das bucks entanglement with the material world through the practice of farming on five acres in Puna. “It allows me space to funnel consciousness. I chant all day,” he said. In the afternoon light, Sankirton’s…
Capturing the Ephemeral: The Passions and Palettes of Painter Rod Cameron
By Karen Valentine The eight-year-old boy stood, transfixed, as the rest of his friends ran ahead during their tour of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. They turned around, worried about young Rod Cameron. The object of his fascination?…
The Reef as a Community: Cold and Fuzzy
New Book Portrays Fish in a Different Light By Alan D. McNarie One day in 1955, young Robert Wintner’s father took him to a Miami, Florida drugstore and bought him a two-dollar mask and snorkel—“the deluxe, with the ping-pong ball”—then…
Rights and Respect for Native Fishing
By Prana Joy Mandoe A few years ago, a Hawaiian fisherman noticed a huge ball of akule boiling off the pier at Kailua-Kona. He tucked his whip net under a boogie board and circled the fish. It was a grand…
Horse & Buddy: A Match that Builds Independence for Riders with Special Needs
By Denise Laitinen Boyson Kihe guides his horse back and forth between narrowly spaced poles; zig zagging through the entire row of poles without knocking over a single one. It’s an advanced move requiring balance, focus and skill. Boyson smiles…
If Only Chocolate Grew on Trees . . . or does it?
By Fern Gavelek Mmmmmm…….chocolate! Many people consider it one of the major food groups. And with good reason—it not only tastes good, but makes you feel good while boasting health benefits. The botanical source of chocolate is cacao (pronounced ka-cow);…
Roses in My Heart: Aunty Marjie Spencer
By Catherine Tarleton Marjorie Naholokahiki Burke Spencer has a little while to talk story before she teaches ‘ukulele class at the resort. Her Hawaiian bracelets jingle on smooth, unspotted hands as she waves and gestures, occasionally touching her face, occasionally…
13 Grandmothers Raining Wisdom
“When the Grandmothers come from the four directions and speak, the world will heal.” —Hopi Prophecy By Mayra Mann Grandmothers circles are arising. Out of the native lands, in cities, and across the many islands and continents of the planet,…
Kona’s Unique Three Ring Ranch: Wild Animals at Risk Receive Sanctuary from a Fellow Survivor
By Margaret Kearns Sometimes it takes a few wake-up calls before setting out on an intended life path. For California native, Ann Goody, it was an amazing series of events—a combination of both incredible luck and disastrous, near-death experiences—that redirected…
Kona MacNet
Brian Parnell, manager of Kona MacNet, is passionate about “all things Apple.” It’s a good thing, because he shares that passion with everyone who walks into the store in the Henry Street Shops in Kailua-Kona. Parnell has been the manager…
ATR Properties, Inc.
A strategic career change in 1991 set Geri Stephens on a new path to success in commercial real estate and a thriving business in vacation rental property management. As a self-described “local girl,” she realizes that she’s come a long…
Ali‘i Custom Gates
Decorative metal gates are a popular feature of fine homes and businesses all over the island. Ray Huff, owner of Ali‘i Custom Gates, realized that the climate here can be harsh on some metal surfaces. “We saw the need for…
