Local Food: The Bounty of ‘Ulu
By Brittany P. Anderson There is something effortlessly regal about an ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree. The dark green leaves look like oversized hands gracefully waving in the breeze and the attractive trees’ towering size, up to 60 feet, give them a…
Magical Creatures of Hamakua: A Second Chance at Life for Animals Large and Small
By Denise Laitinen Standing atop a hill in the middle of a large green pasture along the Hāmākua Coast, the Pacific Ocean extends far into the distance melding with the blue sky as birds sing and puffy white clouds float…
Ke Ola Magazine: 10 Years of Sharing ‘The Life’ of Hawai‘i Island
By Fern Gavelek You’ve read about well-known people such as pacemaker inventor Earl Bakken and landowner/steward Ed Olson. Musicians such as Cyril Pahinui and Kahulani. Artists such as Kathy Long and craft maker Ika Vea have been featured. There have…
The Cultivating Life: Agroforestry Expert Craig Elevitch
By Brittany P. Anderson A cool breeze runs through the dense forests of Hōlualoa, perched on the slope of Hualālai Volcano in North Kona. Here, the woods are brimming with avocado, ‘ulu (breadfruit), macadamia nut, coffee, and fruit trees. Once…
The 11th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament Rocks at Punalu‘u
By Karen Valentine Not long after sunrise at Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, light sparkles on the waves, tipping the bright blue sea as it splashes on the black rocks lining each tide pool. The parking lot is already filled with…
Grammy Dust: Charles Michael Brotman is Sparkling with it!
By Catherine Tarleton It’s difficult to describe Charles Michael Brotman in words. He’s a lifelong musician, songwriter, producer, mentor, and Grammy Award winner. Yet, sitting barefoot in his studio, picking the bass line for a new track—sharing it, listening, tweaking…
Louis and Leifi Ha‘o: A life well lived. A life of purpose. Legacies of aloha.
By Marcia Timboy Renowned Hilo couple and revered kūpuna, Louis and Leifi Ha‘o have contributed much to our Hilo and Hawai‘i Island communities. After decades of community service, they continue an active lifestyle filled with projects, ceremonial blessings, and tending…
The Waiaka Lindsey House: Time Capsule of Waimea History
By Jan Wizinowich Nestled at the foot of Kohala Mountain, the Lindsey house is the heart of what was once a historic Waiaka homestead and is a tribute to the memories of many who grew up in Waimea. The abundant…
Beloved & Humble Puna Stronghold—o Pohoiki
By Marcia Timboy “On her way to Kīlauea, Pele initially carved out a crater called Malama, inland of her landing place at Keahialaka. Pele was dissatisfied with this crater, and proceeded to excavate another nearby crater called Pu‘ulena, which she…
The ‘Alalā: Save the Crows, Save the Forest
By Stefan Verbano Long ago — before the chirp of coqui frogs, before the buzz of mosquitoes, before the scuttle of mongooses—Hawai‘i Islandʻs mountain forests rang out with a different sound. Shrill and piercing, these shrieks rose above the understory…
Where are the Whales? Humpback Whale Sightings are on the Decline
By Karen Rose The Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum said that in the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. Researchers at the National…
Managing with Aloha: Mahalo, “Way of Living”
“Thank you, as a way of living. Live in thankfulness for the richness that makes life so precious.” Seventeenth in Series Two on Managing with Aloha By Rosa Say Mahalo has become as universally understood as Aloha. Or so we…
Fifty Shades of Blue: Artist Helen Nahoopii
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu When Helen Nahoopii was a young girl, she was known as the “creative one” in the family. Her mother, a chemist and tax consultant, recognized that Helen saw the world in a unique way; she didn’t think…
Halema‘uma‘u Rediscovered
By Gail Armand At the edge of the newly revealed Halema‘uma‘u, the only sounds are the breaths as visitors encounter the crater with its changes for the first time since Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park closed May 11, 2018. Along the…
For the Love of Cacao: Highlighting East Hawai‘i Cacao Farmers
By Brittany P. Anderson A Hawai‘i Island farmer once told me, “Plant some; if it grows, plant some more,” and that’s just what East Hawai‘i cacao farmers are doing. From the lava scalded shores of Puna to the rolling hills…
Ka Wehena – Hualalai, Ku‘u Mauna e
Na Kumu Keala Ching Hualālai, ku‘u Mauna i ‘uka la He wahine kupaianaha iā Hawai‘i loa Noho uka ‘o Hualālai i ka ‘Ōpua ‘Ōpua malu, ku‘u ‘āina kō KonaEō, eō e Hualālai Ke aloha palena‘ole ke ‘ike akuHe mauna kū…
It’s Tiki Time! Three Island Artists Turning Idols into Art
By Karen Rose Romanticized images of Hawai‘i and Polynesia abound in Hollywood films and dramatizations of island life. One of the most iconic images of Hawai‘i adopted by popular culture is the tiki. Tikis are wooden carvings created to represent…
Puna Lights: A Beloved Holiday Tradition
By Denise Laitinen Stanward Oshiro is hard at work making the holidays a little brighter for Hawai‘i Island residents. His annual synchronized Christmas light and music display in lower Puna has become a community favorite for more than a decade,…
Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo, A Prayer Moving Throughout the Land
By Mālielani Larish Embraced by bright sunshine and crisp breezes, a group of runners bearing a wooden Lono staff exit the busy Highway 19 and enter a verdant field near Anna’s Ranch in Waimea. A crowd of supporters welcome them…
Local Foods: Naughty and Nice–The Chocolate Ghost Pepper
By Brittany P. Anderson “I just don’t know what to do with these hot peppers,” my friend Barbara said to me, “They’re beautiful, but they are just so hot.” Barbara has a thriving chocolate ghost pepper plant in her bountiful…
Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi: Live Longer and Feel Better Together
By Paula Thomas Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi has been providing health and education services to the residents of Hawai‘i Island since 1991, following the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act that was passed in Congress in 1988. The Act…
Kūkahi and the Love Machine
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Kūkahi Allan Nu‘uanu Lee was only seven years old when he wrote his first song. Very interested in music at a young age, he was drawn to the piano and taught himself to play by ear at…
The Gannenmono: A 150-Year Celebration of Faith & Fortitude
By Lara Hughes The Arrival In 1860, King Kamehameha IV met with the first delegation of Japanese people to visit the Hawaiian Islands. During this visit the king proposed a friendship treaty with Japan. This action, along with the rise…
Managing with Aloha: Mālama ka po‘e
By Rosa Say “To Mālama, is to take care of. A manager is a steward of assets and caretaker of people.” Sixteenth in Series Two on Managing with Aloha Let’s dig into the Mālama element of Alaka‘i leadership we briefly…
Then & Now: Kaimū Beach, Kalapana, Kapoho–The Only Constant is Change
By Stefan Verbano Through a break in the shrubbery beside Highway 130, the lava field reveals itself for the first time. After a long, gradual bend in the road heading downhill from the turn to ‘Opihikao, strawberry guava-laden jungle falls…
The Wow Factor of Chef Sam Choy
By Fern Gavelek He cooks a mean oxtail soup and made poke a nationwide sensation. With 14 cookbooks, several TV shows, a string of celebrity clients, and involvement with numerous restaurants, Chef Sam Choy is a culinary ambassador for Hawai‘i.…
Reforest Hawai’i: Feeding the Forest, Feeding the Soul
By Jan Wizinowich Aloha is at the heart of everything Joe and Kristen Souza do and when the forest spirits called, they answered by creating Reforest Hawaiʽi, whose sole purpose is to rebuild Hawaiʽi’s native forests where “the journey of…
A Journey with Kumu Kawaikapuokalani Frank Hewett
By Karen Valentine This is a story about one who might be called a Hawaiian renaissance man. This man is multi-facetted and multi-talented, with an insatiable drive to serve his culture through sharing his knowledge. Like a tripod that will…
Beautiful Mele: Mark Saito Shares Aloha Through Song
By Karen Rose There are many ways to aloha with others. Feeling the spirit of aloha is a shared experience, and one of the most meaningful ways to feel this spirit is through song. Local Hawai‘i Island musician Mark Saito…
George Applegate: A Kupuna Looking Out for Hawai‘i Island
By Paula Thomas He talks in arcs of thought as he shares stories about his upbringing, his youth, education, and coming of age. George Applegate, born in Honolulu in 1947 and raised in Hilo, has created a career out of…
