FreediveSafe! Hawai‘i: Lifesaving Training for the Next Generation of Spearfishers
By Sara Stover On a breezy Saturday morning at the beginning of the summer, 25 of Hawai‘i Island’s youth willingly gather in a classroom at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy (HPA). Dylan Currier and Sandy Hammel of Freediving Instructors International are demonstrating…
Casa de Las Palmas: Hilo’s Sanctuary for Rare and Endangered Palms
By Sara Stover On an unassuming country road outside of Hilo, perched above the ancient waters of Waiākea Stream, grows a menagerie of rare and endangered palms. Before you even step foot onto the grounds of Casa de Las Palmas…
Chris Berry: Mastering Improvisation in the Land of Fire and Water
By Sara Stover For Grammy award winner, singer, songwriter, and drum master Chris Berry, the most important lesson in school wasn’t even part of the curriculum—improvisation. Born and raised in Sebastopol, California, Chris was just 12 years old, learning to…
Stepping Beyond the Water’s Edge with Adventurer and Artist Joshua Lambus
By Sara Stover Joshua Lambus is literally paddling through a sea of foam noodles. Clinging to these bright green, blue, and pink cylinders are visitors of all ages, many of whom have never been snorkeling before today. As he scans…
Savoring the Moment with Kailee Spark
By Sara Stover It was 1997 and Kailee Spark was sitting in a sunny patch on the floor in her California home, listening to her parents’ CD Wacky Favorites over and over. The more that little, sapphire-eyed Kailee played the…
How Running Found Jockey-Turned-Coffee Horticulturist, Jon Kunitake
By Sara Stover Growing up in Hōlualoa, Jon Kunitake’s knowledge of horses was limited to the paniolo (cowboys) of Waimea. His early life revolved around coffee, leaving little time for any extracurricular activities. Born in a house on a coffee…
Justin Young Keeps Moving!
By Sara Stover Justin Young was drifting off to sleep on what seemed like a grassy knoll near South Point when a roar of thunder shook the night. The thunder woke up a dog, which woke up its owner, who…
The Creative Adventures of Kawika Singson
By Sara Stover Daredevil. Lava chaser. Photographer. Host of television series Everything Hawaii. While all are accurate descriptions of Kawika Singson, the moniker he prefers is “creative adventurer.” “I don’t call myself a photographer. I just like to be creative,”…
Athlete and Adventurer Tutu Lorna Just Keeps Moving!
By Sara Stover Lorna Larsen-Jeyte has always been on the move. The lifelong swimmer and 81-year-old adventurer does not, however, workout for the sake of working out. “It is about being outside and in nature,” she says of the active…
Hale Ohia: Volcano’s Enchanted Road to Old Hawai‘i
By Sara Stover Less than two miles outside the entrance to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, in the heart of the small artists’ community of Volcano Village, is the Hale Ohia tract. Hidden by a thick grove of ‘ōhi‘a and Sugi…
Hilo’s Ocean Center, Riding a Wave of Peace
By Sara Stover Tucked away at the end of Kalanianaole Avenue is a hidden gem. A haven of calm just past the hustle of Hilo’s port. “This is our classroom,” says Kalani Kahalioumi, director of special programs for Hawai‘i County’s…
Pana Jones: From Ocean Waves to Airwaves
By Sara Stover “I’d say I wanna go back to my little grass shack but I’m already hereAin’t no disappearing, for me it’s clearI’m on a high, livin’ life aquaticSpear into my crystal, my blue simplistic, tropical, unique, diverse, exquisite……
Kai ‘Ehitu: An Outrigger Team Remembers Its Roots and Its Papa
By Sara Stover “Never forget your roots,” Puamaile Kimitete insists. Her mother Augustine, sister Healani, and brother Richard all nod their heads in agreement. “Even though he lived in Hawai‘i for over three decades, Papa never forgot his Tahitian roots.”…
The Art of Stopping the World: Gary Ackerman
By Sara Stover Most people would label their day as a bad one after being stung by a jellyfish. Gary Ackerman classified it as inspiration. Stung during one of his routine morning swims, the Hawai‘i resident and artist behind a…
Sailing into the Future: Nā Pe‘a Participants Apply Canoe’s Lessons to Life
By Sara Stover “Stay off the rocks,” Kalani Nakoa instructs his young crew. The wind is light out of the west as they launch one of the three 26-foot single-hull canoes from Kīholo Bay. Within minutes, the wind shifts to…
Stan Kaina: The Voice that Connected to the Aloha in Us All
By Sara Stover Hula dancer Pi‘ilani Rodrigues of Hilo passed by the enduring trees of Banyan Drive, their roots descending from thick branches towards the ground below. Heavenly music floated out of Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, carried into the…
ʽĀhua A ‘Umi Heiau: King ‘Umi’s Legacy
By Sara Stover Across a high plateau between Maunaloa and Hualālai lie numerous ‘āhua (stone piles) that appear to be the remains of an ancient structure. The man who initiated the building of this heiau was more than the commoner…
Preserving Natural Resources by Protecting Native Forests
By Sara Stover When Maunaloa erupted in 1926, it was impossible to stop the lava from destroying much of the forest found within what is the modern-day Kona Hema Preserve. Stopping bulldozers and building plans from taking their toll on…
Letting the Bees Be: A Simple, Sustainable Approach to Bee Farming
By Sara Stover Can bees smell fear, or is this a myth? The Bee Boys are the ones to ask, with their noses inches away from hundreds of wild honeybees on a daily basis. The Bee Boys are Kevin O’Connor…
