Then & Now: Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau
Second in a series of profiles on Hawai‘i Island National Parks By Robert Oaks Traditional Hawaiian society was regulated by a series of rules—kapu—the violation of which led to severe punishment, often including death. Examples of violating a kapu included…
2012 Transit of Venus: Hawai‘i Island Best Place to See a Rare Astronomical Event
By Jon Lomberg June 5, 2012 On June 5, 2012, the Earth, Sun, and the planet Venus will briefly line up, and Venus will slowly move across the Sun’s face, like a tiny eclipse. This is in fact the rarest…
Earl Bakken, at 88, Has Many Dreams Come True
Visionary Philanthropist Wants Kids to Have a Better Future By Fern Gavelek He goes to bed every night with pen and paper at his side. “That’s because I dream of ideas while falling asleep,” says Earl Bakken, M.D. HON. C.…
Every Store Has a Story: The Saito Family and Pa‘auilo Store
By Hadley Catalano It might just be that a simple bento roll is what has kept the Saito family of Hāmākua in business all these years, and helped their family store to recently reach its 63rd anniversary. You may have…
Leo Sears: Curtain Going Up
By Catherine Tarleton Little did Leo Sears know, back in Kansas, that his first onstage experience in a local high school play, Curtain Going Up, would be an appropriate title for his own life drama and career. Even though his…
Marked Teachings: Tattoo as Transformative Art
By Jessica Kirkwood The tattoo is not just a form of art, but a sacred dance in symbolic healing. Marked in momentum, the rhythm beats fast from the coiled snake. Journeying, thoughts come forth from the void. Let them go.…
Save the Bees, Save the Planet: Listening to the Buzz with Bee Oracle Alison Yahna
By Marya Mann A honeybee swarm came to Alison Yahna and it changed her life forever. The bees came in a swirling rush, alighting on a small cedar tree near her home. With help from a friend she moved the…
The Plight of the Honeybee: Big Island Honeybees are Vital to Keeping Us Fed, Our Skin Soft and Even Healing Cuts on Fish Fins
By Denise Laitinen Raw honey may look like liquid gold, but it is the bees themselves that are worth their weight in gold. “Albert Einstein once said that without honeybees the human race as we know would end in seven…
The Nene Project: GPS Tracking Reveals the Hawaiian Goose Doin’ What Comes Naturally
By Fern Gavelek Hawai‘i’s beloved state bird, the nēnē, is making a comeback, and a new Hawai‘i Island study has revealed some fascinating facts about the Hawaiian goose and how we can help it thrive. The good news is the…
Money Does Grow on Trees: Puna Programs Help Backyard Farmers Sell Excess Produce
By Denise Laitinen When I was a kid my dad would say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!” Well, it turns out Dad was wrong. Thanks to the efforts of two separate food co-op programs in Puna, people are tapping into…
Community Building with ‘Ukulele: Andy Andrews and Fun with P.U.K.A
By Shirley Stoffer Andy Andrews, co-founder of the legendary ‘Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz in California, is now bringing his love of people, music and fun to the Big Island of Hawai’i. Those of us who know him were certain…
Up from the Ashes: Pit-firing Ceramic Vessels with Tim Freeman
By John J. Boyle A close examination of a pit-fired ceramic vessel created by potter and philosopher Tim Freeman reveals details reminiscent of Hawai‘i’s active volcano. The artist, who makes his home near Kīlauea’s burning, living fire, is exploring creation…
Carousel of Aloha: Bringing a Dream to Life
By Alan D. McNarie Juanette Baysa has a dream. It’s not a dream that will lead to an end to all war or a universal source of clean energy or anything that ambitious. It’s just the sort that helps to…
Life in Business: Hawai‘i Whole Person Healing Arts Collective
When Christopher Lawinski entered medical school in 2001, he says, his clear intention was to practice holistic medicine and “be surrounded by talented colleagues offering an integrated array of healing modalities. That is exactly what I have created here at…
Life in Business: One Gallery
One Gallery is the merger of three artists into one business partnership. Amy Markham and Deborah Beaver started the gallery in January of 2011. Arthur Johnsen became a partner in March of 2012, relocating his entire gallery to merge with…
Life in Business: Ironwood Custom Framing
Margo Ray wanted to come home to Hawai‘i, where she was born and raised, and was looking for an opportunity for herself and her husband in 2006. At the time, she was finishing her master of fine arts degree in…
Life in Business: Pacific Biologic Co.
When Cyndy Dyal moved to Kona more than 22 years ago, she was drawn to the island’s clean air, beautiful forests and sparkling views. Over the years the vog (smog created by volcanic emissions) created by Kīlauea Volcano continued to…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Hawai‘i
Na Wai Puna o Kona – Na Kupuna Kaulana Hawai’i lā Nā mea Aloha lā Eia ho’i ke ola lā ‘O Hawai’i Kamehameha Hawai’i lā Mō’i ka moku lā Eia ho’i ke ola lā ‘O Hawai’i Eō e Maui lā…
Life in Business: `Ohia Fields Farm
When Jeff and Miliana Johnson started talking seriously about getting married and starting a family, the two discovered they both had dreams of farming. “We wanted to farm in a place where it would make a difference, where farming would…
Life in Business: `Imiloa Astronomy Center
The mission of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i—located next to the campus of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo—is “to honor Maunakea [sic*] by sharing astronomy and the Hawaiian culture to inspire exploration.” The Center’s interactive exhibits: 3D full dome…
Life in Business: Island Spirit
Ken and Christine Bevis, both healing practitioners, had worked in many different places, both in Hawai‘i and internationally. They wanted to take the quality of service they could provide to the next level and decided to open their own business…
Life in Business: Great American Self Storage
Jana and Mack Powell, resident managers of Great American Self Storage in Kailua-Kona, found a service business that almost everyone can use. Who doesn’t need a place to put extra “stuff?” Businesses with excess inventory; restaurants needing space for decoration,…
Driving Fast with Brittni Paiva: A Young ‘Ukulele Virtuoso Speeding Toward Stardom
By Shirley Stoffer The music world keeps opening new doors for Brittni Paiva, the 23-year-old ‘ukulele star from Hilo. She has been making music since the age of four, when she started playing piano. At age 11, her uncle gave…
It Was a Hard Day’s Night for Cindy Coats: Now She’s Back, With a Little Help From Her Friends
By Margaret Kearns Holualoa resident Cindy Coats recalls distinctly the moment she declared her chosen profession. “I was 10 years old and had just seen the most incredible movie with my mother,” she says. The movie? It was The Beatles’…
Digital Dream Ready for the Big Screen: Local Animator Involves Hawai‘i Island Youth in Crafting Virtual Realities
By Paula Thomas In a modest rural road in Hakalau, on the Hāmākua Coast, sits a rather quaint, non-descript house. It’s an unlikely locale for a high-tech enterprise; but inside its walls is the animation studio of Geoffrey Blair Hajim,…
A Whole New Palate: Seed-to-Table Gives Kids a New Appreciation for Food
By Prana Mandoe A group of middle-school cooks is hanging out by the blender on a picnic table at Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School (KOKL). The kids just whipped up coconut-liliko’i smoothies… oh!—and grilled beef and lime with…
The Story of `Iliahi: Sandalwood, A Saga of Destruction and Rebirth
By Tim Hall When the first humans stepped from their sailing canoes onto the shores of Hawai‘i, the islands were covered with (‘iliahi)—sandalwood. They brought with them a number of alien species; almost all were brought on purpose. Others were…
The Irrepressible Alice Moon: Downtown Hilo’s Dynamo
By Denise Laitinen It’s a postcard-perfect morning in downtown Hilo, with bright blue skies and Hilo Bay sparkling in the sunlight—the kind of day that makes you feel lucky to live in Hawai‘i. With the Farmers’ Market in full swing…
Ka Wehena: Aia ke Aloha ke Nana Aku (Love is There When We Seek)
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ohu’ohu o ka lani i ‘ike aku Kūlia a’ela ka lā i ka lewa Wahi ola nā kūpuna i lōkahi ai Aia ana ke aloha ke nānā aku Kūlani ka ‘uhane i kupu aku Ākea ka…
Coping with Cancer: A Journey and a Place to Chill at Kokolulu
By Cynthia Sweeney He is a professional counselor who has traveled the world giving workshops in stress reduction using techniques such as acupressure and massage. He also spent 20 years studying qigong with a Chinese monk. She is an oncology…
