Celebrating a Long Time Advertiser: Kona Center of Facial Surgery
When Dr. Joan Greco made the decision to move to Hawai‘i Island in 1993, she says she was met with aloha, and it has only gotten better from there. Dr. Greco is an oral and facial cosmetic surgeon—she’s known as…
The Pineapple: A Symbol of Hospitality
By Sonia R. Martinez Although the pineapple has long been associated with Hawai‘i, they are actually recent malihini (of foreign origin) residents of the islands. Pineapples (Anana comosus) are thought to have originated in Paraguay or Brazil and were used…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Yurts of Hawai‘i
People are becoming more aware of their own footprints on this planet and realizing that it’s time to simplify, time to take back control, and time to eliminate debilitating debt and the stress associated with it. Yurts are a great…
Island Treasures: High Fire Hawaii Gallery and Studio LLC – Hilo
High Fire Hawaii is a venue and resource for island artists offering instruction, materials, and representation in their gallery. It is dedicated exclusively to local art and local artists representing ceramicists, jewelers, painters, and textile artists. They offer classes for…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Lucy’s Taqueria
Lucy’s Taqueria is a casual, fun, and happy Mexican restaurant serving food, drinks, beers, and margaritas. Owners Gabriel (Tomas) Ramirez and Marlene Akana Hall met on O‘ahu in 1990 and then moved to Seattle in 1994. After their arrival in…
Island Treasures: Lavender Moon Gallery – Kainaliu
Long time Hawai‘i Island residents Patricia and Dux Missler opened Lavender Moon Gallery in December of 1999. The gallery is located in the quaint upcountry village of Kainaliu, just seven miles south of Kailua-Kona. It offers a unique collection of…
The Secrets of Generations: How Slack Key Guitar Grew Community and Culture
By Le‘a Gleason Anyone who’s grown up or even visited Hawai‘i will notice one thing: here in these islands, it is never silent. Instead, the air is filled with a rich array of sounds—from the din of wild roosters crowing…
Edwin Kayton: Advocate of Island Renaissance
By Margaret Kearns Ka’ū-based artist Edwin Kayton approaches his work in just the same way he lives his life: quietly with humility and respect for humanity, spirituality, culture, and nature. And it’s these very qualities that have endeared him to…
Crafting the Rhythm of Hula: Vea’s Polynesian Gifts
By Catherine Tarleton I had to make an ‘ulī‘ulī for hula class. If you don’t know, ‘ulī‘ulī is a rhythm instrument, a gourd rattle, decorated with a circle of kapa cloth to which feathers are sewn. Finished, it looks kind…
Kūpuna Talk Story: Kumu Raylene Ha‘alelea Kawaiae‘a, Native Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner
By Keith Nealy As a filmmaker and storyteller, I have been blessed with the gift of sharing the mana‘o (knowledge) of more than 60 of Hawai‘i’s most revered kūpuna in spirited conversation exploring the cultural legacy they carry in their…
Ahu‘ena Heiau: “Malama i Ko Kākou Ho‘olina”—Preserving Our Past
By Fannie Narte “Ahu‘ena Heiau is probably the most significant historical site in the State of Hawai‘i because the things that happened there set the foundation for the Hawai‘i as we know it today.” Tom Hickcox, President and Director, Ahu‘ena…
Then and Now: Hulihe‘e Palace – From Mansion to Museum
By Fannie Narte Located in the center of Historic Kailua Village on Ali‘i Drive and surrounded by water on three sides is a museum called Hulihe‘e Palace. To its north is a small beach called “Niumalu,” where honu (turtles) often…
Ka Wehena: Lohe ‘ia ka ‘oe‘oe
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Lohe ‘ia ka ‘oe‘oe ‘I maila ka makani i lohe ‘ia Hā leo hāwanawana, kupaianaha ia Aheahe ka leo i lohe ‘ia Eia ko‘u leo, he ‘ūlāleo ē I uka o ka wao, he leo…
Luana Kawelu: Community Builder and Protector of the Merrie Monarch Legacy
By Paula Thomas This year, Luana Kawelu will celebrate 44 years of working with Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center (QLCC). Her area is Keaukaha, and her work supports children up to 18 years of age. Luana manages and coordinates programs that…
Kalapana Remembered: Reminiscing with Mayor Billy Kenoi About his Childhood Home Before Pele Reclaimed It
By Denise Laitinen Kalapana. Synonymous with the destructive power of Madame Pele. Little signs remain of the community that was destroyed by lava flows from Kūpa‘ianahā vent between 1986 and 1990./ Those born in the remote fishing village of Kalapana…
Lighting the Way: Honoka‘a People’s Theatre Ventures into a New Century
By John J. Boyle …Long shot from above right, wide shot closes in on the hand painted marquee… It is 1939, and downtown Mamane street is a walker’s paradise. Soft evening air, light linen shirts and skirts, some kimonos, some…
Healing Plants – Mimosa Pudica: Bothersome Weed has Redeeming Qualities
Invasiveness Designation: PIER (the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project) has assessed mimosa as invasive and recommends that it not be imported into Hawai‘i and other Pacific Island countries from its native locales. By Barbara Fahs A small, prickly weed…
Featured Cover Artist: Alaina deHavilland
Born in South Africa, Alaina deHavilland moved to Hawai‘i on Jan 3, 1983, the day Kīlauea began what is now a 31-year continuous eruption. Her first images sold the day she made them. “I took a colored pencil class for…
Managing with Aloha: ‘Ohana
‘Ohana: Those who are family, and those you choose to call your family. As a value, ‘Ohana is a human circle of complete Aloha. Eighth in an ongoing series. By Rosa Say ‘Ohana is a value of strong influence in…
Bruddah Waltah: The Father of Hawaiian Reggae
By Le‘a Gleason It’s amazing—and not surprising—how many people in Starbucks recognize Walter Aipolani. To them, he’s Bruddah Waltah, a 30-year music sensation sometimes called “the father of Hawaiian reggae.” “My family was always into music,” he explains. Walter was…
Island Treasures: Sassafras—Waimea, Kailua-Kona
Sara Hayashi “What we do is quickly becoming a lost art. It’s important to support the artists carrying on traditions and techniques of old.” Hand-sculpted jewelry from Sassafras are hand fabricated, one-of-a-kind pieces. These wearable works of art are made…
Managing with Aloha: Ho‘okipa
Ho‘okipa: The value of complete giving. Welcome guests and strangers with your spirit of Aloha. Seventh in an ongoing series. By Rosa Say Several years ago, I walked into a drugstore with my boss and was able to witness his…
This Old/Beautiful House: Maureen’s Bed and Breakfast
By Paula Thomas Tucked away behind dense jungle foliage and invisible from Kalanianaole Street in Keaukaha is one of the most architecturally interesting homes in Hilo. Known to some as the Saiki home, today it is Maureen’s Bed and Breakfast…
Deadly Charms: Creating Beautiful Jewelry from Hawai‘i’s “Fish of Death”
By Denise Laitinen Can you name the “fish of death” in Hawai‘i? Think it’s ciguatera, the foodborne illness found in many parrot and trigger fish? You’d be wrong. Think it’s the feared tiger shark? Guess again. Hawai‘i’s “fish of death,”…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Ka Wai Ola (Honored Waters of Life)
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Kaulana ka wai ola ‘Auhea wale ka wai ola la? I ka uliuli lani, lipo ka honua Noho ke ao ‘Ōpua, kuahiwi ala Aia i laila ka wai ola ē! ‘Auhea wale ka wai ola…
E Ala o Mahi‘ai: The Way of the Farmer
By John J. Boyle Here at a crossroads of two cultures—one immediately challenged by serious food needs and another steeped in a culture of sustainability in exclusion—it is understood that the foods the first Polynesians brought with them on their…
Swimming with Spinners: Plunging into the Swim-with-Dolphins Industry
By Gabrielle Gray and Lindsay Brown Leaping out of the serene Pacific and thrusting their smooth, graceful bodies into the unsuspecting air, Hawaiian spinner dolphins’ aerial acrobatics are one of the most spectacular displays to witness in Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i companies…
Sounding the Pū: An Echo of the Past Resonates Today
By Catherine Tarleton The tropically iconic conch shell trumpet, or pū, is often seen at the lips of malo-clad beach boys, sounding the start of sunset and tiki torch lighting time. The tradition of the pū is ancient, sending out…
Ka Puana: Lost Twain – A Novel of Hawai’i
Following is an excerpt from Kailua-Kona resident Kate Winter’s book, Lost Twain. Used with permission. From outside the window of the Islander Inn early that second Maui morning, the smell of plumeria blossoms had slipped through the jalousies inviting her…
Featured Cover Artist: Lisa Bunge
Lisa Bunge grew up in Orange County, CA and came to Hawai‘i in 1984 from Austin, TX. After many years living so far from the ocean, she fell in love with Kailua-Kona when she came to help with her friends…
