Then & Now: Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park
The Last in a Series of Profiles on Hawai‘i Island’s National Parks by Robert Oaks The Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, located south of the Kona airport, provides clues to the lifestyle of early Hawaiians. Atop seemingly barren and inhospitable lava…
Carly Smith: A Humble Powerhouse of a Musician with Deep Musical Roots
By Shirley Stoffer Carly Smith has music in her blood, and music IS her lifeblood—it’s what makes her tick. “Music is medicine to me. It’s part of every aspect of my life,” she says. Carly hails from a family that…
A Home Built Around Orchids: Love of a Flower Inspired a House Project
By Denise Laitinen When Julie Goettsch saw the orchid wall at the Kahala Resort on O‘ahu back in 1969 she vowed to herself that someday she would have a similar wall in her home. It took 40 years and a…
A Mission of Enduring Gratitude: One Boy’s Life Opened a Door for Community Caring
By Karen Valentine A beam of light filters through the thickly compacted branches towering overhead, highlighting the myriad hues of green: from light and delicate fern shades to deep and mysterious jungle tones. “My cathedral,” 25-year-old Daniel “Danny” Sayre calls…
Talking Story with Uncle Robert: Revered Puna Kupuna Holds Court at the End of the Road
By Denise Laitinen If you live in Puna, chances are you know where to find Uncle Robert’s. No need for directions—everyone knows that his family’s four-acre compound can be found at the end of Kapoho-Kalapana Road. The site of Uncle…
“Cowman A-Moo-Ha”: On the Run for World Peace
By Fern Gavelek It’s easy to spot the Kailua-Kona resident known simply as “Cowman” running races and triathlons all over the world. Sporting his trademark, horn-topped helmet and hand-drawn t-shirts, Cowman has been competing in marathons and triathlons for over…
Youth Invade Volcanoes National Park with Enthusiasm: Internship Program, in its Third Year, Exceeds Expectations
By Alan D. McNarie “I always thought that geology was just historic things in the past,” muses Tyler Atwood. “But here the volcano changes every day. The entire elevation of where you stand changes every day. They just paved Chain…
Hawaiian Petroglyphs Tell Stories of the Past
By Margaret Kearns K‘i‘i pōhaku – the name Hawaiians gave their petroglyphs – are found scattered throughout the island chain. The largest, most concentrated fields of ancient rock carvings, however, are found here on Hawai‘i Island, where smooth, pahoehoe lava…
Healing the Land Takes a Big Vision: Andre and Jyoti Ulrych and Starseed Ranch in Kohala
By Cynthia Sweeney This is the rugged and windswept coastline where King Kamehameha I rested after warfare. This raw and scenic countryside is also old, depleted sugarcane land, devoid of nutrients, with elevated levels of arsenic and unfit for growing…
Every Store Has a Story: Glenwood’s Hirano Store
By Hadley Catalano Every day, while working in her husband’s family store, Shinae Hirano would watch as her elderly father-in-law, Naojiro Hirano, picked up her eldest daughter at the store after primary school. Taking her by the hand, he would…
Atmospheric Art: Revealing the Island’s Inner Light
By Marya Mann From the searing cauldron of Kīlauea Volcano to the cool surfing waves of Waipi‘o Valley and the breathtaking summits of Hualālai and Mauna Kea, he had space to stretch out and explore all the edges, opposites and…
Debbie Hecht Loves Open Spaces: A Tireless Campaigner for the 2-Percent Land Fund
By Hadley Catalano Debbie Hecht is not your typical sign-waving activist. For the past eight years, since the Tucson, Arizona transplant relocated to the Big Island, Hecht has become the leading voice on what she considers to be one of…
Immersion with a Mermaid: This Kona Marine Mammal Has a True Tale to Tell
By Marya Mann In a challenge so unifying it has inspired global support among indigenous people, surfers, artists, marine scientists, models, musicians, boat captains, photographers, filmmakers, businesspeople, angel card readers and even Flipper’s original trainer, one Kona resident stands out.…
Meet Sustainable Reggae Artist Sahra Indio
By Jessica Kirkwood Reggae—with its catchy rhythms and poignant messages—was born on the island of Jamaica in the 1960s and made its way to Hawai‘i nearly two decades later—right around the time Sahra Indio first landed here, too. “I identify…
The Life in Business: Coldwell Banker Day-Lum Properties/Day-Lum Rentals & Management, Inc.
Nancy Cabral has worked her way up from the little island of Moloka‘i to become a major player in the real estate and property management business on Hawai‘i Island. She came to Hilo in 1978 and has lived here for…
The Life in Business: Synergy
Synergy is “a collaboration of like-minded practitioners, artists and healers who believe in wellness on all levels of life.” Patricia’s Transitions, Trystin’s Therapeutic Massage, and Clay’s DreamScapes were finding it challenging to operate as individual practices, and that led them…
The Life in Business: Quindembo Bamboo Nursery
Peter Berg and Susan Ruskin came to Hawai‘i in 1987 specifically to start a bamboo nursery. “We located the nursery in Waimea, because it is near the beach and we foolishly imagined we’d have lots of time to hang out.…
The Life in Business: Ho‘oulu Community Farmers Market
About three years ago, the Keauhou Beach Resort asked Kumu Keala Ching if he could help to bring the community of Kona to the resort. The kumu hula and Hawaiian cultural teacher introduced several programs and events to educate the…
Ka Wehena: E Ho‘omalu o Hawai‘i Nei
E Ho‘omalu o Hawai‘i Nei …Blessings of Hawai‘i …Na Kumu Keala Ching… E ho’ōla mai ka honua ala …Heal the earth …E ola hou ka ‘ike kupuna …Revive the ancient knowledge …E ho’omana’o ka ‘oia’i’o pono’ī …Remember the righteous truth…
Be It Ever So Tiny, There’s No Place Like Home: Tiny Houses on a Big Island
By Cynthia Sweeney In 1970, the size of the average, single family home in the U.S. was 1,500 square feet. In 2009, in the country that originated the phrase “Super-size Me,” that average peaked at 2,630 square feet. After decades…
Burning Spirit: Inspirations with Master Painter David “Kawika” Gallegos
By Karen Valentine Someone or some spirit has been looking out for David Maes “Kawika” Gallegos. With divine timing and serendipity, and in spite of personal crises, deep heartbreaks and challenges, the right person (or angel) has appeared at the…
Every Store Has a Story: H. Kimura Store–Oshima and Kimura Families Still Operate Historic Kainaliu General Stores
By Hadley Catalano If you walked into Kimura Store as a child it was almost guaranteed that Mrs. Irene Kimura would give you a piece of candy. While that reason alone might be good enough for any seven-year-old to visit…
Lelehua Yuen: Living Within the Stories
Hawaiian Culture and History, Interpreted with Artistry By Paula Thomas She is bathed in bright light on stage in a white mu‘umu‘u, her hands ever so delicately miming the picking of a lei blossom and bringing it close for its…
Hands On, Minds Ahead! All Aboard Bluewater Exploration
By Fern Gavelek “Throughout the course of human events, mankind’s impacts on the environment have stressed the carrying capacity of our ocean, thus ruining the essence of why we love and enjoy areas such as the Keauhou-Kona coast. Experience has…
There’s Help for Orchid Brown Thumbs: Hilo Orchid Societyʻs Mission to Help Everyone Grow Orchids
By Denise Laitinen Julie Goettsch wants to set the record straight. The president of the Hilo Orchid Society (HOS) wants people to know that growing orchids isn’t complicated or difficult to do, especially here on an island known as the…
Behind the Scenes at the Lu‘au: History and ‘Ohana Craft a Memorable Experience
By Marya Mann The emcee’s voice sets the tone of enchantment for visitors to Hawai‘i, first through a culinary feast and into the dreamscape of a Pacific odyssey. They’ve been anticipating this evening for a long time, a climax to…
Search for the Heart of Kahalu‘u: E mālama i Nā Papa–Protect Our Coral Reefs
By Marya Mann It’s a courtship by the sea, except we’re sitting in a Bakken Foundation classroom north of Kailua-Kona, where ReefTeach trainers show color slides of brilliant and broken corals that flourish and die in Kahalu‘u Bay. They want…
Clean-Up Crusaders: Volunteer Groups Turn Out to Keep Hawai‘i Island’s Shorelines Beautiful
By Noel Morata It’s 8:30 on a stormy, drizzly morning at the lighthouse facing Hilo Bay. Assembled is a group of very dedicated people from the Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, the Surfrider Foundation and members of Mālama Kaipalaoa. Even the hair…
Home on the Ka‘u Range: The Kuahiwi Family Ranch and Natural, Free-Range Beef
By Denise Laitinen When Captain John Vancouver presented King Kamehameha with cattle on the Big Island as a gift in 1793, no one imagined the impact it would have on the future of the island. Kamehameha placed a kapu on…
Then & Now: Pu‘ukohola
By Robert Oaks Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, on the northwest coast of Hawai‘i Island, played a critical role in the unification of the island chain by King Kamehameha I in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Indeed, of all the national…
