Hawaii Vacation Blog - Hawaii Travel Guide, Hawaii News

Winter-long celebration in Hawaii

Bruce Fisher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:47:26 +0000

"Anywhere that has a celebration lasting FOUR MONTHS is my kinda place." That was my first thought when I heard about the traditional Hawaiian observance of Makahiki last year. I know a little more about it now and am even more convinced. As with most celebrations, it can be as little or as much as one makes of it.

Makahiki begins with the appearance of the Pleaides - a cluster of stars also known as the "Seven Sisters." Beginning in late October or November, it rises at sunset and sets at dawn, visible all night. According to legend, it was revered as the place from which the first Hawaiian people came to Earth

In pre-contact Hawaii (before Captain Cook’s voyages put Hawaii on European maps), Makahiki held great religious and cultural significance. It began with ritual cleansing by bathing in the sea and donning new clothes. Offerings to the god Lono were gathered by each island neighborhood (ahupua‘a) and presented to his image as it was carried around the island in a clockwise circle. Makahiki was a time of rest from work and war but games tested athletic skills. Contests included sports such as: boxing, wrestling, spear-tossing, canoe-racing, swimming, relays and, of course, surfing. During the winter months of Makahiki, waves are especially high and, even today, surfing is best left to the experienced. Details of the celebration varied by area and island. As Makahiki concluded, the offerings that had been collected for Lono were put into a canoe and set adrift at sea, some say to help Lono return to the ancestral lands and be generous in the coming year. A final feast marked the end of Makahiki and the beginning of a new year.

The celebration can be seen to incorporate both traditional harvest festivals (like Thanksgiving) and religious notions of the coming/return of deity (like Christmas and Easter). It recognizes the cycle of nature; the rainy season is necessary for fertility in the coming year. But my favorite notion is the idea that people, too, need a rest. After working hard to plant, cultivate and harvest, we need time for rest, play, talk-story and spiritual renewal. The "chilly" mornings and rainy nights remind us to relax — soon enough it will be time to re-enter the fields.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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Hawaii Five-O - Bust of Jack Lord at Kahala Mall

Bruce Fisher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:52:11 +0000

Hawaii Five-O - Bust of Jack Lord at Kahala Mall

You can find a bust of Jack Lord who was best known for playing Steve McGarrett in the famous TV series Hawaii Five-0 at the Kahala Mall in the residential neighborhood of Kahala on the Island of Oahu. Jack loved this part of town, owned a home here and many scenes were filmed in this area.

Mahalo to Anette from the Hawaii Five-0 fan club (see comment below) who let us know that this bust is the the only 100% funded statute in the world! Click here for directions and pictures of the dedication ceremony back in 2004.

Vans Triple Crown arrives on the North Shore

Bruce Fisher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:42:09 +0000

Triple Crown of Surfing has once again come to Oahu’s North Shore, and with it hundreds of the world’s most accomplished professional surfers, their wives and/or girlfriends, their kids and innumerable surf industry company representatives. Certainly, the spectacle of three world class surfing competitions, the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa, the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing and the Billabong Pipeline Masters are what brings s nomadic tribe of surfers from all over the world to Oahu’s North Shore each year, but for most of the temporary denizens of the “seven mile miracle” of the North Shore, just being there during the winter wave season is the point itself.

There seems to be three schools of thought about the onslaught of people and vehicles onto two-lane Kamehameha Highway, creating traffic and parking gridlock and increasing chances for car break-ins and other opportunistic, petty crimes. This bothers many residents who look to the impending circus with apprehension each year. Personally, I grew up surfing on the North Shore, but the glut of media attention makes the trek from my apartment in town to the country more trouble than it’s worth (25 miles is a long way to ride with two surfboards on a bicycle).

But for area businesses on the North Shore, the winter wave season provides a windfall of revenue that, in many cases, provides a boon to get through the leaner months of the off-season summer months. Eateries, coffee shops, pubs, surfboard shapers and technicians, crafters, property owners looking to rent their homes and all manner of vendors are more than happy to see the crush of humanity invade the North Shore each year.

The third school of thought would have to be the state of mind of non-competitors who arrive either as companions or as soul surfers who come to Hawaii as a part of an international rite of passage. The North Shore of Oahu is the epicenter of the surfing world each year, a sort of aquatic Hajj, or pilgrimage, that every devoted surfer is compelled to make at least once. For those not competing, their stay here is rather like a vacation, free of the rigors of clocking in to work and other mundane aspects of adult life that we all face. Days upon days of enjoying perhaps the most beautiful seven mile stretch of accessible coastline in the world.

Competitively, the events of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink (sponsorships at the Vans Triple Crown are many and, frankly, a little confusing), are among the most important on the World Championship Tour and its feeder circuit the World Qualifying Series. In many years past, world titles for both the men and women have been decided at Vans Triple Crown events. With enormous pressure from sponsors, peers and a profound athletic competitiveness, the level of surfing at the Van’s Triple Crown is of the highest caliber to be witnessed anywhere in the world.

While the quality of surf varies from year to year due to global atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the North Shore of Oahu has always, and always will, deliver the best waves to be found at any time anywhere on Earth.

Obviously, if the people most adversely affected by traffic, parking, crowds and stores that run out of beer still choose to remain on the North Shore during its busiest time of year, it’s no small wonder that thousands from all over the world are willing to brave the temporary population boom.

Marking time with the Hawaiian moon

Bruce Fisher — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:47:38 +0000

Ancient Hawaiians used the phases of the moon to divide the year into cycles. A new season begins this week so I thought it would be fun to tell you a little about the system itself and then about an important commemoration.

The methodology of measuring time by the moon is called Kaulana Mahina (moon calendar). Each month is determined by the 30 day cycle of the moon (Mahina). The moon cycle is divided into three 10-day weeks (anahulu). The weeks begin with the Hilo moon (new moon) in the Ho‘onui (waxing moon) phase. The full moon (Poepoe) and waning moon (‘Emi) are the other two moon phases. These three phases occur in each 30-day month.

The months are divided generally into two seasons: Ho‘oilo, the cooler, wetter season, and Kau, the hotter, drier season. The first month of "winter" is Welehu (mid-October). It is also the beginning of the Makahiki season (more about that later). The month that began on November 16 is Makali‘i (small eyes or very small). The next month will begin in mid-December; it is called Kā‘elo. Heavy rains are expected during this winter month. Kaulua is the month of transition between the rainy and warm seasons, beginning in mid-January. The name means "two seasons" as weather changes quickly from showers to sunshine and back again. Nana is the name for the month that begins in mid-February. It is considered the start of the growing season. Welo (March-April) is the last month of Ho‘oilo.

Each month had specific tasks, like preparing the land for planting, or planting certain crops (kalo, gourds, sweet potatoes, etc.) in certain areas. There were fishing seasons when certain fish could be caught or protected for spawning. Within each month, some days were better for fishing, others for planting, depending on the phase of the moon.

Makahiki is a celebration that combined features of harvest festivals and new year observances with religious/spiritual and political significance. It began in October and continued through January. During the four months of Makahiki, war was forbidden, instead energies were devoted to celebration. I’ll give you more details next time.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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Restaurant Week Hawaii

Bruce Fisher — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:38:17 +0000

In recent years, documentarians have taken to teaching moviegoers about the impacts of locally grown food as opposed to processed goods. Films such as “SuperSize Me,” “King Corn,” “Food Inc.,” “The Burning Season,” and “FRESH” all frown upon the effects of processed foods and encourage filmgoers to eat a locally grown diet.

This always sounds really good until you go on vacation and are away from your favorite farmer’s market or grocer. How can you experience the unique flavors of locally grown dining, especially when visiting Hawaii? Recently, Kanu Hawaii (www.kanuhawaii.org) hosted a weeklong “Eat Local Challenge,” and it really was tough to know where to eat for many of the people involved.

The Hawaii Restaurant Association aims to change that perception by hosting Restaurant Week Hawaii. Now in its second year, Restaurant Week Hawaii is billed as “a seven-day celebration of the cuisine scene” in the state. From Nov. 16 to 22, more than 40 restaurants in Hawaii are coming together to showcase their best offerings for unbelievable prices as a fundraiser to support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific.

The Culinary Institute of the Pacific plans to renovate and expand facilities for up-and-coming chefs while including new agriculture programs to teach students about locally-grown agriculture.

“The week offers restaurants a chance to reintroduce diners to their menus and spotlight the things we’re proud of and to see what is we do, and then they will want to come back,” said Executive Chef Kapo Kealoha of Tiki’s Bar and Grill in Waikiki. Tiki’s, found at www.tikisgrill.com is one of the top buyers of local produce from Ma‘o Organic Farms www.maoorganicfarms.com, located on the west coast of Oahu in Wai‘anae. Tiki’s also buys locally grown beef and fish.

“Every major city has restaurant week,” said Kealoha, “They’re really big and visitors plan vacations to travel to these cities for restaurant week. This is where we want this to get.”

Most restaurants are offering prix fixe menus of their best-selling and most popular items on their menus. A list of restaurants can be found online at www.restaurantweekhawaii.com and include every type of food a visitor to the state can think of in terms of food offerings – and yes, reservations are recommended. Malama pono!

Posted by Laurie Cicotello Twitter @LaurieCicotello

‘Ukuleles Provide Hawaii Soundtrack

Bruce Fisher — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:38:45 +0000

The sound of ‘ukuleles wafting on a light tropical breeze may seem like a movie cliché, but it really is a beloved musical instrument in Hawaii. As I walked across campus this morning, I happened upon a group of students gathered to play ‘ukuleles together at 8 am! One of the guys in my Latin class often walks into class strumming the ‘ukulele, providing us with a serenade snippet before the work of translation gets underway.

Even younger school children are also learning to play the ‘ukulele, some recipients of free instruments from the ‘Ukulele Guild of Hawaii. The guild’s annual conference next weekend will feature free exhibits of custom made instruments and open mic ‘ukulele performances. Seminars are available for a fee.

An annual Ukulele Festival is held at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand in Waikiki - next year it will be Sunday, July 18, 2010. Organizers say it is the largest gathering of its kind in the world. A free two-hour concert features local entertainers, national celebrities and a ukulele orchestra of more than 800 students, mostly children.

As with the guitar, the instrument that inspired ‘ukuleles originally came to Hawaii in the hands of visitors. Portuguese field workers brought musical instruments along when they arrived in the late 1800’s. According to legend, the smaller cousin was given a name that means "jumping flea" from the swift finger movements of the players.

Once on the islands, the ‘ukulele developed a local sound that is proving remarkably adaptable. ‘Ukuleles have been used in many different kinds of music featured in films, television programs and commercials. It is as versatile as the individual performer, played by young and old, in traditional island music, jazz or indie pop. While Hawaii is happy to share its love of the instrument, we do have one request. Please pronounce it oo-kuh-ley-ley (at least while you’re here).

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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Rain Doesn’t Delay Hawaii Vacation

Bruce Fisher — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:46:31 +0000

"What if I come to Hawaii for sun and sand and it rains the whole time, did I waste the trip?" It won’t and you didn’t. Rain in Hawaii takes many forms. Right now, the wind is blowing and rain is falling but the sun is shining. It’s not cold outside, just wet. The photo is of rain during a picnic at the beach — we just covered the food to keep it from getting soggy and played in the ocean anyway. Once you’re wet, a little extra water from the sky doesn’t really matter.

If you encounter heavy rains - and we do get those days - you might switch to alternative excursions. There’s plenty to explore indoors in Hawaii. Not only are there the sorts of museums and art galleries one might expect on the mainland, there are also places that chronicle Hawaii’s unique history. For example, the Mission Houses feature craft displays from the earliest western settlers. The Bishop Museum includes pre-contact culture, including a recently renovated Hawaii Hall. If history isn’t your thing, take a walking tour of the art galleries near Chinatown. There are many alternatives to a day of sunbathing other than checking out the offerings on cable TV from your hotel room.

We are entering the "winter" season in Hawaii, which is rainier. A winter vacation means fewer crowds on the beach and a more relaxed tempo (if that is possible). It also means you may want to have a rainy-day itinerary on stand-by, just in case. That way, the change in the weather doesn’t disrupt your plans; it just alters them for a moment. And you get to experience the very best thing about rain in Hawaii — the inevitable rainbow that follows!

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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Aloha Shirts in Hawaii

Bruce Fisher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:44:16 +0000

"What do you call Hawaiian shirts in Hawaii?" asked a recent joke on Twitter. "Shirts!" Wrong, on two counts. First, "Hawaiian" refers to a particular ethnic identity, not to all residents of the state, so that is incorrect when applied to a style of shirt by anyone. Second, we do have a term for the colorful, tropical patterns — they are called "aloha" shirts.

And, to answer another question, we really do wear them. However, there are differences among the cheaper, gaudier garments sold on the sidewalk and the graceful, elegant designs sold in fine clothing stores. Nevertheless, they reflect a local love of colorful clothing.

It took me a couple of encounters to realize that some of the aloha shirts are worn as uniforms. For example, when the first Target opened on the islands, crew members were dressed in red aloha shirts rather than the red polos worn on the mainland. Beyond that, some uniform shirts have customized patterns. The aloha shirts worn by bus drivers have little busses tucked in among the flowers. Our campus bookstore sells aloha shirts that incorporate the UH logo. Some of the private high school students who ride the bus with me have school uniform shirts in an aloha pattern.

If you have colorful, tropical shirts by all means bring them along on a visit to Hawaii. However, if you don’t you might want to wait and get some here. They are lightweight and casual, yet appropriate in almost any circumstance. It is not unusual for men to wear nice aloha shirts to the office or dinner. (I’ve seen legislators and government officials wearing them in TV interviews.) Women wear aloha patterned shirts and dresses. It’s a celebration of the beautifully lush natural environment in which we live, work and play.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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Hawaii Chicken!

Bruce Fisher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:05:05 +0000

At one point, my family lived on a small farm-ette which included chickens. We had them for the fresh eggs and, occasionally, for the chicken soup. I hated those chickens. I disliked feeding them, gathering the eggs, and most especially, cleaning the coop.

HOWEVER, I love chickens in Hawaii. Why? Well, they seem to be fairly autonomous. There are feral chickens on most of the islands, apparently. They just wander around on their own, not expecting to be taken care of (or eaten). We first experienced chickens in the wild on our second visit, when I had an appointment at the University of Hawaii. (That was also the time we discovered that you cannot eat a Fat Boy burger and drive at the same time, but that’s another story.) While I discussed philosophy with professors, Rick entertained himself by wandering around Manoa, where he first met a flock of wild chicken.

Since then, we encounter them regularly. The photo is from a Kailua parking lot, where a hen and her chicks had decided that it was a good idea to huddle up next to a truck tire, for some reason. We have seen them on hikes, as well, and at a park along the beach. They are amusing to watch. One morning on the way to a conference, I watched a rooster walk across the street with several hens. One hen, somehow, missed the crossing and was left on the median. She was panicking, wandering around in circles. Annoyed, the rooster crossed the street to reach her and then chased her back across the road to join the group, complaining all the way.

That’s the reason I love chickens in Hawaii. They are so amusing when they are on their own, rather than cooped up or in cages. They may be annoying to some, crowing or clucking at odd hours, but I love seeing them as fellow creatures, rather than captives. One writer compared them to the movie "Chicken Run: The Great Escape," which makes me laugh. Even the chickens love hanging out in Hawaii!

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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More Time in Hawaii

Bruce Fisher — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:43:16 +0000

Last week, I wrote that clocks in Hawaii would not "fall back" over the weekend, as Daylight Savings time is not observed in this state. (Hawaii Clocks Stay Put) One reader Tweeted to let me know that Hawaii had experimented with a time change back in the 1930’s, according to his family stories. Intrigued, I did some quick internet research.

The always-informative and occasionally-authoritative Wikipedia reports: "Hawaii did experiment with DST for three weeks between April 30 and May 21, 1933; there is no record as to why it was implemented or discontinued." Well, THAT’s interesting. How can you know the exact dates of the time shift but not why it was either undertaken or abandoned or both? I’m dying to know more.

I did locate a couple of other interesting items in my quick search. First, among the emergency powers of the Governor of Hawaii is the ability to impose Daylight Savings Time. I’m having trouble imagining exactly what that type of emergency would look like, but someone must have had an idea. I’m now a little apprehensive.

Second: apparently, a resolution has been introduced in the past several legislative sessions asking for a study of how Daylight Savings Time might benefit the State of Hawaii. It looks like it passed in 2009, with a report due back before the start of the 2010 legislative session. If you know anything about the legislative interest in a seasonal time change for Hawaii, PLEASE do tell!

In the meantime, I’m happily greeting dawn at my bus stop and watching sunrise on my walk across campus en route to my very early class, as usual.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

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