Unless you’re into quilting as an avocation, it’s likely that quilts aren’t a large part of your consciousness. Here in the islands, a Hawaiian quilt is considered a treasure, whether you’ve received one as a gift, bought one or made one yourself.
Long before the first Westerners reached the islands, the Hawaiian people were making a fabric called "kapa" from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. Kapa was pounded into layers and sewn with bone needles and natural fiber threads. The yield was clothing, bedding and canoe sails. The resulting fabric usually was dyed and decorated with elaborate patterns.
When the missionaries brought woven fabrics and piecework quilts to Hawaii, the Hawaiians quickly adopted their sewing techniques and materials – but not their methods.
Rather than cut fabrics into bits and then resew them, the Hawaiians’ designs were cut from solid pieces of cloth and appliquéd to a fabric background forming a decorative top. Batting of wool, cotton, or natural fibers was placed between this top and an undecorated backing. The three layers were then stitched together.
It’s presumed that the first Hawaiian quilt designs were inspired by leaf patterns falling on fabric laid out to dry and other designs found in nature. The quilts weren’t sold; they were gifts of love.
During the latter years of the monarchy and particularly after Queen Lili’uokalani was deposed in 1893, quilt patterns incorporating themes of royalty, "Ali`i", and of the royal palaces became symbols of Hawaiian identity. Today it’s considered a matter of courtesy for non-Hawaiians to request permission from members of the Hawaiian community before using those particular patterns.
Quilting has gained a respected place in the resurgence of traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts. Now quilters are passing on their knowledge of the past and creating new designs.
Hawaii’s visitors usually come across Hawaiian quilts – as they browse shops, see them in hotel lobbies and some rooms, or encounter them in private homes. They are easy to covet, but are bulky when it comes to getting them back home. Several companies will ship your choices to you. For your guidance, here’s what you can expect to pay for quilts of various sizes for various uses:
Bedspread: $ 650
Large Wall Hanging: $ 160
Small Wall Hanging: $ 30
Baby Quilt: $ 65
Table Runner: $ 50
And it’s easy to take quilt making lessons while you’re here.
If you’d like to follow up your interest in the quilts, let us know. Pick an agent from our Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-5262. We’ll hook you up with the best sources.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 14th, 2008
It’s probably too late for you to see the show in Honolulu, but Hawaii residents have been blown away by the Cirque du Soleil show “Saltimbanco,” which has been in town since last month. Its final performance here is November 16th, at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena.
Saltimbanco, which literally means "to jump on a bench" in Italian, looks into the universal urban experience — the people who live in cities, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, their families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of its skyscrapers. The show takes its spectators on a spectacularly acrobatic journey into the heart of a metropolis. It’s a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.
It’s full of nonstop tools and techniques: Adagio (based on acrosport), Chinese poles, juggling, boleadoras (percussion instruments), Russian swing, hand-to-hand, bungees and trapeze. All those form the language the characters of Saltimbanco use to assert their identities, and the audience journeys with them at the heart of an imaginary city brimming with optimism.
The characters include the Baron, Eddy and the Sleeper, who interact with one another under the eye of the Ringmaster, who guides the audience on this whirlwind journey into the heart of the city. The orchestra’s music keeps things moving along at an almost frantic pace.
Everybody here loved the show. The kids, in particular, have been spellbound with even the little ones sitting quietly in amazement throughout.
If you are in Honolulu now, plenty of seats remain for the final performances. You can get tickets at the Blaisdell box office or on line at www.ticketmaster.com
If you live in or near one of the following areas, make note of when Saltimbanco will be in town:
Prescott Valley, AZ
Tim’s Toyota Center, Nov. 20-23
Tucson, AZ
Tucson Arena, Nov. 26-30
Oklahoma City, OK
Ford Center, Dec. 3-7
Tulsa, OK
BOK Center, Dec. 10-14
Hidalgo, TX
Dodge Arena, Dec. 17-2
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 13th, 2008
When Hawaii became a state in 1959, our residents were relieved, excited, optimistic … and a little sheepish. We still were out here in the middle of the Pacific. Sure enough, we had been recognized as a tourist destination, but so had Tahiti and Bali. Most of our visitors referred to the mainland as “the states” as if we were pretenders. We were, it seemed, just “sort of” a state, not a full-fledged one.
Half a century later, presidential candidate Barack Obama’s citizenship was questioned during the campaign. After all, his father was Kenyan; Barack had been born way out in Hawaii and had attended schools in Jakarta until sixth grade when he returned to the islands.
In spite of ourselves, we Hawaii residents (Can’t call ourselves “Hawaiians” unless Hawaiian blood is pumped by our hearts) have felt a little like second-class Americans – proud of our islands and all they offer, but not quite fitting in with the contiguous states.
It would take something special for us to get over that hump.
The West Coast went through the same process. The “West” was part of history – the “Wild” West of pioneers, settlers, ranchers and gunfighters – but beyond the mountains lay an area the rest of the country cared little about although big cities had been established and Easterners were moving west.
In 1957, Walter O’Malley took the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and Horace Stoneham took the Giants from Upper Manhattan to San Francisco.
Virtually overnight, the West Coast was in the Big Leagues. The Bay Area and Southern California were recognized nationally as key players.
Half a century later, our islands began to creep into the hierarchy of national prominence.
No, we can’t be called “Big League.” Our professional sports remain restricted to surfing, a few pro golf tournaments and competitions such as the Iron Man Triathlon and the International Billfish Tournament.
But there have been strides.
Hawaii’s music now is being recognized and honored. Not so long ago, a laid-back Don Ho was our voice. Today, Israel Kamakawiwo`ole, posthumously, is leading the way, and our music is being heard and respected around the world.
Big-ticket international performers know they can fill our venues, including Aloha Stadium, with ardent and passionate fans.
Hawaii has become an international film center, hosting The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) and gaining worldwide respect as an ideal location for myriad projects. Long-running TV series find ways to locate here for episodes – often several episodes.
The Sony Open, the UH football team’s undefeated 2007 season, the NFL Pro Bowl and the Honolulu Marathon all have attracted top-of-the-mind attention from sports fans around the world.
Our islands are among the more appealing travel destinations globally. Our better hotels are authentically world-class. Our beaches and natural wonders are many and splendid.
Our cuisine has become as distinctive as New Orleans’s. Hawaii Regional Cuisine uses our islands’ fresh produce, meat and seafood to concoct wonderfully creative and toothsome dishes, imaginatively presented. Not only has Hawaii Regional Cuisine taken Island dining to a lofty international level, it’s also established Hawaii-grown products as being among the finest in the world.
Our physicians, scientists and teachers are amazing the world with discoveries, new techniques and, yes, cures. Honolulu has become an international business center and technology mecca.
New York would trade its skyline for our climate. Philadelphia would jettison its slogan if it had our aloha. San Francisco would give up its bridge for our neighbor islands. How many Chicagoans have ever seen a rainbow?
But until very recently it seemed that we still were reflecting a sense of being “way out here in the Pacific.” We hadn’t had confidence in who we are and where we stand. We continued to think we were insignificant members of the USA community.
Boy, has that ever changed!
One of our guys is going to be President of the United States. Another one, Sen. Daniel Inouye, will hold the nation’s purse strings as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. One of our athletes, Shane Victorino, is a key member of the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies and acknowledged as the best center fielder in his league. Another, Bryan Clay, is the Olympic decathlon champion.
We’re making news – positive news. We sense the rest of the world has noticed us and has acknowledged our contributions to its progress.
Suddenly, we can consider ourselves players. We can feel proud of who we are beyond the beaches.
We’re prouder than ever to show ourselves off to you. Hurry on down.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 12th, 2008
Henry Kapono performing for HAWAII-ALOHA.COM
On Saturday evening, November 8, you would have thought Hawaii Aloha Travel was celebrating a booming economy. Refreshments flowed, appetites were satiated beyond capacity, the room rocked with spirited entertainment, camaraderie was manifest with smiles and hugs, and optimism suggested impending success.
It was HAT’s annual Appreciation Event, held in East Oahu, acknowledging the efforts of our agents and support staff who relentlessly work to find the very best packages, offers, rates and incentive deals available for Hawaii visitors.
While the rest of Hawaii’s travel practitioners were wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth in the face of declining hotel occupancy, reduced airline capacities, layoffs and cutbacks, we were appreciating a sustained clientele level and a confirmed high level of service to our clients.
No, business isn’t better for us than it was a year ago at the moment, but neither has it sunk to the depths many of our colleagues in the industry are suffering through and with it all we are up 24% over last year.
The reason for that is simple. People and families, still seeking affordable vacation options, are turning to the Internet and discovering Hawaii-Aloha.com.
They realize our agents not only know the territory and are plugged into virtually all available distress sales, special bargains and limited opportunities, they also see that we network and provide travelers with 24-7 support unavailable through individual bargain-hunting and cherry-picking.
From initial contact via our Web site or toll-free telephone (1-800-843-8771), we stay with you and trouble shoot in the event of glitches such as cancelled flights, hotel mix-ups, unavailable or unsatisfactory rental-car arrangements – things you would find impossible to rectify by contacting the providers directly. We all were either born and raised in Hawaii or have lived here long enough to be true experts in the market – even those of us based on the mainland. We have the clout and the wherewithal to fix things immediately so you can experience a snag-free trip. You will have your own agent, and he or she will be backed up by a network of Hawaii-Aloha professionals who make things happen on a daily basis – always available to you and loaded with suggestions and money-saving solutions.
So we hope the rest of the industry will forgive our self-congratulatory revelry on Saturday evening. We feel we earned it, and we’re confident that visitors to our site such as you will have the opportunity to fulfill your vacation hopes and dreams with our help.
November 11th, 2008
The sport began as “baggataway” in Canada in the mid-19th century. The Native American Cherokees called it "the little brother of war" because it was considered excellent military training. A team consisted of hundreds, even thousands, of players, often an entire village or tribe, carrying sticks with little baskets on the end. The goals were often miles apart, and a game might last as long as three days. French explorers who thought the stick resembled a bishop’s crozier — la crosse, in French – gave it its modern name. The Montreal Lacrosse Club, founded in 1856, developed the first written rules.
Players in Upstate New York began to play lacrosse about 1868, and seven colleges formed the first Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association three years later.
Now, the NCAA lacrosse finals draw crowds of 50,000 and the sport has received national attention as a viable, watchable, truly exciting sport.
There are large areas of the country where lacrosse is virtually unknown, but it has become popular in many other areas, Hawaii included, where it began to take hold at the end of the 1980s. Hawaii Lacrosse now is the official governing body for the sport in Hawaii. They are the Hawaii chapter of U.S. Lacrosse, the official governing body in the United States. The sport has definitely caught on in Hawaii, with some of the high schools currently fielding teams.
There are at least three lacrosse clubs active in the islands, comprised of both men and women, and the Hawaii Lacrosse Invitational tournament was founded in 1991.
This year’s tournament – now the 18th Annual – was held in late October at Kapiolani Park, welcoming men and women lacrosse players from across the globe as well as local players for a weekend of world-class lacrosse, live entertainment, free clinics and a big party at the end. Some 40 teams — 1,000 people — from the U.S. Mainland, Japan, Canada and Hawaii, were on hand for what is now considered to be the nation’s premier fall lacrosse tournament.
If you’re into the sport and presumed you would have to go without a fix while you vacation here, be advised that you can probably find a game if you check with one of the local clubs. Pick an agent from our Web site at HAWAII-ALOHA.COM , or call 1-800-843-8771. We’ll put you in touch.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 10th, 2008
Dolphins are represented everywhere in Hawaii. You’ll see them in murals, paintings and sculptures. They’re on the holding ends of swizzle sticks in bars, forming the bases of lamps in hotel rooms and decorating the walls of lobbies and cocktail lounges.
It’s more than likely that you’ll see real live dolphins on your Hawaii vacation. If you’re on a local cruise or aboard a private boat, you may see a pod of dolphins join you — riding on the bow waves or the stern wake. While that behavior probably is adapted from the practice of riding ocean swells, the wakes of large whales or a mother dolphin’s "slip stream," it seems for all the world that the friendly mammals are socializing with you. Seemingly carefree, they appear out of nowhere to put on a show for you. When they do, you may feel an almost irresistible urge to get in the water and play with them.
But swimming with dolphins in the wild is illegal. Humans and vessels have to maintain a distance of at least 50 yards. (It’s not illegal for dolphins to approach you, but it is against the law to approach, chase, surround, touch or swim with them.)
Some tour boat operators have developed acceptable self-regulating guidelines and offer small group tours with guides who are trained marine mammal naturalists. There are rules, generally including the following:
• Let the dolphins approach you and stay relaxed. Swim quietly alongside them
and when they swim away, don’t follow them.
• Don’t try to feed them. That would be harmful to their health as well as their
social behavior. They’ll find all the food they need on their own.
• Don’t try to get them to play with a toy. They can find their own toys in the
ocean.
Another way to get to know dolphins is to participate in the Dolphin Quest interactive program at the Kahala Hotel and Resort on Oahu or the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. The program provides a variety of fun and educational encounters with dolphins. At the Kahala, the staff works with a small pod of dolphins training them to, among other things, interact with people. One staffer there says the dolphins are like Golden Retrievers because they love meeting new people. At Hilton Waikoloa Village, the dolphins reside in a protected area of the resort’s four-acre, saltwater lagoon.
Sea Life Park, on the east shore of Oahu, offers interactive dolphin experiences, too. The park’s Dolphin Adventures is a deep-water experience that allows you to swim with and among dolphins, and you’ll get a personal lesson from Sea Life Park trainers with a chance to view dolphins underwater and up close.
Such adventures are enormously popular, and expensive. At Sea Life Park, you can get a kiss on the cheek from a dolphin, a dorsal fin ride and a foot push (That’s when you get thrust across the water from the bottom of your feet from a dolphin’s bottle nose.)
Sound like fun? It costs almost $200 per person and will go up to $215 after the first of the year. (There are less expensive encounters, starting at about $100 for adults and $70 for kids.)
Plan well. At all the venues, the encounters are booked months ahead.
If you want to work a dolphin encounter into your vacation, Hawaii-Aloha.com can package one for you that accommodates all your other plans, and we’ll find you the best rates available. Pick and agent from our Web site at hawaii-aloha.com, or call 1-800-843-8771.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 10th, 2008
To have seen the original 1949 Broadway production of James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize winning “South Pacific,” you’d be a septuagenarian now, and you’re in your 60s if you saw the movie in a theater. The show is considered one of the greatest ever. It was nominated for ten Tony awards and won all of them, and it remains the only show to land all four acting awards. Set during World War II, the story still holds up and you won’t be disappointed if you rent the video.
The March 2008 revival of the show, still a hot ticket on Broadway, was nominated for 11 Tonys and won seven. (The part of Bloody Mary is performed by Hawaii entertainer Loretta Ables Sayre, who earned one of the nominations.)
Director Josh Logan chose Kauai as the principal location for the 1958 film version. The publicity for its release provided a huge boost for Hawaii tourism, and put Kauai on the map as a major film location for Hollywood productions.
The movie starred Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi, a prominent Italian actor who appeared in some U.S.-produced films (Interlude, The Barefoot Contessa, Three Coins in the Fountain).
Now there’s a local revival of the Broadway production at the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort, a well-produced dinner show in the resort’s main ballroom with local talent. The show begins at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday evenings and is followed by a cocktail and buffet dinner. The performance allows you to re-experience the classic score — "Some Enchanted Evening," "Bali Hai," “Happy Talk,” “I’m in Love with A Wonderful Guy,” and it’s enjoying good reviews.
If your vacation plans include Kauai, you might consider taking the show in. Book well ahead. Hawaii-Aloha.com can help you with that. Pick an agent from our Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com) or call 1-800-843-8771.
Your Blogger’s Sidebar:
Back in 1982, I produced a mini movie for a local developer to promote his high-end residences that were to be built on the promontory above where the Hanalei River’s mouth meets Hanalei Bay. Since the homes were to be exorbitantly priced, the marketing strategy was to produce a film that would highlight the beauty of the Hanalei area and relate it to the South Pacific movie. In lieu of advertising and brochures, the plan was to identify the few people in the world who could qualify for the purchase and deliver a copy of our film to every one of them.
We brought Rossano Brazzi to Hanalei from Italy. His beloved wife Lydia had died just the year before, and he was more than willing to return and rekindle the memories he and Lydia had shared while Rossano was shooting the South Pacific picture. We hired Michael Gleason, who had created the “Remington Steele” TV series but was unable to work in Hollywood because of a writer’s strike, to write our script. Rossano was accompanied by his brother Oscar Brazzi, a famous Italian director and producer, to provide creative input. Oscar spoke no English whatsoever, but he and I discovered we could communicate by sketching little storyboards that expressed our thoughts and ideas. It allowed us to amuse ourselves and feel important, but Michael Gleason closeted himself in his hotel room for two weeks and generated the entire script without any help from Oscar or me.
Michael had brought along his beautiful young wife (He has since remarried), who was left on her own while he worked. An aspiring actress and full of ambition and moxie, she spent her time attempting to get close to anyone who might help her career along. She realized early on that I was a mere local advertising guy and not of much use, and our director, Mique Quenzer, had made it clear from the outset that he wanted nothing to do with her. She turned her attention to Rossano and followed him everywhere. Rossano was a gentleman and tolerant, but he said to me every day when he got me alone, “That woman! She-sa driving me crazy!”
Our film – Rossano providing a tour of the area and recalling all the things he loved about making the movie and Hanalei – did its job to everyone’s satisfaction.
Unfortunately, the homes were indeed overpriced and the entire development was scrapped before ground was broken, before copies of our film were delivered to prospects, and before any homes were pre-sold. The master copy of the film is in storage somewhere, I suppose, and I don’t know of anyone who has a copy. Too bad. It was pretty good.
Jim Winpenny
November 7th, 2008
In Downtown Honolulu, a small cluster of houses holds some of Hawaii’s most significant history. Unfortunately, it often is overlooked by visitors whose attention in the area tends to focus on Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, the Kamehameha statue, the state capitol and Chinatown.
The Mission Houses, which were the original headquarters of the Sandwich Islands Mission, are the oldest structures in Honolulu and provide a link to an era of enormous cultural change in the islands. Missionaries from New England began to arrive in Hawaii in 1820 determined to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity.
King Kamehameha II viewed the missionaries with mistrust. He imposed a one-year limit to their stay and confined them this then- barren place between Waikiki and Downtown in which to live. They managed to construct only a few grass huts there, which afforded them little shelter and the dry earth made farming on a large scale impossible.
The Frame House on the grounds was shipped around Cape Horn from Boston in 1820 and is the oldest wood house in Hawaii. The Chamberlain House, built of coral blocks in 1831, was both a family home and storehouse for mission supplies. The third building, also of coral blocks, was completed in 1841. Today, it functions as the Printing Office. A working replica of the first printing press to be brought to Hawaii is demonstrated there on a regular basis.
The missionaries are remembered in two lights. They are respected for having created an alphabet that preserved the Hawaiian language, which had hitherto been spoken and sung only. But it also can be said that their spreading of Christianity contributed to the deterioration of the Hawaiian culture.
Few of the original furnishings have survived, although two large desks from the 1830s (sent to Honolulu from Boston) and a rocking chair still exist. Two hurricane lamps from New England, almost 250 years old, can also be seen.
Tours are available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Groups of more than six should call (808) 531-0481 for reservations.
If you like, we’ll arrange to include a tour in your Hawaii vacation plans. Pick an agent from our Web site home page (Hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-843-8771.
November 6th, 2008
If you like to ride horseback and think you will have few, if any, opportunities to indulge while you’re in Hawaii on vacation, you are mistaken. Those of us who live in the islands like to ride, too. (In our vernacular, we like to “ride horse.”)
Our kids start riding early and take lessons from highly-qualified instructors. The Hawaii Horse Show Association offers hunter, jumper and western competitions throughout the year on Oahu, and other organizations stage events on the neighbor islands. In fact, each of the islands has its “horse country,” with ranches, farms and stables.
You may be here while a rodeo is being held on your island, and they’re great fun with all the events the major circuits feature. The largest rodeo of the year takes place on the 4th of July. With more than 350 cowboys from all over the world, the rodeo livens up Oskie Rice Rodeo Arena, at Kaanaolo Ranch near Makawao on Maui. This Hawaiian style rodeo, with rough stock and roping events, has everything down to the clowns. Before and after the rodeo, you can indulge in the live entertainment and country western dancing.
Wherever you’re staying, you’ll have a lot of choices if you’d like to spend some time on horseback — quick trail rides, rides on the beaches, romantic waterfall picnics, moonlight rides and even intensive cattle drives. Horseback riding in Hawaii offers a huge variety of experiences. Prices start at about $60 for an hour and a half per person, and there is a number of horseback adventures – such as a ride to the Haleakala crater on Maui – with prices that range between $120 and $200 per person. Several hotels and resorts offer horseback riding as a standard amenity like golf, tennis or a spa. Experienced professionals will make sure your venture into the world of Hawaiian equestrianism is an unforgettable one!
We can work horseback riding into your vacation plans for you. Just pick an agent from the Hawaii Aloha Web site home page (Hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-843-8771.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Your Blogger’s Side Bar
Shortly after I moved my family to Hawaii from the East Coast in the early 1970s, we were befriended by my lawyer and his wife, who had a family ranch in Waimanalo — “horse country” on Oahu. Beverly, the wife, insisted that she give horseback-riding lessons to our nine-year-old daughter Karen. Easy enough. The horses were on hand, lessons were free and Karen seemed to love both the ranch and riding. She conscientiously tended to her tack, cleaned stalls and groomed as many horses as she could, visiting the ranch virtually every day.
After about a year, Beverly told us that Karen’s riding skills were extraordinary, and that she should take private, professional lessons. Okay, we went along with that. With the lessons, Karen was becoming more and more proficient on horseback and we began to enter her in equestrian show events. Up until then she had been “share boarding” – paying part of the cost of boarding a ranch horse that was ridden by as many as three or four others. She started earning ribbons at shows, and before long most of the ribbons were blue. It was time to buy her a horse of her own. She and her beloved Renegade reached statewide championship status, now earning trophies and medals and plates regularly. Karen continued to ride competitively until boys became as interesting to her as riding horse, and that’s when Renegade was sold.
When it was time for her to leave for college, she had accumulated a lawn bag full of ribbons and shelves full of various kinds of trophies. A rough count came out at 300 or so. I started to do some retroactive arithmetic. Each ribbon represented at least a $15 entry fee in its class. Especially at the outset, she entered several classes in which she did not place. The trophies represented high-end shows and the entry fees were considerably higher. Then, of course, there were the costs relating to the share boarding and later her own stall, feed and tack, saddle, boots, riding livery, lessons, veterinarian services … and the champion Renegade’s purchase price.
Actually, I don’t like to think about it.
Jim Winpenny
November 5th, 2008
It looks a little strange at first. You see a guy standing on a surfboard holding a canoe paddle and cruising along as if he were on a raft on a lake or calm river.
He’s SUPing. While Stand Up Paddle boarding is considered an “emerging” sport worldwide, it’s origin is strictly Hawaiian and it can be traced back to the days when surfing instructors used the technique to manage large groups of learner surfers. Standing on the board gave them a higher point of view that made it easier for them to see what was going on around them — such as an incoming swell.
Recently, it has become an alternative way to ride surf and as a means of staying in shape, and it’s gaining popularity as the demands for global-conscious green sports increase.
Pure surfers have converted because of the versatility of the new sport. Stand up paddle boarding offers a better view of incoming sets and gives surfers the ability to catch more waves in a set.
A custom SUP board costs from $900 to $1500 new. The boards are usually between nine and 12 feet in length. Some come with special features such as padded decks, concave hulls, and surfboard-style fins in the stern for stability.
Beach-service concessions on Waikiki Beach and in the busy beach areas on some neighbor islands now offer stand up paddle lessons and rent the equipment. If you’re a beginning surfer, by all means take lessons. You’ll begin with a land lesson where your instructor goes over safety tips, balance, positioning, turning, and the equipment and how to properly use it. After the land lesson, you’ll be escorted into the water and your instructor will help you with paddling techniques in the water.
It’s really a lot of fun, and it’ll give you something neat to talk about when you return home from your Hawaii vacation.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 4th, 2008
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