Hawaii Vacation Blog

Oahu traffic – getting around the island

There is a construction staging area for roadwork projects in and around Honolulu below the HAT Blog Home Office, and it’s busy. It’s got us thinking about getting around on Oahu and choosing the best way to get to where you want to go and avoid the frustration of snarled Oahu traffic. Across the street, […]

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Hawaii Theatre – a visitor primer

We made a trip to the Hawaii Theatre Centre with some of the HAT Blog ohana recently and I was struck anew by the splendor of the 100-year-old edifice and its remarkable history as the “Pride of the Pacific”, named as such by the papers here and abroad at the time of its September 1922 […]

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Kona Brewing Hawaii Kai – waterfront dining and drinks

A recent visit to Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai at Koko Marina Shopping Center on Oahu was remarkable for a few reasons. First among them was realizing it was just my second time at the brewpub since its opening in 2003 (I grew up in Hawaii Kai, but I have been a Honolulu Downtowner […]

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Hawaii funerals, Hawaii weddings – lessons in life

Recently we’ve had the impetus, if not the time, to think about living and dying in Hawaii. Two friends, in the same age cohort, have passed away. Both fought their battles with pancreatic cancer to a draw. After all, the cancer within them died with them, as the comic great Norm MacDonald once put it. […]

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Hawaii mango season – it’s on

As July approaches, so does the peak of Hawaii mango season. With it comes an endless supply of mango bread, mango chutney, pickled mango, mango salsa, mango smoothies, and every other imaginable culinary iteration of the sweet tropical fruit. It’s also harvest season for a variety of other endemic Hawaii fruits. Hawaii is a tropical […]

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Hawaii stargazing – bring on the night

The Hawaii summer solstice has come round again (and for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere). Surely many in the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating the return to longer days of sunshine (it’s their Winter Solstice). Here in the North Central Pacific, the summer solstice means that beach days will be getting shorter for the next […]

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Oahu beach reading tips for visitors

Glutted with an overconsumption of news, local, national, and international, I recently surrendered and retreated to the beach to read a book. It was the perfect salve for a chafed disposition. And it has prompted me to offer some tips about Oahu beach reading. I’ll note first that I greased up properly with reef-safe sunscreen […]

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Kilauea Volcano erupts spectacularly – visitor tips

Well, that escalated quickly! Instantly and explosively, Halema’uma’u Crater at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island roared back into the international spotlight in the predawn hours of June 7. The Kilauea volcano eruption will attract visitors to the park in huge numbers. Residents and visitors are already thronging to the park, […]

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Hawaii hurricane season 2023 – what to know

June has arrived, and with it, so has Hawaii hurricane season. Hurricanes in Hawaii are rare indeed, although tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific are not. Forecasters at the NOAA say that they expect 4-7 of those potentially dangerous weather systems to form in 2023. This is not cause for alarm. It is, however, a […]

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Sunny’s Local Grind – local in Waikiki

Sunny’s is a coffee shop and breakfast/lunch joint located on the western “edge of Waikiki”. It’s about a mile and a half from the Honolulu Zoo at Waikiki’s eastern end. So, a fairly short walk from just about anywhere in Waikiki, and well worth it. Sunny’s Local Grind – keeping it local Sunny’s Local Grind […]

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Iam Tongi – American Idol, Ambassador of Aloha

Iam Tongi is the new American Idol. With his angelic voice, inspiring backstory, and gift for songwriting, Tongi has captured the hearts of the show’s judges and millions of its viewers and voters. He became a national sensation when his audition went viral. His journey to the top of the world of music and entertainment […]

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Pauoa Flats Trail – a hike to remember and ponder

Prompted by a conversation with a bar-tending friend who also happens to be a marathoner and avid trail runner, the HAT Blog recently embarked on a hike along the Pauoa Flats Trail. It’s near our home office, fairly easy, and under one mile (.75 mi). It’s only accessible from a handful of other Na Ala […]

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