Trips of Wonder

Aloha 'Oe - Until We Meet Again

2011-11-28T05:50:00.001-08:00

YouTube video posted by FatherDamienMolokai

From the 1999 film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, here is Kate Ceberano as Princess Lili'uokalani (later Queen Liliuokalani) singing her beautiful composition Aloha 'Oe in the movie during a visit to the Island of Molokai in 1881. Liliuokalani met with Father Damien (Joseph De Veuster) and witnessed firsthand the pain and suffering of those afflicted with leprosy.

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

Longboard in Hilo

Alan White, The Big Island, Hawaii

January 25, 1940

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - October 9, 2011

2011-10-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Lanai Isle (Pineapple Isle), Hawaii

October 6, 1946

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Yippee!

2011-10-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

Wahine Surfer at Waikiki, c.1920

Island of Oahu, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

TripsOfWonder.com

Our travel website Trips of Wonder, created to share free online guidebooks for the beautiful Islands of Hawaii, has just gone over 100,000 page views!

Please continue to join us on our journey to spread positive change in the world. Learn all about Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Big Island, Molokai and Lanai, Hawaii at www.TripsOfWonder.com.

If you love travel and the Islands of Hawaii, visit us on our Facebook page to share our fun and informative site with your family and friends. Thank you and Aloha!

Sweet Leilani

2011-09-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

YouTube video posted by tvcollector71

In 1934, composer and bandleader Harry Owens wrote the touching song "Sweet Leilani" in honor of his newborn daughter. Actor and singer Bing Crosby went on to popularize the Oscar winning song in the film "Waikiki Wedding".

Here is a beautifully played instrumental version of "Sweet Leilani" from The Lawrence Welk Show with Buddy Merrill on steel guitar and Jerry Burke on the electric organ. Aloha and happy memories!

Awa'awapuhi Trail at Koke'e State Park, Kauai

2011-08-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

All photographs taken in Koke'e State Park

on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii

by Anna Tan and Pak So

Courtesy of Trips of Wonder

In magnificent Koke'e State Park (most visitors travel here to see Waimea Canyon) on Kauai's western end, there are many beautiful hiking trails for those who really want to see and experience the best of Kauai's splendor.

One such hike we took began at the 3.1 mile Awa'awapuhi Trail with options to then connect and loop to the 2.1 mile Nu'alolo Cliff Trail and the 3.8 mile Nu'alolo Trail. Our journey that day took us down the mostly downhill 3.1 mile first segment toward indescribable views of Awa'awaphui and Nu'alolo Valleys from over 2,000 feet above the ocean and Kauai's Na Pali Coast. What goes down ... must come up, so be prepared for a return trek of the same distance going back uphill. Please bring plenty of water and take special note that portions of these hikes are considered strenuous and difficult.

The Awa'awapuhi Trail begins in a peaceful upland forest setting with surrounding birdsong and tropical flora. We even spied a deer during our hike. But trust us ... you will be working your butt off on this hike and it certainly won't a stereotypical day at the beach in Hawaii!

From the Hawaii State Parks website:

Awaawapuhi Trail: The trail starts at a parking area near the highway 17 mile marker. This forest reserve area is managed as wilderness because of the rich variety of native dryland plant species thriving in it. The trail ends abruptly on the ridge top, at 2,500 ft. elevation, affording spectacular views down sheer palis (cliffs) into Awaawapuhi and Nualolo Valleys overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Nualolo Cliffs Trail: The trail starts near the 3.0 mile point on the Awaawapuhi Trail and meets the Nualolo Trail between the 3 mile and 3 1/4 mile markers. The trail skirts the upper rim of the precipitous Nualolo Valley and permits a "loop" route from the head of Awaawapuhi Trail to Kokee State Park Headquarters or vice versa.

Dangerous section of washed out and eroded trail along the Nualolo Cliff Trail near 1.5 and 1.75 mile marker. Use caution and proceed at your own risk.

Nualolo Trail: The trail starts near the Kokee State Park Headquarters. This trail goes through the Kula Natural Area Reserve before reaching the forest reserve. The trail ends at 2,234 ft. elevation at a U.S.G.S. survey marker titled "Lolo No. 2". This trail is used mostly as an access route for hunters but also serves as an alternate route to the cross over Nualolo Cliff Trail to Awaawapuhi Trail.

Be safe on your journey and Aloha! - Pak and Anna

You Must Remember This, A Kiss Is Just a Kiss

2011-08-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Kissing Hula Girl and Surfer Boy

salt and pepper shakers.

Ceramic figurines (Made in Japan)

from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection.

Aloha and kiss a loved one today!

On The Waves At Waikiki

2011-08-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

On The Waves At Waikiki, Surfboarding -

Hawaii's Queen of Sports, 1930s

Look for Night Hawk, the surfing dog!

YouTube video posted by FXBLUES

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - August 4, 2011

2011-08-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Aloha Airlines, Lihue Airport, 1950s

Island of Kauai, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - August 3, 2011

2011-08-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Scene at the Moana Hotel (known as

the Moana Surfrider today), c.1930

Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - August 2, 2011

2011-08-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Kapiolani Drive Inn, 1946

"Yours truly at Kapiolani Park,

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu -

1/2 mile from my home."

Island of Oahu, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - August 1, 2011

2011-08-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hula Maids In Tropic Setting, 1950s

Beautiful Islands of Hawaii

Taylor Agencies postcard image from

our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 31, 2011

2011-07-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Queen's Surf Luau, 1950's

Native Feast on the Beach at Waikiki

Island of Oahu, Hawaii

Brochure from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Queen's Surf Luau, c.1960

Native Feast on the Beach at Waikiki

Island of Oahu, Hawaii

Brochure from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 30, 2011

2011-07-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ice cream eating champ Cpl. Peteron

of the fleet Hilo, 1930s

The Big Island, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 29, 2011

2011-07-29T03:34:00.000-07:00

Scene at Nawiliwili Harbor, Lihue

Island of Kauai, Hawaii, c.1960

Matson Lines photograph from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 28, 2011

2011-07-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Lovingly Yours, Evelyn Sakai,

January 22, 1933

Islands of Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage
Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 27, 2011

2011-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

South Point,

on the Big Island of Hawaii

Aerial view of the tip of the "Big Island"

- Ka Lae which is 19 degrees N Latitude

making it the most "southern" piece of land

in the entire United States, c.1980

World Wide Distributors postcard

image from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Hawai'i 78

2011-07-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

YouTube video posted by peasefrawg of

Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole performing

the song Hawai'i 78 from the 1993 album

Facing Future available via

Mountain Apple Company.

"Tears would come from each other's eyes
As they would stop to realize
That our people are in great, great danger now"

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 26, 2011 (Aloha, Hotel Hana-Maui)

2011-07-26T03:44:00.000-07:00

Hotel Hana Ranch (later known

as the Hotel Hana-Maui), c.1947

After a drive on Paradise: Road

to Hana, Maui, you'll reach the

peaceful town of Hana, The Heart

of Old Hawaii, on the Island of Maui.

Brochure from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

As reported by Maureen O'Connell for Hawai'i Magazine, the Hotel Hana-Maui has undergone a makeover and officially changed its name to Travaasa Hana as of June 30, 2011. For those of us who love the history of the Hana Coast, this truly marks the end of a beautiful era.

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 25, 2011

2011-07-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Expedition into Haleakala National Park,

Island of Maui, Hawaii, 1910's

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 24, 2011

2011-07-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

Maui No Ka Oi (Maui Is The Best!)

The Valley Isle, Hawaii, 1940's

Travel pamphlet from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

A hug and farewell with

King Kamehameha himself!

Kona Airport, July 1961

Near Kailua-Kona on

The Big Island of Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 22, 2011

2011-07-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Scene at Hilo Bay, c.1920

The Big Island, Hawaii

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 21, 2011

2011-07-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

A visitor to the islands welcomed

with beautiful Hawaiian flower leis,

Honolulu Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, 1940's

Luke's Photo Studio photograph from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 20, 2011

2011-07-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Mount Hualalai on the Kona-Kohala

Coast of Hawaii's Big Island, c.1920

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana Collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 19, 2011

2011-07-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster

filming the famous kiss scene for

1953's From Here to Eternity

on Halona Beach Cove,

Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

YouTube video of the famous kiss scene

from 1953's Oscar-winning From Here

to Eternity posted by ledemonnoir

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Young Irene Cohen imagines herself as

a Hawaiian hula dancer, Summer 1935

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 17, 2011

2011-07-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hey fellas! Are we going down

to Paia or up to Makawao?

Soldier studying Upcountry road

sign on Baldwin Avenue,

Island of Maui, Hawaii, c.1930's - 40's

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 16, 2011

2011-07-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

Members of the E.K. Fernandez Circus

at Iao Valley State Park in Wailuku,

on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, 1933

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 15, 2011

2011-07-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Paia Beauty Shop business card,

Mrs. Frances Morikawa, Paia

Frederics Permanent Wave, c.1930

On the Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii

Ephemera from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 14, 2011

2011-07-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

Aloha Malihini, 1938

Words and music by Ray

Meany and Bernie Kaai

Sheet music artwork from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian Surfing Wahine,

Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, 1960's

Pacific Film Corporation postcard image

from our Vintage Hawaiian collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 12, 2011

2011-07-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fred Komatsu tests soil temperature and takes important notes for research work to improve crops. Pineapple is grown on Lanai Island as well as on Oahu by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later Dole Food Company), 1940's.

Two photographs from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T03:40:00.000-07:00

Kalaupapa - Kalawao Tours

Island of Molokai, Hawaii, 1960's

Cecilia and James Davidson's

tour service brochure from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 10, 2011

2011-07-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

The destruction of the Hawaiian village

of Ho'opuloa, 5:15 a.m., April 18, 1926

South Kona, The Big Island of Hawaii

Photograph of approaching lava flows

from the volcano by Tai Sing Loo

from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection.

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 9, 2011

2011-07-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Shipped via Hawaiian Airlines, Ltd.

to the Island of Lanai, Hawaii, 1950's

Luggage label from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 8, 2011

2011-07-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Chinese father and babe, Waikiki

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 1920's

Photograph by A. Nielen from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

Lillian White sitting on my new

1946 Plymouth, in the village of

Kahuku, northeastern coast of the

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, July 1946

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 6, 2011

2011-07-06T02:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome Arch, Kamehameha Avenue,

Hilo, Big Island of Hawaii, 1920's

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Dennis the Menace in Maui, Hawaii, 1978

Comic book cover art with a classic image

of Dennis surfing by Hank Ketcham.

Ephemera from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 4, 2011

2011-07-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

19th Annual Makawao Rodeo ticket, July 4, 1974

Town of Makawao in Upcountry, Maui

Ephemera from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 3, 2011

2011-07-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

Guests Having Fun! The Polynesian Way!

At Don the Beachcomber's world-famed

luau, "FEAST OF THE ISLANDS".

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 1950's

Postcard image by Mike Roberts from

our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

> Follow this link to the official Don the Beachcomber website to learn more about the Mai Tai, tiki bars, and the legendary Donn Beach.

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 2, 2011

2011-07-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve,

on the southeast coast of the

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, late 1950's

Hawaii Visitors Bureau photograph

from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - July 1, 2011

2011-07-01T02:44:00.000-07:00

Danger! Hauling Cane, Go Slowly

(likely in the town of Koloa),

Island of Kauai, Hawaii, 1947

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 30, 2011

2011-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Kalapaki Beach in Lihue,

Island of Kauai, Hawaii, late 1950's

Hawaii Visitors Bureau photograph

from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Happy visitor on Waikiki Beach

(seated by the Royal Hawaiian Hotel),

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 1940's

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 28, 2011

2011-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Waipahe'e Slippery Slide,

Island of Kauai, Hawaii, 1934

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 27, 2011

2011-06-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

The cocktail hour at Hotel Hana Maui,

Island of Maui, Hawaii. Sundown comes and

guests relax on the terrace facing Mt. Haleakala.

1950's postcard image from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection produced by Hotel Hana Maui. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Nip Akona surfing at Waikiki Beach,

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 1957

Photograph from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection by Clarence "Mac" Maki. Aloha!

Longing To Belong ... To You

2011-06-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Shot in Hawaii, here's the video for

Eddie Vedder's Longing to Belong

from his new album Ukulele Songs

(released by Monkeywrench Records, 2011)

YouTube video posted by PearlJamOfficial

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 25, 2011

2011-06-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Keiki hula dancer, Hawaii, 1920's

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 24, 2011

2011-06-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Young girl standing in storefront

by a "Bicycles For Rent" sign,

Lahaina, Maui, June 21, 1940

Snapshot from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 23, 2011

2011-06-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Inter-Island Airways, Sikorsky S-43,

Kaunakakai, Molokai, c.1936-39

Photograph from our Vintage

Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

> To learn more about Hawaii's aviation history, please follow this link to the official Hawaiian Aviation website, produced by the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division.

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 22, 2011

2011-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Beach scene at Lanikai showing

outrigger canoe framed by palm leaf,

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 1950's

Postcard image by Werner Stoy from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 21, 2011

2011-06-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hamoa Beach, just past the town of Hana

on the island of Maui, Hawaii, 1950's

United Airlines Photo from our

Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day From Hawaii - June 20, 2011

2011-06-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

On Kauai, The Garden Isle

Barking Sands Beach, 1910's

Photograph from our Vintage Hawaiiana

collection by Ray Jerome Baker. Aloha!

A Boat To Get Across The River

2011-06-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Vintage Hawaiiana photograph, c.1910

courtesy of Trips of Wonder

Excerpt from Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, first published by HJ Kramer, 1991:

She interrupted me. "Just handle what's in front of you now, and the future will take care of itself. Otherwise, you'll spend most of your life wondering which foot you'll use to step off the curb when you're still only halfway to the corner."

"What about planning ahead, and preparing for the future?"

"Plans are useful, but don't get attached to them; life has too many surprises. Preparation, on the other hand, has value, even if the future you planned never comes."

"How's that?"

She paused before answering. "An old friend of mine here on the island, Sei Fujimoto - you haven't met him yet - has worked as a gardener and handyman most of his life. But photography was his first love. I never saw a man so passionate about images on paper. Years ago, he would spend most of his days searching for the perfect shot. Fuji especially loved landscapes: the shapes of trees, waves breaking with the sun shining through them, and clouds by the light of the moon, or the morning sun. When he wasn't taking pictures, he was developing them in his own darkroom at home.

"Fuji practiced photography for nearly thirty years, accumulating in that time a treasury of inspired photographs. He kept the negatives in a locked file in his office. He sold some photos, and gave others to friends.

"Then, about six years ago, a fire destroyed all the photographs he had taken over those thirty years, and all the negatives, as well as most of his equipment. He had no fire insurance - all the evidence and fruits of a generation of creative work - a total and irreplaceable loss.

"Fuji mourned this as he might mourn the loss of a child. Three years before, he had lost a child, and he understood very well that suffering was a relative thing, and that if he could make it through his child's death, he could make it through anything.

"But more than that, he understood the bigger picture, and came to a growing realization that something of great value remained that was never touched by the fire: Fuji had learned to see life in a different way. Every day, when he got up, he saw a world of light and shadow, shapes and textures - a world of beauty and harmony and balance.

"When he shared this insight with me, Dan, he was so happy! His realization mirrors that of the Zen masters who share with their students that all paths, all activities - professions, sports, arts, crafts - serve as a means of internal development, merely a boat to get across the river. Once you get across, you no longer need the boat." Mama Chia took a deep breath and smiled serenely at me.

In A Hawaiian State Of Mind

2011-06-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hand painted Live Sober, Live Life

roadside sign seen in Lanai City, Lanai.

Photograph by Anna Tan and Pak So

Cool Hawaii State of Mind bumper

sticker seen on truck in Kihei, Maui.

Photograph by Anna Tan and Pak So

The Wars, We Must Stop The Endless Wars

2011-05-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

Photograph of Pvt. Edward C. Satterthwait,

Depot Det., Ft. Armstrong, Honolulu, Oahu, 1940s

from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection

Welcome Aboard Mahalo Airline

2011-05-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

YouTube video posted by vegasvideoguy

Here's a classic sketch from local Hawaiian comedian Rap Reiplinger (famous for his hilarious performances from the 70's until his death in 1984).

Rap plays a flight attendant on a plane heading for Maui in this skit, and he announces with a straight face "Welcome aboard Mahalo Airline, Flight 513 to Wailuku, Hana and Budapest."

You can learn more about Rap Reiplinger and purchase his work directly from the Mountain Apple Company's website.

Each Time You Wear My Lei Of Stars

2011-05-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

YouTube video posted by SRKahoonei

Here's Robert Cazimero singing the classic I'll Weave A Lei Of Stars For You (co-written by Jack Owens and R. Alex Anderson, 1948) during a PBS Hawaii Na Mele concert. Aloha!

Grove Farm in Lihue, Kauai

2011-05-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

All photographs by Anna Tan and Pak So

Step back in time on the Garden Isle by visiting Grove Farm, the historic 100-acre plantation site located at 4050 Nawiliwili Road in Lihue, Kauai. Advance reservations are required for the popular two-hour tours led by local residents, and a $10 donation is requested from adult visitors. Grove Farm is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The Farm "preserves the earliest surviving set of domestic, agricultural, and sugar plantation buildings, furnishings and collections, surrounding orchards and pasturelands in the State of Hawaii." In 1864, George N. Wilcox acquired Grove Farm from Judge Herman Widemann and with the help of his brother Sam (who joined him six years later), began the process of building a successful sugar plantation.

Samuel Whitney Wilcox married Emma Lyman in 1874 and they raised six children at Grove Farm during their lifetime. In charge of cattle ranching operations on the Farm, Sam also served as Kauai's Sheriff for twenty-five years. Nearly a hundred years later, in 1971, Sam and Emma's youngest child Mabel worked to preserve Grove Farm "as an historic site museum representing a developing sugar plantation."

For art, antique and history lovers, a visit to Grove Farm is awesome. This is how the other half lived on Kauai. You'll see beautiful homes and cottages, out-of-print books, woodblocks and paintings by Charles W. Bartlett and other famous island artists, Koa wood pieces, and important Hawaiian cultural objects.

A highlight for all visitors is being treated to two of Miss Mabel Wilcox's favorite treats during a break in the tour - Grove Farm Ice Box Cookies and Grove Farm Mint Ice Tea. Delicious!

G. N. Wilcox Cottage

Poultry Pens and Pigpen

Vegetable & Flower Gardens

Please be sure to pay a visit to the humble home of Kikunyo Moriwaki on the grounds. Mrs. Moriwaki served as Grove Farm's laundress for 50 years and not a single object seems out of place in the small plantation home.

Moriwaki Home

Back at the Plantation Office after the tour, remember to ask your guide for the Stepstool Chair design pattern. It's kind of an inside joke, but during the tour everyone admires the simple chair for its ingenuity. With the pattern in hand, here's your chance to return home and make your very own Stepstool Chair. Your guide will also show you photographic proof from those who have tried and succeeded!

Ukulele For The Young At Heart

2011-04-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Seen at the Hilo Farmers Market,

Hilo, Big Island of Hawaii.

Photographs by Anna Tan

April Fool's Tsunami

2011-04-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

On April 1, 1946, a 7.8 earthquake near the Aleutian Islands generated the infamous April Fools Day tsunami that struck with devastating force in Hawaii. 159 people lost their lives across the islands, with 122 of the casualties from the Big Island of Hawaii.

In the town of Laupahoehoe on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island, twenty students and four teachers were swept to sea when the local schoolhouse was crushed by a wall of forceful water.

50 years later in 1996, young students of the Laupahoehoe School reconnected with thirteen survivors of the 1946 tsunami. Discussions with the survivors were shared in the book April Fool's ... The Laupahoehoe Tragedy of 1946, An Oral History, published 1997 by Laupahoehoe School.

Following are excerpts from the book:

"My name is Bunji Fujimoto. I'm a 1947 graduate of Laupahoehoe High School down at the Point. I remember April 1st, 1946 pretty clearly because it was one of the worst days in our lives. We had just come from spring vacation and we were coming down to school on the bus from Ninole, where I lived. As we were coming down the cliff, making a turn from Laupahoehoe, somebody started yelling, "Ohh.. there's no water in the ocean." Being that it was April 1st, April Fool's Day, half of us didn't believe what they were saying, so we didn't look. Then, because others were quite insistent, we saw the water receding out. That was probably seven in the morning or so. Instead of going out to our regular hangouts in the school cafeteria or wherever we sat around before school started, we went down towards the park, where the monument is now, to see what's it all about. Then we noticed that the waves had started to come in. ..."

. . . . . . . .

"For myself, it was lucky enough that I went out towards the school, under where the cafeteria was, through the school building and up on the high grounds. We didn't stop until we reached the highway up mauka, above the church. I don't remember what happened in between. All I remember is running up towards the school and the next thing I know we are up on top with a whole bunch of other people.

What we started doing first thing, was to start looking for our siblings. In my case, there were two brothers down at the school that morning. I located my older brother. He told me later that he was in the bleachers at the time the wave hit, but when he saw the wave, he took off and ran away, just like the rest of us. As for my younger brother, we couldn't find him. We had a feeling that he got caught in the wave itself. We found out later, that was the case; we never saw or heard from him again."

Hand In Hand: Wooden Surfboards & Woodies

2011-03-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Classic Woody seen in Hanalei, Kauai

Photographs by Pak So and Anna Tan

Excerpt from an article titled The Woods - Classic Woodies & Wooden Surfboards Collector Craze published online by See California:

"Who would have thought what once was a grunge car used by surfers to cart their boards to the beach would become a popular collector item representing a lifestyle? If you hold on to some things long enough, they may go up in value and price, and nowhere is that more true than with those old, beat up Town Cars from the 1940's & 50's that now can sell for $150,000 or more.

The wooden surfboards go for a lot less, but like the woodie car, the wooden board isn't seen in production much anymore and though a classic board only gets around $10,000 ($20,000 in rare instances,) the combo of woods - wooden surfboards & woodies, has created a craze and a culture that means business for those who sell the classics and the dream.

While many of the owners of woodies are authentic, old-time surfers who can tell you about the times they drove their woodies to the beach to surf when great storms brought in the "big ones" and gave them thrills, some classic car owners are simply hobbyists who love the culture and like to restore (or own) old vehicles. Many of the cars are timepieces of history and culture. ..."

Classic Woody seen in Kauai, Hawaii

Photograph by Pak So & Anna Tan

To learn more about classic woodies, visit David Miller's website Old Woodies - For Enthusiasts of Wood-bodied Cars & Trucks.

Waimanalo Blues

2011-03-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

We Are the Children by Country Comfort

YouTube video posted by Grumpy Knuckles

Coming in at number 29 of Honolulu Magazine's 50 Greatest Songs of Hawaii is Country Comfort's Waimanalo Blues.

Following is an excerpt from Ronna Bolante and Michael Keany's article:

"Hawaiian activist and composer Liko Martin originally wrote this song as "Nanakuli Blues." But when Country Comfort recorded it for their 1974 album We are the Children, the group localized the song as a political protest about the development taking place all around them: "Spun right around and found that I'd lost/ the things that I couldn't lose/ the beaches they sell to build their hotels/ my fathers and I once knew."

Happy Valentine's Day from Hawaii

2011-02-14T02:59:00.000-08:00

Dedicated to romantics everywhere.

Classic 1930's snapshots of happy days and young

love from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Aloha!

All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

Life Is Good

2011-02-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

Surf Is Where You Find It by Gerry Lopez

published in 2008 by Patagonia Books

Serendipity. I just happened to be reading legendary tube-rider Gerry Lopez's collection of personal stories when lo and behold, HBO by chance showed the cult favorite 1987 film North Shore one late night recently. Look for fun and memorable appearances in the film by (among others) a bearded Gerry Lopez (often known as Mr. Pipeline), surfer Laird Hamilton, and musicians Israel (Iz) Kamakawiwo'ole and the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau. Actress Nia Peeples also dances a beautiful hula dance at a backyard luau in the lighthearted movie.

Following is an excerpt about surfing and life from Surf Is Where You Find It by the great Gerry Lopez:

"I wish I had spent more time examining what had happened to me out there. I filed the incident away as just another wipeout, one of many more to come. I was young and foolish at the time. Sadly, I let some of the vividness and the color of this experience fade, even though the significance had left an indelible impression on me. I'll never forget that sensation of being filled with a strength and power that came when I needed it.

Getting caught inside is such an everyday occurrence in surfing that it becomes a metaphor for dealing with adversity of any kind. Obviously any lessons learned in the water can have a significant application back on the beach. We live today in a civilized world where life-or-death situations are rare in our everyday lives.

Sometimes, however, those critical moments when a person's whole life flashes before them is an opportunity to see into their inner self. The inner self is a part of each of us, and holds answers to complete happiness and a life free from pain and suffering.

This inner place of harmonious bliss is layered over with ego, individual belief systems and mundane concerns. We live in the past where nostalgia makes us sad, or in the future where our worries cause us anxiety. We fail to grasp that this moment we are in is all there ever was or ever will be. Life is, was, and ever will be, simply now.

Moments of surf realization are here to remind us of our true potential. If that is why we surf, that's good because surfing reconnects us to who we really are. This is all the more reason to keep surfing. Life is good. Surfing reminds us of how good life is."

The Wild Within on Moloka'i

2011-01-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

All images courtesy the Travel Channel

Did you happen to catch the latest episode of outdoorsman Steven Rinella's show The Wild Within on the Travel Channel last night? Titled Hawaii - Deserted Island, the program shows Steve traveling to the Island of Moloka'i to join the challenge of hunting and bringing together the necessary food and ingredients for a traditional pa'ina (gathering or party).

On an island that depends on subsistence living, the challenge is certainly a very real one and host Steven Rinella does a great job transporting viewers from their television sets to see Molokai highlights such as a traditional hunt for wild boar and a memorable struggle with a feisty octopus.

A big aloha to Steven Rinella and The Travel Channel for getting it right on The Friendly Isle.

Follow this link to see host Steven Rinella bite an octopus behind its eyes to kill it.

Follow this link to see how native Hawaiians make coconut milk on the island of Moloka'i.

YouTube video The Wild Within: Boar Hunt, Hawaii

posted by TravelChannelTV

Three Is A Magic Number

2011-01-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here's musician Jack Johnson and a group of talented students from Sunset Beach Elementary School on the island of Oahu, Hawaii singing us into 2011 with Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in a YouTube video posted by exploreTeam (visit Charles Annenberg Weingarten's explore.org).

Follow this link to keep up with the latest news on Jack and Kim Johnson's non-profit Kokua Hawai'i Foundation as well as past (and hopefully future) Kokua Festivals.

May the new year be a bright and caring one for you and your loved ones. Aloha!

2011: Hawaii Must Do Better For Its Children

2010-12-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

Student's graduation photo, Hawaii, 1930s

A beautiful and treasured item from

our Vintage Hawaiiana collection

In the May 2010 issue of Honolulu Magazine, Michael Keany writes in the article The Maryland Lesson:

"It's been a rough year for public education in Hawaii. State leaders responded to a budget crunch by killing 17 days of instruction, and then bickered the rest of the school year away. The situation made national news, prompting headlines like, "Hawaii's Children, Left Behind." We've been near the bottom of national student performance rankings for years; going from mediocre to laughingstock certainly wasn't the change anyone hoped for.

Hawaii's Department of Education has been promising reform and then failing to deliver it for so long that it seems sometimes that people have forgotten things don't have to be this way. We might be falling short in our goals, but other states have managed to turn things around, and built public education systems of which they can be proud, or at least not ashamed.

Humanity's Relationship With Earth

2010-12-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

Mauna Loa, Hawaii, T.H., 1940s

War Department photograph from

our Vintage Hawaiiana collection

Excerpts from a December 21, 2010 New York Times article titled A Scientist, HIs Work and a Climate Reckoning by Justin Gillis:

"The first machine of this type was installed on Mauna Loa in the 1950s at the behest of Charles David Keeling, a scientist from San Diego. His resulting discover, of the increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, transformed the scientific understanding of humanity's relationship with the earth. A graph of his findings is inscribed on a wall in Washington as one of the great achievements of modern science."

. . . . . . . .

"When Dr. Keeling, as a young researcher, became the first person in the world to develop an accurate technique for measuring carbon dioxide in the air, the amount he discovered was 310 parts per million. That means every million pints of air, for example, contained 310 pints of carbon dioxide.

By 2005, the year he died, the number had risen to 380 parts per million. Sometime in the next few years it is expected to pass 400. Without stronger action to limit emissions, the number could pass 560 before the end of the century, double what it was before the Industrial Revolution.

The greatest question in climate science is: What will that do to the temperature of the earth?"

Summit of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, T.H., 1940s

War Department photograph from

our Vintage Hawaiiana collection

Mr. Gillis continues:

"Scientists have long known that carbon dioxide traps heat at the surface of the planet. They cite growing evidence that the inexorable rise of the gas is altering the climate in ways that threaten human welfare.

Fossil fuel emissions, they say, are like a runaway train, hurtling the world's citizens toward a stone wall - a carbon dioxide level that, over time, will cause profound changes.

The risks include melting ice sheets, rising seas, more droughts and heat waves, more flash floods, worse storms, extinction of many plants and animals, depletion of sea life and - perhaps most important - difficulty in producing an adequate supply of food. Many of these changes are taking place at a modest level already, the scientists say, but are expected to intensify."

Big Kahuna & His Surf Bunny

2010-12-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

Fred & Harriette (Aloha Hawaii), 1942

Lighthearted arcade photo of a well-endowed surfing

couple from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

HAPA - None But Ourselves Can Free Our Minds

2010-12-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

YouTube video of Hapa performing

Redemption Song posted by soassociates

(from Hapa: Na Mele...Hapa Maui)

Here is a powerful interpretation of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Redemption Song by the Hawaiian music group Hapa (Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau). Listen carefully as Bob Marley's inspirational words are juxtaposed seamlessly with a spiritual chant by the incredible Charles Kaupu.

Excerpt from Redemption Song written by Bob Marley:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfill the book.

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs

YouTube video of a joyous guitar

performance by Hapa's Barry Flanagan

posted by colleeninhonolulu

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu

2010-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai marketing

brochure titled Return to Aloha

We've just received a large full-color brochure in the mail from the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu on the Kona-Kohala Coast of Hawaii's Big Island . The beautiful photographs and words instantly transported us back to the time of our own special celebratory stay at this tranquil and relaxing oceanfront resort. It says something that with so many hotel and resort destinations in the Four Seasons portfolio of travel accommodations, the resort at Hualalai is considered by many cultured travelers to be the best Four Seasons in the world. For those who like to be pampered or who try to stay fit while on vacation, the Hualalai Spa and Sports Club was "recently named the #1 Resort Spa in Hawaii by Travel + Leisure magazine."

All photographs by Anna Tan and Pak So

Excerpt from the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai marketing brochure titled Return to Aloha ...

To truly define the word, it's helpful to break it up into its parts:

Alo - Presence

Ha - Divine breath

Among traditional Hawaiians, aloha is often exchanged upon greeting, by touching foreheads together, and breathing in each other's ha, or divine breath. Essentially, this is a brief exchange of life and love between two people.

Here at Hualalai, we live aloha every day - with you, our guests, with each other, and within our community. This is truly what makes the experience, emotions and memories here so special, for all of us. Next time you say aloha, whether here or at home, take joy in knowing you are sharing life and love. And aloha cannot be taught, it can only be shared. So please, pass it along, that's part of aloha!

Main Building and Lobby of the

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Classic shuttle car at valet parking

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Ocean-View Room at King's Pond

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

A special touch courtesy of the

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Outdoor lava-rock garden shower at

the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Painting by Herb Kawainui Kane

at the Ka'upulehu Cultural Center

Beach Tree Pool (an infinity pool)

at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Seaside Luxe boutique at the

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Waiakauhi Beach

Sunset dining at the Beach Tree "featuring

California cuisine with Italian influences"

Relaxing end to a beautiful day at the

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on

the spectacular Big Island of Hawaii

I Fell In Love With Honolulu

2010-11-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

YouTube video of I Fell In Love With Honolulu

with ukulele solo by shu-san, posted by kanlas

Lyrics to the classic I Fell In Love With Honolulu by Donald Neil McKay

I fell in love with Honolulu
When I saw a girl with flowers in her hair
When she gave me her aloha smile
I was glad that I could stay awhile

I fell in love with Honolulu
When we walked together on Waikiki sand
Watched the glowing sunset hand in hand
Felt the tradewinds caress

And though I went away
My heart stayed on
Will she be waiting there?
Will she be gone?

I'm going back to Honolulu
To the island girl with flowers in her hair
If she's waiting I will hold her close and never stray
From Honolulu, in Hawai'i nei

YouTube video posted by DoubleVisionHawaii

... and for the curious ones among us, here's former Mayor of Honolulu Mufi Hannemann hitting the high notes on a very commercialized version of I Fell In Love With Honolulu (with the beautiful Piilani Smith dancing hula).

Outrigger Canoe Club On The Beach At Waikiki

2010-11-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

"Let this be a place where man may commune with sun and sand and sea, where good fellowship and aloha prevail, and where the sports of old Hawai'i shall always have a home." - Outrigger Canoe Club 1964 Dedication Plaque

Illustrated in this post is a cool Outrigger Canoe Club dinner menu (dated January 8, 1957, with cover art by Raymond Higuchi) from our vintage Hawaiiana collection.

Transporting ourselves back to the golden age of travel, it's interesting to note that typed on an inside menu page are the words "Club Rules Forbid Tipping". As well, Filet of Mahimahi is $2.50, Broiled New Zealand Lobster Tail is $3.00, and Choice Boneless Sirloin Steak with Fried Onions is $3.75. These prices also include soup, salad, vegetable, potatoes or rice, dessert and a beverage!

The Outrigger Canoe Club

"On May first nineteen hundred and eight the Outrigger Canoe Club was formally organized by a group of young men in Honolulu. It was their desire to have a place at Waikiki Beach where they could change clothes, store surfboards and canoes, and meet socially.

The Club's purpose was to perpetuate and foster aquatic sports, particularly the "Sport of Kings," surfboard riding and outrigger canoeing. The charter membership lists a group of the finest young men in Honolulu of that period.

Through the years, though the Club started in the humblest of buildings, a real grass hut, bought from the zoo in Kapiolani Park and re-erected on the Club grounds, the Club has grown in membership and popularity, until today it is the Club known "round the world."

The Club has had a proud history in many ways. At various periods it fielded football teams, rowing crews, baseball and track teams, volleyball and basketball teams, swimming teams and has sponsored, supported or conducted sailing and canoe regattas, swimming races, surfboard competition and many other sports.

Basically a beach club, its great interest is today the perpetuation of Surfing and Canoeing and its some 1900 members either participate actively or support these great sports.

Dining and dancing at the Club are enjoyed by members and guests and today the Club is a must for many visitors from clubs who enjoy reciprocal courtesy guest privileges."

Eternity

2010-10-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

The video above posted by Sumud on YouTube shows an emotional moment from 1953's From Here to Eternity when Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt (played by Montgomery Clift) sounds Taps on his bugle at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

. . . . . . . .

Bob Herbert writes in an op-ed article titled The Way We Treat Our Troops in the October 22, 2010 edition of The NY Times:

"You can only hope that the very preliminary peace efforts in Afghanistan bear fruit before long. But for evidence that the United States is letting its claim to greatness, and even common decency, slip through its fingers, all you need to do is look at the way we treat our own troops.

The idea that the United States is at war and hardly any of its citizens are paying attention to the terrible burden being shouldered by its men and women in uniform is beyond appalling.

We can get fired up about Lady Gaga and the Tea Party crackpots. We're into fantasy football, the baseball playoffs and our obsessively narcissistic tweets. But American soldiers fighting and dying in a foreign land? That is such a yawn.

I would bring back the draft in a heartbeat. Then you wouldn't have these wars that last a lifetime. And you wouldn't get mind-bending tragedies like the death of Sgt. First Class Lance Vogeler, a 29-year-old who was killed a few weeks ago while serving in the Army in his 12th combat tour. That's right, his 12th - four in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan."

. . . . . . . .

Reader's Comments for the article include:

"Mr. Herbert I am the father of an 82nd Airborne veteran of the Iraq war and you could not be more accurate in your depictions. A draft that would not be easy to circumvent for the wealthiest Americans children would bring about less wars, quicker wars and a lot less yawning It is despicable that we use up our nations poor and ethnic minorities in grossly disproportionate numbers. America land of the free Home of the brave poor and ethnic who keeps us all free. Draft now a great idea too bad the rich folks wont let it happen because god forbid their child go to Afghanistan instead of an ivy league college." - Col Andy Dufrane, Ocala

. . . . . . . .

"This is a topic that cannot be discussed enough. We should all be ashamed, first of all, that we put these young men and women in these wars in the first place. No one should ever have to see and do what our soldiers have had to, and for what? The merits of these conflicts have been argued to death, but nothing worthwhile have been achieved and many thousands of good people have died or suffered terrible and permanent wounds both physical and mental. I am a doctor who has worked at several VA hospitals. It is hard to get through a day sometimes without having to collect yourself from rage or sadness at what has befallen these young people. Their lives have been destroyed. Yes, some of them make a go of it, and we should all be proud of them, but most will not, and they will, for lack of a better term, become a burden on us all. It is not their fault. It is all of ours, and we owe them more than we so far have given them. The problem is that no amount of money or time can heal their wounds - in this instance, as in almost any war or act of violence, prevention is far better than the cure. Until our leaders realize the true cost of our aggression and reliance on violence to "solve" problems, we will continue to see this waste of human lives and its tremendous cost to our society." - T O'Rourke, Arusha, Tanzania

. . . . . . . .

"It's totally out of hand, totally insane.

But this running down of American troops - recycling them again and again back into the madness - has a logic of its own. This is the logic of Corporate America - which, by Supreme Court Citizens United coup, vulgarizes all humanity to money-at-the-top priorities.

Of course the wars must continue in their own insane lack of reference to actual originating causes. They are now their own cause - like churning of corporate fraud, ponzi schemes, CEO greed, finance fabrications, bribing of Congress, and filling up the biz schools as fully de-personalized, ethically-neutered ends in themselves.

Yes, it's "a yawn"for too many corporate-product-addicted that these wars continue while so many young men and women are spit into and spit back out of them, and tens of thousands of foreigners are killed, hundreds of thousands damaged - and dictators funded, torture systems ramped up, more dictators funded, drug trafficking increased - and, did I mention U.S.-propped-up corrupted dictators just bringing more blow-back?

All must go on not because of indifference and yawning, as you suggest, but because Corporate America requires the blindness of fear, and the mass frustrations of paranoia, hate, smear, and ignorance ever funded by the rich.

As a Specialist 5th class U.S. Army Vietnamese translator/interpreter 40 years ago in another of America's losing insanities, I'm embarrassed that no leaders have learned anything, shamed that the country and many of its best youth spiral into the black hole, rats'-nest, increasing insanity you tag today." - Phil in the mountains of Kyushu, Japan

He's Anti-Neurosis. It's Like Antimatter.

2010-10-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Official trailer for Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood

posted by TheTubeTrailers on YouTube

Clint Eastwood's latest thought-provoking movie Hereafter (a meditation on death and the afterlife) just opened in select cities this past Friday. As reported in the January 12, 2010 edition of The Maui News by Rick Chatenever , the "Maui segment, part of which will be filmed on Lahaina's Front Street, will open the film". "Belgian actress Cecile De France portrays a French woman on a tropical vacation who ventures down from her hotel room to do some shopping ... when a tsunami hits the street."

> Follow this link to read the New York Times Critics' Pick movie review of Hereafter by A.O. Scott.

From an interview with screenplay writer Peter Morgan in Charles McGrath's article titled Eastwood Breaks Another Mold in the October 13, 2010 edition of the New York Times:

"Clint is incredibly instinctive," Mr. Morgan said, "and he's anti-neurosis. It's like antimatter. He's totally without neurosis. The set of 'Hereafter' was one of the happiest places I've ever been. It comes from trusting yourself and eliminating fear."

Trainspotting in Laupahoehoe

2010-10-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

Bridge on the Hamakua Coast, Hawaii, c.1930

Photograph from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

While driving to and from Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, do plan a visit to the historic Laupahoehoe Train Museum at 36-2377 Mamalahoa Hwy (along Highway 19 at mile marker 25). The small community-run museum is located on the Hamakua Heritage Coast in the old station agent's home at the site of what was once the Laupahoehoe Train Station. Its stated goal is to "preserve, promote and protect the historic, cultural, educational, social, civic and economic interests of the North Hilo and Hamakua districts, while highlighting the history of the railroads on the island of Hawaii."

Visitors are first ushered into the living room and shown an informative and nostalgic short film titled Trestles, Tunnels and Tsunamis: The Story of the Hawai'i Consolidated Railway. You are then welcome to take your time to roam through the museum and study the "fascinating photographs, railroad artifacts, and memorabilia from days gone by." Children of all ages will head immediately for "Rusty" the mascot engine, an old explosives hauling boxcar, and a replica caboose on the museum's grounds.

As they say at the museum - "Take a Trip Back in Time ..." and head for historic Laupahoehoe!

All photographs by Pak So and Anna Tan

Paper Yellow Bikini

2010-10-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surf Writing

Published by University of Hawai'i Press, 2008

Excerpt from Return of the Prodigal Surfer by Bob Shacochis, as published in Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surf Writing:

"... I would like to tell you that I remain a surfer but that would mostly be a lie, even though I grew up surfing, changed my life for surfing, lived and breathed and exhaled surfing for many years. Now I can barely address the subject without feeling that I've swallowed bitter medicine. I avoid surf shops with the same furtiveness with which I steer clear of underage girls, and I wouldn't dare flip through a surf magazine's exquisite pornography of waves, unless I had it in mind to make myself miserable with desire.

My life only started when I became infected with surfing, moonsick with surfing, a 14-year-old East Coast gremmie with his first board, a Greg Noll slab of lumber, begging my older brothers for a ride to Ocean City. Before that, I was just some kid form of animated protoplasm, my amphibian brain stem unconnected to any encompassing reality, skateboarding around suburbia like an orphan.

I remember the spraying rapture of the first time I got wrapped - seriously, profoundly, amniotically wrapped - by an overhead tube, an extended moment when all the pistons of the universe seemed to fire for the sole purpose of my pleasure. It was at Frisco Beach, south of the cape on Hatteras. I remember the hard vertical slash of the drop, the gravitational punch of the bottom turn and that divine sense of inevitability that comes from trimming up to find yourself in the pocket hammered into a long beautiful cliffside of feathering water. It only got better. There, pinned on the wall in front of me, entirely unexpected and smack in my face, was a magnificent wahine-ass-valentine, tucked into a paper yellow bikini. For a moment I thought I was experiencing a puberty-triggered hallucination, but there she was in the flesh, whoever she was, wet as my dreams, locked on a line about two feet above me. Surgasm - can that be a word? The wave vaulted above us and came down as neat and transparent as glass and we were bottled in brilliant motion, in the racing sea. And friends, that ride never ended, unto this day. Boy, girl, wave - whew. On earth, I could ask no greater reward from heaven, nor define any other cosmology as complete as this."

Surf Riding at Waikiki, Honolulu, c.1930

Photograph from our Vintage Hawaiiana collection. Enjoy!

Book 'em, Danno

2010-09-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

The new Hawaii Five-0 series premieres

Monday, September 20 at 10/9c on CBS

40 Paces Into The Great Unknown

2010-09-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

All photographs by Pak So and Anna Tan

Cowboys (known as Paniolos in Hawaii) have played an important part in the fabric of the Big Island of Hawaii since the 1830's. Thanks to the folks at Paniolo Adventures Horseback Riding, Anna and I were able to ride beautiful horses and canter on the open range of an "11,000 acre working cattle ranch in the unspoiled upcountry of Kohala Mountain". If there's such a thing as true happiness, I think I found it for a brief moment on the night of our magical sunset ride.

To quote Robert Frost - "The woods are lovely, dark and deep ... But I have promises to keep ... And miles to go before I sleep ... And miles to go before I sleep." - PS

Bon Dance at the Koloa Hongwanji, Kauai

2010-09-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

All photographs taken at the August 13, 2010

Bon Dance in Koloa Town, Kauai by Anna Tan

During the Obon festival season in Hawaii this August, we were fortunate to see and experience a beautiful Bon Odori dance at the Koloa Hongwanji in Koloa, Kauai. It was truly touching to see the whole community come together as a circle of dancers in memory of departed ancestors. This is the real Hawaii that most tourists somehow miss seeing.

My Little Grass Shack

2010-08-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

YouTube video of My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua

posted by closenplay

Here's a classic tune to hum to from the 1934 musical short Mirrors. It's My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua with vocals by the Eton Boys and a memorable dance by Vera Van. Aloha!

Whatevah (Hawaiian time)

2010-08-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Seen at The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo,

Big Island of Hawaii . Photograph by Anna Tan.

51st Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament

2010-08-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

51st Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament

Kailua Pier, Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii

Photograph by Anna Tan

Kona Game Fishing Club-Kusatsu, Japan won the 51st Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament which concluded today on the Big Island of Hawaii with a final of 2,129 points. But THE BIG ONE goes to the 779 to 780 pound Pacific blue marlin caught by the jubilant Out Of The Blue Fishing Club from Waianae, Oahu on the final day of competition. Here's the beautiful catch tipping the scale at Kailua Pier.

Live Simply: Lanai and Molokai, Hawaii

2010-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Live Simply: Lanai and Molokai, Hawaii

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Since 1996, when the art and design team of Pak So and Anna Tan first traveled on a wondrous journey to the enchanting island of Maui, Hawaii, the creative couple have spent many happy days, months, and years exploring, photographing and writing about the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. Pak and Anna are the authors of the printed guidebook Paradise: Road to Hana, Maui.

In 2008, the authors began sharing incredible stories and sights of the islands of Hawaii through free online guidebooks on the travel website Trips of Wonder. Titles by Pak So and Anna Tan include Heaven: Island of Kauai, Hawaii, 2008, Paradise: Island of Maui, Hawaii, 2008, Peace: Island of Oahu, Hawaii, 2008, and Birth: The Big Island, Hawaii, 2009.

Now in 2010, Trips of Wonder is pleased to present the new 240-page online travel guide titled Live Simply: Lanai and Molokai, Hawaii. Mahatma Gandhi once said "Live simply so others may simply live." Where do you stand in that equation? Join us and help bring a sense of basic goodness back to our world. Peace and Aloha on life's continuing journey.

George Harrison's Soft-Hearted Hana, Maui

2010-07-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

YouTube video of Soft-Hearted Hana

posted by harrisonislive

Definitely a psychedelic experience ... here's Soft-Hearted Hana by ex-Beatle (and one-time Nahiku, Maui resident) George Harrison, from his self-titled 1979 album:

I ate it and at once my eyes could see you
No sooner had I ooped it down
I felt so far off from the ground I stood on.

My legs they seemed to me like high-rise buildings
My head was high up in the sky
My skin the sun began to fry like bacon.

And then somebody old appeared and asked had I come far ...
And hadn't they just seen me up on Haleakala ...
I kept on body surfing to pretend I hadn't heard
There was someone there beside me, swimming like Richard III
And I'm still smiling

Seven naked native girls swam seven sacred pools ...
Lone-ranger smoking doobies said you're breaking all the rules ...
You'd better get your clothes on or else there'll be a row ...
If it wasn't for my sunstroke I would take you on right now ...
And I'm still smiling.

I fell in love with my Soft-Hearted Hana
She entered right in through my heart
And now although we're miles apart
I still feel her.

She lives beneath the crater in the meadow
She moves among the fruit and grain
You can meet her after heavy rain has fallen.