Category Archives: Hawaii

Hawaiian weather

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Just another picture perfect day at Wailea Beach in Maui

Just another picture perfect day at Wailea Beach in Maui

In the past week in the Midwest, we went from snow, sleet and freezing temperatures on Saturday to 100 degrees on Tuesday. Welcome to spring! At least the piles of snow and ice have finally melted.

This brutal winter made me constantly think about the lovely weather of Hawaii. Along with southern California, my opinion is that you can’t beat the weather of the Hawaiian Islands. Sure, many islands are extremely rainy, but the reward is a lush, green paradise. The vast majority of our visits to Hawaii have been escapes from our long, cold, snowy winters, but we have also visited in the summer. We learned, anecdotally, that this is the time when Californians and others from the west coast tend to vacation in Hawaii. There was a bit more humidity, but the temperatures are so surprisingly consistent it is amazing to us when we have a nearly 70-degree fluctuation in a matter of three days.
Every day I check out the forecast for Hawaiian locations on my weather app, which almost always calls for sunny or partly sunny and a fluctuation of mid-70s to low-80s. When it’s below zero, this is an obsession. Sure, there are cloudy days depending on the island and some locations are some of the rainiest on earth. However, when it’s warm and there is a rainbow lurking somewhere in that rain, you don’t mind one bit. How does that Crowded House song go? Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you? It may not be the intended meaning of the song, but everywhere I go, I’d like to take Hawaii’s weather with me.

The rugged grandeur of Kauai’s Waimea Canyon

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IMG_2755If you’ve ever visited or flown over the Grand Canyon, imagine the same wonder and beauty on a Hawaiian island overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Waimea Canyon is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is located on the western side of Kauai and is approximately 10 miles long.
 
 
When you enter Waimea Canyon State Park and drive through, you will enjoy magnificent views of the Pacific and in the distance on a clear day you’ll see the mysterious and privately owned island of Niihau, often referred to as The Forbidden Isle.IMG_2752
 
 
The blues of the sea and sky, in contrast to the terra cotta and red hues of the canyon, sprinkled with green, do not disappoint. Waimea Canyon is a scenic jewel and a hiker’s dream.
 
 
 
There is an easy and short hike, the Iliau Nature Loop, and a longer, more difficult hike of Kukui Trail, a 2.5 mile hike down the west side. The adjacent forest reserve has other hiking trails into and out of the canyon.
 
 
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Waimea Canyon State Park is located 11.1 miles north of Kekaha on Koke‘e Road (Highway 550). Bring your camera. Be sure to pack your own drinking water. Enjoy the view.
 
 
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Orchid memories

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IMG_6110It’s May 1 and we are once again bracing for a winter snow, sleet and slush storm. Yes, another winter storm in spring.

The forecast is for six to nine inches of snow. Yes, it’s May 1 and the tulips and daffodils in the Upper Midwest were just starting to make an appearance. Poor things. So, instead of snow, I’ll dream of orchids.

These photos are from March at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. The Garden has a fantastic collection of orchids.

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To see orchids in a natural garden setting instead of potted is a thing of beauty—something to hold onto until spring decides to arrive.

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Hawaiian music

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Beautiful beachside live Hawaiian music

Beautiful beachside live Hawaiian music

Hawaiian music is much more diverse than one might expect. I have much to learn about traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music and plan to do just that during future visits. I do know, however, that I like what I hear.

On our first visit, we discovered KAPA-FM on the dial—Hawaii’s most-listened-to radio station.
Whenever I need my Hawaiian music fix at home, we listen online. I have the app on my iPhone and iPad, and I stream it on my computer to remind me of happy times in Hawaii. The station does play lots of beautiful traditional Hawaiian music. I am also happy to report that any song can be played Hawaiian island style. You name it and we have heard it and it always brings a smile to your face.
In Hawaii, it’s a great option to catch some local music. We especially enjoy listening to Hawaiian slack key guitar—the mesmerizing style unique to Hawaii. This is an art form to appreciate. Listening to it brings back memories of treasured trips and the beautiful surroundings. There is a website devoted to the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festivals held each year. I’d love to check one of these out on a future visit to the islands.
If you need some Hawaii on this Aloha Friday, you can’t go wrong listening to some Hawaiian music. Go to KAPA online, Home of Hawaii’s music, and stream it from anywhere in the world. Spring has finally arrived, so I’m going to stream it now to kick off the weekend.

Blooming bougainvillea

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IMG_0217Bright purple, red, white, orange and pink, the bougainvillea colors in Hawaii are unforgettable. They border the highways and add bursts of color to yards, public spaces, beaches and rugged terrain.
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They even seem to thrive in fields of lava, which gives a colorful contrast with the black rock and other tropical plants and trees. With deep green leaves, the bracts (the leaf-like structures just below the flower) offer the bursts of color. If you look closely, you will see a tiny white flower inside.

 

They are most impressive in mass plantings, hedges or barriers and seem to flower the most from September through late spring. Some years we have noticed that they seem to be more vibrant than other years, most likely depending on rainfall as they thrive in slightly dry conditions.

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For scent, plumeria is one of my favorite flowers in Hawaii, but when it comes to bursts of beautiful color, bougainvillea never disappoints.

Malasada Monday

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IMG_6069For nearly a decade, we drove by TEX Drive In during our visits to the Big Island without stopping. We had no idea what we were missing until a friend told us that we must stop. We were missing malasadas.

Malasadas are Portuguese sweet bread and fried donuts. You may order them up with or without a filling. With a filling, they are about $1.50. When we arrived mid-morning, they had a sign on the counter with the flavors available that day. They were served warm and fresh, sprinkled with sugar.

IMG_6070Located in Honoka’a, TEX Drive In opened in 1969 and specializes in “ono Kine grindz,” or local Hawaiian food. Along with the world-famous malasadas, they have a menu of breakfast items, burgers, wraps, stews, soups, sandwiches and salads.

No, the malasadas are not health food. Yes, you should have one and then plan an extra long hike later that day in paradise. Order one up with your filling of choice and grab one of the outside tables for a view of the Pacific in the distance.IMG_6073

TEX Drive In is located at 45-690 Pakalana Street, Hwy. 19 in Honoka’a. It’s a great place to stop on a drive between Waimea and Hilo. They are open every day, except for Christmas, from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Orchids, orchids everywhere

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Orchids at the Keauhou Farmers' Market on the Big Island

Orchids at the Keauhou Farmers’ Market on the Big Island

Elegant, exotic and diverse, orchids are plentiful in Hawaii.

They are often seen in vases at your restaurant dinner table. They are sold at the local farmers’ markets.

They are used to make gorgeous fresh flower leis. Or, they may adorn your dinner entrée or tropical drink.

Personally, I love orchids for the fact that my wedding bouquet was a gigantic collection of orchids—a bursting spray of purple and white dendrobium orchids along with yellow popcorn orchids, and more. I also wore them in my hair, which I highly recommend at least once in your life.

An orchid section at the Kona Costco

An orchid section at the Kona Costco

We even saw an orchid section at a big box retailer on the Big Island. (As often as possible, we try to shop at local, smaller or independent stores while we are in Hawaii, but still I found this a fascinating discovery.)

Soon, I’ll be posting a sampling of the orchids from the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden on the Big Island—an orchid lover’s paradise.

Orchids flourish in Hawaii’s tropical climate. Online, you’ll find many orchid growers in the Hawaiian Islands and many of them will ship—a good way to bring some aloha to your home.

Mahalo

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photoMahalo–thank you–for the more than 1,500 page views and 100 “likes” on Aloha Journal since it was launched on April 5. This is the landscape in our neck of the woods today as we dig out from an April snowstorm. It looks like December outside. It is beautiful, but I’d rather be in Hawaii.