Blooming bougainvillea

Posted on April 24, 2013 by alohajournal

Bright 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.

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.

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

Posted on April 22, 2013 by alohajournal

For 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.

Located 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.

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

Posted on April 20, 2013 by alohajournal

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

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

Posted on April 19, 2013 by alohajournal

Mahalo–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.

The legendary beauty of Kauai

Posted on April 18, 2013 by alohajournal

Kauai is gorgeous, breathtaking and lush—living up to its name of the Garden Isle.

It is the home of Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and the breathtaking Na Pali Coast. From the crashing waves of Poipu to the lush Princeville on the north shore, Kauai offers scenic vistas, countless waterfalls and one of the wettest places on earth at the top of Mt Wai’ale’ale, which reportedly receives rain almost every day of the year. Kauai is a nature lover’s paradise.

Have I mentioned that it is gorgeous?

The first time I drove on the Kuhio Highway, I was speechless. Just when you think the island couldn’t be more picturesque, there is another view to take your breath away, such as the Hanalei Valley. Rainbows seem to greet you at every turn.

Kauai is the greenest and oldest of the Hawaiin islands. Many movies have been filmed in its natural beauty. When you visit, you instantly see why. It also maintains a somewhat rural feel and exudes old Hawaii. The entire island feels like a botanical garden.

It is easy to navigate as it is just 30 miles at its widest, but it’s best to take your sweet time when exploring this island to enjoy the awe and wonder of Kauai.

Interisland flights

Posted on April 17, 2013 by alohajournal

In the Midwest, we are bracing for more April rain and snow, so the thought of flying between two of the Hawaiian islands sounds like a dream.

If you fly into Honolulu and it’s not your final destination, you will likely take an interisland connection on Hawaiian Airlines. There are other airlines serving the Hawaiian islands with interisland flights, such as go!, Mokulele Airlines, Pacific Wings and Island Air, but we have always been automatically booked on Hawaiian with a major airline connection.

These flights are quick (or wikiwiki as the Hawaiians say) and you will be served an island juice from a happy flight attendant who truly seems to enjoy his or her job. Yes, the female flight attendants will usually have flowers in their hair, they will be wearing Hawaiian-inspired uniforms and the in-cabin music will be Hawaiian when you board the plane. This is not a commuter jet between Minneapolis-St. Paul to Fargo. (With apologies to my North Dakota friends. I just couldn’t resist.)

We have always found these flights to be at or near capacity. It would be interesting to know the number of visitors to the islands on these flights and the number of Hawaiian residents who commute or visit another island, perhaps even on a regular basis if they live on one island and work on another.

If you are traveling to the Big Island and fly into the Kona International Airport, you will exit the airplane directly onto the tarmac down stairs—no jetway. I think it adds to the charm and feeling like you are landing on a tropical paradise.

As you make your way to baggage claim at Kona International Airport, you’ll walk through the open-air gates past a lovely statue of hula dancers. No, you will not be greeted by someone who puts a lei around you as you descend the stairs from the plane. This only happens in the Brady Bunch.

If you fly into Maui and would like to visit Lanai, there is a ferry that departs from Maui and Lanai about five times back and forth each day. This is purely anecdotal and I do not have any statistics to back it up, but many Hawaiian residents we have met over the years mentioned that they vacation in Lanai. I have always wondered where Hawaiians would vacation since they are all blessed to live in paradise year-round.

Many people choose to visit more than one island during a trip to Hawaii. Planning for interisland flights is still somewhat overwhelming for me. For instance, a few years ago we planned a trip split between the Big Island and Kauai and in order to get from Kona to Lihue, Kauai, we first needed to fly back to Oahu.

Hawaii—not the easiest or quickest place in the world to get to, but so worth it once you arrive and get settled after your flight. Pack light and stay a while.

Our next stop is Kauai—the Garden Isle.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Posted on April 16, 2013 by alohajournal

In the Onomea Valley in Papaikou, on the Hilo side of the Big Island, you will find the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, described as a garden in a valley on the ocean. It’s difficult to describe the beauty of this Garden. You must visit to experience this nature preserve and sanctuary. Over the years, we have taken many photos during our visits, so I plan to do a series of posts on this Big Island treasure.

When you visit, you feel as if you are on the edge of the earth. Along the trail you will discover an orchid garden, an anthurium corner, the Onomea waterfalls, a blowhole, an amazing monkey pod tree and so much more. The boardwalk entrance is 500-feet long and you will want to stop and take it in during your time along the 1.25 miles of Garden trails.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was founded by the late Dan Lutkenhouse. His wife and co-founder, Pauline Lutkenhouse, continues to be involved and serves on the organization’s board of directors. There is a plaque when you enter the gardens, which describes the vision, mission and dedication of these two individuals to preserve and create such a beautiful setting and world-class attraction for others to enjoy.

The Garden website describes how they discovered the beauty of Onomea Bay while on a vacation in 1977. For 8 years, Mr. Lutkenhouse would spend the days clearing paths by hand, and cleaning and restoring the property without disturbing the environment. The website history states that all of this was done by hand; no tractors were involved to ensure that tree roots and natural plants were not destroyed. I cannot fathom the work involved in restoring this tropical paradise.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden opened to the public in 1984.

A newsletter I picked up on a visit in March of this year describes the founder’s vision that the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden be a self-sufficient entity so that visitors from around the world would be able to enjoy its natural beauty. It is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit entity and the Gardens have never asked for or received government funding of any kind.

The newsletter also reports that they have welcomed 87,000 visitors from across the world in the past year and they have 1,256 members, who help sustain and preserve this treasure. I am always amazed at what can be accomplished by vision, dedication and hard work. To protect Hawaii’s natural beauty is truly something to be admired.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located about 7 miles north of Hilo off Route 19 off the Scenic Route, two miles down on the left. From Kailua-Kona, the drive is approximately three hours. But, it is a lovely three hours with many interesting stops and sights along the way.

Kona Village Resort

Posted on April 15, 2013 by alohajournal

Reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs was fascinating to me for many reasons. First, I am a big fan of all things Apple. Jobs completely transformed so many aspects of our lives through his visionary leadership at Apple including computers, phones, how we listen to music, publishing and more. I was intrigued when I learned that Jobs also found a visit to Hawaii a rejuvenating experience. In the book, I learned how Jobs would visit the Big Island and specifically the Kona Village Resort.

Kona Village Resort in 2004

These photos of the grounds on the Kona Village are from 2004. They are somewhat grainy as they are scanned images from a camera no longer with us. Although we never stayed at Kona Village, we were lucky to have a tour of this special place.

Kona Village opened in 1961. It was different from any resort we have ever visited. No televisions. No air conditioning (you don’t need it here with the ocean breezes). No phones (easier to accomplish before cell phones, but still admirable). No tall buildings or high-rises on this 82-acre slice of paradise. Your room was a Polynesian-inspired thatched bungalow. Meals were served in a gorgeous building in a group setting. Enchanting. Old Hawaii.

We were even told that at one time, they had their own runway for private airplanes visiting the resort. This was not the fanciest or most high-tech place to stay. This was the Big Island at its best—surrounded by natural beauty and the relaxation and serenity that come with it.

The Hawaiians have a beautiful word for family. It’s ohana. Ohana, to me, perfectly describes the feeling of this resort. Now the sad part. It is currently closed and has been since March 2011, when it suffered significant property and structural damage from an earthquake-generated tsunami.

Over the years, we have met people who made this their family trip and had returned to the Kona Village for decades. We’re talking generations of grandparents, children and grandchildren gathering for an annual or bi-annual gathering at the Kona Village. The very meaning of ohana as the staff would get to personally know and care for these families over the years.

The Kona Village website tells us that the goal is to one day open the resort again and that repairs are in process, certainly a huge and complex project. I know that there are many people hoping and waiting for that day to arrive. Until then, the resort operators worked with the Governor of Hawaii and nearby hotels to help the employees find jobs at other nearby resorts. It’s my understanding that a number of resorts, including the nearby Four Seasons Resort Hawaii at Hualalai, have employed the Kona Village’s former employees.

Hopefully, I will be able to write an update someday that the Kona Village is once again open. It is truly a special, one-of-a-kind place on a special, one-of-a-kind island.

Holuakoa Gardens and Café

Posted on April 14, 2013 by alohajournal

This restaurant is well worth the drive off the beaten path to Holualoa on the Big Island. We have only been there twice, but we will be back, most likely for dinner. We had the same waitress two years in a row and the service, even though it extremely busy, was terrific.

The restaurant is part of the Slow Food movement, an organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community, sustainability and the environment. A section of the restaurant’s website describes the local farmers they work with to provide organic fruits, vegetables and other ingredients.

There is a coffee shop indoors and nearby you will find the gardens with outdoor tables, nicely shaded and with a fishpond and a somewhat eclectic vibe.

The food here is the star. We each had a fresh local fish sandwich off the brunch menu and it was delicious. The wine list is respectable and I had a glass of red with my lunch.

There was a group of four women at the table next to us and they all ordered the baked thick cut french toast with fresh island fruit, whipped cream and pure maple syrup. They giggled when the waitress brought their brunch; it was so ridiculously generous of a portion and looked so yummy. The waitress smiled and replied, “I don’t know why, but people always laugh when we serve the french toast.”

Holuakoa Gardens & Café is located at 76-5900 Old Government Road in Holualoa, across from the bright pink-colored Inaba’s Kona Hotel.

Gecko greeting

Posted on April 13, 2013 by alohajournal

Hawaii has its share of geckos and they are surprisingly active during the daylight hours. They scurry and hide if they see you, but this little guy (or is it gal?) posed for the camera and looked so friendly, as if to say, “Well, hello there.” I always wonder, however, if the local residents find these lizards annoying, sort of like we find salamanders in our region.

Now, I am not a reptile expert, but I believe that this is an orange-spotted day gecko. They like to eat papayas, bananas or anything sweet with nectar or sap. We saw these geckos fighting over something sweet on the edge of a lanai at a breakfast joint on the Big Island.

The bright green, along with the orange spots, almost gives them an animated look and feel. Or, maybe it’s those GEICO ads? Either way, this mainlander thinks that they are pretty darn cute.

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Celebrating the Islands of Hawaii

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