tagged w/ oahu
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Latest Complete News Updates This time of year we see lots of pictures of our favorite celebrities sunning themselves and their families on the beaches of Hawaii. A small earthquake hit Hawaii on Thursday, with a jolt felt across Honolulu.Latest Complete News Updates This time of year we see lots of pictures of our favorite... more
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Waikik reminds more of Miami than Hawaii... but I'm here! And so is the ocean~ so life is feeling pretty sweet. And the exciting news to this nature lover, is that right around the corner are the mountains.
I was hoping to get a real sense of place and get the stories of the land and of the people when I was here, and yet it takes time to gain a true sense of pace, so I figured I would cheat and hook up with a local expert.
When I heard about Hina Adventures I was beyond excited: they promise to take you on hikes, talk about the local plants and their medicinal meanings, and best of all, tell the local lore and legends.
I remember when I worked as a naturalist in Alaska and how people would go from elated to slightly deflated as soon as they realized I was their guide. They were expecting a rough and tough macho man with a big beard and a checkered shirt and gun to protect them from bears. Instead, they got me and a can of bear spray.
I experienced a bit of that same deflation when I opened the van door to discover my guide was a young white woman. I had been fantasizing about an older Hawaiian native medicine man with tattoos and hula skirt :)
But founder, Ena Sroat won me over in two seconds flat with her authentic interest, sensitivity, love of the land, extensive knowledge, and knack for story telling.
Ena introduces the local gardens (a native plant restoration project): Na Pohaku o Hauwahine (The Stones of Hauwahine = a lizard/dragon shafeshifter goddess/ protector water-spirit of the marsh & ancient fishpond), on the edge of Kawainui Marsh outside of Kailua town on the Oahu.
Taken at the Ulupo Heiau, and aquaculture temple (heiau = place of worship), outside of Kailua on Oahu.
Ena tells the legend of the at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine (the tree you are looking at in this video)
Of all of the travel I did, this was one of the most connective days I had to Hawaii. It provided me a sense of place...total random side bar, but the experience reminded me of this story:
I worked on one of the first environmental expeditions on Everest a few years back. During that time I spent three months coordinating service projects in the Solu Khombu valley, and spent my time toggling between Namche Bazaar and Everest base camp. I mention it now because I was sitting in a tea house talking to another American as she trekked through the area. When she discovered that I was spending my entire three months in Nepal in this one valley she asked with authentic surprise, “How could you spend all of your time only in this valley?” and my response was, “How could you not?” I had gotten the opportunity to participate and get to know the people, experience the culture of sitting in the kitchens rather than just sit on the outside. It changed the way I wanted to travel forever, understanding that less (travel) really can mean more (experience).
Related links:
Coconut! Build with it, eat out of it, heal hang overs…and more~
[re]Thinking sustainability in Hawaii
Video Postcards of Hawaii
Waikik reminds more of Miami than Hawaii... but I'm here! And so is the ocean~ so... more
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leahl
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added this
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2 years ago
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I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. When I was a child growing up in rural Vermont, my father visited and brought back my first pair of earings. They were a soft orange and pink stone, unlike anything I had ever seen. So my associations of Hawaii were of soft, gentle, exotic, Elvis, and…well surfers of course. But that was it.
I came with the desire to explore Hawaii’s place in the sustainability movement, find out why everyone started every email with Aloha and ended it with Mahalo, and make a study of what it meant to explore and travel with an eco conscious. To be introduced to the idea that the connections to the land was woven into the way of life for Hawaiians not only as a spiritual practice but also governing practice, was quite the intro into this enquiry.
Our first stop was Oahau. Needless to say, Honolulu was not the Hawaii I was expecting. It was a bustling busy bona fide city. But before my bubble could be burst, I was experiencing the spirit of Aloha as my seatmate offered to help me find my way to my hotel.
The hotel provided a tour of the grounds, and the guide introduced me to the sacred coconut grove where the royalty used to hold court, but also to the state seal which was carved onto every door of every room. It read, UA MAU KEEA OKA AINA, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” As I stepped into my room, I realized I was stepping over a threshold, that I was being introduced to a new world that I hadn’t dared to fully imagine.
I pondered the term, and had to ask for clarity. Did it really mean what I thought?
The life
Of the land
Is perpetuated in righteousness.
To live righteously: words that come to mind include courage, stamina, strength, and bravery. So if I am to understand, in order for the life of the land to continue: we must perpetually live righteously. Now this is a new paradigm.
The next day I would speak to Kelvin Ho about the topic, as well as Stella Burgess, the director of Hawaiian culture and community relations as my hotel (how cool is that??) and would learn that looking at a life of enquiry: do you live in balance? What will serve? Do you hold yourself in balance understanding what you are connected with? Do you do your part as humans as stewards for the land. Check out Kelvin and Stella speaking for themselves.
I couldn’t have put words to it before I arrived, but yes, this is why I came, because Hawaii is a place where the people live so closely and intimately with the physical elements, that their relationship with the land is written into their state motto. I was beside myself to understand how that translated to the way they looked at how they cared for their physical environment and addressed sustainability issues.
As I opened the windows to feel the warm humid air, I also took in the lush and exotic scent of flowers, plants, and trees I had never seen in person before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the land was prepared to grow over the buildings at any moment if the gardeners allowed it. That I didn’t know, but I did know one thing for sure, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
I might just be in heaven. Suddenly the continent (how Hawaiians refer to the states) felt very, very far away.I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. When I was a child growing up in rural... more
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leahl
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added this
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2 years ago
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In the beginning of action sports, there were surfboards.
When 4th-century Tahitians and other Polynesian groups made their way to the Hawaiian islands, they brought a sport they called paipo, the riding of waves on boards while lying on their stomachs.
Not long after, the now-Hawaiian riders began standing on the boards, and what we know as surfing was born.
Surfing evolved from a religious and royal pastime in Hawaii and made its way to California in the 1920s and boomed after World War II when soldiers and sailors who had spent time in Hawaii took up the sport.
Surfboards, skateboards and snowboards are the heart of action sports today, and the evolutionary cycle continues.
The latest mutation is the longboard skateboard, which has emerged in the last decade as a transportation and sport alternative to the shorter boards used for trick riding.
Longboards are great for riding on slightly sloping surfaces, but kicking with one foot for long distances can be tedious and a strain on the rider's body. That's what longboard maker Steve McBride discovered when his truck broke down and he had to kick his longboard 10 miles to get home.
"It didn't feel good. My body was all out of whack after that," he says. "I thought there had to be a better way."
McBride's skateboard company, Kahuna Creations (kahunacreations.com), was inspired by Hawaiian surf culture, so it was natural for him to look to the practices of those watermen for the answer to his problem.
The solution came from a source that was both ancient and modern: stand-up paddling, or SUP. Hawaiian surfers have long used stand-up paddling on surfboards as transportation in the seas, to move from beach to beach and even for long trips to other islands.
His land paddle doesn't have a wide blade at the end but instead uses a hard-carbon rubber dual tip that grips the road surface to allow the rider to simulate paddling through water.
"The effect is smooth, not jarring," McBride says. "It is a natural motion. Kicking a board loses that feeling."
His Kahuna Big Stick has a solid-wood grip and tapered fiberglass oval shaft and weighs 1 pound.
Land paddling has taken off, and he says sales of the $85-$149 paddles are brisk.
Several schools in Hawaii, including Kahuku High near Oahu's famous North Shore, do land paddling in gym classes.
"It's a good workout and easy for girls to do," McBride says.In the beginning of action sports, there were surfboards.
When 4th-century Tahitians... more
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Kepano
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added this
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2 years ago
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Microsoft is at least considering releasing a consumer-priced version of its Surface computer, if a marketing research survey is to believed. The survey is centered around a device called “Oahu,” which, from its description, sounds a lot like the table we've all come to know and love: a multitouch flat screen that sits like a table top and allows for multiple users to interact with it at once.
The survey asks what “forms” of Oahu the participant would like to see: if they would most likely use it as a homework helper, for content creation (for things like editing recipes), or as an information hub. It also asks how likely the participant would buy it if it cost $1,500. Um, how about "YES. VERY LIKELY. GIVE IT TO ME NOW?"
original article from http://gizmodo.com/5063541/microsoft-survey-hints-at-oahu-surface-multitouch-table-at-consumer-pricesMicrosoft is at least considering releasing a consumer-priced version of its Surface... more
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Vintage footage of pro surfer Shaun Tomson ripping up the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii circa 1975-76. In this Retro pod, watch a couple legendary Tomson waves caught on camera by Hal Jepsen for his timeless movie "Super Sessions."Vintage footage of pro surfer Shaun Tomson ripping up the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii... more
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Meet professional hula dancer Aureana Tseu and professional surfer Markus Hickman, Hawaii's dream couple.Meet professional hula dancer Aureana Tseu and professional surfer Markus Hickman,... more
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Some news from the home state!A new ferry between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i launched 2 days ahead of schedule after the state Supreme Court ruled that the company operating the boat should carry out an environmental assessment. But, the ruling didn't specifically say the ship couldn't begin running, so...they went for it.This is a tough one. I bet taking a ferry would be really pretty, and taking your car would be a nice convenience rather than having to rent one on the other island. But if it's bad for the environment or the marine animals, then of course I would stick to flying.Plus, after the $5 promotional fares end...$240 is a lot for a person and a car, especially when inter-island airfare is about $80 round-trip!(By the way, aole is a hawaiian word that translates as no way or never.)Some news from the home state!A new ferry between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i... more
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Tori
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added this
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4 years ago
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Johnny Bell visits the national Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, where experts study the science of predicting a devastating wave.Johnny Bell visits the national Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, where experts study... more
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jbell
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added this
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4 years ago
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