The following is an excerpt from a statement issued by Mayor Billy Kenoi of Hawaii County (the Big Island), regarding initial damage reports from the tsunami that hit Hawaii Friday morning following the massive 8.9 earthquake in Japan, last Thursday.
“County Police, Fire, Public Works and Environmental Management crews worked with State Highways, the American Red […]

Back in October of last year, I  commented on the United/Continental Airlines merger and how it might affect the number and cost of seats to Hawaii.  Well, I’m happy to observe that there has at least been one positive addition to come from this merger.
United/Continental has just announced that Continental will begin direct service in […]

First planting of Cacao beans in 1850
Chocolate from Hawaii began with the introduction of cacao beans to Hawaii happened in 1850, when German physician William Hillebrand brought the first plant to Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu.   The first commercial crop of cacao beans was planted in Hilo in the early 1890’s.  World War I brought […]

Annual Humpback Whale Count
It is estimated that protection of these endangered animals has allowed the number of wintering humpbacks in Hawaiian waters to increase from an estimated 1000 back in 1978 to an estimated to 10-12,000 currently.  That’s about 50-60% of the estimated total North Pacific Humpback count of 20,000.
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National […]

Tickets for the 2013 Merrie Monarch Festival, being held March 31st to April 6th, in Hilo, are available via the mail.  You can apply for a maximum of 2 tickets to the 3-days of competition, Thurs (Apr 4th), Fri (Apr 5th), and Sat (Apr 6th).  Tickets costs depend upon seat selection.  You can purchase tickets […]

Hawaiian Ocean View Estates Finally Gets Well
If you ever thought that you had to move to Alaska to find people with the pioneer spirit, you would be wrong.  Hawaiian Ocean View Estates first started selling “lots” back in the 1960’s.  Hawaiian Ocean View Estates is located on the Mamalahoa Hwy/Hwy 11 between the Kona-Kau boundary […]

Hiking in Paradise
While most people planning a trip to Hawaii have visions of beaches and palm trees, for the outdoor-oriented individuals, Hawaii also offers a surprising number of hiking opportunities.  Trails and challenges run the gamut from short paths to scenic views of waterfalls or seascapes to challenging hikes that include a change of altitude […]

The objective behind the planning of this facility was to blend Hawaiian cultural traditions and the latest astronomical research being conducted at the 13 observatories that populate the summit of Mauna Kea.