Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Aloha Shorts | November/December 2004

Aloha Shorts

News and notes from around our world

Market Under the Stars

Rare on the island of O‘ahu is the real night market, that is, if you don’t count the vibrant, long-running show at the International Marketplace in Waikïkï. Now visitors and locals alike have an alternative, at the new every-Thursday-night Kailua Farmers’ Market, from 5 to 8 p.m., held in the Kailua Town Center Parking Garage behind Longs Drugs on Kailua Road. It’s a very local thing, with an array of products and prepared foods from the Islands, including fruit preserves, taro and sweet potato chips, sauces from local tomatoes and herbs, cookies, salad dressings, salsas, goat cheese and, well, you get the idea. Upping the ante for fun is that farmers and food producers attend the market each week and are there to tell you how they do what they do. A different restaurant occupies a special “dinner booth” each week, offering hot plates to eat at the market or take home. Believe it or not, it’s the first night market ever to be held on O‘ahu. Maybe the only chance you’ll have all week to pick up some mochi shortbread..



Scents of Hawai‘i

As long as we’re waxing enthusiastic about products from Hawai‘i, we are moved to call your attention to Island ingredients such as kukui nut oil, macadamia nut oil, coconut, Hawaiian ‘alaea (red clay), Maui turbinado, ‘awapuhi (ginger) and other local wonders. When these creations are infused with the scents of Hawai‘i, such as ginger, orchid, pikake, mango, plumeria and passionfruit, the result is something like spa products concocted by the company called Island Essence, which designs exclusive private label lines for individual spas. These products are the work of Denise Diamond, who has spent much of a lifetime involved with aromatherapy, herbology and natural skin care, and who has created special products for spas in Guam, Saipan, Tahiti, Fiji, California and Texas. More information at www.islandessence.com




Return of the Nene

The state bird of Hawai‘i is getting a new lease on life. The lovable nene, which shares a common ancestry with the Canadian goose, but is unique to the Hawaiian Islands, was listed as the eighth most endangered waterfowl species in the world in 1967. In 1952, the remaining nene population was thought to be about 30 birds. Today, estimates show some 1,300 birds on the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i and Kaua‘i, with about half the population on Kaua‘i. And thanks to a modest program at the Pi‘iholo Ranch in Upcountry Maui, the nene will have another long-term breeding habitat.

A special ceremony in September blessed the introduction of five nene, four goslings and one foster parent to the sprawling ranchland, where, according to owner Peter Baldwin, who has made a 10-year commitment with local and federal authorities to maintain a nene habitat, the place is expected to be a permanent home. “The nene are treasured by our island, and my family and I are committed to enhancing their population,” says Baldwin.

he ranch ceremony coincided with the second annual Nene Recognition Day in Hawai‘i on Sept. 26, a date proclaimed by Gov. Linda Lingle.



You Can Bet on a Big Celebration

Beginning New Year’s Eve 2004, Las Vegas will commemorate 100 years of existence, an on-the-edge celebration that will continue through the year, with one event after the other. Although the city was actually incorporated on March 16, 1911 (and archaeologists have discovered 30,000-year-old bones of bisons, mammoths and other living creatures in an area northwest of the modern neon city), the centennial honors a land auction that was held on May 16, 1905, in a valley that is now the site of modern Las Vegas. The year-long tribute to the city, done in typically understated Las Vegas style, will include 200 sky cannons, the world’s largest birthday cake (130,000 pounds) and special 18-inch gaming chips placed in downtown sidewalks to honor the heroes of Vegas: Elvis Presley, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes, Bugsy Siegel and others. The excitement of the year is sure to add new vim and vigor to comedienne Rita Rudner’s line that “wherever you’re from, Las Vegas is just the opposite.”



Mythologically Cool Surfers

November and December are top surf months in Hawai‘i, especially on the island of O‘ahu, when the North Shore gets mythologically large waves, and there’s prize money galore for the world’s greatest surfers..

From Nov. 12 to Dec. 20, $620,000 in prize money will be awarded to men and women surfers who compete in the 22nd annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which includes three world-class men’s events and two elite-level women’s events. The events include the Vans Hawaiian Pro and Roxy Pro at Ali‘i Beach Park in Hale‘iwa Nov.12 to 24; the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach Nov. 26 to Dec. 7; the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters at Banzai Pipeline Dec. 8 to 20; and the Billabong Pro at Honolua Bay, Maui Dec. 8 to 20. All events, which run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., are free to the public.

Another view of surfing’s greats is on display at Reyn’s at Ala Moana Center, where “A Tribute to Watermen of the ’60s” will feature surf photos taken by the company’s president and CEO Tim McCullough, an avid surfer and photographer throughout the 1960s, as well as museum-quality surfboards and paddleboards.




MUSIC: Now Hear This

Brickwood Galuteria, Hawaiian 105 KINE’s “Aloha Morning Show” radio host, chooses this list of recommended music from the Islands, with all selections widely available at Island record stores:

• Noel Okimoto—‘Ohana: Jazz fans rejoice! Hawai‘i’s premier jazz drummer has assembled members of his extended family (‘ohana), and then added international musicians Tiger Okoshi and Makoto Ozone to his exciting debut album. All compositions are by Okimoto, and “Bop’s Pop” features local legend and Okimoto mentor Gabe Baltazar on alto sax, with Okoshi on trumpet. Way cool.

Kalaeola—Let the Goodtimes Roll: Taz Vegas and Les Harris are also making their debut with this upbeat collection of original tunes, supported by sidemen Wendal Ching, Bobo Butires and Steve Woolford. With Harris playing beautiful acoustic guitar and Vegas sparkling on the ‘ukulele, the singer-songwriter duo hits the road with a perfect paniolo good-time party offering.

Various Artists—The 50 Greatest Hawai‘i Music Albums Ever: Magazine feature turned CD, this compilation from Honolulu Magazine’s panel selection of all-time great music from Hawai‘i “was a consensus of many minds.” The original 50 great tunes have been whittled by Mountain Apple Records to 17 “best of the best,” including Emma Veary, Bruddah Iz and—whoah—Rap Reiplinger doing “Room Service.” Even if your personal favorite missed the cut, the collection is still a wonderful way to traipse across the decades.



Tube Time, Dude

Whether you surf or just enjoy watching surfers surf, the book of the month is Wave-Finder Surf Guides, the incredibly detailed and endlessly fascinating guides to every surf spot in the world. The pocket-size series of four books (USA/Hawai‘i, Australia, Indonesia and UK/Ireland) is packed with “surfer’s eye” data maps and in-depth commentary, compiled by many of the world’s top surfers. Our USA/Hawai‘i edition, written by Larry Blair and local legend Buzzy Kerbox, features 1,200 surfing spots and insiders’ reviews, such as: “An awesome, peeling flyer of a right-hander, dishing out considerable tube time, over a rocky reef/point setup.” Fun to read whether you surf or not. Available for under $15 at most surf shops. More info at
www.wave-finder.com



Dramatic Hula
The little-known hula genre of the Kamehameha dynasty, called hula ‘äla‘apapa, is explored in considerable fascinating detail in Sacred Hula: The Historical Hula ‘Ala‘apapa, written by Amy Ku‘uleialoha Stillman and re-released recently by Bishop Museum Press. This genre of Hawaiian dance, called a type of ancient dramatic hula, dates from the 1820s, but is still performed today.

Aloha Shorts Archive