Wandering around Hawaii
Japanese Tour Group at the Pali Lookout from Nerd's Eye View
Confession. I was not all that interested in Hawaii at first. Too touristy, a cliche, whatever. Maybe it was the Elvis movies or the Brady Bunch in Hawaii episodes or the glitzy ad campaigns that showed swimming pools that looked like mini-golf courses. A significant birthday brought me there, my mom’s dash-zero year meant a family gathering, a holiday home, a minivan.
At the time, I was living a divided life between two places, a small town in Austria and Seattle, Washington. In order to get to Hawaii for this January birthday, my mate and I boarded a flight in wintery Vienna. Two days later — after a one-night stop in my Seattle apartment to repack — we stepped out of the plane on to the tarmac at the Kona airport and I fell in love.
To this day, I’m convinced that it was the smell of the plumeria flowers mixed with the salt of the ocean. We had not yet left the airport, and I was ready to sign up for everything: the Aloha shirts, the overpriced cocktails, the lazy sound of Hawaiian music telling my inner critic to shut up and learn from the sea turtles who lay on the warm black sand doing … nothing. I took one deep breath of the Hawaiian air and blinking in the bright sunshine, I fell. And fell hard.
A Holoholo Wale slideshow on World Hum
More than 10 years later, I am still enchanted with Hawaii. I’ve been back many times — we were married there, I’ve written a Hawaii guide book and the phrase “When we move to Hawaii” gets muttered frequently, especially between the months of November and March when the Pacific Northwest can be dark, wet, depressing. In the meantime, Hawaii has also become a real place for me, not just a postcard of a palm tree on a flawless beach. My love for Hawaii has inspired me to learn about her history, her native people, her environmental and political challenges.
But Hawaii has also changed how I travel. Outside of Purdy’s Mac Nut Farm on Molokai, there’s a sign that says “Aloha — Slow Down, This is Molokai.” What great advice. There’s a Hawaiian term — holoholo wale — that means to wander around aimlessly, to stray. This is without question my favorite method of travel. To be in Hawaii with no place to go, nothing to do, no particular destination in mind, I can think of few things I’d rather do. Where is this wandering going to take us? Stick around, who knows?
The WSJ published this complicated editorial about the Akaka Bill — more formally know as the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act. Even if you don’t agree with the conclusions it’s worth a read for a look into the tangled mess that is the struggle for Native Hawaiian rights.
The bill creates a complex federal framework under which most of the nation’s approximately 400,000 ethnic Hawaiians can organize themselves into one vast Indian tribe. It endows the tribe with the “inherent powers and privileges of self-government,” including the privilege of sovereign immunity from lawsuit. It also by clear implication confers the power to tax, to promulgate and enforce a criminal code, and to exercise eminent domain. Hawaii will in effect be two states, not one.
Congress Tries to Break Hawaii in Two: A racial spoils precedent that could lead to new ‘tribal’ demands across the U.S. — WSJ
I was beyond delighted to catch Mighty Uke in Seattle, but how much more thrilling would it be to see the Mighty Uke Roadshow in the homeland of the ukulele?! It’s showing at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on March 19th, 2010. Learn more on the Academy’s website.
Honolulu City Lights by Dan Zen via Flickr
“If I were a tourist, I’m coming here for the weather, the culture, the sightseeing. But one night I might go to the casino, because what other entertainment is there to do at night?” said James Boersema, an investor of a Waikiki nightclub and restaurant. — MSNBC: Is Hawaii gambling with paradise?
That quote is from an article about the islands considering — again — adding gambling as a source of much needed revenue. Gambling might be a path towards income, surely, but it’s a willfully naive response to the question of what to do after dark in Hawaii.
For starters, there’s a staggering array of music options, and lots of them are free. Waikiki’s Kanikapila Grill hosts the stars of Hawaiian music — hang out poolside at the Outrigger and hear the sounds of island music for the price of a cocktail. You can do this at the Marriott, too, and a number of other places. The Royal Hawaiian has a newish entertainment series — it’s great fun to catch a show in this grand pink hotel by the sea. There are loads of nightlife tourist traps along Kalakaua Ave., discos and kitchy luaus, or you can book a package that includes transportation to and from the Polynesian Cultural Center to catch their big cultural showcase.
In the confines of Waikiki, it’s easy to forget that Honolulu is a real city with a university and residents that work in industries other than tourism, a place where people live and work and play after dark just like any other city. Crack a local paper — one that’s not labeled “Top 100 Things to Do on Oahu!” and you’ll find loads of other options.
There’s a burgeoning foodie scene in Honolulu — try Town in Kaimuki or, if you’re feeling flush, Chef Mavro’s. You can attend a food event like Dining in the Dark where you’ll give up vision for taste. If you’re looking for alternative entertainment there’s Art after Dark at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and there’s Chinatown’s revival with bars and nightclubs and the First Friday gallery walk.
Admittedly, things slow down a little on the neighbor islands, but you can still dine in an amazing array of restaurants in Maui’s county seat, Wailuku, catch a jazz show at the historic Honoka’a theater on the Big Island or hear local music at the Hotel Moloka’i on, you guessed it Moloka’i. There are nature activities too — star gazing and flashlight tide-pooling and night diving… it’s not over just because the sun is down.
What is there to do at night? Really? Pick up a local paper or look online and find out.
“The Hawaiian culture that tourists see is very tourist-oriented,” according to an unidentified Native Hawaiian who was quoted in the study. “Tourists don’t see the authentic culture. They put on leis and sing Tiny Bubbles” —Don Ho’s famous tune. — USA Today
Ouch. That quote cuts straight to the heart of the matter while also painting all of Hawaii’s visitors with the same ugly brush. It’s true, some tourists do put on leis and sing along with the trademarked song. Culture in Hawaii is a commodity, even while it’s a way of life. In the same USA Today article, Native Hawaiians said that the tourism “industry has a bad reputation for presenting Hawaiian arts authentically and accurately.” After all, real culture is kind of messy and doesn’t sell vacations.
Alternative Hawaiian Flag by Ki'i Girl via Flickr
Great cultural sites aren’t far from the glitzy shopping of Waikiki — the spectacular Hawaiian Hall at the Bishop Museum and ‘Iolani Palace are both excellent places to learn a little history and the trolley that serves most of Oahu’s tourist sites will take you there. The Place of Refuge is a must see on the Big Island — with its scowling ki’i carvings (we often call them “tiki” — that’s not their correct name) and beautiful setting, it’s an amazing place to learn about Hawaii’s traditions. Limahuli Garden has living kalo (taro) patches, as does the ‘Iao Valley State Park. All these sites offer insight into Native Hawaiian culture and history, and they’re great places to visit.
But they don’t create human connections. Sure, you can visit a museum and learn about Hawaiian culture and you can educate yourself beyond that Don Ho listening lei wearing mainlander, but does this change your sense of who Hawaiians are today? And while there are lots of volunteer opportunities, most of them are nature focused, not human focused. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with making life better for turtles, but do these activities ease the tensions between the day trippers on the road to Hana and the people who have made Hana their home for three, four, more generations?
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs maintains a Native Hawaiian owned business directory — there’s a small section called travel and tours and while it’s enough to find a few activities for your trip, it won’t help you find a Native Hawaiian owned hotel* and there are only six restaurants listed. It’s no wonder the two populations — tourists and Native Hawaiians — don’t have a lot of understanding for each other — places where we can come together over common ground are rare indeed. Ecotourism, oh Hawaii has that, but cultural tourism? Unfortunately, most of what Hawaii offers visitors is history or commodity, leaving curious visitors hungry for more. And the not so curious? They’re perfectly content with leis and Tiny Bubbles.
Related: Hawaii Tourism Authority awards $600K for programs perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture
*There are two, Uncle Billy’s in Kona or Hilo. If you know of more, please leave that information in the comments.
Queen Liliuokalani Statue by JMCD via Flickr
After a recent visit to Hawaii, KUOW’s Amanda Wilde has a new connection to an old melody. The last of the Hawaiian monarchs penned this tune. It was inspired by a poignant moment on top of a mountain on the Island of Oahu. Amanda spoke with KUOW’s Dave Beck about a classic tune that Sounds Familiar.
Falling in love with Hawaii will change how you feel about the iconic Hawaiian farewell tune. My friend Gregg supplied the sample tracks for this radio story. You can listen here.
Palace Theater by Eye of Einstein via Flickr
Inspiring the audience to recognize and honor the beauty and richness of the Hawaiian culture has been one of the goals of Hawaiiana Live! Since its launch on Jan.10, 2007, it has educated and entertained 4,000-plus people; Yuen hopes many more will come.
The program spotlights various aspects of Hawaiian culture through storytelling, videos, hula, oli (chants) and mele (songs). A changing slate of Big Island artists, musicians, kupuna (elders) and kumu (teachers) is featured each week. –Honolulu Star Bulletin
It’s a Big Island battle. It’s so easy to be seduced by the beautiful beaches, by the sunset cocktail hours, by the spectacular nature away from the beach. And sure, you can sit a a long table under the palms and watch a luau where the drums pound and shockingly fit young men spin flaming knives and the hula girls are so pretty you wonder how the missionaries could stand to cover them up. Getting away from culture as commodity can be a challenge.
Hawaiiana Live! is a weekly program at Hilo’s grand old Palace Theater. “The program spotlights various aspects of Hawaiian culture through storytelling, videos, hula, oli (chants) and mele (songs). A changing slate of Big Island artists, musicians, kupuna (elders) and kumu (teachers) is featured each week.” What a great opportunity. There’s a different program every Wednesday, so just because your neighbor saw the one about native plants doesn’t mean you will, you might end up in the land of ancient myth and legend.
Most visitors to the Big Island set up base on the Kona side, zipping over to Hilo or up to the volcano for the day only. That’s a shame – they’re missing out on all the great things Hilo has to offer. Hawaiiana Live! is one more reason to stay a little longer on the windward side.
The full calendar for Hawaiiana Live is here.