Oahu lifeguards spotted slightly more than 100 box jellyfish today as the monthly influx has dropped off considerably. — Honolulu Advertiser
What’s with the jelly count? Once a month — maybe eight to twelve days after a full month — box jellies come close to the beaches to spawn. They’re so predictable that there’s an online calendar; obsessive types could plan their trip to Hawaii around the jellyfish.
Hawaii’s box jellies are unique in their predictable arrivals: they come near shore to spawn 8 to 12 days after each full moon. John Culliney, Professor of Biology at Hawaii Pacific University, said that other members of the same phylum, including corals, also time their spawns based on the lunar cycle.
“They do this because it’s easier to concentrate the eggs and sperm all together,” Culliney said. What is unique about C. alata is that nowhere else in the world are box jellyfish quite so reliably on-time. No one is yet able to answer why. –The Blob That Attacked Waikiki: The Box Jellyfish Invasion of Hawaii
Box jellies are poisonous and apparently, the sting hurts like hell. You don’t want your vacation wrecked by this:
Stings are not often fatal, but can hurt a great deal and may lead to an allergic reaction. Symptoms can include: mild burning, redness to severe blisters and welts. If you contact a Man of War, try to immediately take out the tentacles with anything but your bare hands and teeth. Rinse with fresh or salt water but do not use vinegar. Some people will say to do this, but it often makes stings worse. If symptoms are more than mildly uncomfortable, contact a physician. — Garden Isle
It’s common sense, of course, but if the jellyfish warning signs are out, that’s the day you head for the aquarium or the museum. That’s the day you take a nap or go find the best shrimp truck on the North Shore or go shopping for an ‘ukulele. The weird translucent creatures aren’t going to stick around — let them have the shallows for a few days. Always, always, always, check the beach signs and if you’re not sure, ask a lifeguard.
Beaches in Hawaii are closed from time to time for a variety of reasons — dangerously high tides, shark sightings, and box jellies being among them. Take a minute to remember that you’re standing on a tiny island in the middle of Pacific — and give nature a little respect. It’s all for your safety.
Henry Kapono has a new music project going — it’s called the Wild Hawaiian. You can read up on the whole thing here — there’s music and video and photos. I caught the show in Seattle. I thought the way he started it was a little weird — he showed video footage that talked about the concept and how people felt about what they were experiencing — I’m not down with setting expectations for me to feel a certain way about art, be it musical or otherwise. It turned out not to matter, I forgot the video almost immediately when the live music started.
I loved the show; I loved thinking about Hawaiian music in a whole new way. The Wild Hawaiian tracks are rock music in a way you probably recognize, but the lyrics are all Hawaiian. I thought the percussion was crazy wonderful, the guy cranking out the exotic beats was Lopaka Colon, a musician I’d never heard of but his dad played with Martin Denny — you might know Martin Denny as the man who popularized pop exotica in a track called Quiet Village.
More than anyone on stage, I could not tear my eyes away from Kealoha, the barefoot slam poet who danced and sang his way through the show, sometimes taking the mic to add a whole new spin to Hawaiian storytelling. I loved hearing his voice call out over the crowd, adding Hawaiian legends and slices of modern life to the music that Henry Kapono and his band created.
Kealoha founded and hosts Hawaii Slam every first Thursday in Honolulu at the Fresh Cafe Warehouse. If you want to do something completely different when you’re next on Oahu, this is it. I haven’t been, I can’t tell you first hand what it’s like, but next time I’m there, I’m psyched to go. It’s three bucks if you get there early, five if you don’t, and that’s a pretty good deal for seeing Hawaii through a whole new lens. Check it out.
Be sure to check Hawaii Slam before you go — all the details are subject to change.
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.
“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.
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.
