Tag Archive | "christmas"
Frank Delima – Filipino Christmas – The Art of Aloha
Frank Delima – Filipino Christmas. An old Local Hawaiian Classic by Frank Delima Brought to you by www.TheArtofAloha.com Lyrics Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dongding O Christmas…
Continue reading...Bing Crosby – Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Bing Crosby sings Mele Kalikimaka (The Hawaiian Christmas Song). Slideshow of Christmas on the islands with a few scenery shots included.
Continue reading...Visiting Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Until this recent visit to the Big Island, we hadn’t had the a chance to visit Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden . We had driven past the garden a number of times, but for logistics reasons weren’t able to stop in. Now that we’ve had a chance to tour the gardens, we realize we had really been missing out on such a special place. I’ll cut to the chase. I love this garden. Love it! Each time I visit the Big Island from now on, I will make plans to visit Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. It’s one of the closest places to heaven on earth that I’ve encountered. A Garden In a Valley on the Ocean What makes Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden special? Where do I start? Let’s begin with a trusted, old real estate phrase, “Location! Location! Location!” Hawaii’s climate is perfect for tropical gardens that you’ll find on every island, but I doubt there’s another garden location that can beat Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Their tagline, “a garden in a valley on the ocean”, almost says it all. While you saunter along the garden’s paths you hear the soothing sounds of the Pacific Ocean coupled with the chirping of birds. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is blessed with natural landscape beauty. First, the garden is situated along Onomea Bay and from the garden paths, you’ll find beautiful views of the bay. While we were enjoying the view of the bay, we were also treated to some humpback whale watching. Another wonderful natural landscape feature within the gardens is Onomea Waterfalls as well as Boulder Creek Waterfalls. By now, you are probably starting to get the picture that the location and landscape of Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens are gorgeous, right? So, you may be wondering what about the garden bit. Oh yes, these gardens are abundant with all sorts of tropical flowers and trees. We must have said, “Wow, look at that!” over and over again. I’ve never seen such a collection of exotic trees and plants – from orchids to heliconias to bromeliads to gingers to ferns to palms, and much, much more. Even my brother-in-law, who is not botanically-inclined, said that he was very impressed with the gardens and that it was one of his highlights of the trip. A Garden Love Story On the day I visited, I was in luck. I had the honor of meeting Mrs.. Pauline Lutkenhouse, the wife of the founder, Mr.. Dan Lutkenhouse. Mrs.. Lutkenhouse happened to be at the garden’s visitor center and greeted us with such warm aloha. She shared a bit of the history of the garden and spoke so proudly and lovingly of Mr.. Lutkenhouse who passed away in 2007. She said that he lived his dream in creating Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Isn’t that beautiful? Mrs. Pauline Lutkenhouse The Lutkenhouses purchased the first 17 acres of Onomea valley in 1978. At that point it was so overgrown and virtually impenetrable jungle that it took eight years to clear it and design. (Can you imagine eight long years of clearing and creating paths?) Mrs.. Lutkenhouse said that even today, she’s still impressed with the creativity and way her husband designed the garden. I must agree, that the design is exceptionally impressive. I admire the vision it took to plan, plant, and create this one of a kind garden. After my brief chat with Mrs.. Lutkenhouse, I could sense that this garden was so much more than what’s physically visible. It’s a romantic story – one that symbolizes the love that the Lutkenhouses have for Hawaii, for nature, and for each other. If the garden ever considers changing their tagline, I’d like to suggest “A Love Story in a Garden in a Valley on the Ocean” The Lutkenhouses added another 40 acres to the original 17. They donated the land to establish a non-profit nature preserve and sanctuary that’s funded solely by visitors and tax-deductible memberships. While the founders saved this land from being over built, they also created a garden paradise that will be enjoyed for many generations to come. You can read more of the history of this garden on their Web site . What to Know When You Go Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens is located off the scenic four mile drive , Old Mamalahua Road, just about 9 miles north of Hilo on the Big Island. See this link for more detailed directions. Open daily from 9am to 5pm, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Note admission ends at 4pm. Admission is $15 for adults. Children ages 6 – 16 are $5. Children under 6 are free. We were told to allow at least an hour to tour the gardens. We lost track of time, but we are certain that we enjoyed our visit for over two hours. You will need to guard yourself against mosquitoes. Yes, mosquito repellant is a must! Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a bottle of water. To get a small preview of the garden, see our collection of photos from our visit. Have you been to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden? How was your visit? © Go Visit Hawaii – Republication of this entire post is prohibited without prior permission. Using extracts of less than 100 words are permitted with full attribution and link back to GoVisitHawaii.com .
Continue reading...Longing for Lanai
Monday, December 28, 2009
When folks find out that I’m a Hawaii travel writer, they usually ask me which island is my favorite. My response is that
Continue reading...Twelve Days of Christmas (Hawaii-Style)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
While Andy and I were stuck in traffic on our way to visit family for Christmas last year, we wrote a new version of the Twelve Days of Christmas Sing along as you read it, starting with "On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me," Twelve whales a leaping Eleven hula dancers Ten surfers surfing Nine ukes a strumming Eight coconut pancakes Seven dolphins swimming Six honu basking Fiiiiiiiiive golden beaches Four finger poi Three Kauai hens Two loco mocos And a nene in a palm tree I hope you’ve enjoyed our semi-humorous lyrics. Andy and I wish a Mele Kalikimaka to you and yours! © Go Visit Hawaii – Republication of this entire post is prohibited without prior permission. Using extracts of less than 100 words are permitted with full attribution and link back to GoVisitHawaii.com .
Continue reading...Akaka Bill up for debate, new sponges, coral found, bed and breakfasts head to likely defeat, more
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Opponents of federal recognition for native Hawaiians are urging Hawaii's congressional delegation to hold hearings in Hawaii on the latest version of the Akaka Bill, which is being discussed in Congress this week. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye denied accusations yesterday by a group of mostly Native Hawaiians that he is trying to avoid public scrutiny of legislation that would grant them historic new status by hiding it in a defense bill. A bill that would allow the issuance of more bed-and-breakfast permits on Oahu for the first time in 20 years will likely be defeated when it comes up for a final vote tomorrow. New and dramatic species of coral and sponges have been found in the Pacific during deep-sea dives near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, scientists said yesterday. A shortage of trees had families scrambling this weekend in Hawaii. An Oahu Christmas tree vendor says more Christmas trees are expected to be available for sale Wednesday or Thursday. Richard Tajiri, who runs the Christmas tree concession at Ala Moana Center near Sears, says 400 more trees have been ordered. Hawaii County Council members on Tuesday will debate a resolution that would ask the state Legislature to decriminalize marijuana A garage sale of abandoned liquids, jams, jellies and lotions took a West Hawaii couple by surprise last week, but it turns out that airport officials have signed off on the donation of discarded items to a nonprofit. Immediate efforts are needed to curb the rapid decline of endemic seabirds being impacted by the modernization of mankind, according to Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s final draft Short-Term Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan. Homeowners who have provided affordable housing in recent years but failed to file paperwork to earn property tax breaks were granted a do-over by the Kaua‘i County Council last week but will not get a refund for any increases they may have paid in the interim.
Continue reading...Waikiki Christmas 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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Going to Waikiki this Christmas?
Continue reading...Hawaii Vacation Deals & News: December 4, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
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Let’s see what top news the surf has brought us on this Aloha Friday : * Congratulations to Go Visit Hawaii reader, Natalie for winning the Go Visit Hawaii reader reward contest .
Continue reading...Getting into the Christmas Spirit Hawaii-Style
Friday, November 27, 2009
Now that the Christmas season is upon us, it’s time to start practicing “ Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas .” To set the mood, see this YouTube video of photos from Hawaii set to the classic Bing Crosby version of Mele Kalikimaka .
Continue reading...Monk seal protection, stimu-less funding, Jehovah Witnesses coming, Christmas trees arrive and more
Thursday, November 19, 2009
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There are only 1,100 Hawaiian Monk Seals left in the wild. One of them named KP2 (Kauai Pup 2) is going blind and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA is trying to help him see again. About 30,000 people are expected to attend an international Jehovah's Witnesses convention opening here today — the largest event of its kind ever held at the Hawai'i Convention Center. Honolulu's new police chief says his five-year plan includes "restructuring" the department, increasing community service and boosting morale, including possibly bringing back a popular three-day, 12-hour work schedule for some police officers. The Honolulu Police Department's plans to post the names and photos of alleged drunken drivers on a new Web page have disturbed some attorneys, who say it's unconstitutional and will infringe on the person's right to a fair trial. Nearly one-third of Honolulu real estate listing prices have dropped in the last six months, with the average decline in the 10 percent range, according to online real estate marketplace Trulia.com The Hawaii County Council wants to abolish the state Land Use Commission and allow county governments to have full oversight over big developers. As the county moves forward with plans to construct a new landfill on a Kalaheo property currently in agricultural production, Kaua‘i Coffee Company this week renewed its objections to the proposal in advance of an important community meeting. Imagine an elevated concrete train viaduct rising from abandoned sugarcane fields just east of Kapolei and barreling through Waipahu, Pearl City and ‘Aiea, past Pearl Harbor and the airport and into downtown. Nearly 40 containers of Christmas trees are on the docks at Honolulu harbor Wednesday. About nine months ago, the Obama administration and Congress agreed to set aside $787 billion in stimulus dollars to help revitalize Main Street America. On Tuesday, Maui County Managing Director Sheri Morrison compared the glacial and byzantine efforts of 75 federal agencies - most of which never gave out grants before - to release those funds with "a snake trying to swallow a horse." Less than a year after the Hawaii County Council started a new term by pledging unprecedented unity, lawmakers' infighting has cost taxpayers nearly $50,000 in legal fees. The U.S. Census Bureau has hired 600 of the 2,500 people it needs on Hawaii Island, leaving 1,900 positions unfilled. Hawaii County will see its rent payments drop at the end of this year, as two leases expire and several offices return to the county building on Aupuni Street. Greatly curtailed hours for garbage transfer stations will go into effect Dec. 1, despite opposition from the public and questions from the Hawaii County Council.
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- smendoza27: IT S GOING TO HAPPEND ARE YOU PREPARD...
- TheSmokegunner: @smendoza27 they said the same thing about the yea...
- jasenrooks2010: I LOVE THAT SOUNDTRACK ( LOL THIS MOVIE MADE ME CR...
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- Ivanlamperouge: An an 225 cannot fly that steep. They should crash...
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Friday, August 6, 2010
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