Sep 05
A family vacation to Hawaii should have meant sunshine, sightseeing, surfing, and a few unforgettable photographs. For the Brady family, it also meant a mysterious little carved idol that seemed determined to ruin everyone’s trip. In 1972, The Brady Bunch opened its fourth season with a three-part Hawaiian adventure that became one of the most …
May 01
Cool, salty, juicy, and wonderfully refreshing, lomi lomi salmon is a beloved Hawaiian side dish made with salted salmon, ripe tomatoes, onion, and green onion. The ingredients are simple, but together they create an irresistible combination of savory salmon, sweet tomato, crisp onion, and fresh scallions. Everything is chopped into small pieces, gently mixed together, …
May 01
Cool, creamy, and full of coconut flavor, haupia is one of Hawaii’s most recognizable traditional desserts. At first glance, it looks almost like a firm white pudding or coconut gelatin. Traditional-style haupia, however, has its own distinctive texture: smooth and creamy enough to melt in your mouth, yet firm enough to chill and cut into …
Apr 20
Across the immense Pacific Ocean, generations of Polynesian people passed down stories about creation, ancestors, gods, heroes, the sea, forests, storms, volcanoes, agriculture, warfare, death, and the origins of humanity. Many of these traditions share recognizable themes and even related names. Yet there is no single universal collection of “Polynesian gods.” Hawaiian traditions are not …
Apr 19
Dim lights glow behind woven shades. Bamboo covers the walls. Glass fishing floats hang from the ceiling beside ropes, carved figures, tropical plants, and mysterious objects collected from distant places. Somewhere in the room, a vibraphone plays beneath the sound of running water. Then an elaborate tropical drink arrives in an unusual ceramic mug. For …
Apr 14
Soft, lightly sweet, buttery, and beautifully golden, these Hawaiian-style sweet rolls are the kind of bread that disappears from the table almost as soon as the pan arrives. The rolls pictured here have exactly the texture we’re aiming for: deeply golden, glossy tops with pale, fluffy interiors that pull apart in tender strands. They are …
Jul 12
On Oʻahu’s legendary North Shore, Haleʻiwa combines surf culture, plantation-era architecture, local food, galleries, small businesses, beaches, and more than a century of recorded town history into one compact community. For many visitors, Haleʻiwa is the gateway to the North Shore. It is the place where the pace begins to feel different from Honolulu and …
Jul 11
Tucked into the lush North Shore of Oʻahu, Waimea Valley is a place where tropical gardens, flowing freshwater, archaeology, Native Hawaiian history, and one of the island’s best-known waterfalls come together in a single landscape. Many visitors arrive with Waimea Falls at the top of their list, and the waterfall is certainly beautiful. A paved …
Jun 16
Tall wooden figures with powerful faces stand beside a reconstructed temple at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau on the island of Hawaiʻi. Their eyes stare outward, their mouths form dramatic expressions, and their carved bodies seem completely at home against the dark lava rock and blue Pacific. Visitors sometimes look at these figures and call them “tiki …
Jun 01
Few places are as closely associated with flowers as Hawaiʻi. Brilliant hibiscus blooms, fragrant strands of pikake, colorful plumeria lei, and fiery red lehua blossoms have become inseparable from the visual identity of the Hawaiian Islands. Yet the story of Hawaiian flowers is much deeper than tropical beauty. Flowers and other plant materials appear in …
