The Path to Pro
Pursuing professional sports is an arduous, costly journey, requiring grit and an all-in commitment from young athletes and their families. So why does the dream burn so big in Hawai‘i?
Don Wallace
Articles
2024 HONOLULU Book Awards
In selecting our 2024 winners in seven categories, we considered heart, breadth of audience, readability and connection.
9 Tips to Avoid a Shark Attack in Hawai‘i
Here’s how to stay safe while you enjoy the beautiful blue Pacific.
Soul on Tap: Cultural Resources of Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i’s spirit can be found, and accessed more easily than ever, in our cultural repositories. Here are some resources.
Hawai‘i’s Soul Is at Risk
Housing prices are up, trust is down, culture and heritage feel threatened, and Lahaina broke our hearts. With record numbers leaving the state, what can we do to bring back our soul?
What’s With the Underwhelming Military Response on Maui?
U.S. forces historically have had a commanding presence in the aftermath of natural disasters, but many are wondering, “Why not in Lahaina?”
Megan Kamalei Kakimoto’s Debut Book Has the Literary World Buzzing
Her story collection, written outside of working hours at a demanding downtown job, is drawing raves—and feels like a reset for Hawai‘i literature.
The Walker: Don Wallace
HONOLULU’s contributing editor takes us on a first-person journey to happiness around Diamond Head.
The Making of Essential Hawai‘i Books: The Next 134
Our hope with running a list like this is to cast a much-deserved spotlight on Hawai‘i’s best stories and authors.
Essential Hawai‘i Books You Should Read: The Next 134
Our first list—50 Essential Hawai‘i Books You Should Read in Your Lifetime—was one of our most popular stories ever, but it didn’t do justice to our flourishing regional literary scene. So here we go again: More of da kine, only bigger, broader, deeper.
Best of HONOLULU 2022: The Best Fitness and Outdoor Fun on O‘ahu
Grab your skates, clubs and rackets for these 20 ways to get out and play.
Best of HONOLULU 2022: The Best Services on O‘ahu
Take a class, sing your heart out onstage or get your hair done at our 84 top picks chosen by readers and editors.
Best of HONOLULU 2022
From best Korean fried chicken to banh mi, the best way to get into pickleball to best beach blanket, we pulled together the top food, fitness, shopping, services and family-friendly picks.
Why You Should Read Breakthrough Author Joseph Han’s Novel, “Nuclear Family”
This new book delights with Korean kitchen adventures and dead-on observations of Island stresses. But food only goes so far in easing the pain of separation and the pining for reconciliation.
Stunning Spectacle Awaits at “Beyond Monet”
Starting June 15, attendees will bathe in an immersive visual overlay of 400 of the artist’s paintings in all their subtle, sometimes trippy, glory.
Leading Wāhine: These 5 Local Surfers Are Blue Crushing It
After decades of pressure, politicking and feats of raw courage by pioneering women, this year’s pro surf tour has an unprecedented five women from Hawai‘i.
Meet 15 Who Inspire and Push Honolulu Forward in Everything
From arts to government and restaurants to sports.
Don’t Miss This: Eddie Kamae Songbook Launch Party in Waikīkī
The six-hour songfest celebrates a free music resource. The new online/interactive songbook honors many of Sons of Hawai‘i founder and filmmaker Eddie Kamae’s favorites.
Are NFTs Just a Gimmick, or the Future of Lucrative Hawai‘i Art?
NFTs are an idea elusive even to Island artists tiptoeing into their uncharted waters.
Catch the Thrilling Duke Kahanamoku Biopic “Waterman” in Theaters This April
Duke Kahanamoku negotiated more troubled waters than we think, while two Hawaiian films ask where Duke’s Hawai‘i went.
There’s an “Every” for Everyone at Hawai‘i International Film Festival’s Spring Showcase
See the hotly anticipated Michelle Yeoh sci-fi drama and catch up with local breakout director Alika Tengan at HIFF’s Spring Showcase.
Will the Higher Cost of Paradise End—Or End Up Ruining Hawai‘i?
We‘ve all been feeling the hit at the register, the pump, in the housing market. Economists tell us which price inflation is normal, and which things are just a blip.
Rebuilding From Within: How to Inflation-Proof O‘ahu (So We Can Keep Living Here)
As a worker shortage continues to slow Hawai‘i and particularly O‘ahu’s COVID-19-crashed economy, two experts discuss what must change and why—or else.
7 Hawai‘i Books to Give ’Em Something to Talk About this Holiday Season
Extraordinary times, Exceptional titles.
Carissa’s World: How a Self-Effacing Girl from Kaimukī Surfed Her Way to Olympic Gold
Carissa Moore has become a beacon for a state, a people and a legion of young empowered women, without losing herself in the game.
Best of Honolulu 2021: The Best Shopping on O‘ahu
We asked our readers and searched the island for the best of everything—from locally designed house dresses and locally made hand sanitizers, gifts to art, jewelry to native plants—all so you can live better in Honolulu.
Best of Honolulu 2021: The Best Fitness and Outdoor on O‘ahu
We asked our readers and searched the island for the best of everything—beach cleanups to land restoration, fishing equipment to surf shop, free gym to yoga studio—all so you can live better in Honolulu.
Best of Honolulu 2021: The Best Services on O‘ahu
We asked our readers and searched the island for the best of everything—book club to cat café, day spa to barbershop, hardware store to car rental—all so you can live better in Honolulu.
Hawai‘i Book Recommendations: I Can’t Believe It’s Literature (And Local!)
Hawai‘i writers break the news about our watery fate 120 years from now, surfing’s corrupt soul and love in Wahiawā (yes, Wahiawā).
Olympic Surfing Gold Fulfills Duke’s Dream—and Moore
Gold medal winner Carissa Moore puts Hawai‘i on the Olympic podium at the first-ever Olympic surfing competition in Japan. Here’s how it went down.
HONOLULU Staff Favorites: The 12 Best Meaty and Meatless Burgers on O‘ahu
From Punahou Carnival to Hale ‘Aina-winning restaurants, here are our team’s top spots to pile on the patties.
What Just Happened? Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi: What Went Wrong, What Went Right
What starts now is the great rebooting of Hawai‘i: figuring out what went wrong, what must change, and what path to choose. For a clear-eyed take on the road ahead …
Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi: Former City Councilmember Kymberly Pine
We talk about farm villages, if New Zealand is truly a success story and the problem that frustrated the former city councilmember the most.
Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i: UH’s Colin Moore
We talk about inefficient contracting and why local government bureaucracy just doesn’t change.
Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi: Economist Paul Brewbaker
Faced with a pandemic, an event no one anticipated in our lifetime, the experts we queried for March’s cover story had plenty to say—about black swans, failed bureaucracy, food insecurity, unions, overtourism, and illegal vacation rentals. You can read…
Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i: Hospitality Expert Keith Vieira
We speak with the hospitality consultant about how many tourists Hawai‘i can handle, what we should charge for and if the state can diversity its economy.
It’s Raining Hawai‘i Films in Hollywood
Local Oscar-listed animated short “Kapaemahu” is just one of more than a dozen recent films to spring from our filmmaking community into the spotlight—and it’s no “Baywatch Hanauma Bay.”
Is Mayor Blangiardi’s New DPP About to Allow More Vacation Rentals?
A legal battle in 2018 culminated in a “final” law to stop illegal vacation rentals. So it seems a little strange that the Department of Planning and Permitting’s docket April 6 wants to put the law back on the table for revisions.
HONOLULU Staff Favorites: The 9 Best Sandwiches on O‘ahu
Paper-thin salami, juicy roast beef, tasty tonkatsu, sumptuous smoked brisket, hefty lumps of crab, fresh fish and everything else that’s best between bread.
