Dear Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors, Well, hope our today's blog title made you all curious which celebrities danced the hula in Hawaii. I came across this hula dance off between Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston on AMauiBlog fun post about 3000 people applying for a job as extras for the new movie 'Just Go With It' starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. I like the actors and I love hula.
Too bad that I was not there but I liked the ET interview with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston and all the snippets from the hula 'competition' between Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. I read on other blogs that Nicole Kidman won this hula dance off...
One thing is for certain, celebrities love Hawaii just as we all do whether they are on vacation there or are shooting a new movie. Hope the new movie 'Just go with it' will be as much fun as watching the the hula dance off with Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. Maui visitors with upcoming Hawaii vacation might get a chance to see more of our famous celebrities. Good luck. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Hawaiian hula is the beautiful way for Hawaii people to express their feelings, emotions and events through the ancient and modern form of hula dance and chant. Easter is the time when hula dancers and hula lovers from the Hawaiian Islands, the Mainland and from around the world meet for the biggest Hawaii hula festival, the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo on Hawaii Big Island during the week 4/4 - 4/10/10.
When preparing this article, I visited the Merrie Monarch Festival website, as I was curious to see which Hawaiian hula halau (groups) and individual hula dancers will be in Hilo for the 47th Merrie Monarch Hawaii Hula Festival. I loved the Hula backstage videos! Get an idea with how intense the last preparations for the biggest Hula Festival are with watching videotaped last rehearsals!
To get our hula lovers and fans, I chose for today's 'Biggest Hula Festival' post two youtube videos from last year's Merry Monarch Hula Festival. These hula performances don't show last year's hula festival winners and they are not perfect but they show thecommitment, dedication and personal involvement of each hula dancer and their close connection with the audience who get mesmerized by the ancient dances and the powerful rhythm of chants and the Hawaiian gourd drums (Ipu, Ipu Heke and Ipu Hula). Feel the unique atmosphere of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival TODAY!
2009 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival - Ho'ike - Halau O Kekuhi
Halau o Kekuhi men performed Auana hula at the Merrie Monarch 2009 Ho'ike in Hilo, Hawaii
Sorry guys if you got all excited and maybe plan a last minute visit to Hilo Hawaii for the hula festival, Hilo vacation rentals and Hilo hotels are sold out. The tickets for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival are sold out too, just like in the years before. I don't know what your chances are and how long the lines will be for the Wednesday night hula performances but I can assure you when you are on Hawaii vacation during the hula festival, Hawaii TV stations are proud to show you the best of Hawaii's hula. So enjoy it then or buy a DVD of the biggest Hula Event in Hawaii later. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Aloha Hawaii snorkelers, scuba divers and Hawaiian Sea life lovers,
We are certain you all enjoyed Lisa's 'Dolphins' in Hawaii' story. Dolphins, Humpback whales and the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle are on top of our Hawaii visitors' list when exploring ocean life in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle gets many oohs and aahs when discovered basking in the sun for a nap or some rest from all its swimming. No need to get in a scuba diver's suit or put your goggles on. Of course, watching the Hawaii Green Sea Turtle in its element, the ocean, gracefully swimming and floating around, puts an extra thrill to your Hawaii vacation.
When encountering Hawaii Green Sea Turtles in the ocean, divers need to pay special attention to what they are not supposed to do. Bobbie from 'The Right Blue' blog had written about 'Tips for watching Sea Turtles in Hawaii' for our blog visitors. Those Hawaii diving tips are still the same valid right now. If you plan on going diving on your next Hawaii vacation, it's some useful advise which helps to protect our ocean life for many years to come.
Our today's post belongs to 'Best Hawaii Youtube Video' category. Enjoy this Hawaii video from JournOwl.com about the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. Watch a green sea turtle swim gracefully over a coral reef in Maui.
Aren't those turtles in Hawaii a good reason to bring snorkel gear for a snorkel adventure in Hawaii? Ask locals where there is a good spot to see the green sea turtles and where it's safe to snorkel. Have fun snorkeling and watching the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Here is an idea from Best Hawaii Vacation blog for 'Which Hawaiian Island to visit in 2010' and 'What to do in Hawaii on vacation in 2010?' If you want to add some additional excitement to your Hawaii vacation 2010, please, keep reading.
Hawaii Big Island has been named the island of adventures by Hawaii travelers for a long time. Viewing a live volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or stargazing through telescopes on top of the highest mountain on earth (measured from bottom of the sea) Mauna Kea Summit, not to forget those daredevils who ski the mountain in winter, helped the Big Island winning this attribute of 'adventure island'.
I've always called the Big Island, the Hawaiian Island of Superlatives. Why not plan your 2010 Hawaii vacation for October on the Big Island and add one more of those Superlatives to your Hawaii vacation next year? Kona Hawaii Big Island will host the next Ironman Triathlon World Championship on Saturday October 9, 2010. Believe me the Hawaii Ironman in Kona meets the criteria for biggest and best Hawaii event. This is your chance to be part of the biggest spectacle in Hawaii. Not sure what to expect, watch this Hawaii youtube video of the 2009 Hawaii Ironman.
So, when sitting down with family or friends over the holiday planning your Hawaii vacation 2010, share with them this exciting video. BTW, this is not a paid advertising. I just like the video!
Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas to all our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors. We hope you will stay with us through another exciting year of Hawaii vacations 2010. Aloha, Pua Affordable Hawaii Vacations
After our recent visits to Kihei Maui 'Is Kihei a good place for a Maui Vacation?', we are ready to move on with more Hawaii blog posts enticing our visitors to plan their next Hawaii vacation, sooner or later. Actually, we'd recommend better sooner than later because Hawaii vacation rental hosts still make unbelievable special accommodation offers for fall months and so does Hawaiian Airline. Air fare rates + Hawaii vacation rental rates will go up for the busy holiday season 2009.
Let's get straight to our today's post 'Share your love for Hawaii with your friends'. I love to read Hawaii tweets from my Hawaiian friends. If I come across one which I feel is of special value for our Best Hawaii vacation blog visitors, I retweet it. My Hawaii tweet will be displayed on my blog side bar where all my recent Hawaii tweets show up with links to Twitter friends or Hawaii sites of interest.
One of my favorite Hawaiian sites is HawaiianRainbow.com I wrote about my friends in my post 'Hawaiian Music' and told our blog visitors how they can listen to Hawaiian music 24/7 for FREE. Just add this site to your favorites and whenever you are in the mood to get in the relaxed Hawaii mood, go visit Hawaiian Rainbow and click the link 'Listen to Hawaiian Music NOW'.
Close your eyes and get transported to the Hawaiian islands. Feel the warm Hawaiian ocean breeze and hum to your favorite Hawaiian songs. Best way of releasing stress through this special Hawaiian meditation! Not to forget to mention 'Keoki's Hawaii Easy Stretch Video', which also includes a guided relaxation to the sounds of gentle ocean waves!
Besides Hawaiian music, I love Hawaiian hula whether it's the lovely hula ladies of a hula halau like the ones on our Hawaii youtube video or the powerful warrior hula of the guys, hula is food for your soul and your spirit. So sit back and relax with this wonderful Hawaiian hula halau 'HulaHalauOKamuela', MerrieMonarch 2009 WomenAuanaWinner - a treat for your ears, eyes and soul. Don't forget to share your love for Hawaii with your friends by telling them about the magic of Hawaiian music and Hawaiian hula. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
More Hawaii ocean life, you ask, what is that for? Just wait a minute and I will explain.
Actually, the sharks, rays, whales and fish you are about to see are ocean creates also live in Hawaii's ocean waters but these sharks, rays and whales do live in the 2nd biggest aquarium (biggest one is in Georgia, Atlanta) in the world, in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan
I can't believe this coincidence. One minute, I am writing my blog post about the wonderful book 'Sharks and Rays of Hawaii' and shortly after, when cruising my favorite Hawaii ocean blog 'The Right Blue', I come across this most awesome and amazing youtube video shot by video producer Jon Rowlinson! This is one of those miracle stories which twitter + tweets, youtube and the world wide web can make happen.
Kuroshio sea is the top rated travel video on youtube...of all time. http://bit.ly/AZhJ9 Wait, it got a higher rating than Matt dancin??
Long story short. Here is Jon Rowlinson's famous youtube video displayed on Best Hawaii Vacation blog for your convenience and of course, for getting you all excited to watch all the fantastic ocean life in real nature on your next Hawaii vacation. Don't know how close you want to be to the sharks though. Watching sharks through the glass walls of an aquarium feels definitely safer.
Kuroshio Sea by Jon Rowlinson - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world
Here is what Jon says about the aquarium:
"The main tank called the 'Kuroshio Sea' holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank." Let's not forget to mention that music is "Please don't go" by the group 'Barcelona'.
So, what do you think about the video, sharks, rays, aquarium, music and all? Mahalo for your comments. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Yes, the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon is special, unique and fascinating but wait till you have watched our today's you tube video. It will take your breath away, just like the surfing of Hawaii monster wave video, which we posted recently on 'Hawaii Special Tweets'.
Twitter is still a big secret to me with all the possibilities to connect with like-minded bloggers and twitterers. I am on the steady alert for those Hawaii tweets, which our Best Hawaii vacation visitors might love to read or see. Here is one youtube Hawaii tweet which I came across from @Aimforawesome just last week on Twitter. To tell you the least, it is more than aweome. It's about Hawaii blow holes, a secret not many Hawaii visitors know about, unless they visit the special area and location where the blowhole location is.
However, this is not 'just' one of the many blow hole videos from the Hawaiian islands. It's about a blow hole diver. Yes, you read right. Blow hole Diver it is! Somebody diving into this narrow blow hole with the strongest ocean current you can imagine. Here is what the guy who posted the blow hole diver video on youtube said with it. This makes it even more mysterious, spectacular and absolutely unique:
"I walked up to look over the edge of a blow hole, forty plus feet deep. The ocean comes in and out of it through a keyhole cut into the cliff side. A local guy sees me, walks up and out on a rock ledge-claps his hands twice, makes a prayer, and times his jump with an incoming wave. At first I'm not sure where he's at and then he shows up on the ocean side of the sea cave, swims back in and waits for a surge to catch a rock to climb up and out like a spider man."
The video was taken at the blow hole at South Point of Hawaii Big Island in June 2009. To tell you the truth Keoki and I have never been there in all our many years of living in Hawaii. My online research also showed that each year people even die for their curiosity to see the blow hole action close-by. As ocean surf on a beach is not predictable, the same applies to the blow activity, which can easily blow as high as 30ft at winter surf and get visitors by surprise. We recommend for your safety to view the Hawaiian blow holes from a safe distance or lookout.
If our youtube blow hole diver video does not satisfy your fascination with Hawaii blow hole videos, I found 25 video clips of Hawaii blow holes on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island on Ocean Footage like the famous Halona Blowhole on Oahu, Sandy Beach blow hole on Maui, Spouting Horn on Kauai or South Point Blow Hole on the Big Island. BTW, blow holes developed on the volcanic Hawaii islands by lava tubes running into the ocean and at high surf ocean water is forced through the tube and pushing it out to the top with great pressure, sometimes up to thirty feet high. I found an interesting article about Hawaii blow holes on this Hawaii website.
Any Hawaii blow hole adventure to share with our blog visitors? We'd love to hear from you. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
It's amazing what Twitter makes possible. In an instant I get Hawaii tweets from my nearly 300 followers, most of them relating relevant information about Hawaii and Hawaii vacation.
Just an hour ago I received a tweet from @Beatof Hawaii, which I immediately retweeted about Interisland Flights offered by IflyGo for $3!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, $3 for a Hawaii Interisland Flight. Too good to be true but guess what go visit IFlyGo Specials page and you will see it's all there. Flight tickets must be purchased by June 11, 2009 but they are valid for June 9 and June 30. Hop the Hawaiian Islands THIS JUNE.
Here is my $3/flight retweet:
hop islands with iflygo in june via @beatofhawaii! Airlines $3 inter-island fares are out there but not easy to find http://bit.ly/ru4uu
Best Hawaii Surf Video - yes or no?
Well, to get you all excited about Hawaii and the islands, I decided to include this Hawaii monster wave surf video which I recently received from my Twitter friend @HawaiianKiko . This Hawaii surf video was viewed over 100,000 times and shows Tow-In surfer Dan Moore talk about Oahu's legendary North Shore and how he surfed a monster 68-foot wave at Peahi (Jaws) on Maui. Authentic Waikiki Beach Boys follow in the footsteps of legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku by teaching visitors how to surf in Waikiki.
Follow our Daily Hawaii Tweets on our Best Hawaii Vacation blog sidebar. They are all about helping you getting ready for your next Hawaii Vacation. Did you read '5 Things to pack for Hawaii'? If you don't want to miss any post or tweet, sign up for our feed or email on our sidebar where it says 'Subscribe by Email or Feed'. Mahalo for the follow. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
E Komo Mai - Welcome - to Best Hawaii Vacation, More good news for the Hawaii health nuts among you who want to check out Keoki's new Stretch DVD 'Easy Stretch - Body Mind Relaxation' before buying it as your unique Hawaiian gift. The Hawaii Stretch DVD can now be previewed in a youtube video. You may also find more information on the Easy Stretch DVD on our site Hawaii Stretch Video.
If you like what you see on the Stretch DVD preview, there is a Buy NOW button on our website and also one right here at 'Best Hawaii Vacation Blog' in the top of the sidebar under the picture 'Relax with Keoki', where you can buy the DVD for our special 'Economy Slowdown' price of $18.50 + Free Shipping.
Stretch in Hawaii with Keoki NOW. Relax to the sound of gentle ocean waves LATER after you bought the DVD. Have fun with Keoki in Hawaii. Let us know what you think about our Hawaii Stretch DVD youtube video clip. Mahalo and aloha, Pua & Stretchguy Keoki
A warm aloha to all our Hawaii visitors, Happy to hear that you like your new Hawaiian T-shirt from Crazy Shirt and even bought several Hawaiian shirts for family and friends as an aloha gift from Hawaii. Believe me they will the shirts. Maybe you even bought a shirt with a Hawaiian humpback whale - or should I better say Alaskan humpback whale - on it, which is a favorite theme for T-shirt makes in Hawaii. Especially the kids love those.
What better experience is there to see the gentle ocean giants, not just on a Tshirt, but in true nature on a Hawaii vacation! It's amazing how many Humpback whales we spot recently and it's already middle of March, time to go home to their Alaskan cold waters. I have a feeling they are gathering for getting ready for their big journey home.
If you have never seen the Imax movie 'Whales', which includes the many dangerous encounters Humpback whales with their new babies are facing on this long trip from Hawaii to Alaska, do it next time you are near an Imax movie. It's a whale experience I will never forget.
Yes, the Humpback whales are everywhere around the Hawaiian islands at the moment. Beach visitors don't just pack towels, beach chairs and sun screen these days but a pair of binoculars belongs to beach equipment in Hawaii for many people as well. It's a funny thing to watch: as soon as one lifts his binoculars, everybody follows with pointing and screaming. Beach visitors get totally excited when seeing a pod of whales or 'just' a whale mama with her newborn calf.
The Humpback whales seem to enjoy the warm Hawaiian ocean waters just as we humans do. It's so much fun to watch the Humpback whales to splash their fluke, blow theirs spouts or even do a breach, the ultimate joy for us people, and I guess for the whales too. If we only could manage to get a photos of the whales! We bought a new fancier digital camera in order to catch more Hawaii photos for our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors, according to the motto 'A photo speaks a thousand words'.
But I tell you it's so hard to take a photo of a Humpback whale because you never have the camera ready when they suddenly start performing their 'magic tricks'. I admire everybody who has taken a decent Humpback whale photo from shore. I guess from a whale watch boat is somewhat easier but I have to admit I don't go on boats as I get terrible seasick. Well, if your belong to the lucky Hawaii vosotors or residents who have a great Humpback whale photo. please, share with our Hawaii blog visitors. Mahalo for your photo and comment. Aloha Pua Hawaii Vacations p.s. I can't believe my luck when I searched youtube for Humpback whale videos 2009 and found the one above from Paul Hugel Humpback Whales from The Frogman 2 charter boat in Maalaea Maui. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Mahalo Paul!
I was also totally captivated by the this story 'Whale watchers witness possible birth in Kohala' which was published yesterday in West Hawaii Today. Several Big Island residents claim they have witnessed a humpback whale give birth Tuesday morning! A Humpback whale story worthwhile reading!
I guess today's post about the dramatic lava flow in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 2008 is overdue. We wrote a number of articles about a visit to Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, like 'When is the best time time to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park'? Basically, we told Big Island visitors then that there is no guaranty to see red lava flow, as the conditions always change. So believe me in the past there have been a number of disappointed visitors who were just not lucky to see real lava. OK Kilauea Visitor Center offers visitor information and exhibits, including films and videos throughout the day. And steam vents and the Thurston Lava Tubes are exciting to some point but what about the real thing? Red glowing hot lava...
Well, most Big Island visitors know by now that things are different this year at the park. Anybody who plans a visit to the volcano can be sure that Madame Pele, the Goddess of the Volcano, will put on a fascinating show of her powers. This is a short update for our Big Island visitors who are planning a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in these fall months of 2008.
The number of visitors to the Park has increased over the past few months significantly ever since the eruption in Halemaumau crater on March 11th, the first eruption at that location since 1982. The colors of the plume are constantly changing from white to gray and even pink. At night, the dramatic glow from the vent keeps visitors at awe. There are not many places on earth where visitors can watch safely an active volcano.
Visit our site for more information about lava flow update and viewing areas at Hawaii Volcanoes Park. In addition, you want to visit the County of Hawaii Kilauea Eruption Update Website plus in the FAQ you might just find the answer to your question about visiting the Park and Kilauea Volcano. Check our Big Island map for Park location and more.
It was really fun to put this post together for all our Hawaii visitors and especially those who do some Hawaii Island hopping over from Oahu, Maui or Kauai. I tried to not only find the most spectacular Hawaii volcano video but also those videos which provide Big Island visitors with some scientific information behind this amazing display by mother nature. I arranged the videos in a somewhat time order.
So enjoy and have fun with our Hawaii Volcano videos. Share your 2008 visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors. You did not never visit the Big Island? The 2008 year is not over yet. Volcano vacation rental hosts welcome you with special rates for November in Volcano. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Hawaii Volcano Video April 2008 by Written directed and produced by Donald B. MacGowan; Narrated by Frank Burgess; Original Musical Score by Donald B. MacGowan.
Hawaii Volcano Video by KITV March 25, 2008. Scientists on the Big Island are stunned by the mile high plume of ash that is erupting from the Halema'uma'u caldera of the Kilauea Volcano
Hawaii Vocano Video by SkyNews from July 10th 2008
We, Keoki and I, love Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. Who doesn't?! In addition to the warm tropical air, the mellow sounds of Hawaiian slack key guitar music welcomes visitors to Hawaii when arriving in Honolulu Airport. One can't escape its magic. Listening to Hawaiian slack key guitar music is like coming home after a long journey. Whenever we have a chance to listen to one of the masters of this instrument for typical Hawaiian music, we embrace and enjoy it, like we did on our visit to the Bamboo Restaurant in Hawi on the Big Island.
So, when I updated Kohala Coast Events for August with the Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival on the Big Island at the end of August, I remembered the many times we listened in the past to one of Hawaii's best Slack Key Guitar players, John Keawe. John regularly plays at many Big Island locations like Kona Village Resort, Kings Shops and the Bamboo Restaurant in Hawi.
Slack Key Guitar is the music of the islands. No wonder that each of the Hawaiian Islands has its own Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival. The annual Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival on the Big Island is coming up soon: August 31, 2008. This annual festival which features the greats of slack key guitar like John Keawe, will be held at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, from 1-6pm. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
Wear a hat, bring an umbrella for shade and don't forget to apply plenty of sunscreen. This is Kailua-Kona, which can be pretty hot in summer time. When you are on Big Island vacation in the Kona and South Kona, Captain Cook area, make it over to the Slack Key Festival at Keauhou-Kona, a Hawaii experience you won't forget will await you.
Let's get you in the mood for listening to Hawaiian music and Hawaii slack key guitar. Unfortunately, the few John Keawe youtube videos were really poor quality. That's why I decided for 'Hawaiian slack key guitar live with dancers' where George Kuo, Martin Pahinui & Aaron Mahi perform and sing Hawaiian slack key guitar, with an out-of-costume Hawaiian hula troupe.
Chances are that you are vacationing on the other islands. Let's get all our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors dates and locations for the Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festivals:
26th Annual Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival Oahu takes place on 8/17/08 at Kapiolani Park In Waikiki.
16th Annual Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival Kauai takes place 11/16/08 at the Hilton Kauai Beach Hotel & Spa, Lihue.
17th Annual Hawaii Slack Key Guitar Festival Maui already took place 6/22/08 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Kahului.
Looks like our Oahu and Kauai visitors still have a chance to listen to Hawaiian Slack Key guitar when on their Oahu or Kauai vacation. Have fun with the sounds of the islands. Experience Hawaiian music at its best. Don't want to wait so long till your next Hawaii vacation, visit HawaiianRainbow and listen to music from the islands NOW! Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
If you want to have an experience of a lifetime, come visit Kona Big Island for the 2008 Hawaii Ironman World Championship. We have told our Best Hawaii vacation blog visitors in previous posts what a magnificent spectacle the Kona Ironman is for visitors and participants and even residents. To refresh your knowledge about the Hawaii Ironman, the superlative of triathlons around the globe, go visit our 2007 Hawaii Triathlon article.
When I prepared this post about the upcoming Hawaii Ironman Triathlon Ford World Championship in Kailua Kona October 11, 2008, I found this great personal Ironman review by a former participant. Who else can give you a better picture of this challenging race in Hawaii!
It looks like that 2007 Hawaii Ironman winners, Chrissie Wellington and Chris McCormack are in top shape which they both proved in winning the recent Frankfurt Ironman, where 2,200 athletes from 45 nations were pushed to top performances by 500,000 spectators. In the women's race British Chrissie Wellington missed breaking the world record. Chris McCormack from Australia won the men's race, crossing the finish line in just under 8 hours. The Ironman Frankfurt is rated number two in the world after the Hawaii Ironman. So we can expect a great 2008 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship!
Get emotional watching the 2007 Hawaii Ironman Men's Finish when Chris McCormack was crossing the finish line.
Got to be fair to the ladies. Watch Chrissie Wellington cross the finish line of the 2007 Hawaii Ironman. Hope this got you guys in the right mood for the 2008 Kona Ironman.
If you want to be part of the 2008 Big Island Ironman race as one of the thousands of spectators, don't wait much longer. Kona hotels are already quite booked for rhe Ironman week starting 10/6/08, and Kona vacation rentals are getting booked fast as well. We recommend to participants or spectators for your stay in Kona for the Ironman to rent a fully equipped Kona vacation rental or condo. You pay the same or less at a Kona vacation condo with kitchen than at a Kona hotel and can save lots of money cooking your own meals at your own kitchen. Visitors from Germany may check here 'Hawaii Ferienwohnung Big Island' for Kona Ironman.
We'd love to hear from you with your special Hawaii Ironman experience. Where did you stay in Kona? What impressed you most during your Ironman day in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island? Share your personal Kona Triathlon Ironman with our blog visitors. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations p.s. For all those who have followed our 2nd blog birthday invitation 'Vote for your favorite Hawaii Story', visit 'Hawaii Articles' to see which stories came in at the top with this 'race'.
After posting the fascinating Maui windsurfing video on our recent blog post, we decided to be fair to the regular 'old-fashioned' Maui surfers and display another great surfing video from 2008. Maui Jaws filmed a practice session of famous surfers Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, John Gangini, Yuri Soledade and Kiva Rivers in March this year. This is for all those who have already booked their surf vacation for Maui 2008.
Hey, Maui surfers, let us know which surf spot on Maui you like best. Surf beginners are really interested in recommendations for Maui Surf Schools. Mahalo for your comments. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations p.s. I found some great Maui surfing photos on Maui Surf Report Blog.
Aloha to all of our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors, Guess what we are still on vacation ourselves. As you can imagine writing blog posts is not on the top of our priority list plus there are no Hawaii photos available when working on a computer away from home. However, as our Hawaii blog stats show the number of our blog readers is steadily increasing, we feel we don't want to disappoint our readers. So here it is, another blog post about Maui, the favorite island for best Hawaii vacation when surfing and wind surfing is on your top list of best things to do in Hawaii.
You probably know that surfing was 'invented' in Hawaii. Just like in the old days when the call 'Surf's up', got all the passionate surfers to the best Maui surfing beaches, the tradition keeps up strongly and hundreds of tourists join the Hawaiian residents in this passion of 'sport of the kings'. Take your turn on your Maui vacation. There are lots places to rent a surfboard and plenty of surfing teachers who get beginners on a surf board. Start with a Maui beach where the waves are gentle and low. Standing up on a board for the first time, even on the top of a one-foot swell, is a big thrill for beginner surfers.
The world's best windsurfers fly through the waters at Hookipa. Hoopika Beach is known as probably the best place in the world for windsurfing. It is the site of two major world-class competitions. Due to the strong surf, windsurfing at this beach should be limited to the experts. The regular person interested in learning how to windfurf on Maui can sign up for lessons and practice at the gentler waters of Kanaha, Kihei and Spreckelsville beaches. Kitesurfing has also become very popluar among Maui' s surfing community adding a new level of acrobatics to surfing.
As my Hawaii surfing knowledge is quite limited, I tried to find a site which provides the best Maui surfing beaches or sites at one glance to Hawaii surfers. Check this Maui site for links to all major Maui surfing sites. The same site displays a list in alphabetical order of Maui windsurfing companies I noticed in both lists that a few sites are not working anymore. I also came across a few sites which just display Google ads and don't provide otherwise good content related to Maui's best surfing beaches, surfing schools or Maui stores for buying surfing products. So be selective as usual when cruising those sites. Windsurfing School Maui is worth a visit as well.
Well, last but not least for getting you in the surfing mode for your next Maui vacation - don't forget to arrange for a Hawaiian flower lei greeting for Kahului Airport -, have fun with this Maui Wind surfing video from youtube. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
It was our pleasure to publish all our Best Hawaii Vacation Blog guest authors recently. We hope to hear from more Hawaii blogs and Hawaii tourists with their exciting articles about vacation in Hawaii. Thanks for checking back what our Monday Hawaii photo of the week is all about. Our Hawaii photographer Jennifer Crites from the island of Hawaii and renowned travel writer - read here one of her recent articles for the University of Hawaii magazine 'Malamalama', quite a different outdoors experience compared to Hawaii - chose a photo showing an outrigger canoe and its crew paddling along Oahu's shore.
Outrigger canoes have been proved to be a stable and save transportation means between the Hawaiian islands in the history of the Hawaiians. These days, the outrigger canoes are used for recreation, sports or races. No wonder that most of the coastal areas and marinas have their own canoe club like the Kawaihae Canoe Club or Waikoloa Canoe Club on the Kohala Coast dedicated to promoting the art and sport of Hawaiian canoe paddling. The Hawaiian canoe clubs are definitely for Hawaii residents who live close to the the ocean and love to engage in ocean sports on a social level. That's why many prefer the 4-seater or even the 8-seater canoes.
Our Big Island neighbors Sammy (paddler) and Ed (coach) have been and still are such dedicated paddlers. This is how we first heard about the challenging paddling canoe race 'The Molokai Hoe' which is a 41-mile open ocean race that launches from Hale O Lono Harbor on Molokai and ends at Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu. In addition to all the Hawaii outrigger canoe club teams, there are more than 1,000 canoe paddlers from Tahiti, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Australia and California.
Moloka'i Hoe (read a book about the race), begun in 1952 for men and Na Wahine O Ke Kai, in 1979 for women. Listening to our neighbors' stories each year, we have the deepest respect for those who accomplish this race through the unpredictable Moloka‘i (Kaiwi) Channel that has a well-deserved reputation as one of the roughest interisland channels in existence!
Believe us paddling the Molokai channel takes lots of practice, skills and strong physique. When you visit Hawaii and love the ocean and kayaking, we recommend to book a Guided Kayaking Tour. The kayak guides know the special area where they take you out and are CPR, First Aid and Lifeguard certified. The ocean condition can change in an instant. Always wear a life vest, no matter what a great swimmer you are.
The fun part of a Guided Kayak Tour is that tours combine a regular kayak tour with Snorkel, Whale Watch or Turtle encounters and help you encounter the rich wildlife and beauty of Hawaii. We have put together a list of a few Kayak companies for the different islands. We are not claiming the are the best Hawaii Kayak Tour companies. We've found them just through the appropriate search. Please, make sure when using their service that they are providing Kayak tours which are safe and exciting:
Maui Eco Tours provides kayak and snorkel, whales and snorkel, easy fun for kids, encounter with sea turtles. Another Maui Kayak company is Maui Kayaks which offers guided kayak tours to small groups by experienced and enthusiastic certified kayak guides.
Big Island Kayak Their guided trips are all inclusive: guides, instruction, snacks, drinks, gear and transportation . Another Big Island kayak tour company is Aloha Kayak in Kona They also provide kayak & snorkel instruction, gear, guide, & drinks & snacks.
Kayak Kauai offers a special Kayak Tour to the Na Pali Coast to the experienced kayaker. Encounter dolphins, tropical birds and if lucky, Monk Seals. The kayak tour includes lunch and rest at Miloli'i beach, you can swim, beach comb, and visit an old Hawaiian fishing heiau.
Too bad that the Hawaii YouTube video about the 2007 Molokai Hoe race has too many blackouts. But the following video about another outrigger canoe shows the challenges of ocean canoe racing very impressively. Have fun paddling in Hawaii! Aloha Pua Hawaii Vacations
Aloha Hawaii lovers, Let's get right into our Hawaii Monday Photo of the week by well-known Hawaii photographer's Jennifer Crites. Hope we can attract your attention with this big shot of a huge wave on Oahu's North Shore surfer's paradise. Facing a wave of that size is even for pro Hawaiian surfers a challenge. Having watched Hawaiian surfers on the Big Island during the winter months for many years, each time time I was mesmerized. Big Island surf does not really have the pipelines like North Shore of Oahu. So, each time when I saw a surfer crushed by the big wave at the end of the ride, I seriously doubted he'd come ever up again. Big relief when he did!
Here is what Jennifer, who also a popular Hawaii travel writer, has to say about this photo: "Showing one of the amazing shore-break waves at Waimea Bay during winter's high surf, when all the surf contests are held on the North Shore. Every year, top surfers hope the waves at Waimea will be big enough (must be at least 20-foot waves) and rideable enough to hold the Eddie Aikau Big-Wave surf contest.
It hasn't happened for awhile. I'm not sure when the last one was. The waves have been almost big enough but not quite, but if the wave size cooperates, the contest will be on with perhaps only hours notice to competitors. Eddie Aikau was an expert big-wave surfer, lifeguard at Waimea Bay, and crew member aboard an early voyage of the famous Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hokule'a. When the canoe ran into trouble and capsized, Eddie paddled off on his surfboard to get help. The crew was rescued, but Eddie was never found. We honor Eddie with this giant of a surf contest because he risked his life for his crew members. We say in Hawaii, "Eddie Would Go," meaning he wouldn't hesitate to face danger to protect those he cared about."
Honolulu star bulletin wrote a great article about Eddie Aikau 'Twenty years ago this month, big-wave surfer and lifeguardEddie Aikau lost his life in a brave effort to save crew members of the capsized Hokule'a.' Here is more about the Big Wave on North Shore, also showing interested surfers or visitors the current height of North Shore Oahu waves! Check it out.
Well, next to the question 'Where are the best beaches in Hawaii?', another favorite question is - of course, especially asked by passionate surfers 'When is the time for the high waves in Hawaii?'. The time is here and now. The winter months are the months for the biggest waves and often most dangerous surf. It's very interesting for Hawaii residents to see how small beaches suddenly totally disappear like they have never been there. But believe me they all will be coming back into existence when the winter surf calms down in spring. Even the big popular beaches change their appearance during high and rough winter surf - the sandy part gets much narrower and tide pools and big rocks, normally out on the sand, will disappear. To cut a long story short, winter surf is different.
Here are 5 best ocean safety tips for your Hawaii vacation during winter months:
1. Biggest rule: Pay respect to the ocean! 2. Make sure to go to a beach with a lifeguard. Look for a calm beach when traveling with kids. 3. Don't stand on rocks which can be reached by water because of the risk of a sudden wave. 4. Never turn your back to the ocean and always follow Ocean Safety signs. 5. If signs are up for jelly fish Portuguese man-of-war, don't ignore them.
Have fun, but don't take chances. With that being said, enjoy this youtube video Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, from February 2007. As usual, we'd love to hear from you about your encounters with big waves in Hawaii. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Happy New Year to all our blog visitors, whether you are currently on Hawaii vacation on Maui, Kauai, Big Island, or Waikiki Oahu or Molokai or are just dreaming of visiting Hawaii in 2008. If you belong to the ones, who plan their Hawaii visit for spring 2008, make sure to check our listings of flight specials on '2008 Hawaii Vacation' post. Your town might be one of the privileged ones with Hawaii specials and promotions for January till March. Don't worry the airlines always come up with more during the year.
For those who will have the chance of experiencing New Year's in Hawaii, here are a few things you need to know. When you are staying at a Hawaii vacation rental in a residential neighborhood, be aware that it will be a noisy night. New Year's celebration in Hawaii can be noisy with all the strings of firecrackers taking off. Purchase of firework in Hawaii is limited to certain kinds (non-aerial) because of being a fire hazard plus smoke causing big problems for people with asthma (Hawaii is the leading state of people with asthma!). Fireworks (non aerial!) in Hawaii can be only purchased with a permit, which costs $25. Firecrackers have become the most used kind of 'fireworks' in Hawaii, which made me always wonder why, as they develop lots of smoke + noise. The fireworks permit allows Hawaii residents to buy upto 5000 firecrackers.
Best way to have really a great time with your New Year's celebration is a nice dinner at one of the ocean front Hawaii resorts (early purchase of ticket required!), which include Hawaiian music and hula of course, access to the fireworks of the resort, if the resort has a New Year's fireworks display. I know that there are also hotels on all the Hawaiian islands which allow other visitors without New Year's dinner reservation access for watching the fireworks. If you don't have a New Year's dinner reservation on vthe Hawaiian island where you stay, I noticed that the Internet is not of much help when I did searches for New Year's Dinner in Hawaii. You'd better call a few hotels for New Year's dinner reservation in the area where you stay in Hawaii. Here are a few New Year's dinner choices at hotels on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Good luck!
Here is our rule of thumb for watching fireworks in Hawaii: The fancier the hotel, the less chances you have for access for watching the fireworks. 5-star Hawaii hotels mostly allow access to hotel property only with dinner reservation. Hard to sneak in. Hotel beaches get closed for public access at around 6pm. So make sure to call the hotel where you would like to watch the fireworks and ask whether it's open for the public. Otherwise, just hanging out on the beach (public beach!) or at a little higher elevation, gets you at a great location to watch different fireworks at Hawaii resorts along the coast at the same time.
Have a wonderful New Year's celebration in Hawaii - Hawaiian style! Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
Aloha to all our Best Hawaii Vacation visitors, The lucky ones of you are enjoying their Hawaii vacations over Christmas and New Year's in Hawaii, away from the cold, the rain or even the snow. What a blessing! Enjoy each minute of it. One of the best things to do in Hawaii during the winter months is not just playing golf or snorkeling and diving in the warm Pacific Ocean. Well, you guess it right it is taking advantage of the rare opportunity of watching whales in Hawaii. Probably you already booked a Whale Watch tour for your vacation. If you did not book your whale watch in Hawaii yet, here are a few factors for your consideration and concern:
The best whale watch operators will put the whales first. What training has the crew and how do they take part in whale research? What type of boat is it? Supposedly the catamarans are the more stable ones for whale watch. Ask the companies whether the boat carries hydrophones. To listen to whales sing will be an experience of a lifetime! Make sure that you know what's included in the price for the whale watch and how long you will be out on the ocean.
And for all those Hawaii visitors, who don't join a whale watch tour, there is no reason for regrets. You will see them everywhere along the Hawaiian coasts, closer or farther out. Mostly when you at least expect them. Best advice: always have your binoculars ready in your car. Don't just drive along the ocean without paying attention. The whales are there. Just be a little patient. Also watch your fellow travelers. When everybody suddenly gets out of their car and points at the ocean, then it's time to do the same. The encounter of those giant humpback whales in Hawaii will lift your spirits, and those special moments will stay with you for ever!
Surfing with Whales in Hawaii!
Here are a few whale watch tours which I put together for our Hawaii visitors for the different islands:
Maui is a great island to watch whales
Maui is a great place to see humpback whales in their natural breeding area in Hawaii. During the months of December till May the humpback whales make their home in the waters surrounding Hawaiian Islands. The whales migrate close to 3,500 miles from their Alaskan summer feeding waters, to the warm waters of Hawaii where they mate and have their calves. Whale Watch Maui offers cruises four times a day from Lahaina Harbor, where the wind and the seas are calm. On Maui's Best Whale Watching Guide, Maui visitors can find various Whale watch tours from different Maui locations and decide what is the best for them, according to the Maui location and whale watch rates.
Spectacular Hawaii Whale Watching Tours On Oahu
North Shore Catamaran Charters offers great whale watch, in addition to Sunset Cruises and Snorkel boat trips, for Oahu visitors. Observe the giant Humpback whales of Hawaii as you sail across the deep blue waters of the famous North Shore. It is said that the North Shore is the least crowded whale watching spot on Oahu. You can watch the whales from this quiet sailboat. Small groups for the whale watch encounter are another plus.
Hawaiian Humpback Whales on the Coasts of Kauai
Just as Maui and Oahu get visited by the Humpback whales, Kauai does too. Their eerie whale songs resonate in Hawaiian waters from December through April.Watch as the whales leap into the air (breech) or slap their tails on the water, teach their calves to breach and explore their underwater world. The highlight of any vacation on Kauai during the winter months is a whale watch tour like with Blue Dolphin Charters. In preparation for this blog post, I came across some great whale and dolphin photos off the Na Pali Coast on Kauai.
Big Island Whale Watch
One of the most experienced captains for Whale watching on the Big Island is Captain Mc Sweeney's, located in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. A lot of our guests at our vacation cottages joined his tour in Kona, as he he is specializing in Whale Watch. Most other boat companies include whale watch tours in winter into their traditional scuba, snorkel and sunset cruises programs.
As many as 10,000 whales are expected to visit the Hawaiian Islands this winter, we would like to make you aware of a great organization, dedicated to the whales in Hawaii. Learn more about the Hawaiian Humpback whales and the initiative taken by the Hawaiian Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to keep the boats safe and protect these unique mammals as well.
Wishing you all your Best Vacation in Hawaii with a spectacular Whale Watch tour. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations p.s. Thanks to our friends from youtube videos for those two great video shots in the Hawaiian waters.
or even wondered what it would be like to be an athlete participating in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in Kona on the Big Island?
Read our blog post and you might want to stay with the visiting crowd as the majority of thousands of tourists does. Watch a spectacle of a life time! I must admit though being a spectator is not as rewarding and adrenaline rush pushing as the guy who finishes his first Ironman. To make it across the finish line before midnight, when the clock stops counting, is for many the accomplishment which they will tell their kids in years to come: I did it. I finished the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon!
As an athlete myself, I have the biggest respect for anybody who can say that of himself or herself. I was never challenged by the urge to try. Maybe it was my close encounter with the physical and psychological battle it takes to literally survive the day of the Ironman competition. It was at the1992 Big Island Triathlon in Kona. I had graduated from the Hawaiian massage school in Kona, passed my state licence exam and volunteered, like all my other massage therapist friends from my class, to massage the triathletes after the triathlon race.
Well, to tell you the truth, I did not know what I had volunteered for. To cut a long story short, the 1992 Hawaii Ironman was becoming my own marathon, massage marathon that was! I started massaging at 3pm, not the winner of the race - for the record, I had to check who the winner was in 1992 (Mark Allen) - but guys who were hurt and had dropped out early. Believe it or not, I had to throw the towel at midnight. With just half an hour break, I had to quit. 'Only' 9 hours of marathon massage! What made these triathlete guys and women not quit and keep going for hours and hours in the 'flash eating' sun of Hawaii or down pours of the 2006 Ironman, the challenging trade winds blowing in their faces on their way from Kona to Hawi with lots of uphill struggles and finally, when they are already exhausted to their core, to run the marathon?!
Watch the 2006 Hawaii Ironman video. Competitors have 17 hours to finish! See for yourself what it takes to be an Ironman to accomplish a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run in one day!
This Ironman video is about the rivalry between Mark Allen and Dave Scott. It shows Mark Allen defeating for the first time Dave Scott in the 1989 Ironman. This race was one of the most remarkable in Ironman history!
Now, we got you all hyped up for a visit of the 2007 Ironman in Kona, Big Island. OK it's still almost 4 weeks to the Ironman competition on Saturday October 13. You might still get a fall flight special to Hawaii but make sure to have a room before you book. Kona hotals and Kona vacation rentals are booked. Look for vacation rentals or condos north of Kona at Waikoloa Village and south of Kona at Captain Cook and Kealakekua. Get early into Kona on the day of the Ironman competition to find a parking space and secure your spot on the Pier at Alii Drive to watch the most spectacular start of the Ironman, when thousands of athletes jump in the ocean at the same time. Get caught up in the 2007 Ironman Triathlon World Championship frenzy, an experience of a lifetime!
As usual, let us know what you think about the Hawaii Ironman, the athletes, sunny Kailua-Kona and whatever! Can't wait to hear from you. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Kohala Coast Vacation Guide p.s. Don't forget your camera and read the tips for taking photos in Hawaii by renowned Hawaii photographer Jennifer Crites. She might come up with some special ones for the Ironman. My photos of Norman Stadler and Faris al Sultan on their bikes were not too impressive (more like a blur, to be honest), unfortunately...after waiting for hours in the hot sun of Hawaii!
