As the state moves toward public/private partnerships, Malaekahana will serve as a test. DENNIS HOLLIER The cabins at Malaekahana state Recreation Area in La‘ie are in shambles. The roofs sag, the galvanized plumbing is crumbling and the siding is peeling away. Built in the 1930s, many of the buildings look like they’re one good storm…
Category: Culture
Cutting School
A humble Chinatown institution incubates much of Hawaii’s hair-styling talent. By DENNIS HOLLIER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY SERGIO GOES Leo Williams has probably had his fingers in your hair. At least vicariously. As the owner and director of the Hawaii Institute of Hair Design, Williams has trained perhaps 80 percent of the barbers and hairstylists in Hawaii….
Kailua Memories
A look back at some of Kailua’s most evocative places. BY DENNIS HOLLIER Some of the images featured in this article will be in a forthcoming book on Kailua, published by the Kailua Historical Society. Special thanks to Barbara Pope Book Design. The view from Alala point towards Lanikai, circa late 1920s or 1930s. PHOTO…
At Work on the Bay
DENNIS HOLLIER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARIN KOVALSKY The Nisei It’s still well before dawn, and the crew of the Nisei sit quietly in their skiff, killing time. Bowed by the weight of the tide, 150 feet of fine-gauge net stretches from the stern to shore, its end tended by a crewman on the jetty. Another 150…
Getting Your Hands Dirty
Far back in Oahu’s Makiki Valley, where the stream chuckles through the lush grounds of the Hawaii Nature Center, Ena Sroat kneels and gently hefts a hibiscus sapling into a shallow hole. “This is a kokio [hibiscus],” she says, using her fingers to shovel soil around its roots. “When it blooms, it has brilliant orange…
Bishop takes Night
It’s a typical evening at Moonlight Mele, the Bishop Museum’s annual summer concert series. The crowd is sprawled down a slope of lawn, staking out territory with blankets, woven mats and low beach chairs. There’s a festive atmosphere as they share teriyaki beef and Longboard Ale purchased from the vendors around the perimeter. But when…
Preserving Culture
The old Hawaiian lady smiled wistfully as Mr. Young tonged her order of wet li hing mango out of a massive jar. When he put them on the scale, the scarlet slices glistened in the afternoon light. “Every time I come here,” the lady said in a strong pidgin accent, “it’s like I goin’ back…
Raising the Reef
story by Dennis Hollier The Waikiki Aquarium might seem modest compared with some of the super-aquariums that have sprouted around the country. It doesn’t offer the drama of great white sharks, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, for example, or of whale sharks, like the Georgia Aquarium. But it does offer exhibits of astonishing beauty and…
Mapping the Void
story by Dennis Hollier photos, courtesy Shawn K. K. MurakawaNOAA Fisheries Far out in the North Pacific, a loggerhead turtle paddles lazily with the current, glutting itself on jellyfish and pelagic snails. The water is tinged green with the plankton and other nutrients that are the basis of life in the ocean. A vast, warm-water…
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies Story by Dennis Hollier Photo by Brad Goda Craig Sako works the far end of Lake Wilson. From a small boat, he fishes the shallows along the banks, orchestrating one elaborate cast after another. His rod is a simple bamboo pole with a line tied to the tip, like a child…