The other day, I was scrolling absently through the abstracts in a recent issue of Pacific Science, when a paper by Hiroshi Kudoh made me do a double-take. Its subject was the typically modest question of modern evolutionary biology: how to explain the loss of seed buoyancy in Hibiscus glaber, a species of hibiscus found…
Category: Travel
Waimea Redux
Gary Gill has big plans for the future of Waimea valley. He just doesn’t know exactly what they are yet. It’s not surprising. As executive director of Hiipaka, the nonprofit created by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to manage the park, he just took charge of the valley on Feb. 1. It’s been a mad…
State Parks for Rent?
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…
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…
Making Waves
Story by Dennis Hollier Photos by Charles E. Freeman High up Tantalus Drive, on a ridge overlooking the Honolulu skyline, Don Mussell practices the occult art of radio. As the broadcast engineer for Hawai‘i Public Radio, Mussell installs and maintains all its equipment. Today he’s come up the mountain to check on HPR’s new powerhouse:…
Hybrid Beauty
story by Dennis Hollier photo by Linda Ching “Nasty plant.” That’s what my mother used to call the anthurium. With its long, jutting spadix, the nickname is probably inevitable. And it’s likely that this jaunty, priapic charm — along with brilliant colors, gorgeous, heart-shaped leaves and exceptional vase life — makes the anthurium the king…