a walk back in time

visits to the cemetery are a ritual in hawaii yet only the most curious ever venture beyond the gravesides of their ancestors to say hello to the neighbors. if you count yourself in the camp that considers old cemeteries to be a romantic glimpse into the past, next weekend brings a chance to take a cemetery walking tour with nanette napoleon, hawaii's very own history detective.

go beyond the ghost stories and get the 411 on the symbolism behind the centuries old tombstones and discover more about the inhabitants (a veritable who's who of hawaii history) who have made the cemeteries of the mission houses and kawaiaha'o church their final resting place.

• when: sat, jul 19th - 9a to 11a
• where: mission houses museum
• tix: $20 ($10 museum members)
• fyi: ring 808.531.0481 x 707 to reserve your spot

racing in the new year

looking to do something a little off the beaten path to ring in 2008? lucky you, it appears there is still time to snap up tickets for the new year's eve edition of ravenchase!

gather up your best code crackers and have fun exploring the nooks and crannies of town and chinatown during the second annual quest for father time. cryptic puzzles and mysterious characters help guide you to the final pit stop where players will enjoy a fabulous new year's bash along the honolulu waterfront.

• when: tonight @ 7pm
• tix: $125/$100 (kama'aina rate)

click rewind to learn more.

ink & paper navigation

honolulu, circa 1934

i have been enamored with the idea of decorating my space with vintage maps ever since spying the idea in more than a few shelter magazines. an enlarged copy would serve a dual purpose - filling up the blank wall in the living room and acting as a sort of touchstone to home from across the pacific.

so it seemed like serendipity to discover lahaina printsellers, just days after reading yet another feature about decorating with maps, while flipping through the pages of hawaiian style magazine. the maui company got its start selling antique maps from the days when cartographers, not google maps, helped people find their way around the world.

now that the prices of antique maps have skyrocketed, they also trade in reproductions of vintage maps of the hawaiian islands (some dating back to the 18th century) for those of us who have better ways to spend $30k.

if you fancy yourself a map to call your own, take a peek at the online inventory which is stocked with maps of the hawaiian chain created upon its "discovery", detailed island survey maps from the days of king kalakaua, even colorful fun maps for tourists who would have arrived by steamer.

when on maui, stop by one of their galleries to soak up the old school world of cartography in person.

maui underground

hana lava tube

the next time you find yourself traveling down the world famous hana highway, consider taking a detour to explore the hidden caves of hana where lava once flowed deep beneath the earth. the ka'eleku cavern, aka the hana lava tube, is estimated to be over 1000 years old and is believed to be the 18th largest lava tube on earth.

if you have ever meandered through the thurston lava tube at volcanoes, the hana tube is a bit longer at two miles and is tall enough to fit a 6 story building. as adventures go, the self guided tour sounds relatively mellow so you don't have to be an experienced spelunker to make the trip underground since pathways have been cleared and guide rails lend a helping hand.

ti leaf maze

and, for those who prefer to stay up where the sun shines, additional amusement can be had by wandering amongst the red ti leaf plants which form an island style botanical maze on the property.

happy traveling!

treasure hunters in paradise

take one part da vinci code, mix in the amazing race, add the islands as your backdrop, and the intoxicating result is ravenchase adventures. if you have ever daydreamed about cracking codes while racing around the island, the time has come to gather a few friends and sign up for ravenchase's next treasure hunt to hit the pacific.

alas, there is no million dollar prize waiting for the winners, but the victorious team scores bragging rights and a hard earned trinket or two for their efforts. it's truly all about the journey for goonies at heart who must decipher clues with only a treasure map to guide them (and a few actors placed strategically along the way) to hidden nooks and crannies around the island which tests not only your teamwork skills but your knowledge of both the terrain and arcane of hawaii.

races typically take two hours with town and waikiki as the primary playground, however the neighbor islands are getting a little ravenchase love with recently rolled out adventures taking place on the big island and maui.

entry fees start at $25 for kama'aina ($35 for non-residents) and hit the $60/75 mark if you want to join the two day quest for the golden gnome race scheduled on oahu the weekend of june 16th (be sure to read the fine print before booking your reservation).

learn a few winners' tricks while living vicariously with the midweek team who raced all the way to the number one spot last year.