mauka makai excursions

pu'u o mahuka heiau

locals know there is so much more to oahu than the postcard scenes depicting waikiki so if you are a traveler ready to discover the real hawaii (beyond the glossy brochures and package bus tours) you will definitely want to hook up with mauka makai excursions. the small native hawaiian owned eco-tour company offers intimate cultural walking tours taking guests off the beaten path to parts of the island many visitors never see.

while exploring the 'aina (land), guides share stories and legends of the people of old (ka po'e o kahiko), the history and rituals of the native hawaiians, and the cultural significance of the plants and flowers found on the island. tours are available to different parts of oahu and mauka makai also offers custom shoreline fishing tours for those who would like to learn how to throw a fishing net hawaiian style, spend an evening torch fishing, or go tide pooling with your keiki.

take a peek at the star-bulletin to learn more about the company's mission to protect the 'aina while preserving and sharing the culture of hawaii.

{update | jan 2010: company website has been taken down}

crafty discovery

spotted at the bookstore: the second issue of the very cool craft magazine with a cover story on how to hand stitch a hawaiian quilt. the step-by-step tutorial was penned by local quilter cissy serrao who has a rich quilting heritage in her ohana (her mom is a legendary quilt teacher & her dad is a respected designer of hawaiian quilt patterns).

this is the next best thing if taking one of the family's quilting classes is not in the stars. the magazine is a tad pricier than the competition, however if you have the soul of a renegade crafter it will be downright impossible not to be inspired to attempt a new project while flipping through each and every crafty page.

he'e nalu sterling style

one of the questions i get asked a lot is just how do i find all this stuff? well, more often than not much of the good stuff is discovered after spending endless hours online and bookmarking things for that ever elusive red letter day.

so i am always thrilled when someone pops me an email to say hello which reminds me to dig up that bookmark and get a post ready to go. such is the case with the he'e nalu jewelry line created by riches hawaii owner lo kaimuloa which has been hiding in my bookmarks for far too long.

the sterling silver collection has a minimal design and the message is simple: to embody the principles of the hawaiian culture. each he'e nalu piece is engraved with a hawaiian word like makoa (courage), hanohano (honor), kuleana (purpose), etc. which serves as a touchstone for the code we all should live by but is oftentimes forgotten in modern life. and no worries if your hawaiian is sketchy since the english translation is also inscribed on the back.

if you are searching for something sweet for valentine's day, you may want to take a peek at he'e nalu's heart shaped aloha pendant. the online inventory is low but you can always drop by riches hawaii's kiosk at kahala mall to check out the complete collection.

polynesian ink

getting a tattoo to honor his hawaiian heritage has been on my fella's wish list for years so i know he would love these tatau tees from manoatoa. the company's mantra is to express their passion for polynesian art & culture through their clothing line so if you share that fancy odds are you will be a fan after one look at their collection.

in addition to their tatau collection it looks like manoatoa will eventually delve into the designs of tapa cloth & woodcarving which is good news for those who admire these traditional art forms of oceania and are looking for a more modern way to show their polynesian pride.

by the way, if you are interested in hawaiian tattoos, tricia allen, who is probably one of the only anthropologist/tattoo artist's on earth, published her book tattoo traditions of hawaii last spring (friends may remember that many moons ago we went up to no/cal so the fella could get footage of tricia at work for the tattoo documentary he made in film school).

definitely click over to her website if you are serious about getting inked hawaiian style (fyi - tricia hits the mainland a few times a year and her schedule gets booked quickly).

more from sig zane

sig zane is kicking off the new year in style! i love the koi tee which is a new take on the second design the illustrious mr. zane created back in 1978.

students of the hawaiian language may want to snap up this aloha shirt which donates a portion of its proceeds to the ke ana la'ahana charter school. the design is currently 25% off but act quickly since there are only a handful left in the smaller sizes.

ke ana la'ahana ki'ikau

sig zane x kicks/hi

a clearance section also recently made its debut in the online shop so click over asap if you have been daydreaming of splashing down rainy streets while twirling one of those lovely umbrellas i wrote about back in november.

finally, 2007 brings a much anticipated collaboration with kicks/hi (word is one of the projects is with converse for bono's [product] red campaign). first up is the uluwehi keaukaha cap which is being released tomorrow. this is a limited edition so if you want to score one get yourself to a sz shop, kicks/hi in honolulu, or the cutlery (kuhao zane's new shop in hilo) on saturday.