global pau hana

if you are living on the mainland (or are new to hawaii) and have been craving an island connection check out global pau hana. social networks like myspace have been generating a lot of press lately and global pau hana is a grassroots effort to bring islanders scattered across the globe together online.

there are huis for most major cities as well as groups discussing topics as diverse as obake stories, local recipes, hawaiian history and there's even a hui just for folks named dave. 

the hapa project

as a hapa girl, i have been eagerly following kip fulbeck's hapa project for the past year and i am happy to announce that his book was recently published. part asian, 100% hapa is a series of photographs asking subjects that eternal hapa question, "what are you?"

the great thing about growing up in hawaii is that it is much easier to fit in (although even in the 1970's & 80's there weren't that many of us around) but it still would have been nice to have a book like this to flip through.

may day is lei day in hawai'i

one of my favorite online flower shops is anuhea flowers located in makawao, maui. tropical flowers don't always survive the voyage up to the mainland but the protea flowers that anuhea grows is very resilient and their blooms will brighten your home for at least a few weeks.

anuhea's coconut basket would be a cute gift for mother's day, but remember to plan ahead and give yourself a few days lead time when ordering since weekend shipping costs extra. and if you ever find yourself in upcountry maui don't forget to make a reservation for anuhea's farm tour.

baby booty

modernist mamas & papas will be happy to learn that honolulu finally has its very own modern baby boutique. cupcake is the place to go to deck out the nursery with dwell baby linens, offi furniture & the supercool oeuf baby lounger.

you'll find lots of cute things for your little one at the ward centre warehouse shop as well as an edited selection of goodies on cupcake's website like the infantino surfboard tummy time mat (shown above).

kayaking up the na'pali coast

here's something fun to add to your "things to do before i die" list: a kayak tour up the na'pali coast. of course, fun can be a subjective thing so just make sure you can endure the 17 mile trek before signing up at napali kayak.

the payoff is well worth it since you'll get to explore sea caves and waterfalls while marveling at the magnificent na'pali coastline. guided day tours can be booked from april to october and napali kayak also offers all-inclusive luxury multi-day tours for those who long for a more extended and plush adventure.