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Showing posts with label Waikiki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Waikiki. Show all posts

Hawaii Five-0 Time to Go to Luxury Row!



































If you haven't been to Honolulu or haven't been here since Jack Lord was posing for his  close up atop a glamorous modernist  Honolulu High Rise Then you haven't' seen Luxury Row on Waikiki's Kalakaua Ave. Shopping in this district has definitely been ramped up to World Class. Along with Luxury Row, Waikiki Beach Walk™ and the renovation of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center has brought new life to what had become a rather dreary section of Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. You will find these "gorgeous" boutiques luxury brands there.












                                    

















                                      


























































B O T T E G A  V E N E T A


























































Tiffany & Co., Coach, YvesSaintLaurent, Chanel, Gucci, Tod's, Bottega Veneta, and Hugo Boss are at 2100 Kalakaua Ave. Nearby are also, Louis Vuitton & Max Mara and Apple.





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Adventure & Environment - Have Fun and Teach the Keiki













Eia Mākou Mālama Maunalua



Eia mākou Mālama Maunalua! (We are Mālama Maunalua)






People of the ‘āina and ocean, those who dwell and care for beloved Maunalua


In the Kona district of O’ahu of Ali’i Kākuhihewa


Maunalua, where the ‘iwa flies above the clouds


‘Elepaio (native flycatcher) chatter and flutter among the koa


The twin feathers of the ‘auku’u (Black-crowned night heron) are tossed by the beach wind


And the schools of ‘ama’ama (mullet) swim below


From Kawaihoa (Portlock Point) where Kāne brought forth life-giving water


To the crashing waves of Kūpikipiki’ō (Black Point)


Kuamo’o-o-Kāne’apua (Koko Head) and Kohelepelepe (Koko Crater) are majestic


Maunalua extends to the cliffs of Pu’u-o-Kona (of Kuli’ou’ou) and Pu’u Lanipō (of Wai’ālae Nui)


To the reefs built by coral polyps, our kin, and the sandy flats where the sea grasses dance


Cherished is the fishpond, Ke’ahupua-o-Maunalua, its companion is Ka’elepulu (in Kailua)


Laukupu, a mo’o, is the guardian of Maunalua


The sea of Koko is for ‘Ouha, the akua manō (shark god) who stands guard


In honor of the akua (gods), our ‘aumakua (family gods), and kūpuna kahiko (ancestors)


We take on this kuleana to learn, share, laulima (work together), and persevere


Our spirits fly high like the ‘iwa above, our intentions, true and deep as Kanaloa’s seas


We will protect, honor, and mālama Maunalua to the last breath


Eia mākou ‘o Mālama Maunalua! (We are Mālama Maunalua)




Lance “Mahi” La Pierre, Maunalua, Kona, O’ahu, May 9, 2008









A remarkable effort led by just a few our friends and neighbors and a small core group of donors led to a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and to an award of Fed Stimulus Money (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) specifically for this Alien Algae Removal Project as reported KHON2 News. This grass roots local group put a grant proposal together for what really is a "shovel ready" project. We can personally attest to the fact that there is no wasteful or ambiguous allocation of funds going on here. See News video.


Be Green 2: Fed Stimulus Money Going to Algae Removal Project - KHON2.com. The stimulus money is specifically for a removal of invasive alien algae project that is under the  direction of Mālama Maunalua. MM still is a under funded organization that operates on a shoe string. Here is a link to their site where donations can be made to this fantastically effective non-profit group. Mālama Maunalua, in association with The Nature Conservancy and NOAA MM is really making a difference in the restoration and preservation of this Beautiful Bay.




Alien algae have been recognized as one of the top threats to our oceans’ health and recovery, in Hawai‘i and elsewhere. This threat is exacerbated by sedimentation from land-based sources which helps invasive algae get established and grow on reef flats. Compounding the problem, fishing pressure has dramatically reduced populations of plant-eating species like parrotfishes (uhu) and sea urchins. Once established, invasive algae drastically alter the seabed by smothering and killing corals and seagrass meadows, and overwhelming and destroying habitat for other reef life.




View of Maunalua By from our Lanai at our Black Point Property.












Aerial Photo showing a "Patch" of removed alien algae and it is not coming back!




Algea is removed like this, pick it up and stick it in the bag after inspecting contents for sea life.





Bags are transferred to Canoes or Kayaks then brought ashore and weight and carted off for bio reuse, such as mulching.





Teaching the Keiki (children) is a very important aspect of the community outreach. Getting them to the beach to watch and participate leads to an understanding that they will inherit this responsibility. Understanding the relationship between the Makua and Makai (the mountains and the sea) is something that Keiki need to learn early. Here Congressman Neil Abercrombie Representative of Hawaii's 1st District, instructs Keiki for a photo op.





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The Perfect Lychee Martini Depends on Your Mood



Two of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu that serve great Lychee Martinis are Indigo for eurasian / Dim Sum and Mongolian food and Alan Wong's Restaurant (click link for menu) for Hawaii regional cuisine.





Lychees on Line is the perfect place to decide what type of lychee you want to prepare for a martini recipe, fresh, frozen or canned. For two very different recipes check out these two at foodnetwork.com, or at epicurious.com. If your in the mood for something a little more labor intensive but delicious, the epicurious  recipe is the same served at Kittichai at 60 Thompson in Manhattan. We love Kittichai, the hotel and their martini, however we honestly prefer our abbreviated version which we have perfected over and over again when we are in Honolulu.

Our Martini:

Martini Shaker

Ice

8 0z Belvedere Vodka

1/4 tsp White Vermouth

1/4 tsp lychee syrup (from the can) or 1/4 tsp powdered sugar

Shake...pour and garnish with 2 lychee fruit skewered on a great toothpick.   Note:  Lychee may be found in the asian food section of the grocery.

This is a great drink, not sweet, but very flavorful and the essence of the tropics....Aloha!





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Hawaiiana and Vintage Hawaiian Art


Vintage Hawaiian Art is one of our favorite things to source here in Honolulu when decorating our Honolulu period era properties in a traditional Hawaiiana Style. Here is a link to a site that has an amazing amount of Hawaiian "stuff" or 'Hawaiiana' as it is known by in. This site has inexpensive and reproduction goods mostly, but it is a fantastic gift source, or can give you decorating ideas from a Kid's Room to a 1960's style Basement Rec Room...to get you through the cold winter days. Of course we like the real stuff, vintage and authentic but it is much harder to find in good condition. This link to Hawaiian Days will give you huge inventory to choose from, ranging from prints to furniture and lamps.   Plus its a great idea site if you don't know what's available.  Its all here. We'll be doing an "Art"  post on each of these Hawaiian artists later.  














John Kelly







Eugene Savage








Gill










Frank Macintosh





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