Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Moments
Old-Style Hawaiian Entertainment
The plaintive drone of the conch shell pierces the air, calling all to
assemble. A sizzling orange sun sinks slowly towards the cobalt waters
of the Pacific. In the distance the majestic mountain, Mauna Kea,
reflects the waning sun's light with a fiery red that fades to a hazy pur-
ple and finally to an inky black as a voluptuous full moon dramatically
rises over her shoulder.
It's
“Twilight at Kalahuipua'a,”
a monthly Hawaiian cultural cele-
bration, which includes storytelling, singing, and dancing on the
oceanside, grassy lawn, fronting a turn-of-the-20th-century-style
wooden cottage at Mauna Lani Bay Resort (
&
808/885-6622
). These
full-moon events, created by Daniel Akaka, Jr., who is Mauna Lani
Resort's director of cultural affairs, hearken back to another time in
Hawaii, when family and neighbors would gather on back porches, in
carports, and in yards to sing, dance, and “talk story.”
Each month, guests, ranging from the ultra-well-known in the
world of Hawaiian entertainment to the virtually unknown local
kupuna
(elder), gather to perpetuate the traditional folk art of story-
telling, with plenty of music and dance thrown in.
For more than half a decade, Twilight at Kalahuipua'a, always set on
a Saturday closest to the full moon, really gets underway at least an
hour before the 5:30pm start. People from across the island, and
guests staying at the hotel, arrive carrying picnic baskets, mats, cool-
ers, babies, and cameras. A sort of oceanside, pre-music, tailgate party
takes place with
kamaaina
(local resident) families sharing their plate
lunches, sushi, and beverages with visitors, who have catered lunches,
packaged sandwiches, and taro chips, in a truly old-fashioned demon-
stration of aloha.
along with titles on Hawaii and Oceania. At last count, the inventory was
20,000 and climbing.
FLOWERS & LEIS
In addition to the farmers' markets (see below), the best place for great leis and
flowers is
Emma's Flowers,
74-5599 Luhia St., in the Old Industrial Area in
Kona (
&
808/329-7746
), with creative leis at bargain prices.
FOOD
For everyday grocery needs,
KTA Stores
(in the Kona Coast Shopping Center,
at Palani Rd. and Queen Kaahumanu Hwy.; in the Keauhou Shopping Village
on Alii Dr.; in Waimea at 65-1158 Mamalahoa Hwy.; and in Hilo at 50 E.
Puainako St. and 321 Keawe St.) are always our first choice. Through its Moun-
tain Apple brand, KTA sells hundreds of top-notch local products—from Kona
smoked marlin and Hilo-grown rainbow trout to cookies, breads, jams and jel-
lies, taro chips, and
kulolo,
the decadently dense taro-coconut steamed pud-
ding—by dozens of local vendors. Our other favorite is
Kona Natural Foods,
