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Past Feature
Articles
Banana
Muse
(April
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Yes, the Latin word for the banana is Musa.
Coincidence? The banana belongs to the plants
of the ancients and has been given God-like powers
in many diverse cultures. These "old-world" plants
are thought to have originated in India and played
an important role in ancient Egypt and Assyria
as early as 1100 BC.
read
more
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Birds
of a Feather
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
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Hundreds of thousands of years ago, 15 ancestral
species from 11 families of birds came to rest
on newly formed lava islands thrusting from the
sea more than 2,000 miles from any land. These
first birds thrived in isolation from enemies
and predators, evolving in their own leisurely
fashion to some 78 bird species unique to Hawai‘i.
read
more
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Burros
and Beans
(Spring/Summer
2002) By Jim Lightner
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A well-conditioned, mature donkey can carry
about a 125 pound load at the speed of a human’s
stroll all day long. The donkeys were a key component
in developing the Kona coffee industry on the
steep slopes of Hualalai Volcano.
read
more
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The
Coconut Tree - Staff of Life?
(February
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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The tall coconut tree sways in the Hawaiian
trades. Many visitors to the islands expect to
see these graceful palms or look forward to an
authentic pina colada. They mail the coconuts
to their snowbound relatives elsewhere. Ah, how
sweet the tropics.
read
more
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Guardian
Geckos
(September
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Ten years ago, on the Puna side of this island,
I spent my first few nights in Hawaii sleepless
and stunned. It wasn't just the sudden transition
from stark northern Europe to the lush and humid
tropics that kept me awake. I found myself to
be a captive audience to the most bizarre spectacle
between creatures that I had ever seen.
read
more
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The
Hala Tree and The Art of Lauhala
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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When I first saw a hala tree, I was reminded
of the ancient trees in Tolkien's Lord of the
Rings. I believe they were called ents. They were
very wise and lovable, there were many of them,
and they could walk. That sums up the hala tree.
read
more
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Nene
- Saving the State Bird
(Winter
1999) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Legend? Actually, the shy Hawaiian Goose (Branta
Sandvicensis), unique to the islands, seems to
have missed out on the great mythologies of the
Hawaiian people, although it is mentioned in the
Kumulipo, the great creation chant, as a guardian.
read
more
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Pueo,
The Protector
(March
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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The cry of the owl has followed me from country
to country, continent to continent. The silent
scream that once penetrated the snow-burdened
hills and frozen glens in Northern Scotland now
wakes me up to the eerie surf breaking against
the steep cliffs below our house in the tropics
of Kohala.
read
more
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The
Kona Grosbeak
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Les Drent
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Already rare when Wilson visited Hawaii, the
Kona grosbeak was found at elevations of about
5,000 feet in the Kona district amid the koa forest.
In 1887 Wilson was one of the last to observe
the bird in life, for it was last reliably sighted
in 1894. He saw only three specimens in a four-week
stay, and so rare was the bird that it apparently
had no name in the Hawaiian language.
read
more
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The
Struggle of the Ancients
(August
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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They lived through the age of the dinosaurs.
They survived the earth's age of ice. Sea turtles,
the true ancients of the world, have been swimming
the oceans for over 200 million years. And for
the first time in all these millennia, six out
of the seven species are either endangered and
on the verge of extinction, or threatened to become
endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
read
more
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Tapping
the Roots of Taro
(November
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
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The roots of taro run deeper in the Hawaiian
culture than they sink into the muddy patches
of Waipi'o Valley or even into the ruins of ancient
dry land lo'i (terraces) at Greenbank in North
Kohala, once part of the great King Kamehameha's
ahupua'a.
read
more
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Taro,
Gift of the Ancient Gods
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996 ) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Wakea, Father Heaven, could no longer resist
his desire for his youngest daughter. Careful
to not arouse the jealousy of his wife, Mother
Earth, he arranged nights of kapu, in which men
and women should sleep apart from each other.
Those were the beginnings of the many kapus between
men and women.
read
more
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ULU
- The Breadfruit Tree
(Winter
1999) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Its beauty stands out in any garden, grove,
or yard. Easily 40-60 feet tall, with branches
spanning a similar-size diagonally, the sensual,
dark-green lobed leaves of the breadfruit tree
form a graceful tapestry from which sexy, lime-green
globes, weighing up to 10 pounds each, dangle
gracefully in the Hawaiian trades.
read
more
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Wild
Forests of the Gods
(Spring/Summer
1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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The word for wealth and prosperity in the Hawaiian
language is 'wai-wai', 'water-water' or 'abundant
water'. Young Pele might well reside over the
fire of the volcano; with the life-giving power
of water the old gods continue their legacy in
the wild rainforests and remote valleys of Hamakua
and Kohala.
read
more
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Hawaiian
Cuisine
The
Best Brews
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Lance Tominaga
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Dare to be different. Bold is better. Life is
an adventure. Those are the messages David Palmer
champions at his two Café Pesto restaurants on
the Big Island. What’s worked well for us is blending
the familiar with the exotic, says Palmer. Everyone
knows what a pizza is, so we like to put exotic
toppings on it. We let them be adventurous.
read
more
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Getting
to the Roots of Hawaii Regional Cuisine
(May
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
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Mention local food in Hawaii, and people think
of fish and poi, plate lunches with macaroni salad
and rice, squid luau made with taro leaves, or
poke made of raw fish and seaweed.
read
more
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Let's
Go Grind
(November
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
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When a Hawaiian friend says, "Hey, pau hana
let's go my house for grind. We got plenty ono
pupu-poke, musubi, might even be some pipikaula
and po'i in the fridge," don't hold your stomach
(or cover your ears) in bewilderment.
read
more
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What's
That Fish On My Plate
(July
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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The abundant bounty of the oceans doesn't strictly
define Hawaii cuisine, yet it surely is one of
its strongest and most influential characteristics.
Times have long passed when one could only choose
local mahimahi or snapper in restaurants where
the menu was otherwise filled with imported and
frozen sole, lobster or salmon.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee
1999
Downfall of Kona Coffee
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Les Drent
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After writing for six years on the subject of
Kona coffee and having expended countless number
of hours lobbying and writing for the protection
and preservation of our Kona coffee name, I have
sworn many times to remove myself of any personal
involvement within this industry outside of my
coffee roasting and retailing business which I
truly love and enjoy to work at.
read
more
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1998
- What's Brewing in our Kona Coffee Industry
(Winter
1999) By Les Drent
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When everything is finalized with the production
of this magazine and all the coffee has been roasted
and shipped out to my customers I can finally
look forward to that brief window of opportunity
to report to you the current happenings in our
local Kona coffee industry.
read
more
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What
You Don't Know About Kona Coffee
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Les Drent
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Since the first issue of Coffee Times rolled
off the press in April 1993 I pledged to myself
to do everything possible to bring awareness to
an issue that for many years has done more harm
to Kona Coffee than any other. That being the
truth in labeling of one of Hawaii's few remaining
agricultural commodities, Kona Coffee. Thus, the
name Coffee Times.
read
more
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The
Pilgrimage of Kona Coffee
(March
1993) By Les Drent
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"Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other,
be it grown where it may and call it by what name
you please." Mark Twain, 1866. It has been many
years since Reverend Samuel Ruggles brought the
first coffee plant cuttings to Kealakekua-Kona,
Hawaii.
read
more
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Coffee
Times 1994 State of the Bean Address
(October
1994) By Les Drent
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The sweet smell of freshly pulped coffee cherry
stagnates in the morning air as coffee shacks
of decrepit weathered wood and their patchwork
of tin roofs sit low in the shade of tropical
foliage. Woodrose creeps in the foreground, up
crooked telephone poles and out across weeping
lines.
read
more
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Coffee
Farming in Kona, Hawaii
(October
1993) By Les Drent
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The majority of the coffee in Kona is harvested
between the months of July and December and many
of the small mills that process the raw coffee
cherries swing into full operation during this
time of the year.
read
more
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The
Great Kona Coffee Scandal
(Spring/Summer
2001) By Les Drent
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DID YOU KNOW that out of the 20 million pounds
of Kona Coffee bought and consumed every year
only 2 million pounds of that coffee is actually
grown here in Kona?
read
more
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Kona
Coffee Booms
(October
1997) By Les Drent
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A bountiful 1997 Kona coffee harvest is upon
us and strong growth in our industry seems to
be upon us as well. The high demand for Kona coffee
around the world and increasing cherry prices
have resulted in widespread planting of coffee
by small to large size farms all around Kona.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee Soars To New Heights
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Les Drent
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The new numbers now surrounding the Kona coffee
industry are staggering. It was only 10 years
ago that Kona coffee acreage dropped to a mere
1,200 acres as the name “Kona Coffee” was becoming
more of an icon throughout the coffee crazed world
than the actual prized coffee bean from Kona.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee Pioneers
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Kona Coffee Living History Farm
|
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The "American Dream" was founded on the principals
and idealism of equality, determination and freedom.
Often the "American Dream" is associated with
European immigrants leaving economic privation
and political and religious oppression in their
homelands to build a new and better life in America.
read
more
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The
Future Continues to Brighten for 100% Kona Coffee
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Les Drent
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With the final chapter being written in the
fraudulent Kona coffee case; a state wide Hawaii
Coffee association gaining momentum and planted
acreage in Kona continuing to rise; farmers, millers,
roasters and retailers of 100% Kona coffee have
much to look forward to.
read
more
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Hand
Harvesting Ripe Coffee is an Art
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Les Drent
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A ripe coffee bean - plump and red - signals
harvest. Each year in Kona, where hand picking
is the norm, one by one, the coffee beans come
off the tree. Red coffee cherries must be picked
without disturbing the unripe coffee beans on
the coffee branch. This is a critical step in
quality coffee production, according to George
Yasuda, agricultural consultant for Tiare Lani
Coffee, Inc.
read
more
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Elixer
For The Soul
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Nancy Michael
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If you're a coffee fanatic you probably use
a French press coffee pot. It's a simple design
that makes great coffee quickly and easily. Just
place the fairly coarse ground fresh coffee in
the bottom of the French press pot, pour water
"just off the boil" over the grounds and let it
sit for a few minutes.
read
more
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Final
Chapter Written In The Kona Kai Coffee Scandal
(Spring/Summer
2001) By Les Drent
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Former Kona Coffee Supplier Gets Jail Time,
New Assurances Of Kona Coffee Purity Implemented
In Oakland this past March, U.S. District Judge
D. Lowell Jensen sentenced Michael Norton, 53,
owner of the now defunct Kona Kai Coffee, to 30
months in prison as a result of his pleading guilty
to wire fraud and tax evasion.
read
more
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100%
Kona Coffee Industry Strengthens
(Spring/Summer
2001) By Patti Stratton
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Coffee in Kona has had a long history since
the original plant was brought to the area by
missionary Samuel Ruggles in 1828 and replaced
by a Guatemalan variety introduced in 1892. It's
the soil and climate that determines the taste
of any coffee, and this plant has thrived in the
acidic soil on the gentle slopes of Mauna Loa
volcano drenched by daily showers during the wet
Summer season.
read
more
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Coexistence
of Rainforests and Coffee Orchards in Kona
(Spring/Summer
2001 ) By George Yasuda
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Within 2 centuries a lot of koa and ohia forests
have either disappeared or have drastically been
reduced in Kona. Once where nice stands of koa
and ohia flourished, there now lie no koa or ohia
trees. There are several reasons for this decline
including agriculture and ranching.
read
more
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Aloha
In Every Cup
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By Matt Delaney
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The memory of my first Kona coffee experience
still brings a smile to my face. I was living
on The Big Island in Hilo at the time and working
three jobs (normal for most islanders). Friends
who were renting an old coffee shack on the hills
above Kealakekua Bay invited me to visit and stay
for a weekend.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee Travels
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By Les Drent
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During the last eight years of marketing Kona
coffee I have encountered countless numbers of
customers who share the same comical yet earnest
sentiments about their refusal to leave home without
their cherished beans. Being on the road without
a cup of Kona coffee in hand is a hardship that
most of you are simply not willing to endure.
Neither am I, for that matter!
read
more
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Grafted
Kona Coffee Wins Big for Heavenly Hawaiian Farms
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By Les Drent
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No one believed it was possible. No one had
seen it done. But family farm owners Kraig and
Sheryl Lee and Rae and Sandy Young proved that
grafted coffee was the best Kona coffee in the
prestigious Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Cupping
Competition in 2000.
read
more
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Back
to the Basics of Coffee Growing
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By George Yasuda
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The coffee plants’ nutritional needs fall within
the planting and cultivation category and is one
of the most important factors in improving the
quality of coffee. It is very important to use
high quality fertilizers in the right proportions
and the correct ingredients.
read
more
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Orchard
Perfect 100% Kona Coffee
(Spring/Summer
2002) By Les Drent
|
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While driving along Mamalahoa Highway, the high
and winding mountain road that traverses the Kona
coffee belt, one can see a countless number of
coffee farms. Some of these farms are tucked into
a landscape draped in overgrown vegetation and
shadowed by towering trees. Others brandish large
iron gates at the front and are surrounded by
acres of elaborate rock walls.
read
more
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My
New Adventure in Coffee
(Spring/Summer
2002) By Les Drent
|
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As I hover over my young coffee trees, I think
back nine years when I issued the first edition
of Coffee Times magazine. At that time specialty
coffee was just sinking its roots into American
culture. Within two years of the first printing
I bought a coffee roaster and packaged and sold
my first pound of 100% Kona coffee.
read
more
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The
High Quality Way
(Fall/Winter
2002/2003) By George Yasuda
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Kona coffee orchard should not be haphazardly
planned, planted, and maintained. A poorly designed
and installed orchard would have limited production,
high tree loss, poor fruit quality, short tree
life, and would be harder to maintain; it would
also be unsightly.
read
more
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Kona
Family Produces Winning Coffee
(Fall/Winter
2002/2003) By Les Drent
|
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In 1994, Kraig A. Lee and his father-in-law
Rae F. Young ventured together to start Heavenly
Hawaiian Farm on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai above
KailukKona, Hawaii. With their trust firmly planted
in the Lord, Kraig & Rae went right to work building
the family’s two homes, barn, wet mill and stock
nursery.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee at its Best
(Spring/Summer
2003) By George Yasuda
|
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When you can have great tasting coffee, and
a high quality, high yielding, efficient, picturesque
Kona coffee orchard why do some settle for less?
If done right your farm will bear shiny, dark
green, super healthy, eight foot tall Kona coffee
trees laden with 10 to 12 pounds of cherry in
just one year of growth. By the second year these
same trees can reach loads of 20 to 30 pounds
of cherry.
read
more
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Mountain
Thunder Shakes Up Kona Coffee Industry
(Fall/Winter
2003-2004) By Les Drent
|
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Visiting Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee Plantation
was like entering paradise. Varying sizes of Kona
coffee trees adorned with succulent coffee cherries
grew among towering hapu’u ferns and ohia trees.
Birds flew overhead, filling the morning air with
song.
read
more
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Making
The Right Choice
(Fall/Winter
2003-2004) By Les Drent
|
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George Yasuda has been farming Kona coffee for
decades and he takes as much pride in helping
others establish and maintain successful coffee
orchards as he does in growing his own high quality
coffee. Upon getting to know George one realizes
that his expertise come from decades of experimentation,
and hands on learning as a farmer.
read
more
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From
Dream To Reality
(Fall/Winter
2003-2004) By Les Drent
|
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Over the last four months I have experienced
some of the most exciting times in my life as
giant steps of growth and development have occurred
at Blair Estate coffee farm in Kauai. After nearly
two years of planning, ground was finally broken
in mid-June for the construction of a new multi-purpose
timber frame barn that will serve as a coffee
processing and roasting facility as well as a
home.
read
more
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Selecting
Seeds
(Spring/Summer
2004) By Les Drent
|
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With nearly 100 different varieties of coffee
trees existing in the world today there is only
one that has contributed to the famous reputation
of Kona. Known today as Kona “Typica” this coffee
variety was first called “Guatemalan” when it
was introduced back in 1892 by an Oahu grower
named Hermann Widemann.
read
more
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A
New Way to Prune Coffee?
(Spring/Summer
2004) By Bob Nelson
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Throughout the past 175 years, Kona coffee farmers
have tried many innovative techniques in an effort
to successfully grow what many profess to be “the
best coffee in the world!” Pruning is a necessary
technique that is not only required to maintain
a healthy tree but keeps quality and quantity
at its highest levels.
read
more
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Kauai’s
Only Organic Coffee Farm is Now Open
(Spring/Summer
2004) By Les Drent
|
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With only a few dabs of paint remaining (hip,
hip, hurray) we’re proud to announce the opening
of our farm visitor center. The coffee roaster
is seasoned and in just a few short months we
will be in the fields picking the season’s new
coffee as we also entertain coffee lovers from
around the globe.
read
more
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Mountain
Thunder Booms with Growth!
(Fall/Winter
2004-2005) By Les Drent
|
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The recent growth at Mountain Thunder Coffee
Farm is dizzying to say the least. After winning
2 blue ribbon awards at the Kona Spring Blossom
cupping competition Mountain Thunder ran off with
the Gold medals in both the People’s Choice and
Chef’s Choice divisions at the recent cup off
at the Kona Village Resort. The event was held
this past July.
read
more
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The
Basic Needs of a Kona Coffee Tree
(Fall/Winter
2004-2005) By Les Drent
|
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Each living organism has basic requirements
to perform optimally. On numerous occasions I
have been asked this question, “where can we grow
Kona coffee trees viably?” Here are some basic
answers: 1. Rainfall should be close to 6 to 8
inches per month.
read
more
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The
Life of a Coffee Farmer’s Wife
(Fall/Winter
2004-2005) By Deepa Alman
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For seven years, I was happily married to Joe
Alban, an orthopedic surgeon, when one day in
1994, I found myself owning a Kona coffee farm
with him. I knew he had been dreaming of owning
a coffee farm in the Kona district, but little
did I know how it would completely change my life.
read
more
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Blair
Estate Kauai Organic Coffee Farm
(Fall/Winter
2004-2005) By Les Drent
|
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Heavenly may be the best way to describe our
experience of raising organic coffee in Kauai.
I'll try to paint a picture of our Kauai organic
coffee farm. Sitting on our lanai and looking
west to the majestic 2600 foot Mt. Wekiu, we view
numerous waterfalls cascading down the lush green
slopes.
read
more
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Preserving
Hawaii's Native Forest Trees To Support Hawaii's
Native Bird Life
(Spring/Summer
2005) By George Yasuda
|
 |
The norm of Hawaii’s land use is to remove all
or most of the native trees in order to develop
the land. The landscape of the beautiful mountain
sides of Kona has experienced a decrease in population
of native trees such as koa, sandalwood and ohia.
It is sad to see trees 200 years and older removed.
read
more
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Mountain
Thunder Shares Passion for Coffee
(Fall/Winter 2005-2006) By Amy Hoff
|
 |
Mountain
Thunder Coffee Plantation is, in a word, magical.
In a fairyland of ohia and jungle vines, it is
a ghostly oasis in the mist. Ohia branches become
visible through the mist like the fingers of forgotten
gods. The haunting atmosphere is relieved by the
explosion of colors around you.
read
more
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The
Continuing Adventure of Blair Estate
(Fall/Winter
2005-2006) By Les Drent
|
|
After four years of farming coffee, I have realized
one thing holds true about cultivating this magical
shrub. I should have planted more lychee! That
would have been the easiest route, if not for
my abiding passion for the enchanting quality
of the coffee bean. At least I now have a much
deeper appreciation for what goes into producing
my morning cup of coffee.
read
more
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Diary
of a Coffee Picker
(Fall/Winter
2005-2006) By Carole Prism
|
 |
Up at 4:30 am, stumbling around my house, aware
that folks living nearby are fast asleep. What
am I doing up at this hour? This goes against
the body's biological rhythms. I am picking coffee,
my first day this season. A bumper crop, so I
hear. I can see the cherry on the trees around
Kona, wondering who is going to pick all this
stuff. I guess I am one of the army of people
who will.
read
more
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Kona
Coffee Mourns The Death Of Ward Barbee
(Spring/Summer
2006) By Les Drent
|
 |
It's been only 4 days since we heard of Ward
Barbee's passing here at Coffee Times. I know
I speak for everyone in the Kona coffee industry
when I say we were deeply saddened to hear of
this news. Besides being one of the craziest and
most honest characters in the world of coffee,
Ward always stood up for what was right.
read
more
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Making
the Right Choices
(Spring/Summer 2006) By George Yasuda
|
 |
There are proven, basic techniques in growing
high quality, high production Kona coffee trees.
Volcanic, good drainage loam seems to be best
suited for coffee trees. Crushed coral and magnesium
oxide needs to be added to the soil approximately
every 3-4 years. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium
are needed in the right proportions as well. These
elements also need to come from the correct sources.
read
more
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History
& Culture
The
Aloha Shirt
(December
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Not even tucked in, blazing and bold, here's
the aloha shirt! The missionaries might have denounced
extravagance and nakedness, the craving for vivid
colors, tropical textures, and sensual shapes
couldn't be suppressed. Within two centuries a
modest workman's shirt grew into the trademark
wear of Hawaii.
read
more
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Before
The Glory - Gearing Up For The Merrie Monarch
Festival
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Lance Tominaga
|
 |
For most of us, the annual Merrie Monarch Festival
in Hilo is a fantastic celebration of the Hawaiian
culture, overflowing with pageantry and color,
and spotlighting perhaps the most beautiful and
personal form of Hawaiian expression, the hula.
read
more
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Big
Fish in Little Ponds
(August
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
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Fishponds, loko i'a, encircle the shores of
the Hawaiian Islands, their origins shrouded in
legend and inconclusive carbon dating. Some, with
walls of basalt and coral, rest like necklaces
of glistening black pearls against the blue shoulders
of the sea, rimming green and golden shorelines.
read
more
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Body
Art
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Queen Kamamalu had a tattoo applied to her tongue
as an expression of her deep grief when her mother-in-law
died in the 1820s. Missionary William Ellis watched
the procedure, commenting to the queen that she
must be undergoing great pain. The queen replied,
He eha nui no, he nui roa ra ku‘u aroha. (Great
pain indeed, greater is my affection.)
read
more
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Chants:
Mele of Antiquity
(September
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
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In 1897, the dethroned Queen Liliu'okalani translated
the Kumulipo, an ancient Hawaiian creation chant,
from a Hawaiian text published by her brother
King Kalakaua in 1889. The preface to her slim
volume, written by Kimo Campbell, considers ulterior
motives the two monarchs might have had for their
interest in the Kumulipo.
read
more
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The
David Gomes Guitar
(Spring/Summer
1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
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Ki ho'alu, or Hawaiian slack key guitar, is
an island tradition. It's more than that. It's
the rich expression and reverence for all that
life holds: Through its unique finger-picked style
and special tunings ki ho'alu tells the story
of the Hawaiian islands and its people, past and
present. It is music drawn from the heart and
the soul.
read
more
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The
Demise of Captain Cook
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
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The bay at Kealakekua is so translucent, so
placid, that scores of novice snorkelers slip
into the water daily, arriving by boats from Kailua-Kona,
which anchor, bobbing peacefully, just beyond
the obelisk that marks a far more violent episode
in Hawaiian history. It was here that the great
navigator Captain James Cook was killed on February
14, 1779.
read
more
|
Feathers
Tickle Hawaii's Fancy
(May
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
An estimated 450,000 golden yellow feathers
from more than 80,000 mamo birds were woven into
King Kamehameha I's feather cloak, which is on
display during special occasions at the Bishop
Museum on Oahu. The cloak, which measures four-feet
wide by eleven-and-a-half feet at the bottom,
was passed from ruler to ruler as an emblem of
the royal office.
read
more
|
Fishing
- An Art of Survival
(Fall
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Being a fisherman, a poe lawaia, in old Hawai'i
was an honorable profession, one that grandparents
handed down to the boys in a family. It was a
profession that anyone would practice for the
sake of survival, but the more expert the fisherman,
the more tools of the trade-long canoes, short
canoes, large and small nets, various poles, woven
fish traps, bone hooks-he possessed.
read
more
|
Hawaii's
First Post Office
(Spring/Summer
2006) By Fred Gregory
|
 |
Until
the latter part of 1850, handling mail was strictly
a private affair in Hawaii. There wasn’t much
privacy, however – letters received from abroad
often were spread across the counting table of
one or another mercantile house in Honolulu and
people sorted through the stack looking for their
letters.
read
more
|
The
Hawaiian Lei
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
'I got leid in Hawaii', proclaims a favorite
bumper sticker that many visitors take back to
the mainland. What is it about those fragrant
flower garlands and the sensual image invoked
by the words lei and Hawaii? From the earliest
times, men and women worldwide have adorned themselves
with leis.
read
more
|
Hawaiian
Recreation - Games People Played
(March
1998 ) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
In old Hawai'i, there was a time for work and
a time for play. During the fall Makahiki season,
war was suspended for three-to-four months, taxes
were paid to the chiefs according to the abundance
of the year's harvest, and festivities, feasting
and games filled the days.
read
more
|
Herb
Kane - Artist And Historian
(Spring/Summer
2001) By M.V. Harden
|
 |
In 1970, Herb Kawainui Kane left a successful
career as a graphic artist in Chicago to begin
a new life in the land of his ancestors. Within
14 years he was so renowned in Hawaii he was named
one of the state's "Living Treasures." He was
in his forties when he made this leap of life
styles, not an easy age to begin anew.
read
more
|
Hina's
Kapa
(June
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Hina spreads out her kapa, her beaten cloth,
white as snow, clear as a mountain stream. She
places stones on them, to prevent the raging winds
from blowing her clouds away. Hawaiian women look
up at the sky and understand the solemnity of
their craft, the making of bark cloth. Working
their tools, they pray.
read
more
|
The
History of Surfing
(May
1993) By Les Drent
|
 |
From the Journal of Captain King, Cook's Voyages,
March 1779, three months after the death of Captain
Cook: The surf, which breaks on the coast round
the bay, extends to the distance of about one
hundred fifty yards from the shore, within which
space, the surges of the sea, accumulating from
the shallowness of the water, are dashed against
the beach with prodigious violence.
read
more
|
In
The Footprints of Keoua
(Spring/Summer
2002) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
An easy 3.6 mile hike off Route 11 in the barren
Ka‘u Desert leads to sets of footprints imbedded
in lava along the trail to Mauna Iki dome. A Hawai‘i
Volcanoes National Park pamphlet mentions that
the footprints were left by Hawaiian warriors
after a violent eruption of ash and cinder in
1790.
read
more
|
A
Journey to the Land of Kings
(February
1998) By Kirk Lee Aeder
|
 |
For the most part, surfing on the Big Island
of Hawaii is an early morning experience. Ask
anyone who knows and they'll tell you the same
thing. As dawn's first light makes it's presence
amidst the towering volcanic mountain peaks of
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Mountains, hard-core surfers
are already on the road, heading for spots with
names you've never heard of.
read
more
|
Kailua-Kona
'A Royal Retreat'
(December
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Under the shopping-bazaar facade of sun-dappled
Kailua-Kona lies a legacy of events and historic
locales that played a pivotal role in changing
forever the lifestyle of the Hawaiian people.
read
more
|
Kalahuipua`a
- Fabled Fish-Pond
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
All along the Kona-Kohala Coast, ancient anchialine
ponds reflect those long-ago days when thatched
hales (houses) and shady shelter caves furnished
homes for fishermen and their families.
read
more
|
Kapa
(June
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Kapa making is an art that once spanned the
Pacific, but it reached perfection in Polynesia.
The artistic beauty of the cloth made of pounded
bark impressed Captain James Cook in 1778.
read
more
|
A
King's Statue Multiplies
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Four massive bronze statues honor the great
warrior King Kamehameha—the original at Kapa‘au
on the Big island, a replica at Ali‘iolani Hale
(the judiciary building) in Honolulu, another
in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. and
the most recent, erected in 1997 in Hilo, on the
Big Island.
read
more
|
The
King's Trail
(May
1994) By Steve Graves
|
 |
The Big Island of Hawaii has one of the oldest
and most historic trail systems in the islands.
For visitors interested in Hawaiian antiquity
it offers a means to see some of the most interesting
locations of ancient Hawaiian habitation and culture.
In some areas old trails are the primary means
to reach sites.
read
more
|
Kohala
Coast - Tied to the Past
(June
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
More than any other coastline in Hawai'i, the
northern Kohala Coast, stretching from Kawaihae
around the northernmost tip of the Big Island
to beyond the end of the paved road at Pololu,
holds secrets from the past in its ebony lava
flows and sandy shores.
read
more
|
Kohala
Ditch
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
The crystalline sound of cups resonates through
the rugged mountains of North Kohala. Japanese
ditch-men are drinking their sake, after a grueling
day of work. The year is 1905. After 18 months,
and the loss of 17 lives, the engineering miracle
of 22 miles of flumes and tunnels will soon make
sleepy Hawi into a prosperous sugar plantation
town.
read
more
|
Konane
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Surf's up. The waves are too rough for fishing.
Yet the breeze is calm, and the Hawaii sun invites
yet another languorous and pleasant day under
the palm trees. Imagine your village to be at
Lapakahi, now a historic park, located between
Kawaihae and Hawi, in Kohala. Imagine spending
the day with friends and family. What would you
do?
read
more
|
A
Legacy of Paddling
(July
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Slender canoes cleave the Hawaiian waters. In
the golden light of dawn and dusk, paddlers work
in perfect unison, their strokes disciplined,
strong, and smooth. Canoeing, called "paddling"
by the locals, has rightfully been named the official
state team sport in Hawaii. All paddlers know
that the waves, perhaps so calm and blue today,
hold their life.
read
more
|
Lomilomi
(April
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Auntie Margaret Kalehuamakanoelulu'onapali Machado
held both my hands in her firm grip and prayed
softly in Hawaiian. "'Amene," she concluded, peering
intently into my face. "You have pain, tightness
in your right shoulder." Unerringly she poked
the spot that made me wince.
read
more
|
Lua
- A Fighting Chance
(August
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Secretly, in the dark of night, the ancient
warriors practiced the deadly moves involved in
the art of self defense called lua. It was a discipline
that required balancing the practitioner's spiritual
and physical aspects in order to achieve victory
in battle as well as harmony in everyday living.
read
more
|
Lucy
Thurston - Missionary Wife
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
At Moku‘aikaua Church in Kailua-Kona, beside
a display of the 19th-century brig, Thaddeus,
are pages reproduced from the diary of the Big
Island’s first missionary wife, 24-year-old Lucy
Goodale Thurston. Sometimes the writing is poignant,
revealing a New England girl’s homesickness, often
everyday life is recorded in sharp-eyed detail,
but through it all the patience and fortitude
of the writer emerges.
read
more
|
Ho'ao
Pa'a And The Ohana Marriage And The Family
(Fall/Winter
2002/2003) By K.A.M.
|
 |
In ancient Hawaii, marriage between a man and
a woman, called ho'ao pa'a, was a lasting relationship.
A man did not leave his wife nor the wife her
husband. This form of marriage in which each took
a single mate originated as a command from the
god to Hulihonua and his wife Keakauhulilani and
lasted for 27 generations.
read
more
|
Merry
Monarch Remembered
(April
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Sixty years after Queen Ka'ahumanu, King Kamehameha's
wife, had forbidden the dance in the name of Christian
values, Kalakaua gave hula back its glorious crown.
He became known as the Merrie Monarch. Under his
reign, Hawaiian traditions revived and took on
a new life. Ancient sports were once again celebrated
and the hula was reborn.
read
more
|
An
Early Missionary Circles the Big Island
(Spring/Summer
2002) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Excerpts in this article are from the books,
Hawaiian Tour by William Ellis, published 1826,
and Polynesian Researches, Hawai‘i, Journal of
William Ellis, published 1969. Just as American
missionaries were establishing missions in the
Pacific in the 1800s, so were British missionaries.
read
more
|
A
Musical Legacy
(January
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
The insistent throb of shark-skin-covered drums,
the yearning twang of slack key guitars, and the
soft, mellow strains of a duo singing the "Hawaiian
Wedding Song" are sounds that evoke images of
palm trees and moonlight and waves lapping on
warm, white-sand beaches-in short, images of Hawai'i.
read
more
|
Ölelo
Hawai'i
(October
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Each language holds a history and culture, giving
identity and roots. Yet, worldwide, 4 languages
die every two months. Of the 6000 languages known,
only 3000 will be left by the end of the 21st
century.
read
more
|
Plantation
Days And Henry Akana
(Winter
1999) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Sugar Time: Days of hardship bordering slavery;
of friendships before the impersonal electronic
age; and of survival skills that have disappeared
with time. Henry Akana, now in his 80's, was born
and raised in Kohala. Like all other boys and
many girls, he started working the plantation
at age 14. His first job? "Hoe hana", hoeing endless
rows of cane under a relentless sun.
read
more
|
Narrative
Tour of Volcano
(Spring/Summer
2005) By William Ellis
|
 |
The following passages were reprinted from the
1823 Journal of William Ellis. The reverand William
Ellis (pictured on the right) and his party were
the first non-Hawaiian group to enter the sacred
region of Pele now known as Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park. Ellis was guided by a man named Makoa (pictured
on the left) who was provided by the high chief
Kuakini of Hawaii.
read
more
|
Pu'ukohola
Heiau
(January
1994) By Steve Graves
|
 |
Overlooking the village of Kawaihae in North
Kohala sits the ancient religious structure called
Pu'ukohola Heiau, meaning, "hill of the whale".
The massive rock structure which is the last temple
to be built by the ancient Hawaiians in the islands,
was constructed by Kamehameha I between the years
of 1790 and 1791.
read
more
|
"Quilts
in Hawaii?" you may ask.
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By K.A.M.
|
 |
While at sea level the summer temperatures average
85 degrees and winter temperatures 78 degrees;
with each 1000 foot rise in elevation, temperatures
can drop 3.5 degrees. A cozy Hawaiian quilt can
be just the ticket if you live in the mountains.
read
more
|
Sacred
Burial Practices
(February
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Speculation ran rampant after two ancient caskets
containing the bones of Big Island ali'i, King
Liloa and his great grandson, Lonoikamakahiki,
disappeared from O'ahu's Bishop Museum in February
1994. The caskets, or ka'ai, made of woven sennit,
stood 31 and 35 inches tall and in shape, roughly
resembled the human form.
read
more
|
Sacred
Grounds
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Lance Tominaga
|
 |
Fifteen years ago, in 1985, Kona resident and
Hawaiian history lover Joseph Castelli traveled
to Honolulu for a leisurely research session at
the Bishop Museum. Although he didn’t know it
at the time, that visit led him to one of the
greatest challenges—and victories—of his life.
read
more
|
Scotland
and Hawai'i in History
(Fall/Winter
2005-2006) By Amy Hoff
|
 |
The history of both Hawai’i and Scotland are
almost the same. Two tribal nations embroiled
in conflict with an oppressive foreign party intent
on taking over, illegally if necessary. Both peoples
went through a time where their clothing, language,
music, and very way of life was outlawed. Both
nations seek sovereignty today, with the memories
of the wrongs visited upon them in the past.
read
more
|
Seeds
of Beauty
(June
1997) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Scholars theorize that of the twenty-seven plants
thought to have been brought to the Islands by
the first Polynesian explorers, only two - kamani
and kukui - bore seeds with a hard enough shell
to be used in seed craft.
read
more
|
Showtime
in Lost Polynesia
(February
1998) By Kirk Lee Aeder
|
 |
Somewhere in "Hidden Hawaii", there remains
a place of mystery, intrigue, and places to be
explored. Kelly Slater sat on the black stone
wall, staring out at the moving blue sea as an
occasional three to five foot set exploded off
the jagged lava reef, providing a luring temptation.
But, Kelly was content to sit while no one bothered
him because, for the most part, there was no one
else around.
read
more
|
Snow
to Surf - It's The Best Place On Earth
(February
1998) By Andrew Nisbet
|
 |
The Big Island of Hawaii's two tallest volcanos,
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, have elevations reaching
13,677 feet and 13,796 feet respectively. It is
fairly common for these two peaks to receive snow
during the winter months. When they do it is possible
to find people skiing and snow-boarding near their
summits. It is also possible to go surfing on
the very same day.
read
more
|
Speaking
Stones of the Past
(Fall/Winter
1995-1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
There is an unusual activity available for the
more adventurous tourist on the Big Island, it's
called petroglyph hunting. On such a hunt, bring
water, good shoes, and sunscreen. Leave all ideas
behind about wanting to reproduce, alter, or "improve"
the petroglyph. Leave all pre-set thoughts about
Hawaiian history behind.
read
more
|
Sugar
and Steam in Kohala
(January
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
"The latest mania in Kohala is going to the
station at Hawi, below Hind's. On a fine day even
the ladies may be seen wending their way to the
attractive spot and returning in raptures about
the whistle and the bell, 'that keeps ringing
all the time, just like a real train'," wrote
the Saturday Press on March 18, 1882.
read
more
|
Star
Struck by Wayfinding
(May
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Hundreds of years before European seafarers
sailed into Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island,
early Polynesians systematically navigated through
16 million square miles of the Pacific. These
voyages of discovery are thought to have begun
as early as 300 AD, dwindling off about 1000 AD
and ceasing about 1200 AD.
read
more
|
Tsunamis,
The Big Waves
(Spring/Summer
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
The tsunami that pounded the northeastern shores
of the Big Island on April 1, 1946 was the cruelest
April Fool’s trick that Mother Nature could have
played. In a matter of moments, more than 1,300
homes were swept away, and 159 people were killed.
read
more
|
Weapons
Of War
(Spring/Summer
2000) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
By the time King Kamehameha the Great waged
war to unite the Hawaiian Islands under his rule,
Europeans had introduced guns and cannons to a
population which previously had fought with handmade
clubs and spears. Kamehameha was clever enough
to enlist the use of these new mechanical devises.
read
more
|
Hawaiian
Weaving - A Meaningful Legacy
(Winter
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Weaving was once such a highly developed skill
that many of the pieces rendered by artistic Hawaiian
women of old are considered works of art today.
Deft fingers propelled by creative minds fashioned
natural materials such as lau hala leaves, i'e
i'e rootlets and makaloa sedge into beautifully
woven and dyed utilitarian objects-mats, baskets,
fans, fish traps, sandals, bed coverings and clothing.
read
more
|
Who
Killed David Douglas?
(Fall/Winter
2001-2002) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
In 1832, David Douglas, a respected Scottish
botanist, was found dead in a pit dug to trap
wild bullocks at Kaluakauka, in the ahupua'a (land
division) of Laupahoehoe. His clothes were torn,
his body mangled and ten gashes marked his head.
read
more
|
The
Woman Who Changed A Kingdom
(June
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Without Queen Kaahumanu, the favorite wife of
King Kamehameha I, it is doubtful that the man
who united the Hawaiian Islands under his royal
reign would have succeeded at all. Her power and
influence, however, stretched far beyond supporting
him.
read
more
|
Words
of Power
(Fall
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
When there is no written language imagine selling
property, traveling without any form of identification,
or proving who your parents are, all without a
paper trail. Imagine, as happened to a high chief
in Hawaii long, long ago, that you flee from your
island, end up in a shipwreck, and drift onto
foreign shores: You would be considered an enemy
and your death would be certain.
read
more
|
Yesterday
Once More
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Lance Tominaga
|
 |
Just a few blocks up from picturesque Hilo Bay
in downtown Hilo, on Haili Street, stand two buildings.
One is old-the oldest wooden frame structure on
the island, in fact-while the other is decidedly
modern. Together, the adjacent structures make
up the Lyman House Memorial Museum, which lives
up to its mission statement of "(telling) the
story of Hawai'i, its islands and its peoples."
read
more
|
Island
Life
Hawaii
Forest & Trail
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Les Drent
|
 |
Who would have ever guessed that a children's
naturalist program started in May of 1993 by Rob
Pacheco would have grown into one of Hawaii's
premier tour operations by the turn of the century.
Perhaps it was the marketing genius of Rob's wife
Cindy that first saw glimpses of a bright future.
read
more
|
Jen's
Kohala Cafe
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Les Drent
|
 |
Complementing the rich tradition of history
in North Kohala is an eatery that is making a
name for itself. Creating great food and creating
the right food for the moment are all skills that
come from years of dedication to the culinary
industry and the food at Jen's Kohala Cafe is
the obvious result of that dedication.
read
more
|
Lo'ihi
- Hawaii's Coming Attraction
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Lance Tominaga
|
 |
As sci-fi fanatics geared up for the May release
of The Phantom Menace, the next installment of
George Lucas's Star Wars series, another blockbuster
sequel rose quietly in waters off the Big Island.
While Jedi-geeks and Ewok-aholics had to wait
16 years for Menace, however, Hawai'i residents
had to wait a little longer for Lo'ihi-perhaps,
say, a thousand lifetimes!
read
more
|
Tex
Drive In
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Les Drent
|
 |
When some things of old change they have a tendency
to leave the past sadly behind but for everyone
involved including its loyal patrons the new look
of Tex Drive In in Honokaa is a welcome sight.
By far the busiest spot in Honokaa, Tex Drive
In, is an eatery that plays host to not only local
patrons but a countless number of tour busses
filled with island visitors that make their way
around Hawaii.
read
more
|
The
Climate Is Simply Delicious" Yum!
(Spring/Summer
2003) By K.A.M.
|
 |
Mark Twain wrote, "If you don't like the weather
in New England, just wait a few minutes." I say,
"If you don't like the weather in Kona, just drive
to some other part of the island." Hawaii is a
marvel of nature. The weather is diverse, covering
ten of the fifteen types of climates. Among them
are tropical, moonsoonal, desert, and periglacial.
read
more
|
East
Meets West
(Spring/Summer
2003) By Les Drent
|
 |
When I realize that the last 13 years of my
life has been spent on an island in the Pacific
far from the roots of my New England upbringing
I suppose it’s only natural to look around and
reflect on the past, present and future of this
journey.
read
more
|
Big
Island Farmers Markets
(Spring/Summer 2006) By
Sarah Blanchard
|
 |
Just before dawn, as the sky begins to lighten
at the rim of the horizon, the farmers markets
come to life all across the Big Island. Trucks
and vans and cars congregate at the stalls, as
farmers and fishermen and craftspeople begin unloading
boxes and crates and buckets and bags of the most
wonderful produce, baked goods and handicrafts.
read
more
|
Religion,
Myth & Legend
'Aumakua
(Winter
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Eons before the missionaries introduced their
concept of one God to Hawai'i in 1820, Polynesians
had an intricate nature-oriented belief system.
A host of deities called 'aumakua could be called
upon for protection, comfort and spiritual support.
The first 'aumakua were thought to be the offspring
of mortals who had mated with the akua (primary
gods).
read
more
|
Henry
Opukaha'ia - The Youth Who Changed Hawai'i
(Fall
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Henry Opukaha'ia was only 26 years old in 1818
when he died of typhoid fever in Cornwell, Connecticut,
but because of a slim volume he wrote about his
life, his feelings, and his philosophies that
was published after his death, the destiny of
Hawai'i was forever changed.
read
more
|
In
the Beginning - Hawaiian Gods
(Fall
1998) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
In the beginning in Hawaiian mythology, Po was
a vast, empty land, a dark abyss where only one
life form dwelled. This was the spirit of Keawe.
A single light shown through the darkness of Po-a
flame holding the energy of creation.
read
more
|
Legends
of Hilo
(Fall/Winter
1999-2000) By Lance Tominaga
|
 |
Longtime kama'aina know that Hilo is much more
than a friendly host to the world-renowned Merrie
Monarch Festival. It is a town full of history
and character. Even today, many Hilo residents
can tell stories of how they survived the tsunamis
of 1946 and 1960, terrible disasters which killed
more than 150 people.
read
more
|
The
Legend of Kamapua'a
(Spring/Summer
1996) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
Here is what happened and has been long forgotten:
Fire and water must rule together. (Perhaps we
thought it easier to remember only the power of
fire, forgetting the sharp sting of pain. Many
honor the goddess of the volcano, Pele, as the
only one.) Life comes from the cascading waterfalls
in lush Hamakua and Kohala. Life comes from the
fertile green land in the north.
read
more
|
Pele
And Poliahu
(Fall/Winter
2000-2001) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Pele has survived as the best-known, most-revered
goddess of ancient times, but in legends, she
was anything but a kind and lovable being, and
she had many competitors. Among those generally
considered her enemies were four mythological
maidens attired in luxurious white mantles, the
goddesses of the snow-covered mountains.
read
more
|
Pele
- Goddess of Fire
(Winter
1999) By Betty Fullard-Leo
|
 |
Described as "She-Who-Shapes-The-Sacred-Land"
in ancient Hawaiian chants, the volcano goddess,
Pele, was passionate, volatile, and capricious.
In modern times, Pele has become the most visible
of all the old gods and goddesses.
read
more
|
The
Pleiades
(Fall
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
At the end of October, perhaps early November,
over the eastern horizon during the magical hour
of sunset the Pleiades rise to greet the Hawaiian
land. In ancient times both commoners and chiefs
eagerly awaited the appearance of this constellation,
the Makali'i. It marked the start of the great
Makahiki Festival.
read
more
|
Sanctuaries
of Hawaii
(July
1997) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
|
 |
When the first Polynesians came to the Hawaiian
islands they respected the forces of lava, sun,
ocean and wind as the rules of invisible gods.
They understood that angry gods summoned tidal
waves and earthquakes. Satisfied gods provided
safe fishing and a bountiful harvest.
read
more
|
Tides
of a Mission
(August
1998) By Veronica S. Schweitzer
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Isolated from the bustling activity elsewhere
on the islands, in rugged silence perturbed only
by unpredictable storms and heavy rains, North
Kohala proudly sails the waves of struggle and
prosperity.
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