Do you know what a Haole is? Perhaps you have heard that term before in Hawaii or perhaps you haven‘t, but either way there is a deep meaning with this word and for the people who are native here and for those who have moved here it means different things for different people. This is our focus of our 6th Podcast today on “Lucky We Live Hawaii“…

First on the list of other smaller subjects we talk about is the 2013 Solar Eclipse coming our way today which start at 2:23pm Hawaiian time, transitions and ends at 5:01pm. Hawaii will be the ONLY State to see this Cosmic Event…So if in Hawaii and you are listening or reading this podcast, pause, get out there, check it out and come back!

We also touch base on the Pineapple Fields on the North Shore belonging to Dole…Many locals walk the red Lava Dirt road to take in the sights and smells, but this is actually off limits. I wish Dole would open the Road to Eco Tours, but have yet to do so. As for allowing them to be open freely to locals or tourists I can understand why unsupervised visits and walks are off limits. Growing Pineapples is not an easy process and it takes years to grow them so keeping the fields free of foot prints and people are best. There is however a Beautiful Sunflower Field close by where you can be given permission to visit and walk by the owners. It’s about respect, so ask before you trespass. In the old days you’d get shot around these Kapu locations if you tried to steal Pineapples or other items from local farms. Want more info on this subject?  [Click Here]

With Mothers Day coming up this weekend there is a GREAT Family activity for the entire Ohana at “Hele On Kaka’ako” on MAY 12th. Hele On will be closing a 1.5 mile area of roadway over the streets of Kaka’ako to allow friends and family to enjoy the streets free of any dangers allowing them to ride their bikes freely and safely on the street. It’s all about Ohana here and getting the family out there to enjoy the start of summer together. Check their website out and get involved: http://cycloviahawaii.org/

So todays focus circles around being a Haole here in Hawaii and the deep rooted meaning it has for the Native Hawaiian people and the Locals, Kama’aina and Travelers that visit here. Many travelers and those who wish to move here often consider the “Haole Factor” an issue before they arrive…Lets start off by saying that the word Haole will never lose its meaning…it’s been around since before the time of the first white men to the Hawaiian Islands starting with Capt Cook, but the good news is with each new generation the bitterness and resentment is slowly losing its luster as more and more of this Huge Melting Pot we call Hawaii grows and the current definition of Haole fads into the sunset. So who is a Haole and why do the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) have issue with them. Haole, meaning “Without Breath or No Breath” started before the time of White men to Hawaii, but hit a cord after Capt. Cook and the English first landed in Hawaii. To the Kanaka Maoli these white folk had been seen as Ghosts, perhaps even past ancestors from long ago, beings who did not breathe with white skin. So at the start Haole had a different meaning. Over the past 100 years or so Haole has taken on a different and more racist meaning....

The Aloha Spirit is alive and well not only in Hawai’I Nei, but across the mainland and world. This is our Subject of our 5th Podcast today…To anyone who’s visited Hawaii on  vacation there is something you can’t put you finger on. It’s something that burns from within, where you continue to carry it with you beyond Hawaii to all those you meet. That’s the “MANA”, the “SPIRIT and ENERGY” of the islands, it’s the “ALOHA SPIRIT”. For those who have lived here or have been born here all their lives…When those people leave perhaps for College or to look for a change of pace by moving to the mainland, there is a piece of them that stays behind and never goes to the mainland with them…A longing you could say, a piece of themselves that’s forever missing until their return…That’s the “ALOHA SPIRIT”, but there is a part of this Spirit that DOES journey with them…You can feel it around those people who carry the Mana of the islands around the world. These people touch others with happiness, with Aloha Spirit. It changes you and it changes those around you. You try to explain it to those who have yet to visit Hawaii, but it can’t be explained, for they must come to Hawaii themselves to fully feel and understand the power of the Aloha Spirit themselves.

We also talk today about a few things happening in Hawaii. The first is the deeply Historic Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial which was once a major ICON of Waikiki. This Natatorium ( Large Olympic Salt Water Swimming Pool from the 20’s) sits at the end of Waikiki next to Queens Beach and the Waikiki Aquarium. The issue today however is that it is in disrepair, so much so that fixing it back to it’s prime condition would be triple to cost of just demolishing it and a putting a new beach in its place. Now, being history buffs we would hope they rethink removing this historic location. If restored this will once again be a major ICON of Waikiki over looking Diamond Head.

We move our conversation over to “Travel2change.org”…WOW…what a great program and considering we are talking about “ALOHA SPIRIT”. The travel2change Hawaii challenge seeks to create that deeper meaningful relationship between the visitor and the islands. To put your own MANA into the AINA here…to put your spirit, your love for Hawaii back into the community and Hawaiian land. If you love Hawii and it has bring you so much joy, why not give back to Hawaii, why not actually become a part of the mana of these islands, work in the Taro fields, plant a Papaya tree so when you return the following year you can pick from the fruits of your labor and feel the mana of the land within you.

So how do you end such a Lucky day in Hawaii? With the best spots to see a sunset, naturally…From East side to the North Shore you will see the most amazing and beautiful Sunsets on Earth…You can wake up, seeing the sunrise on the East side then make your way to the West or North Shore to see it set. Once again realizing that we are truly lucky we live Hawaii.

As we soon approach summer time here in Paradise there are some big things going down at Wayde’s Website…waydesworldhawaii.com, as he’ll be launching his Complete Poor Man’s Guide to ALL The Islands which many of his Ohana has been requesting. Wayde will also be launching the New Youtube Channel as well as his most recent WWH Video, Ulupo Heiau this Weekend…So some pretty exciting news on the Poor Man front. What a way to start off Summer! There seems to be more misconceptions when it comes to seasons here in Hawaii, we may not have a fall or spring, but we totally have a Summer and Winter. With Bruce originally from Miami and Wayde from Boston they will be the first to tell you, once living here in Hawai’I Nei, vacationers may not be able to tell so much between seasons here, but if living here you notice them. Winter with the Big North Shore Waves, Wet Climate, Rain Storms, Rainbows, Waterfalls and Humpback Whales and Summer with the Amazing Snorkeling, Diving, Flat Waters, Dry Climate and Hot Sun Bathing Weather.

There are major differences, so when planning your Trip of a lifetime make sure you know when and why you are coming at that time because you may come to Hawaii to see Whales or waterfalls and there are none. Now the Weather here in Hawaii has had it’s ups and downs lately and scientists have even predicted Hawaii, which is the wettest place on Earth, will begin to receive less rainfall…Now this is not good news…it may be good for sun bathers, but not for the sustainability of Hawaii. They say Global Warming is the culprit…It may be or it may be the natural cycle of the planets over long periods of time…The Two of us could argue over that forever, but Bruce and Wayde can agree on something when it comes to Global Changes, at this state we are not living Pono, so matter what happened to Earth before we existed or what will be here after we are gone…While we are here we need to do everything in our power to make our home sustainable in all areas, not only for us, but for our children and their children. Today we are just not doing that and we all know we can do better, but Hawaii still stands beautiful and proud as ever…Not only being the number one US STATE where the people here are the happiest, but also the healthiest…That is reason to be truly lucky we live Hawaii.

 

From Bruce simply feeling lucky to live Hawaii, because he’s leaving to take a vacation to Wayde who was given a great gift from a friend who showed him a sacred Hawaiian Heiau he never knew existed…

It’s the small simple acts or reaction that can truly make you appreciate why we live and love Hawaii.

Now living and loving Hawaii also means we need to respect and understand Hawaii and the nature that surrounds it, which brings up an important subject for many when it comes to the ocean here in Hawaii…From respecting the tide and current to choosing the time of year you come to Hawaii. Familiarizing yourself and researching Hawaii, it’s weather and it’s ocean life cycles are essential to enjoying your Hawaii vacation fully as many have been harmed or have even drowned because of the lack of knowledge of our ocean here in Hawaii. The other important subject is concerning one of our many friend of the ocean, specifically…The Shark. Sharks here in Hawaii have a deep seeded history in the Hawaiian culture and here the shark is an Aumakua, a spirit, an ancestor of the past taking the form of the shark through the mana, spirit of the soul. Sharks are sacred in Hawaii, but they should be sacred and protected everywhere, unfortunately they are not. These amazing beings who allow our oceans to work efficiently and grow are not only killed out of fear, but are killed in mass numbers for a little delicacy known as “Shark Fin Soup” where millions of beautiful and amazing Sharks are brought on board a boat, their fins cut and the body dumped back into the ocean to float to the bottom and die a horrible suffocating death.

We need to understand and educate ourselves on the significance Sharks play in the circle of life and the eco systems of our oceans for without them we wouldn’t be…Very few laws are in place to preseve our shark population in waters outside the boundries of international waters and that is where all this is taking place. So when you compare attacks and death rates between man and shark…The facts speak for themselves…While a HUNDRED MILLION SHARKS are killed by Humans every year through fear and shark fin soup you can count on your hand how many shark attacks result in death to humans by accident…most, not because they had been eaten, but because they just lost to much blood before medical personal could save them.

When it comes to Hawaii you have a 100 times better chance drowing then even seeing a shark while wading in the water here in Hawaii. So before we start worring about swimming in Hawaii because of Sharks maybe we should take it a little slower next time we eat a Hot Dog because those kills twice as many people as sharks do every year. If you happen to come across a shark while in Hawaii…don’t see it as a curse, but as a true blessing and one more reason why we are “LUCKY TO LIVE HAWAII”.

With Bruce just getting back from his trip to Europe and Wayde having a full week of Tours, today just happens to be a day that both of us could sit down and talk story and relax.

Talking about what we love about Hawaii is always changing so this week we talked about what we love to eat in Hawaii, what we like to do when we first get of the plane in paradise, some special locations on the Big Island and Kauai and some misconceptions about the islands. I think for most of us who live here, getting off the plane and getting to a beach is always first on the list, icing on the cake is finishing it off with a nice local plate lunch. Trying Mochi and Manju Mochi should be tops on your list as well as getting a nice pupu of Poke Ahi or Poke Tako. Menehune Food Mart is a great stop on Kauai and the Kahuku Land Farms on the North Shore of Oahu is an amazing place for fresh fruit and the famous fried banana!

Getting into some misconceptions about Hawaii and Oahu is an issue for us as many guests are just not told the right information about lava rock, the coral and sand on Hawaiian beaches and on top of that how sand is brought into and onto Hawaiian beaches. We also cover the VIRAL VIDEO of CHOMPY, a friend of ours Isaac Brumaghim and his near death experience with a 12 foot shark as he battled for his Yellow Fin Tuna…Isaac runs AQUAHUNTERS and we are excited of his eco fishing kayak tours he will be offering this summer to guests on the West Side of Oahu. We touch on so many subjects on Luck we Live Hawaii this week, so sit back, relax and enjoy why Hawaii is the melting pot of the pacific!