What effects will Superferry have? EIS will tell us

THE LINGLE administration's refusal to acknowledge the need of an environmental impact statement for the pending Superferry operation is both outrageous and irresponsible.
The county councils of Maui, the Big Island and Kauai have all been adamant in their request that the state of Hawaii requires an EIS prior to the start of the Superferry operations. Many if not most of the neighbor island state legislators have indicated their support for an EIS requirement and thousands of individuals have made it abundantly clear that they believe an EIS should be mandatory.
Yet, the Lingle administration continues to turn a deaf ear to these requests allowing the developer to plow ahead, offering the community only hollow statements equivalent to "trust us, we're working on it."
The governor's office continues to try to spin the issue as one of fairness with representatives from the Department of Transportation stating: "No other carrier is or has been required to undertake an EIS as a condition for engaging in maritime activity."
The reality is that no other carrier will have the "super impacts" that the Superferry will have on our neighbor islands. In addition, the financing of the Superferry construction is being guaranteed by the federal government and the state taxpayers are funding an additional $40 million in harbor improvements in support of the Superferry operations. The broad, long-term and significant impacts of the Superferry operations combined with its extensive reliance of public funding should translate to a higher level of public accountability. But unfortunately our state administration has chosen to put the needs of this particular business over the needs of neighbor island residents.
Requiring an EIS does not translate into opposing the Superferry operation; it is simply the responsible thing to do. An EIS is merely a disclosure document and its purpose is to clearly and impartially point out what impacts will occur as a result of the Superferry's operations. At the present time, we know there will be impacts on traffic, on crime, on the entry of invasive species, on whale survival rates, on existing public recreational facilities and on our harbors. However we do not know the extent of those impacts, what plan might be in place to deal with those impacts and who is going to pay for the mitigation of those impacts. One would think that those people in positions of administrative authority in our state would want to know this. One would think that that if the intent of the state administration were to look out for the best interests of the residents of Hawaii, requiring an EIS would be the prudent and responsible course of action.

Color me Kauai

The north shore of the Hawaiian island is a paradise of botanical gardens and natural beauty, writes Marie Shanahan
It's not the sandy beaches or dramatic mountain peaks or perfect weather that keeps luring me back to the island of Kauai.
It's the colors.
The blue is first to command my attention. Kauai's sky and sea blend in a spectrum of cobalt and azure, turquoise and ultramarine. At times there is so much blue on the horizon, you can't tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins.
Vivid greens come next in Kauai's pageantry of color. In each of my three visits to the island, I've stayed on its wet north shore, where the jagged emerald slopes of the Na Pali Coast hug the sea. Tourists flock to the verdant Hanalei Valley to capture its picture- perfect patchwork of jade agricultural fields. And at the beaches, it's easy to find a bit of shade beneath leafy green naupaka trees and ironwood pines.
Not that the countless tropical blooms on Hawaii's northernmost island get lost amid all this blue and green. As I drive along the Kuhio Highway, the colors of red, pink, yellow, and orange appear on every roadside. I spy them in the flowers of hibiscus trees, the fragrant blossoms of the plumeria and the bouquets on the bougainvillea. Even the feral roosters that roam Kauai are streaked with iridescent plumage.
All these rich colors confirm Kauai's reputation as Hawaii's "Garden Isle." During my most recent visit to the north shore, I sought out some concentrated dosages of color at two local botanical gardens.
My botanical sightseeing started at Limahuli Garden and Preserve in the village of Haena. While most Kauai tourists venture this far north for the caves, the snorkeling and the start of the Kalalau Trail, Limahuli Garden should not be overlooked.
Over the years, I have visited this National Tropical Botanical Garden three times - not so much for the plants but for the atmosphere. At Limahuli's highest point, you can look to the right and see kilometers of blue Pacific Ocean. Look to the left, and be overwhelmed by the towering green cliffs of Makana Mountain, more commonly known as "Bali Hai."
There are no sounds of civilization here - just the trade winds, the birds and the rushing of water from nearby Limahuli Stream. No wonder the Hawaiian word for "makana" means "gift."
For US$15 (HK$117), I took Limahuli's self-guided tour, which begins in front of some ancient lava rock terraces. This is where I got a close-up look at leaves of taro, or kalo. The purple potato plant is an important part of the Hawaiian diet - poi comes from mashed taro roots.
All the featured vegetation in Limahuli's seven hectares is nicely spaced, clearly labeled and numbered for reference in a guide booklet. Well-designed paths lined with gravel, stairs and railings make the uphill climbs easy.
The garden's first steep hill led me to a grove of screwpines, or hala. These unusual Hawaiian trees are easy to identify by their elevated roots, which form a triangle. Female hala trees bear a fruit resembling a pineapple, often referred to as "tourist pineapple." According to the guide booklet, ancient Hawaiians used hala leaves to weave sails, baskets and interior flooring. I used this canopy of hala leaves to escape a sudden burst of rainfall, a frequent occurrence on the north shore.
After I had wandered past about a dozen native species and a few tourists, a peculiar plant caught my eye. It looked like a cabbage on top of a baseball bat. The label said it is called alula, an endangered Hawaiian plant saved from extinction by Limahuli Garden's botanists. Ancient Hawaiians apparently used alula as signal horns after hollowing out the trunks.
I spent about 1 hours at Limahuli, walking at a leisurely pace. I grew to appreciate the garden's many benches, thoughtfully placed in spots with the prettiest vistas. I rested, admired the colors and contemplated what it would take to have a permanent life in paradise.
For all that Limahuli Garden offers in natural Hawaiian flora, the Na'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens in Kilauea doubles in dramatic man-made landscaping and horticulture.
Everything about this pristine 100-ha property is big and otherworldly. Orchids tied to random tree limbs seem to grow everywhere. Turn a corner and be suddenly delighted with a wistful, whimsical bronze sculpture.
There are more than 70 sculptures on exhibit in 13 distinct gardens, not to mention a beach, a meadow and hardwood plantation of 60,000 teak and mahogany trees.
Na'Aina Kai means "Lands by the Sea" in Hawaiian. It is the creation of Ed and Joyce Doty, two Californians who moved to Kauai in 1982. As their gardening and landscaping hobbies expanded, the Dotys eventually made the property a not-for-profit entity. Guided tours, gifts and the sale of the hardwoods help subsidize the cost of maintaining such a huge tract of flora.
With my five-year-old daughter in tow, I joined Na'Aina Kai's two-hour family walking tour. The guided excursion began, oddly enough, in a dry international desert garden.
Had we been magically transported to the Sahara? I wouldn't think a cactus could survive all the rain and moisture on Kauai's north shore. But a huge array of succulents and cacti from around the world seemed to thrive in the artificially arid conditions.
A romantic palm garden came next, where we beheld the "King Kong" of the palm world - a 15-meter talipot tree. The green leaves of this monster Sri Lankan species have a 4.5m span. And when this massive tree flowers, its one bloom can grow up to three meters. Our tour guide called it "palm on steroids."
Then we wandered through an enormous hedge maze. More than 2,400 mock orange plants form the maze, planted in the shape of a royal poinciana tree. Unexpected topiaries and sculptures lay in wait around every turn.
We skipped across the footbridges of a 5.7 million-liter lagoon and fed dozens of bright orange koi living in the water. Much to my daughter's delight, the friendly fish ate right out of our hands.
Our tour eventually ended inside a wonderful Under the Rainbow children's garden. Open since 2005, this garden's centerpiece is a five-meter bronze Jack and the Beanstalk fountain that feeds a wading pool.
My daughter and I splashed in the blue water, ran through a gecko-shaped garden maze, explored a kid-sized jungle and climbed a gigantic wooden tree house. Na 'Aina Kai was a "Neverland" neither of us wanted to leave.
When we got back to reality outside the garden gates, I had some color of my own to take home - a cache of really great photographs and a slight sunburn.

Kauai Marriott completes renovations

The porte-cochere that under went a year-long renovation at the 356-room Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club was unveiled Tuesday in a Hawaiian blessing.
"After the successful completion of the multi-million dollar capital improvement project, we are delighted to unveil not only the newly redesigned porte-cochere, but also the main driveway and the separate area for arriving group tour buses and coaches," General Manager Bill Countryman said.
Indigenous haupu ferns, ornamental pineapple plants and exotic tropical Hawaiian flora and fauna have been planted at the new entrance.
The project also included upgrading the resort's storm drain line system necessitated by the overflow of steady water runoff from the torrential rain over Kauai in January 2005. The effects of the storm caused sinkholes in the hotel parking lot and main entryway.
The resort, built by Chris Hemmeter, is on 51 oceanfront acres near Lihue.

Weir replaces Mickelson at Grand Slam on Kauai

Masters winner Phil Mickelson will bypass the PGA Grand Slam of Golf on Kaua'i in November, the PGA of America Announced today.
Mickelson will be replaced by Mike Weir in the Nov 21-22 event at Poipu Bay Golf Course, organizers said. In a release, The PGA of America said Mickelson told them that, following the Ryder Cup, he will not compete the remainder of the year.
The rest of the scheduled field includes U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, British Open and PGA winner Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, who is third highest on the Major Champion Points List.
The four golfers will compete for a $1.25 million purse — with the winner receiving $500,000.

ITT wins $42M contract on Kauai

The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center at Pearl Harbor has awarded a nearly $42 million contract for support work at Barking Sands, Kauai.
ITT Systems, a division of ITT Industries Inc., has been given a $41,870,638 modification under previously awarded cost-plus-incentive/award-fee, fixed-price incentive award fee contract (N00604-98-C-0031) for base operation support and range operation support services at the Pacific Missile Range Facility.
Work will be performed in Kekaha, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by September 2007. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded competitively, with 83 proposals solicited and four offers received.

Superferry plans assailed

Iwase joins protesters calling for more study of the environmental effects of the vessels
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Randy Iwase joined Kauai protesters who came to Honolulu yesterday asking that the interisland Superferry be halted.
Iwase, at a news conference on the state Capitol lawn, said he supported a petition signed by Kauai residents requesting that an environmental impact statement be done before the private Superferry starts.
Kauai residents, according to Rich Hoeppner, one of the organizers of the petition drive to require more study of the ferry, want the service blocked until environmental and cultural studies can be done.
Iwase said he signed the petition, which Hoeppner said had 6,000 signatures.
Iwase and Hoeppner also complained that Gov. Linda Lingle declined to meet with the opponents to the Superferry to present the petition. State transportation officials and representatives of the ferry service, however, met with opponents Monday night during a public hearing on Kauai.
Requests for an environmental impact study were denied last year in federal court.
At public information meetings on Kauai and the Big Island, residents again asked questions about the lack of an environmental study, the impact on traffic, the possibility of non-native species spreading from island to island, and the danger of collisions with whales.
Superferry officials say surveys indicate 70 percent to 80 percent of residents support the daily ferry service from Honolulu to Nawiliwili on Kauai, Wailuku on Maui and Kawaihae on the Big Island. But opponents persist.
Terry O'Halloran, Superferry director of business development, said the company is listening to the concerns and is taking steps to ease them before the Oahu-Maui-Kauai service begins in July. A second ferry will begin daily runs between Honolulu and Kawaihae in 2009.
"Many of the things we are going to do are above and beyond any rule or regulation," O'Halloran said.
He pointed to specialized employee training with the Department of Agriculture, the addition of two whale-spotters on each journey and a barge-ramp system to speed embarkation and disembarkation.
Barry Fukunaga, deputy director of the state Harbors Division, told about 85 people at Tuesday evening's presentation in Kailua-Kona that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration determined an environmental review was not necessary.
"No other carrier is or has been required to undertake an (environmental impact statement) as a condition for engaging in maritime activity," Fukunaga said.
The lack of an environmental review prompted the loudest grumbles from more than 100 residents who attended Monday evening's presentation on Kauai, but the same protests were not raised on the Big Island.
Traffic was a major concern in both hearings, O'Halloran said. Each ferry trip will carry up to 110 vehicles -- everything from motorcycles to school buses and delivery trucks -- and 400 passengers.

Kauai Nurses Reject Hospital's Last Offer

Nurses at Kauai's Wilcox Hospital on Tuesday night rejected an offer from their employer, Hawaii Pacific Health.
Hawaii Pacific Health calls the deal its "best and final offer."
The nurses went on strike on June 24. The nurse-to-patient ratio is the key sticking point, a nurse representatives said.
Negotiators involved in the two-month long nurses strike scheduled a meeting with a federal mediator for Wednesday.

Hawaii timeshare sales No. 4 in nation

One-third of all U.S. timeshare buyers seek resorts in beach areas
Hawaii's timeshare industry, the fourth largest in the nation, kept pace with growth in the U.S. timeshare industry, according to a study released yesterday by Ernst & Young LLP.
Timeshare sales nationwide climbed 9 percent during 2005 to $8.6 billion over 2004 sales of $7.87 billion, according to the study, which surveyed 596 timeshare resorts throughout the country. According to the study, the timeshare industry also boasted increases in new owners, higher prices, and occupancy rates that far exceeded U.S. hotels.
While Florida still had three times as many timeshare resorts as any other states, Hawaii continued to rank in the top 10 of all states, according to the study. The top 10 timeshare resort states accounted for nearly two-thirds of timeshare resorts in the country, with Florida accounting for 378 resorts, or 23.6 percent.
California jumped over South Carolina into second place with 123 resorts, but South Carolina followed closely with 117 properties. Hawaii, which has 92 resorts, rounded out the top 10 states along with Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas Missouri and Arizona.
According to the study, Hawaii and other seaside locations were seen as the most favorable destinations by timeshare buyers, one-third of whom sought resorts in beach communities.
Timeshare has become essential to travel lodging in Hawaii and elsewhere, said Chad Jensen, chairman of the Hawaii branch of the American Resort Development Association.
"Clearly, the travel consumers of today are asking for more options in how they spend their vacation. Timeshare is meeting an important segment of that demand, and it's being done in a way that complements, not harms, the other aspects of travel lodging," Jensen said.
According to the 2005 Visitor Plant Inventory report from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the number of timeshare units in Hawaii increased more than 15 percent during the same period as the Ernst & Young study.
DBEDT recorded 6,839 timeshare units in Hawaii in 2005. More than a quarter, or 2,090 timeshare units, were on Kauai, 1,720 units were on Maui, 1,592 units were on the Big Island, 1,422 units were on Oahu, and 15 units were on Molokai.
"According to the data, there has been a shift in conventional hotel rooms to condo/hotel and timeshare units, but for the most part the room inventory is stable," said State Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert.
Compared with 2004, Oahu timeshare units increased 25.9 percent, Maui's timeshare units rose 22.5 percent, Kauai's timeshare units increased 4 percent and the Big Island's timeshare units increased by 19 percent, according to the latest data available from DBEDT.

Stealth And Sacrifice Show Evolution At Work

Male crickets on the Hawaiian island of Kauai have undergone a sudden heritable change that has rendered most of them incapable of using song, their sexual signal, to attract female crickets. However, according to a new study by University of California - Riverside evolutionary biologists, the crickets have devised an ingenious behavioral change to allow them to continue meeting females. The researchers say that such changes in behavior can help what may seem like a harmful mutation spread throughout a population.
Led by Marlene Zuk, the research team found that greater than 90 percent of male field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) on Kauai shifted in less than 20 generations from having normal wings to mutated "flat wings," that inhibit the crickets' sound-making abilities. The mutation occurred, the researchers explain, to protect male crickets from a deadly parasitic fly (Ormia ochracea) that uses the cricket song to locate crickets as hosts. Once found by the parasitic fly, the cricket has larvae deposited onto it. The larvae then burrow into the cricket, develop inside, and subsequently kill the cricket when they emerge.
Zuk explained that she observed fewer crickets with each visit to the island during the 1990s. "In 2001, we heard only one calling male. But then in 2003, although we heard none of the male crickets calling, we found they were not only in high abundance, but nearly all of them also had female-like wings [flatwings], lacking the fine structures needed to produce song."
Zuk hypothesized that the loss of calling was about protecting the male crickets from the deadly fly. "But this protection has a heavy price: the loss of its sexual signal. This is obviously a huge loss for the cricket, [so] how then do female crickets locate silent males?" she wondered.
The answer it seems, is that the silent males linger around the few remaining male crickets that can call. By congregating near the callers, the flatwings enable females to find and mate with them. To test their hypothesis, the biologists performed a field experiment that demonstrated that the flatwings do indeed use the callers as female attractors.
"While we were surprised by the extraordinary speed at which the mutation spread, what is more interesting is that, ordinarily, you would expect such a change in wing morphology to quickly disappear, because males couldn't attract mates," Zuk explained. "Instead, the behavior of the flatwings allows them to capitalize on the few callers that remain, and thus escape the fly and still reproduce. This is seeing evolution at work."

Businessman, Protestors Clash At Kauai River

There was a confrontation on Monday on Kauai between protestors and a businessman who tried to launch a tour boat at the mouth of the Hanalei River.
Protestors with signs went to the river Monday morning to demonstrate against Na Pali Explorer. The company was apparently prepared to launch a 38-foot boat to take visitors to the Na Pali Coast.
"We asked him, 'Show us the permit. Show us your permit.' He came out. He waved a 1987 permit. We showed him where in the permit he is not allowed to have these boats exit from this boatyard, and that's about where it left," said Carl Imparato of the Hanalei Community Association.
Police were on hand to keep the protest orderly. The boat did not launch.
The controversy over running tours out of the Hanalei River has been ongoing since the 1980s and 90s.

Funnel Clouds Reported off Kauai

The National Weather Service reported small funnel clouds were seen Monday morning in a line of showers off Kauai.
The NWS said an official weather service observer tracked one of the funnel clouds near Lihue. It reportedly began at 9:52 am, and dissipated at 10:41 a.m.
Another cloud was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at 10:05 a.m. by a fishing vessel 47 miles south-southeast of Poipu, off the southern coast of the Garden Island. A third funnel cloud was seen by an airplane pilot 10 miles northeast of Lihue at 10:15 a.m. There were no reports of damage from the clouds, which did not touch the surface.
The weather service said short-lived funnel clouds and waterspouts are not uncommon in showers off Hawaiian waters. However, it urged mariners to avoid the funnel clouds, since they can still contain strong, gusty and erratic winds.

More visitors are diversifying their hawaii experience by . . .

NCL America's growth has allowed some Oahu attractions to stay afloat while providing a boost to the neighbor islands
aschaefers@starbulletin.com
JOY AND L.M. MADISON, visitors from Virginia, stood outside the USS Missouri Memorial on a recent Monday and gawked at the majestic historic attraction.
"This is what made our decision to come to Hawaii," Joy Madison said, adding that her sister's son was in the Navy and her father was in the military.
The Madisons represent a new crop of Hawaii tourists who didn't come here just to see sun, sand and surf. This couple and other visitors like them are a key focus of Hawaii's tourism marketing campaigns, which are designed to attract "venturesome" visitors who will spend more money and stay longer enjoying the activities and attractions that are spread throughout the state.
Since visitor numbers, especially from the mainland, began reaching record numbers in 2004, the state activities and attractions market has grown exponentially and has played a vital role in the state's visitor mix. Activities and attractions entice first-time visitors from new markets to come to Hawaii and offer repeat visitors another reason to visit.
Performance for neighbor island activities and attractions are up as a result of the increase in the number of visitors who are choosing to diversify their Hawaii experience by venturing outside of Oahu, and the frequent scheduled stops made by NCL America's three home-ported cruise ships. However, Oahu suppliers tell a different story, reporting that a drop in visitor arrivals combined with increases in travel costs and decreases in disposable income have caused their market to go flat.
"When it comes to activities and attractions, Maui is very busy. Kauai and the Big Island are also doing very well, but Oahu is slightly down," said Toni Marie Davis, executive director of the Activities & Attractions Association of Hawaii.
NEIGHBOR ISLAND FAVORITES
Neighbor island attractions are up because NCL America is adding 8,000 visitors per week to the Hawaii market and more people are deciding to venture outside of Oahu.
BIG ISLAND
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 1.6 million
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park 475,237
Pacific Tsunami Museum 22,100
MAUI
Haleakala National Park 1.5 million
Aquarium Maui/Maui Ocean Center 436,814
Whalers Village Museum 164,559
MOLOKAI
Kalaupapa National Historical Park 48,772
Kalaupapa Settlement 9,122*
KAUAI
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge 500,000
Kauai Museum 36,000*
Kauai Children's Discovery Museum 23,425*
Source: Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
STILL, THE REBOUNDING tourism market has significantly increased the number of activities and attractions doing business in Hawaii. And NCL America has created a niche, allowing some businesses to take off and others to stay afloat, Davis said.
"We've now got about 500 activities and attractions in the state, contributing at least $2.2 billion in sales a year to the state's economy," Davis said. "And that number is growing fast as more business owners are finding ways to tap into Hawaii's niche markets."
Visitor arrivals to Oahu were down nearly 5 percent for the first half of the year, and that is reflected in the number of visitors who come to attractions like the Battleship Missouri Memorial, said Paul Dyson, vice president of sales and marketing for the USS Missouri Memorial Association Inc.
"We're down a little less than a percent, but our penetration is up," Dyson said. "There are number of hotel rooms on Oahu that are being renovated or have been torn down. I would expect to see an increase in December when more hotel rooms are available."
While the neighbor islands offer less activities and attractions than Oahu, visitor penetration is high.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island attracted 1.6 million visitors in 2005, the most of any attraction in the state. Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park and the Pacific Tsunami Museum are other popular stops among Big Island tourists.
Haleakala National Park on Maui gets almost as many visitors as the USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu. Visitors also like to check out the Aquarium Maui/Maui Ocean Center and the Whaler's Village Museum.
Kauai gets fewer arrivals than Oahu, the Big Island or Maui, so the Garden Isle's attractions boast smaller head counts; however participation from these visitors is high. Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, the Kauai Museum and the Kauai Children's Discovery Museum are among the most popular attractions to visit.
An increase in cruise passengers has helped bolster business by about 20 percent for Skyline Zipline and Eco-Tours in Maui, said General Manager Erik McLellan.
"We have at least one NCL tour per day and two per summer," McLellan said. "It's been a pretty big factor for consistency of business. Last year we had them four days a week, now they run from five to seven days per week."
There's no doubt that NCL America has given Hawaii's activities and attractions industry a boost by adding 8,000 visitors per week to the Hawaii market, said Denise Hayashi, director of community relations for NCL America.
"The seven-day cruise itinerary (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hilo and Kona) offers more than 100 hours in port, which provides the passenger with time onshore to experience the islands," Hayashi said.
Hawaii has been ranked as the eighth-fastest- growing cruise destination in the nation by International Council of Cruise Lines. NCL has contributed to most of that growth, with more than 12,000 new jobs created both onboard and onshore, including the activities market, she said.
"All NCL passengers leave the ship to participate in onshore activities," Hayashi said, adding that the cruise line currently offers about 200 such excursions.
As NCL America has expanded its operations in Hawaii, it also has expanded the number of activities it offers, she said.
"With each new ship added to the Hawaii market -- Pride of Aloha, Pride of America and Pride of Hawaii -- we have had to increase our onshore offerings to satisfy customer interest and demand," Hayashi said.
Business is so good that McLellan said he plans to open an additional course next year on the West side of Maui.
"There is still plenty of room for growth in the activities industry," he said.
Business is slightly down at the Polynesian Cultural Center, the state's No. 1 paid tourist attraction, for the first time since 2001; however that hasn't stopped the business from reinvesting in the product, said Von Orgill, president of the Polynesian Cultural Center and of A3H, the industry trade organization for Hawaii's activities and attractions.
'We've added a variety of different interactive activities to the village experiences and we've seen a significant boost to guest satisfaction," Orgill said.
A number of other attractions on Oahu, such as Sea Life Park, the Bishop Museum, Dole Plantation and Atlantis also have begun refreshing their markets, he said.
"We believe strongly in the future of this market," Orgill said. "Right now, visitors are spending more on airfare and hotel rooms and that's limiting what they can spend on other activities. However, we believe that hotel rates can't continue to escalate so rapidly and that airline prices will stabilize."
Also, the visitor industry's push to fill planes with higher-spending visitors is expected to pay off, Orgill said.
The growing range of activities and attractions is the primary focus of the HVCB's fall marketing campaign, "Picture Hawaii," which is designed to enhance tourism by showcasing more than sun and surf, said John Monahan, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
"Picture Hawaii is ingenious because it lets visitors look at the natural beauty of Hawaii and the diversity of Hawaii, and it's all brought to them by the people of Hawaii, Monahan said.
The state also has begun putting more emphasis on marketing activities and attractions this year, even inviting members of that industry to market their products at travel industry tours alongside wholesalers, he said.
The state recently launched a fall marketing campaign which advertises Hawaii's parks and wildlife refuges, Monahan said. The campaign will target newspapers in 21 gateway cities and will be distributed to 600 travel editors and freelance writers in the United States and Canada, he said.
"We want people to fall for the nature of Hawaii," he said.
Hawaii's visitor industry also has supported activities and attractions by promoting Web sites that boost online reservations and bookings, said Davis.
HVCB's Web site, www. gohawaii.org, as well as A3H's, www.hawaiifun.org, and a host of others like them have made it easier for suppliers to turn a profit, she said.
"We've discovered that people will book their air, hotel and cars; and if you give them the tools, they'll also book their activities," Davis said.
Longer lead times for providers have allowed them to become more efficient through yield management and operational planning, she said.
"It's a dream come true for the suppliers," she said, adding that while arrivals for activities and attractions might be down in some regions of the state, most are still enjoying a boost in revenue.

Hawaii happenings

OAHU
Hotel deals in Honolulu aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer
Take a rejuvenating trip, help the fight against breast cancer.
That's the message being sent by the Oahu Visitors Bureau's ``Travel Pink, Travel Oahu'' campaign, which kicks off during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Partners in the promotion are the Royal Hawaiian and the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa.
At the Royal Hawaiian, the Travel Pink package, ``The Royal Treatment,'' includes two spa treatments at the Abhasa Waikiki Spa (choice of either one 50-minute massage or one body treatment per person), $100 dining credit, gift basket, plus such goodies as a lei greeting and banana bread upon check-in, daily newspaper and turndown service. The promotion is available through Dec. 20, with some blackout dates. Four-night minimum. Call (866) 500-8313 and ask for rate plan ``RYLTREAT.''
At the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the $239-per-night package features 20 percent discounts on treatments at Mandara Spa and the Rainbow Lanai Restaurant plus a special tote bag that includes a pink breast cancer cloisonne pin; a ``Support Breast Cancer Research'' bracelet; stainless steel bullet thermos; and Mandara Spa bath salts and oatmeal soap. The promotion is also available through Dec. 20. Minimum three-night stay. Ask for rate code ``PNK'' when reserving via phone (800-445-8667) or online (www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/pink).

MOLOKAI
Museum to pay tribute to Hawaiian cowboys
A new museum that pays tribute to the historical and cultural contributions of the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) will be constructed on Molokai.
Groundbreaking for the Molokai Paniolo Cultural Center is set for Oct. 14, the second day of the first-ever Paniolo Festival.
Events run Oct. 13, and all day Oct. 14 at Molokai Ranch Rodeo Arena in Maunaloa. Highlights will be the Paniolo Heritage Rodeo and the groundbreaking. There will also be memorabilia, artifacts and demonstrations of paniolo life, along with games, crafts and food booths.
Details: www.molokai-hawaii.com.

KAUAI
Festival of Lights in Lihue to feature folk-art collection
It's the 10th anniversary year for Kauai's Festival of Lights in Lihue, and the holiday extravaganza will run from Dec. 1 through Christmas Eve. Hundreds of thousands of lights will illuminate the History Park and the Lights on Rice Parade.
But the real star of the show will be Auntie Josie Chansky, who for 40 years transformed her home into a folk-art Christmas wonderland, using recycled materials and everyday items, before donating the collection to the county of Kauai. The collection will be on display at the Historic County Building. Docents and Aunt Josie herself will offer background on the collection.
Details: www.kauaifestivals.com.

HAWAII
Kona coffee festival a lure for November visit
Get your fill of island brew at the 36th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.
The Nov. 3-12 celebration, which marks 178 years of coffee harvest on the Big Island, kicks off with an evening parade and concert. The week's events include Kona coffee tastings, coffee farm tours, cupping competitions and a recipe contest, plus art exhibits and cultural events.
Some events are free, some require attendees to buy the $3 festival button (sold at various locations in Kona), and some have separate entrance fees.
Details: www.konacoffeefest.com.

AIRLINES
Aloha adds inter-island flights; Hawaiian has more for Californians
In news about airlines that serve the islands:
• As of this month, Aloha Airlines has added more direct flights between islands. There are now two daily from Maui (Kahului) to Kauai (Lihue) and from Maui (Kahului) to the Big Island (Kona).
• Hawaiian Airlines is increasing its service from San Diego and Sacramento to the islands. In November, Sacramento will get four more weekly non-stops, for a total of 11.
• Island Air's new frequent-flier program, called ``Cloud 9,'' gives passengers a free round-trip ticket after nine trips.

Pleasant Holidays offers discount restaurant guide

Nearly 50 Hawaii restaurants are practically guaranteed to receive business from isle visitors in a new program offered by Pleasant Holidays and Aloha Diners Club.
The two companies have compiled a booklet to guide Pleasant's travelers to the restaurants where the swipe of a card will provide a buy-one-get-one-free discount on the initial visit. Pleasant's Hawaii customers can pick up the free booklet and card upon arrival for use at restaurants on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.
"Many people will discover one or more eating establishments they want to visit numerous times during their stays," said Tim Irwin, president and chief executive officer of Pleasant Holidays. "After the first meal, the savings realized will be 10 to 20 percent on the entire food bill. The customers simply show their Pleasant Holidays Aloha Diners Club membership card for the extended savings."
Among the 50 participating restaurants are, Chai's Island Bistro, Don Ho's Island Grill and E&O Trading Co. on Oahu; Casanova, Kobe Japanese Steak House and Maalaea Waterfront Restaurant on Maui; Lemongrass Grill, Waimea Brewing Co. and Zelo's Beach House on Kauai; and Big Island Steak House and Pancho and Lefty's Cantina & Restaurante on the Big Island.

Kauai nurses get ‘best, final’ offer

Wilcox threatens an impasse if its "really good" proposal fails to end a 15-week strike
As the Wilcox Hospital strike enters its 15th week today, nurses are looking at what hospital officials are calling their "last, best and final offer," a union official said yesterday.
Aggie Pigao Cadiz, the statewide Hawaii Nurses Association executive director, said an informational meeting for the roughly 130 nurses still on strike is scheduled Monday.
The meeting was called to explain the details of the offer and give the negotiating team the chance to get a feel for the membership's wishes.
Pigao Cadiz said the hospital has threatened to call an impasse in negotiations if the most recent offer is not accepted.
If an impasse is declared and upheld by the National Labor Relations Board, the hospital would be able to begin hiring permanent replacements for the striking nurses under terms outlined in the final offer, she added.
But hospital spokeswoman Lani Yukimura said it's the hospital's hope that the offer will be accepted. She added that the administration is not looking beyond a vote next week.
"It's a really good offer, and it shows that we've been listening," Yukimura said.
"We've moved on major issues," she added, but would not get into the specifics.
When the strike started in June, there were two major issues on the table: the staff-to-patient ratio and on-call procedures for operating room nurses.
Money had not been a factor in the contract dispute.
Pigao Cadiz said that while the hospital has moved on the staff-to-patient ratio, it has never changed its stance on the on-call procedures.
Plus, since the strike began, the administration has made "punitive" offers, such as eliminating about a dozen licensed practical nurse positions, adjustments on monetary compensation and a host of other issues, Pigao Cadiz said. Some of those remain in negotiation, but she couldn't say whether the new offer had alleviated the worries of the licensed practical nurses.
Yukimura reiterated that the offer was fair and said she hoped the entire membership would have a chance to express their opinions on it.
"The last offer is the best offer we can give, because we've made a lot of movement," she added. "I encourage all members to read the proposal."
The 71-bed Wilcox Hospital, Kauai's lone full-service health-care facility, remains fully operational and "continues to be adequately staffed," Yukimura said. But, she added, "we want our nurses back."

Singer Kawai Cockett Dies at 67

Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning singer Kawai Cockett died yesterday of complications from diabetes. He was 67 years old.
Cockett had a long and successful career, performing and recording traditional Hawaiian music from the 1960's through the 1990's.
Kawai Cockett recorded "Beautiful Kauai" in 1969. It was the recording that made him famous.
"He loved it when people referred to that as his signature song, because it's the song that made him who he was," his son, Haaheo Cockett, told KGMB9. "It was recorded previously by Don Ho, but it wasn't until he recorded it that it became a smash hit."
Cockett believed that traditional Hawaiian music and hula went hand in hand. He led a Polynesian review at the Ilikai in the 1970's.
"He just loved the dancers," Haaheo said. "Whenever there was a dancer with him, whether it was myself or someone else, it made him feel his music."
Cockett won the Hoku for Best Male Vocalist in 1994 and 1999 and in 2004 he won a Lifetime Achievement Award.
His wife and son were with him when he passed away.
"He went very fast, very quickly with no pain and in the most peaceful way," Haaheo said. "His last words were, 'Hallelujah, thank you Jesus.' He took his last breath, and he slipped and he took his journey."
Haaheo Cockett says his father had no airs or pretenses.
"He went to the grocery store in his tank top and shorts, and always with a big smile. He greeted everyone that greeted him with a handshake, a hug, and aloha," he said.
Kawai Cockett would have been 68 years old this coming Sunday. Instead, his funeral service will be held at St. Patrick's in Kaimuki at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 6.

Kauai Nurses Mulling over Final Offer

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for the 89-day-old nurses strike on Kauai. Both sides are mulling over a new offer.
According to the nurses association, Wilcox Hospital has given the nurses their last, best and final offer. Negotiating teams are going over the details and the hospital wants an answer by next Wednesday.
Back in June, more than a hundred nurses walked off the job at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. The main sticking point of the strike has been over nurse-to-patient ratios.

Kauai economy roaring away But many people are hurting because of the higher price of housing

With construction projects on the horizon for years to come and tourist spending that rose this year despite 40 straight days of rain, Kauai's economy looks strong for the near future.
That's according to Leroy Laney, economics consultant to First Hawaiian Bank, who was slated to tell community members the good news last night at the bank's 32nd annual business outlook forum.
Laney said that 2006 will be the state's and Kauai's 10th straight year of growth, although it might be a bit lower than previous years.
One of the main things holding back Kauai's economy, Laney's prepared remarks said, is the expanding economy itself, which has created a lack of workers.
Kauai's unemployment is 2.5 percent, just under the state level of 2.6 percent.
According to Laney's prepared remarks, with housing prices up 28 percent in 2005 on top of 37 percent in 2004 and inflation up to a painful level of 4 percent this year, workers have been pushed off the Garden Isle due to higher costs of living. That's led to less job creation, he added.
School enrollments across Kauai have been down as well over the past few years, Laney said.
"It's often the households with younger children that are hit the hardest by the lack of home affordability," Laney added.
But the real estate market is beginning to change across the state, he said. Following nationwide trends, the housing market on Kauai has begun to cool, and an actual drop in prices is possible, he added.
Currently, though, while the number of single-family homes sold is down from previous years, almost 30 percent from the same period a year earlier, housing prices remain high.
"The speculators are mostly gone," he said, "and those wanting a home to live in have been on the sidelines more, watching prices closely."
Despite the change in the market, construction is still booming, with such projects as the 1,500-unit Kukuiula development near Poipu.
While the 10-year expansion is showing signs of a slowdown, Laney said, and attitudes are turning negative toward growth, the projects already under way will keep contractors busy for a while.
Elsewhere on Kauai, agriculture will get a boost with the reopening of the Tropical Fruit Disinfestation Facility in Lihue, slated to be running next year.
"The main beneficiary will be papayas, but other tropical fruits may benefit," Laney said.
And an ethanol plant, proposed by Gay & Robinson, Kauai's lone sugar plantation, could begin converting sugar to the fuel additive as early as 2008, Laney added.
Elsewhere, crafts workers got a boost with the creation of the "Kauai Made" label earlier this year, which will help market locally made goods.
And the Pacific Missile Range Facility, which Laney said is often overlooked as an important part of Kauai's economy, will get its own boost next year when it becomes the primary testing ground for the Army's Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense ground-based missile defense system.

Engineer ordered to stop investigating Kaloko

A former Kauai County civil engineer was ordered to stop investigating a complaint about illegal grading at Kaloko Reservoir in 1997.
According to a report by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, John Buist was called to former Mayor Maryanne Kusaka's office and ordered by former County Engineer Cesar Portugal to halt the investigation.
The Kaloko dam and reservoir burst in March, sending (m) millions of gallons to the sea, killing seven people.
Kusaka says she quote -- ``vaguely remembered this issue coming up,'' -- but could not remember the details of the discussion.
Buist, by certified mail, sent reservoir owner James Pflueger a notice of grading violation on November 18, 1997.
Several days later, in the mayor's office, Buist wrote that he was told to stop all investigations and pass along all information to Portugal, whose daughter was working for Pflueger at the time.

Plan moves rare Kauai snail

Federal officials want to expand the habitat of Newcomb's snail
A species of snail native only to Kauai will be moved to other stream and river locations on the island, under a federal recovery plan.
Newcomb's snail populations once lived in the Hanakoa Stream, Hankapiai Stream and the Wainiha River, but are no longer found there.
In a recovery plan published in the Federal Register yesterday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials said they will be assessing whether to return the snails to the old stream locations, as well as settling them in other habitats.
The recovery plan follows a draft plan released for public comment in March 2004.
The snail, known by its scientific name Erinna newcombi, is located in about six streams and rivers on Kauai with an estimated population of between 6,000 and 7,000, and about 90 percent of the population distributed mainly in two of the streams.
Federal officials said the species is highly susceptible to extinction given its small numbers and limited habitat area.
The snail has a nearly smooth, brown to black shell formed by an oval whorl that is about a quarter of an inch long and a little wider than a tenth of an inch.
Federal officials said they don't have historical information on the population of the snails at the streams, including Kalalau Stream, Lumahai River, Hanalei River, Kealia Stream, Makaleha Stream and the North Fork Wailua River.
But officials said anecdotal reports indicated there are more snails at Kalalau Stream and Lumahai River.
Besides researching what makes the snails thrive or die in an environment, a key element in recovery is the maintenance and protection of adequate water flows at the stream and spring sites containing them, officials said.
Federal wildlife officials said they intend to maintain adequate stream flows through coordination and cooperation with state departments and agencies, including the state Commission on Water Resource Management and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Officials said Newcomb's snails face a continued threat from human-caused changes to the water conditions on Kauai.
They noted that the first collection and description of the species by western naturalists occurred in 1840 and that Newcomb's snails were collected at a place called Hanapepe Falls.
The recovery plan said a large irrigation diversion structure is now built into the base of the falls and the stream has areas that are entirely dry much of the time.
The specific effects of surface-water diversion or groundwater withdrawal on the Newcomb's snail are unknown, but none of the known snail populations are found below points of significant water diversion, the plan said.

Costco finding success in Hawaii

Costco Wholesale Corporation plans to open its sixth Hawaii store next month on Kauai. And more Costco locations may soon be on their way.
Costco has a contract to purchase a 17-acre site in Kapolei, where it expects to open a new warehouse and gas station in the spring of 2008. It is also searching for other locations, such as in Hilo, but there are no firm plans.
Jim Sinegal, the company's president and C-E-O, says Costco has been very successful in Hawaii because it has delivered value to consumers.
He says the Costco next to downtown Honolulu is among the top ten in the nation in sales.

Documents Show Kauai Officials Called Off Dam Probe

New information has come to light in the investigation of the Kauai dam disaster earlier this year, which killed seven people.
Documents show Kauai's former mayor intervened to help Jimmy Pflueger when engineers tried to stop construction work near the reservoir.
The documents raise the question: Did county officials back off an investigation into grading near the doomed reservoir nine years before it failed?
In November 1997, Pflueger was cited for grading without a permit near Kaloko. Mayor Maryanne Kusaka wrote that Pflueger called her angrily, saying he had a right to know who complained about him.
"I've never seen the government act so quickly. In eight days, they had the county engineer who brought this to her attention and saying you know we can't have anonymous complaints," said attorney Richard Fried.
Fried represents some of the families suing the state over the March disaster.
A county engineer named John Buist Jr. documented the 1997 meeting, where Kusaka said chasing anonymous tips was waste of taxpayer money and wondered why large landowners can't do as they please. Buist wrote that his boss, County Engineer Cesar Portugal, instructed him to stop all actions involving Pflueger.
The county did follow up on the violation five years later when grading without permits was reported again.
"This is a major concern as to why the mayor seemingly was not interested in getting to the bottom of this," Fried said.
Pflueger's attorney said there is nothing unusual about a citizen calling the mayor and that it's "certainly not illegal or incriminating."
The county had no comment.

Hawaii’s nice, but home is the place to be

I’ve confirmed continental drift to be an ongoing process. The Hawaiian Islands are farther away than they were 55 years ago when I was last there.
And, amazingly, they kept moving while we were there on this trip. I swear the trip back was longer than the trip there, even with the jet stream pushing us eastward.
I have great respect for ancients who migrated across oceans on flimsy rafts. I traveled with US Airways and it was still challenging. But, travel issues aside; my daughter’s wedding in Kauai went off perfectly and beautifully.
We landed last Wednesday at Lihue, picked up our rental car and headed to Poipu Beach and our condo. The vast majority of Kauai isn’t developed so there’s no big, complicated highway system to confuse this southern boy. I never got lost which is testament to its simplicity.
We checked in, got keys, pool towels and directions to our “home.” A big surprise came when I first entered.
As illustrated in some “Star Trek” episodes, I operate with a basic prime directive whenever I check in anywhere — “Locate thermostat. Locate thermostat. Locate thermostat.”
I couldn’t find one! I searched so much I felt like one of the Coasters. I even opened closet doors and checked under tables. No thermostat! Finally, I realized there were also no vents … duh.
Good grief, this was a gorgeous place of stunning grounds filled with flowers and palms, an obviously “high end” accommodation … but no air! It had louvered vents everywhere so once opened, allowed breezes to flow. I’d just have to go “native” for a week.
The next day, I stopped by the office to pick up some brochures and the lady asked if everything was well. I told her I was amazed the units didn’t have air-conditioning.
She explained they were built to capture the ever-present trade winds. I told her that was all well and good but personally I’d happily trade the trade winds for a few tons of Trane.
Friday night, the wedding party — about 26 folks — attended a luau on the beach complete with lots of torches, drums and Polynesian dancers. A full moon rose over the palms at about 8 p.m. and mirrored in the surf. It was definitely a Kodak event.
Sundae made a beautiful bride, which isn’t surprising since she’s also a beautiful woman. It looks easy when you have so much to work with.
The ceremony took place in a gazebo by the shore at the Grand Hyatt and went off without a hitch. Of course, I wasn’t comfortable outside in my tuxedo but the perpetual breeze was blowing.
At this momentous event my temporary discomfort was of no importance. On the positive side, I probably lost a few pounds but will never know how many. I quickly replaced them with Hula Pie.
Folks, if you’ve never had that treat put it on top of your to-do list. But, I suggest you hurry because as soon as the Food and Drug Administration gets wind of this stuff, they’re sure to act. Nothing so good can possibly stay legal.
After the ceremony, there was a cocktail party by the surf with all manner of drinks garnished with excellent music. By the time we all headed to dinner, I’d removed my jacket and was feeling more human. It wasn’t long before I also came out of my shoes.
Dinner was a multi-course treat with toasts and counter-toasts. Our tables were bordered on two sides by a beautiful coy pond. Thankfully, the “trades” blew through the restaurant.
The night ended after dinner for us but not until the wee hours for the more hearty guests. When all were eventually rounded up, I was told it resembled an Easter egg hunt with some found in and under bushes.
Sundae and Shingo left Monday for a few days in Honolulu and then on for a week on Maui. We, Jan and David, Tad, Gloria and Megan did some sightseeing, taking a helicopter trip around the island.
That, in and of itself, was an amazing occurrence. If anybody ever said Ann would voluntarily take such a flight, she’d have categorically rejected any possibility of it happening in a hundred lifetimes.
Well it did happen and now I think she wants a helicopter. We have a DVD of the flight, complete with her sitting in front, by the pilot, telling him when to stop and go and how to turn. Some habits can’t die.
When we left, I was ready. Those islands are beautiful; the food delicious, and weather spectacular but home is home.
Our local beaches are wonderful and just a short hop, skip and a jump away from the Bahamas and tropical flowers, aromas and foods. All they lack is Hula Pie … a good thing for me. I love it but don’t need it.

PARADISE FOUND

No luxury resorts. No gourmet food. All you need is stunning sunsets and golden beaches in Hawaii's West Kauai.
Hammocks are the perfect place for a nap at Waimea Plantation Cottages. The refurbished houses were once part of a sugar plantation.
More photosBird poop splatters the stern likeness of Capt. James Cook staring to sea from the western lip of the westernmost major Hawaiian island.
From his perch in a shady square in the town of Waimea on Kauai, it's a short stroll across the highway to the spot where the British explorer "discovered" Hawaii in 1778. The next year, Cook got into an argument over a boat on the Big Island and had his brains bashed out by the locals.
Among some locals, he's still not a popular fellow.
"He didn't discover anything," says Florens Castilla, 16, leaning against the statue. "People were already here. He was a bad man. He sent all the hassles over here that are sinking Hawaii."
Ironically, the place where Hawaiians had "first contact" with the West is one of the least affected by Cook's modern descendents -- tourists.
Waimea has a long list of superlatives that should make it a top destination in the islands. It's home to Polihale, Hawaii's longest beach, and Waimea Canyon, "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific." The natural light show of the best sunsets on the island is occasionally aided by a blazing rocket launch from the Navy's nearby Pacific Missile Range.
But West Kauai remain a vacationer's afterthought, a day trip at most for visitors staying in Poipu, Kapaa, Princeville and other points east on the Garden Isle.
The reason I love to stay in Waimea is what drives most tourists away. No luxury hotels. No time-share sales offices. No gourmet dining. No pricey boutiques. No Wyland whale murals. No McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell or even an outpost of Kauai's popular Bubba's Burgers (OK, there is a discretely positioned Subway). Even, gasp, cellphone dead zones.
West Kauai's greatest crime from a tourist point of view is the lack of a really great swimming beach. There's no gentle crescent like the north shore's Hanalei Bay or the south shore's Poipu Beach. Much of West Kauai meets the sea full bore. Great to look at, but a devil to swim in.
Polihale is reached by a five-mile-long bumpy, dead-end dirt road. The view is stunning, a wide golden beach backed by bluffs where ancient Hawaiians believed the souls of the dead departed for the afterlife.
But body surf? Only if you like getting slammed by choppy breakers intent on shoving your face in the sand and yanking your swim trunks down around your knees.
What Polihale lacks in aquatic comfort it makes up for in solitude. When I arrive in the afternoon, the only other people in sight are two 20ish women who prefer their birthday suits to swimsuits.
I'm politely sauntering off in the other direction when, behind me, I hear the squeal of a gaggle of children coming over the parking lot's sand berm. I turn to see a family. Dad and the boys are in tropical wear, but Mom is decked out in an outfit familiar from my days living in Lancaster, Pa.: neck-to-shin dress, hair bonnet and reasonable shoes. They pass not far from the two naked ladies, mom and dad quietly steering their brood away from the scene. The juxtaposition of the two extremes of female attire (or lack thereof) is a classic travel moment.
I wander over to chat with the couple, Adam and Sarah Grover. They're German Old Baptists from Modesto, Calif.
"We were up in Waimea Canyon and we looked in the guidebook for a place for the boys to swim," Adam says, staring out at the big, choppy waves. "But I'm not going to let them go very far out in this."
I ask Sarah if she is surprised by the au naturel pair just a few dozen yards away.
"Sure," she says with a smile. "But this is Hawaii. We just walked the other way."
Anyone seeking to splash around in West Kauai waters would be better off heading to Salt Pond Beach. It's a tranquil half-moon of sand near Hanapepe on the road back to Poipu. The shore is protected from the pummeling surf by offshore rocks. Swimming here is as boring as Polihale is life-threatening.
But there are other "dangers" to contend with. On my visit, I pass a sign that says "CAUTION FALLING COCONUTS." As if on cue, a stiff breeze whips the trees, and a green coconut comes crashing down near a family hanging out in the shade. A middle-aged man sticks the coconut in a bag.
"We'll take it home," he announces. "It's a family heirloom. The coconut that almost killed Grandma."
There are three hotels I truly love in Hawaii: The Polynesian fantasy of Kona Village on the Big Island, the historic frivolity of the pink-toned Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki and the Waimea Plantation Cottages on Kauai.
Kona Village can top $1,000 per night per couple for one of the premier units. The Royal Hawaiian's published rates start at $425 for the least expensive garden-view room. But you can get into a smaller cottage at Waimea Plantation Cottage for $150 a night. And it comes with a small kitchen.
The refurbished plantation houses were once part of the Faye family's sugar plantation. Over the years, the hotel has trucked in cottages from around the island as plantations closed and were swallowed up by development. The cottages are lovingly restored, then placed by the beach or amid the long, green lawns amid dozens of swaying palms.
Visitors sleep in a piece of early-20th-century history, though one updated with 21st-century comforts like microwaves, CD players, air conditioning and cable television.
I feel ambivalent about the Wi-Fi in the guest center's lanai, but admit I spent a few evenings checking e-mails. At least I had Goldilocks, the hotel's orange short-haired cat, to keep me company.
One morning, I stop in the hotel's Faye Museum, a one-room exhibit chronicling the rise of H.P. Faye, a Norwegian immigrant who became a sugar baron.
Later, I pad over to the nearby Inn Waimea, a bed-and-breakfast where a friend had enjoyed a recent stay. The manager, Lorraine DeRosa, shows me around the pretty rooms decorated with Polynesian prints.
"Waimea is a real town," she says. "A bank, a market, a hospital, a pharmacy. There are a lot of families. It doesn't exist just for tourists. It's the kind of place you visit if you are tired of the resort experience."
Late afternoon is the best time in West Kauai. The Mustang convertibles and PT Cruisers, mainstays of the rental-car fleets used by vacationers, start heading back to the other sides of Kauai.
The sun is starting its drop behind the "forbidden island" of Niihau. The old wooden storefronts of the town glow with golden light. The undersides of the clouds over the Pacific are turning pink. Palm trees rustle in the trade winds; the whitecaps off the dusty black-sand beach sparkle.
Whatever I am doing, which is blissfully not much, I make sure to get back to my cottage about an hour or two before sunset and find a hammock near the beach to doze a bit or read. Then with about 15 minutes to go to sunset, I walk down to the surf.
Sometimes there's even an added attraction.
One afternoon a man riding a horse along the beach has his steed suddenly rear up and dump him into the surf. The horse runs off into the bush, where he hides beside a friendly mule.
But mostly it is just me and a few other sunset worshippers, mai tais or beers in hand. Saluting the sun on its crash dive into the deep blue. Glad that Cook found this spot and thankful that so few have since.

Enjoy culture of Japan at Kauai festival

Every year, Pearl Shimizu makes to a trip to Japan without boarding a plane or showing a passport.
She's learned a lot about her cultural heritage by helping coordinate the Matsuri Kauai festival, which takes place every September in Lihue.

Matsuri Kauai
When: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30
Place: Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai
Admission: Free (donations accepted)
Call: 808-822-5353
E-mail: pkgtshim@hgea.net
Web site: www.kauaifestivals.com

The granddaughter of immigrant sugar plantation workers, Shimizu picked up bits and pieces about Japanese history and culture as she was growing up.
Whenever she ate mochi, her family reminded her of its special meaning. Mochi's white color stands for purity, its sticky consistency symbolizes togetherness and its round shape signifies good luck; like a mirror, life should be smooth.
Shimizu also knew that ikebana (flower arranging) and bonsai (artistically pruned potted trees) -- both magnificent in their simplicity -- are arts that require years of study and practice.
And she was aware that males always should be seated first at formal functions, from eldest to youngest, followed by females, also in descending order of age.
Working with Matsuri Kauai over the past two decades, however, has greatly broadened Shimizu's knowledge of the fine points of Japanese culture.
"I've learned about protocol when dealing with dignitaries," she says. "The order of introduction depends on their title and size of the place they represent. For example, Kauai County is small compared to Honolulu, so an official from Honolulu would have precedence over an official from Kauai."
Shimizu also can describe in detail the schools of Japanese dance, from Minyo (folk) to Noh (once reserved for the aristocracy) to Ondo (modern).
"There is a noticeable difference between the styles," she says. "For example, some have very long, flowing movements, such as moving across a stage or going around in a wide circle. Ondo dances tend to have a set pattern of maybe six steps or motions that are continually repeated. This is what you usually see at bon dances."
Part of Obon, the Festival of Souls held at Buddhist temples throughout Hawaii from June through August, the bon dance honors deceased loved ones. Buddhists believe the souls of these departed ancestors return during the Obon season to mingle with the living. It is a joyous time marked by lively dances.
Matsuri Kauai will include a bon dance open to all attendees. The dance will be accompanied by the Iwakuni style of live drumming and songs about a wide variety of subjects.
"The tempo is basically the same, but each singer sings a different type of song," Shimizu says. "Shoichi Nagamine, a well-known singer on Kauai who passed away a few years ago, would sing 'Oh, Susannah' and other cowboy songs in addition to traditional ones."
Matsuri Kauai also will feature performances by dance schools from Kauai and Oahu; displays of bonsai and sumie (ink brush painting); judo, kendo and taiko-drumming demonstrations; and samplings of noodles, manju cakes, senbei (rice crackers), sanbaizuke (pickled vegetables) and other delicacies. Origami, mochi-pounding, ikebana and the traditional tea ceremony, complete with homemade wagashi (confections), are among activities inviting hands-on participation.
Children may dress up in kimonos, hook a gift with a "fishing pole" at the Fish Pond and compete in a musubi-making contest.
The idea for Matsuri Kauai dates back to 1985, when Hawaii observed Kanyaku Imin, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants.
Members of Kauai's Japanese community became acquainted with officials and citizens of Oshima, Kauai's sister island in Japan. The Japanese delegation enjoyed their stay so much, they accepted the invitation of then-Mayor Tony Kunimura to return the following year.
To ensure their second visit would be as memorable, Kunimura asked the Rev. Koichi Miyoshi, then affiliated with the Soto Zen Temple in Hanapepe, to organize entertainment. Some of the dance and karaoke groups brought together for that purpose formed the nonprofit Kauai Japanese Cultural Society to perpetuate Japanese culture and strengthen Hawaii's bond with the people of Japan.
"Society members thought it would be a good idea to launch an annual festival so we could continue sharing Japanese culture with Kauai's residents and visitors," Shimizu says.
The event has something for everyone, she adds. "Some people really enjoy the exhibits of ikebana, bonsai and sumie, which promote peace and relaxation. Others don't want to miss the judo, kendo and taiko-drumming demonstrations, which are very energetic and exciting."
Whatever their preference, Shimizu says attendees gain a better understanding of a culture that might be very different from their own. "Many people from the mainland attend the festival and have become friends with our society members," she says. "They plan their vacations around the festival and look forward to participating in the hands-on activities."
Shimizu says she herself still has much to discover. "Every year at Matsuri Kauai, I learn at least one new thing," she says. "The festival has helped me realize the complexity and diversity of what it means to be Japanese."

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After the rain, Kauai’s tourism sector is roaring

Arrivals from L.A. have jumped 10.2 percent so far this year
Sunny days have returned for Kauai tourism, which has bounced back from the record rainfall that devastated the island in March and is expected to show continued growth in visitor arrivals and spending through the year's end.
Arrivals on Kauai are outpacing those of the overall state because of strong visitor demand and increased air service, said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau. Kanoho and other Kauai tourism players were on Oahu this week to share the island's results and new marketing plans.
Kauai visitor arrivals have increased 8.7 percent year-over-year through July, while visitor spending has risen 10.2 percent, Kanoho said.
"We have experienced strong results for July and year to date," Kanoho said. A comeback in arrivals from Los Angeles and San Francisco has been especially encouraging given the major drop in those markets during March, she said.
Kauai tourism professionals have been heartened to see the enthusiastic response from travelers to the island over the past several months, said Kelly Hoen, chairwoman of the Kauai Visitors Bureau and general manager of the Princeville Resort.
In March, arrivals from Los Angeles were down 17.3 percent, but the market has improved so much that it is up 10.2 percent in the year to date. Arrivals from San Francisco, which declined 24.8 percent in March, experienced a year-to-date increase of 5.2 percent.
New marketing programs and an increase in nonstop air service from destinations such as Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., have helped, Kanoho said.
The start of US Airways' nonstop Phoenix-to-Lihue service on March 1 boosted year-to-date arrivals from Phoenix by 42.5 percent and Tucson by 29.4 percent as compared to 2005.
Kauai saw year-to-date increases in arrivals of 20 percent or more from Oklahoma, Utah, New Mexico, California, Florida, Missouri and Nevada.
"Kauai's visitor industry has reason to feel optimistic as domestic nonstop air seats are projected to be 41.8 percent higher for fall," Kanoho said.
"We've definitely seen that increased air lift has a direct correlation on increased arrivals."
Many Kauai hotels are reinvesting in the Garden Isle as well. Among the highlights:
» Coco Palms, the hotel made famous by Elvis Presley's "Blue Hawaii," recently began a $214 million redevelopment, and is scheduled to welcome guests back by 2008.
» Hilton has re-entered the Kauai hotel market with its $14 million renovation of the former Radisson Kauai Beach Resort, which is slated to become the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort.
» The Poipu Beach Hotel, which closed after Hurricane Iniki in 1992, is undergoing construction and is expected to reopen as a full service hotel next year.
» The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa is adding 20,000 square feet to its Anara Spa, making it the largest spa on Kauai and the second largest in the state.
During the fourth quarter, the Kauai Visitors Bureau will begin running a TV commercial designed to emphasize the island's natural beauty and rural character. Produced by Laird Christianson Advertising, the message to travelers is to savor their vacation experience by embracing the slow pace of Kauai.
In addition, KVB is planning to partner with Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic, Sunset, Bridal and Midwest Living to run a series of print ads. Readers of Travel & Leisure named Kauai as the No. 1 island in Hawaii and the No. 2 island worldwide as part of the magazine's 2006 World's Best Awards.
Kauai also is introducing a travel blog to its Web site. Slated to post next week, the blog will feature first-person accounts on what it is like to live or vacation on Kauai.
The Kauai County Office of Economic Development has begun promoting the island's small business community through a "Kauai Made" label program. About 75 vendors, who make their products in Kauai or with Kauai materials, have enrolled in the branding program, which is marketed through www.kauaimade.net.

Kauai median home price: $740K

The median price of a new home on Kauai in August was $740,000, up almost 15 percent from the same month last year.
The Hawaii Information Service reported Thursday that only 35 home sales on Kauai went to closing in August, down from 56 a year ago.
The median price had been $599,000 as recently as June. But price fluctuations on Kauai tend to be driven more by how many sales are made in pricey areas than by general uptrends or downtrends.
There were 21 sales in Kawaihau district, which includes Kapaa, for a median price of $617,500, and seven sales in Hanalei district, up the road from there, for a median price of nearly $1.2 million.
There were eight sales in Koloa district on the southern coast, for a median price of $327,500. A single home sold in Lihue district for $530,000, and the median price was $601,000 in Waimea district, the southwestern side of the island, where five homes sold.
Only 29 condos went to closing on Kauai in August, compared to 60 a year ago, for an islandwide median price of $499,000. Fourteen were in Lihue district, for a median price of $329,000. Eight were in Hanalei district, for a median price of $757,500.

Kauai Filipino Chamber tourney topped by Laymon, Miura

Bruce Laymon finished two strokes ahead of the pack to claim the “A” Flight of the Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of Commerce scholarship golf tournament Monday.
At the post-tournament picnic held at Lydgate Park, Laymon accepted his prize from organization president Sonia Topenio after finishing with a net 66 on the Wailua Golf Course.
Tad Miura Jr. topped the “B” Flight with an equal 66.
Topenio said she was pleased with the turnout that included over 100 golfers who converged at the Wailua Golf Course for the 6:30 a.m. start.
“We were done by 11:30 a.m., and everyone is having a good time at the picnic,” Topenio said.
In a drawing for the grand prize, John Gandeza and Jun Esteban were selected from the “A” Flight while Ron Chun and Rachel Bentley were selected from the “B” Flight.
Irwin Vidinha (66), Richard Takashi (67), Mike Murray (67), Wilfred Yago (71), Wayne Fujioka (71), and Edwin Santa Maria (71) rounded out the leader board for the “A” Flight. Danilo Jarquio, Lito Iloreta and Russell Sugano shared a three-way tie with net 72, Sugano coming off a hole-in-one Saturday at the Wailua No. 17 par 3.
Pat Ramelb (68), Fel Guerrero (69), Steve Sandrowski (70) and Esteban (70) rounded out the leader board for the “B” Flight.
Cesar Portugal served as the tournament chairman.

Tourism traffic quiets down

September has come in like a lamb, based on arrivals counts at Hawaii airports, due to a slowdown in visitor traffic from the Mainland.
Total arrivals by air fell below 20,000 on three consecutive days -- Sunday, Monday and Tuesday -- according to estimated tallies by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. It's the first time that has happened since April.
Arrivals for the first five days of the month topped 100,000 but came in 4.4 percent lower than the commensurate period last year.
The decline cannot be attributed to Japanese traffic this time -- it's down only 1.6 percent from last year. Instead it's a falloff of traffic from the Mainland, which is down 5.6 percent to Honolulu and down 11.5 percent to Maui. It's up 11.4 percent to the Big Island and up 13 percent to Kauai.

Your to-do list

Jennifer and Chris Chancellor decided to get married at sunset. "I cannot imagine a better backdrop for this moment," the groom said.
Things I did
• We wanted to make sure we spent time with our guests, but also not bog them down with planned activities, so we hosted an ice-cream social two nights before the wedding. We bought ice cream and toppings, bottled water and popped in a CD of Hawaiian music. Instant party.
• You don't have to pay everything for your guests. We paid for the wedding party to attend the rehearsal-dinner luau, but invited all of our guests. About 20 of them came and paid their way.
• We didn't rush off to our honeymoon. We spent an extra two days on Maui before leaving for Kauai because we wanted to spend time with the people who had flown in to see us get married.
• Book in advance. We just barely were able to book our desired string duo for the ceremony in January. If you're getting married in high season (June to October in most destinations), it's imperative to make your reservations in advance right down to your manicure and dress steaming.
• Listen to others. Just because you haven't personally met the DJ or sampled the food doesn't mean you shouldn't book that vendor. I got several recommendations from brides on TheKnot.com and they worked out well. And the cake? My husband wants to renew our vows just to get another one.
• Buy what you can in advance. It's likely cheaper, and you can put the money toward something more important. I was quoted $10 each to rent vases for my centerpieces, so I went to Ikea, bought five of them for $2 each, tossed in some candles and votive holders and saved myself a ton of money.
• Carry on your wedding dress. Northwest Airlines' flight attendants were wonderful about hanging it in a closet for me, and I didn't have to worry about it being lost in my checked luggage. And for the record, one of my guests did lose his luggage.
• Buy your own alcohol, if your venue allows it. It will save you a good chunk of change. Some catering companies provide a bulk amount of alcohol that you may not end up using. We planned our own bar menu and bought wine, beer and liquor at Costco.
Things I wish I'd done differently
• Minister. 'Nuf said.
• Confirmed everything when I arrived in Hawaii. Costco was unable to find the leis I had ordered several months in advance and it took them nearly an hour to locate them the morning of the wedding.
set an earlier RSVP deadline. We set a return date of two months before the wedding, but people still didn't send them back on time, or in some cases, at all. We didn't know we would not have a flower girl until about a month out.
• Not have worried about the wedding party being uneven. Two of the four groomsmen were unable to make it, so we had an uneven number. Two bridesmaids stood on the groom's side and it looked fine.
• Started the photos earlier. We lost an hour of photo time because of the minister debacle, so we didn't get some of the group shots I had wanted.
• Finished the do-it-yourself projects before we left Seattle. No one wants to make program fans when the ocean is mere feet away. And if your fiancé tells you he is going to finish tying favor tags after his bachelor party, don't believe him.
Miscellaneous
• Be your own wedding planner — you know what you want. At some venues, you only can use specific vendors, so if you have your heart set on a certain photographer or cake baker, make sure you find out the venue's guidelines in advance.
• Splurge on what's most important to you. Flowers? Food? Photos? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and if you want something, go for it. You don't want to regret having chicken when you really wanted fillet mignon.
• Don't forgo sending invitations to people because you don't think they will come. You'll be surprised at who will and will not end up making the trip.
• Register. Some feel that couples shouldn't do it if they're not having a traditional wedding, but some people will get you gifts, and someone may throw you a shower. Just do it. Otherwise, you're just asking for a Bigmouth Billy Bass wall hanging.
• Save your guests money by signing up for wedding programs through airlines such as American and Hawaiian. Your guests will get a discount on their airfare and you can get an upgrade if enough guests use the promo code. You also can get discounts by blocking a group of rooms at a certain hotel.
• Don't plan your guests' trip. While it is good to have a planned activity or two, they will want to explore on their own. One way to give them a heads-up on things to do is to make a Web site with a page describing various activities, or send a welcome letter/packet with information and brochures included.
• Make sure you take the time to enjoy yourself. This is the best day of your life!
— Jennifer Chancellor, Seattle Times desk editor

Kauai to celebrate retired teacher's 100th birthday

She plays golf, bridge and has a canary named Elvis, and her grandfather was the last governor of Kauai under Queen Liliuokalani.
Retired elementary school teacher Anna Sloggett will turn 100 this month with an old-fashioned poi luncheon and a golf tournament to benefit a scholarship program started in her honor.
Sloggett, who was born on Kauai in 1906, graduated from Kauai High School and Mills College in California. She went on to teach at Punahou and Kawananakoa Schools before returning to teach elementary school students in Lihue and Kapaa.
"I love kids," she said in a press release. "My first teaching job was at Lihue School for a salary of $105 a month."
She taught unconventionally, giving lunch and dinner to students for extra work, and running the bases with one student who had a fear of softball.
"She was warm and adventurous, and showed a personal interest in each one of us," said Sloggett's former student Dr. Kathy Hiyane-Brown, president of Normandale Community College. "She somehow created excitement around our spelling tests every Friday."
On Sept. 17 she will be honored by family, friends and former students on her 100th birthday with an old-fashioned poi luncheon. With entertainment provided by former students, the luncheon will be held at Gaylord's at Kilohana, a historic plantation estate, starting at 11 am. Tickets are $50.
Also in honor of Sloggett, a golf tournament will be held at the Wailua Golf Course at 7 a.m. Sept. 9.
The funds raised from both events will go to the University of Hawaii Foundation to establish the Anna S. Sloggett Endowed Scholarship fund at Kauai Community College to support Kauai students pursuing elementary education.

Wal-Mart Kauai may get groceries

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to expand its Kauai store into a "supercenter" that would include a full-service grocery store -- its first in the state.
The Lihue store would be an island testing ground for the supercenter format, which the Bentonville, Ark.-based corporation has been rolling out through the rest of the nation. Hawaii is one of three states that do not have a Wal-Mart supercenter.
"We have 2,000 supercenters in the U.S.," said Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin McCall. "Certainly, we know the grocery business. But we want to make sure we have the local flavor, and include certain items."
McCall said Wal-Mart already buys $150 million worth of local goods from the islands.
"We're excited about the opportunity to expand the goods we buy in the islands," he said.
Wal-Mart has submitted an application to Kauai County's planning department, but the item has not been scheduled for hearings.
Wal-Mart wants to expand its Kauai store from about 119,000 square feet to about 215,000 square feet.
Last week, Wal-Mart celebrated the grand openings of two expanded supercenters on the mainland -- one in Springfield, Ore., and one in Chino, Calif. Both are more than 200,000 square feet with a grocery store that includes a bakery, deli, frozen section, meat, dairy, fresh produce, and beer and wine.
McCall said decisions to expand other Wal-Marts in Hawaii to supercenters would be determined case by case.
"Certainly we would consider our options, and evaluate in the future how to best serve customers in other parts of the state," he said.
Kapolei First, an activist group that opposes Wal-Mart in Kapolei, as well as the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 480 support a Honolulu City Council resolution to change the city land-use ordinance to block supercenters from Oahu.
The resolution -- introduced in July -- defines a supercenter as a store measuring more than 90,000 square feet, with more than 20,000 square feet dedicated to groceries and more than 25,000 items.
Hawaii is home to eight Wal-Mart discount stores and two Sam's Clubs. Wal-Mart on Kauai opened in 1995.
Wal-Mart is planning its ninth store in Kapolei, which it has said will not be a supercenter, but similar in size to its Pearl City store, at about 140,000 square feet.
The Kapolei Wal-Mart is slated to open in 2008.

Navy to do environmental impact study for Hawaii training plans

The Navy will conduct an environmental impact statement analysis of its plans to increase training around Hawaii.
The study will look how the Navy's use of sonar during exercises affects marine mammals around the islands and how other Navy activities impact the environment.
"It's any and all Navy training in Hawaii," said Tom Clements, spokesman at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai's Barking Sands.
The Navy intends to hold public meetings around the state next month to gather input on what issues need to be addressed.
Many environmentalists oppose the Navy's use of active sonar to practice hunting submarines, saying the technology may hurt whales and other marine mammals.
The Navy says its sailors adopt measures to protect marine mammals when they train with sonar.
Earlier this summer, environmental groups sued the federal government to challenge the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar during July's Rim of the Pacific war games off Hawaii.
The sonar portion of the exercises was delayed three days until the two sides agreed the Navy would adopt some additional steps to protect marine mammals.
The environmental impact statement study will analyze how having three aircraft carrier strike groups training around Hawaii at the same time would affect the environment.
It will also look at how an increased training tempo would influence the islands.
A draft environmental impact statement is expected to be completed by May and a final document is scheduled for early 2008.
The Navy plans to hold public meetings on the issue on Maui, Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai from Sept. 13-18. The Navy will also accept remarks from the public through Oct. 13 for possible inclusion in the draft environmental impact statement.
On the Net:Navy Hawaii Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement page:http://www.govsupport.us/navynepahawaii/hawaiirceis.aspx

Kauai Crash Survivor to Return Home

Six days after a car crash on Kauai killed his mother, father and brother, 5-year-old Lyndon Yim is well enough to leave the hospital. He's making a fast recovery from the injuries he received in the crash - a collapsed lung and some cuts and bruises.
Friday is when the young, sole survivor returns home and will finish his recovery at a Los Angeles-area hospital.
The boy's uncle, who was willing to speak exclusively with KGMB9, has the heartbreaking task of escorting him back to California and helping him understand his family is gone.
Several cards decorate his room, well wishes from complete strangers: young students from Saint Teresa's School in Kauai to Lyndon.
"I heard about the accident and I'm really sorry," read one card.
"We hope that these cards and pictures will help your body, soul and heart to heal," read another.
"Very nice," said Jack Forest, his uncle. "Very nice."
Lyndon's parents were killed in the crash. So was his brother, Brandon, who was supposed to have his eighth birthday only two days later.
"Usually he's the sturdy one compared to Brandon," said Uncle Jack. "I think that the trauma team and the medical staff did a wonderful job of fixing him up and our families are very grateful for that."
That's the only thing he'll say about the accident. No thoughts about how it happened. Nothing about police reports that say the crash may have been caused by Lyndon's mother, Lan Yim, when she tried to make a U-turn and collided with a propane tanker truck.
"I don't really want to discuss about my personal feeling, or feeling about the accident, or feeling about what happened," said Uncle Jack.
It's also too hard for him to even talk about his brother's death, his twin brother.
The only thing Uncle Jack wants to talk about now is how miraculously one member of the family lives and is recovering well in the hospital, and how the wishes of strangers are coming true.
"We hope the rest of your family is happy in heaven," one card read.