Ukulii kapua, onaona ika mau'u - Tiny is the flower yet it scents the grasses around it.

Hepua noka wekiu - A blossom on the top most branch. (praise of an outstanding person)

Nana na moe - Look to your dreams

Probably there were Irish aboard Captain Cook's ships and other British vessels which arrived in the early days. Some of the sailors who left the ships from time to time and settled here may have been Irish but no exact records were kept.

There's a hula about an Irish-Hawaiian, named Lola O"Brien. There are lots of residents in the islands who :an claim to be Irish-Hawaiians.

Most visitors to Hawai'i know Lewers Street, one of he few streets in Waikiki with a non-Hawaiian name. Previously, it was known as Lewers Road. It led from Alakaua Avenue to the estate of Robert Lewers, where the Halekolani Hotel now stands. Lewers and Cooke, a large building supply house, remains as only reminder of Mr. Lewers' extensive business interests.

Shrines, Temples & Heiau

Few ancient Hawaiian sacred sites have remained intact; many have been reduced to rubble or collections of stones. The broken stone walls or stone steps that we come across today do convey the mystery and reverence and harmony that the natural spirits held for the ancient Hawaiians.

Even the small upright stone at the side of the road with some offerings of leaves represented something of importance to the Hawaiians who lived their lives in harmony with Nature. By understanding how and why the temples were built, we may more fully appreciate the sacred stones.

Hawaiian Ancient Shrines

Ancient Hawaiians believed in the sacred power of words and the sacred energy in all life. Out of the 40,000 words in the spoken language, a profusion of them describe the ancient Hawaiian’s close harmony with nature. In old Hawaii, man believed that his spiritual inheritance was to be guardian or kahu of the ‘aina or the living earth.

Thus, there are several words for all aspects of nature. There are words for every plant or animal species that are endemic to the islands, words to describe different kinds of rocks, minerals and the types of soil and the different types of lava.

Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona the Founder of Modern Ho’oponopono

Restoring the light within ourselves and to the world at large was the mission of Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona (1913-1992).  A gifted Hawaiian healer, Morrnah presented the world with an updated version of the ancient Hawaiian practice of conflict resolution. Known as Ho’oponopono, and championed by self-help guru, Joe Vitale, Morrnah’s version of the Hawaiian tradition has been increasingly embraced by contemporary society which has been won over by its simplicity and elegance.

The four primal Hawaiian gods wore several faces, but none more disparate than Ku, who was the god of prosperity, as well as the much-feared and terrible god of war and sorcery. He was also god of the deep forest, of the mountain, of dry and wet farming and the god of fishing. He also ruled the red flowering ohia lehua tree and his images were carved from that wood.

"Hang Loose" is a term that means to relax, lighten up, take it easy. I like to imagine shaking all the stress from you body and becoming completly relaxed.

     Aloha is the most widely used, the most sacred and the most powerful word in the Hawaiian language. While most first-timers to Hawaii think it is a word used in greeting, meaning hello, goodbye or love but its true usage means volumes more. It is one of the two words that most represent the values that are cherished and treasured in the Hawaiian culture, the other being Mahalo.

     The Hawaiian Islands sit in about the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a long way from anywhere else in the world. In fact, Hawaii’s closest continental neighbor is almost 2,500 miles away. For any life to grow on the tops of these volcanic mountains, they have to have made an incredible journey just to arrive. Then there is the business of finding a way to survive.     The Hawaiian Islands are of course, volcanic islands. So there is no soil initially. Timing for our new plant is everything. They will need to arrive to the islands after there has been some erosion to help break up the lava a bit. So plant seeds that arrive on the island and fall in hot lava are obviously doomed.

     If you have ever been to the Hawaiian Islands, then you have probably had a chance to eat some of the best pineapple in the world.  It is so good, that you can actually eat it till your teeth hurt, and your mouth is sore from the juice. What a truly great treat. 

     If you really want to be able to get in touch with a piece of ancient Hawaii, then the sport of surfing is a good place to start.  It is an ancient Hawaiian traditional, that was the sport of the kings.  It could also be your sport.  If you want to start learning how to surf, we recommend that you get a good teacher. However, we did want to cover some of the basics with you.

     Let’s start by talking about surfboards.  You want to make sure you buy your first board very long.  The longer length will help you stay up easier.  Once you become more experienced, you can get yourself a shorter board.

Happy Holidays Everyone!,

     There is probably no other fruit that says “Hawaiian” like the pineapple.  People eat tons of the yummy fruit every year, especially in the Hawaiian Islands.  The lucky people get to eat this fruit fresh in the islands.  The rest of us, though, get to enjoy it in canned form, or squeezed as a juice.  It is truly a wonderful food that helps you really get into the spirit of the islands.

     Interestingly enough, the pineapple is not a true native plant to the islands.  Like many other plants, it was brought to the Hawaiian Islands some time ago.  It is an adopted child of the islands.