View From Here - Hawaii Travel Blog

Ten Years of Light by Linda Ching

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Mon 11/29/2010

From 1998 to 2007, Linda Ching was commissioned to photograph a series of feature stories for a magazine, and she turned her camera to exploring mo’olelo, the stories of Old Hawaii. For the past year, she has worked at compiling her favorite images from that decade and marrying those images with her own words—what the stories mean to her. The result is a new book, called Ao: Ten Years of Light.

Happy Thanksgiving from Hawaii

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Wed 11/24/2010

In Loving Memory of Andy Irons

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Wed 11/17/2010

The signs started going up November 3rd, the day after Kauai-born, world-champion surfer Andy Irons was reported dead. Just 32, Andy had recently won the Billabong Pro Tahiti, and was awaiting the birth of his first child—a son, already named Axel.  The news reverberated throughout the island of Kauai in shock waves—from the local coffee shop, gas station and post office to text messages, emails and phone calls. And, of course, at the beach—Pinetrees, in particular, where a group of surfers gathered, slack-jawed and shuffling their feet.

Honor the Hawaii Tradition Please Leave Your Shoes Outside

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Sun 9/26/2010

Outside many front doors in Hawaii, small ceramic plaques read: Honor the Hawaii tradition. Please leave your shoes outside. Or, Mahalo for removing your shoes. Or, my favorite, Please remove your shoes but no switching to better when you leave! My husband and I don’t have any such plaque outside our front door, but we do follow the tradition and inevitably, my shoes end up outside the front door when I’m going out the back. Or, they stack up outside the back door when I’m going out the front door. So, I mostly just go barefoot, inside and out.  Every now and then, though, I head out the door, hop in the car and make for the grocery store, post office or bank and, halfway there, discover I’ve forgotten my shoes. It’s a little akin to the dream of showing up at school in pajamas or, ahem, naked, and even though many shops have signs that say no shirt, no shoes, no service, I can usually get by without shoes. 

Things You Should Know about Hawaii Five-0 2.0

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Sun 9/19/2010

The reincarnation of Hawaii Five-0 premiers Monday, September 20, 2010 on CBS.  For dedicated fans of the long-time running cop show,  there are a few things you should know.

Vacations Are Good for Your Health and Marriage

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Thu 8/19/2010

It’s no surprise to hear that studies show vacation can lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones and generate overall feelings of well-being. For me, vacation gave me a new home. My husband and I moved to Hawaii for the same reasons we vacationed here: The warm weather, the ocean and the myriad of activities available to us--from golf, running and hiking to paddling outrigger canoes, snorkeling and diving.  Now that we live in Hawaii, we get asked all the time: When you live in paradise, where do you go on vacation?

A Weekend On Kauai

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Tue 7/20/2010

Saturday night found us at the Kapaa Jodo Mission for their annual bon dance festival. We ate “pronto pups” (you may know them as corn dogs) and “flying saucers” (a.k.a sloppy joe’s) and chili rice, the staple foods of these events happening most every weekend throughout the summer across the Hawaiians Islands.

From the Photo Files

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Sat 7/17/2010

A Gift of Music at the Waikiki Aquarium

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Mon 7/12/2010

In the summer, the aquarium hosts Ke Kani O Ke Kai, The Sound of the Ocean, a series of five Hawaiian music concerts. You tour some exhibits, nosh on a selected menu of dinner entrees from local restaurants, and about the time the sun sets, you take your place on the grassy lawn and settle in for the evening performance.

In Hawaii: Expect Nothing. Be Ready for Anything.

Kim Steutermann Rogers  on Wed 7/7/2010

Last month, I flew to Maui for the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. I arrived at the Saturday afternoon Kapalua Wine Tour at The Ritz-Carlton promptly at 12:45 p.m. I hauled my laptop, two cameras, digital voice recorder, phone, notepad and pens in my favorite traveling backpack—the Sherpani Tosca. That meant my hands were free for things like, oh, wine.