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View From Here - Hawaii Travel Blog - Romance & Honeymoons

Welcome to View from Here, a travel blog, where I write about living in, traveling about and experiencing Hawaii as a malihini, a 12-year-resident of the Hawaiian Islands. My name is Kim Steutermann Rogers, and you're likely to find blog posts here about food--who doesn't like to eat?--and outdoor adventure. Like hiking through Haleakala on Maui. Diving with manta rays off Hawaii (Big) Island. Snorkeling Shark's Cove on Oahu. And paddling Napali Coast of my home island, Kauai. Not that I'm some, young, adrenaline junkie. Those days are long over. I just enjoy collecting life experiences. And that's why you probably won't find much in the way of shopping here, unless it's about a fantastic, locally-made product--like soap--and the charming, young, single-mother who makes it. Then, I gush on and on. Oh, as a warning, I can sometimes jump on my soap box and write about the realities of marine debris, Hawaii's endangered species--like humpback whales and Hawaiian monk seals--great book discoveries and the wonders of nature. And my dogs.

Total Number of Entries - 15

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'Ulalena at Maui Theatre

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Fri 3/30/2012

Destination: Maui

I walked into the Maui Theater a couple weeks ago knowing little about ‘Ulalena: A Story of Hawaii’s People. I left knowing this. ‘Ulalena. What it is: A theatrical interpretation of the history of Hawaii from the cultural point of view of the Hawaiians. ‘Ulalena. What it is not: A lu’au experience.
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Wedding Flowers in My Refrigerator

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Wed 2/29/2012

Destination: Kauai

My cousin Stef got married a week ago under sunny skies on a swath of grass above Lawai Beach on Kauai’s south shore, a choice location for a winter wedding, and now my refrigerator is full of wedding flowers--white orchids and roses.
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Brides and Rain. Oil and Water.

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Mon 2/27/2012

Destination: Kauai

After teasing us all morning, Mother Nature got serious on the heels of Saturday’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. I was stationed along Kauai’s South Shore coastline at Mahaulepu-Makawehi on a bluff near the beach known as Shipwreck's in Poipu. (Note: Hawaiian name is Keoneloa Bay and, yes, the elevated location atop these bluffs are fabulous for watching the sunrise and the whales.) By noon, the sky off to the southwest lowered to a scowl. To go with it, the sky emitted a growl or two, and I high-tailed it for home on the opposite side of the island.
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Hot Lava Rock Massage Bliss

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Mon 12/20/2010

Destination: Oahu

I’ve heard the strokes of lomilomi described as long, gliding and deep. I’ve felt lomilomi practitioners use their hands, forearms, elbows and, even, feet. I’ve been told lomilomi may involve chanting, music, prayer and herbs, sticks and rocks. There’s no easy definition, no one description, because lomilomi practitioners from each family or district or island followed their own, unique practice. What I’ve gleaned is lomilomi is a holistic healing art. In essence, it’s not just about the massage.
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The Tavern at Princeville by Roy Yamaguchi

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Fri 10/29/2010

Destination: Kauai

When I think of a tavern, I think of a kind of place that’s dark, dank and ancient. Something cave-like. I think of establishments in European basements. I think of smoke-filled bars in the rough part of town with Harleys parked out front and gruff men wearing tattoos, leather and red bandanas. When I think of a tavern, I do not think of good food. I hardly think of food, at all. The Tavern at Princeville by Roy Yamaguchi on Kauai’s North Shore is not like any tavern I know. (Disclosure: I am not an expert on taverns, mind you.)
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Two Things about Living on Kauai

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Thu 10/21/2010

Destination: Kauai

I just found a Roy's restaurant gift card in a purse I hardly use that hangs on the back of my desk chair. A pink lotus flower blossoms in one corner of the card. The words “Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine” reverse out of a stripe of green above Roy’s signature restaurant logo. Over the years, something sticky had adhered to the front of the card; it stuck to my thumb. I turned the card over. A series of other restaurant logos decorated the back—seven other restaurant concepts at which the card would be accepted. None of them operated on Kaua’i. This card turned out to be way better than finding a $20 in an old pair of jeans.
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Note to Self: Isn't It Time for a Massage?

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Fri 10/8/2010

Destination: Oahu

You know those days when you say, “Calgon, take me away”? I was having one of those kinds of days when I entered the elevator on the ground floor of Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach and punched PH. Seconds later, the elevator doors drew back on the penthouse floor and presented the Waikiki Plantation Spa. It felt like waking after a long work week realizing it was Saturday. You exhale. Your shoulders relax. You stretch. Sometimes, all it takes is the right environment to put a new spin on your day.
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Zipline Thrills: Screaming Like a Rock Star in Hawaii

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Wed 9/1/2010

Destination: Maui, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Oahu

For some people I know, hiking the Kalalau Trail on Kauai makes them break into a sweat. Others I know won't even think about driving the famous road to Hana. For those people, I do not recommend ziplining. But, if you have a general respect for high places, like I do, and you like speed, like I do, then, you'll love ziplining. It's still a relatively new adventure in Hawaii. In fact, you won't even find ziplining adventures on all the islands.
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Rogue Wave of Laughter Hits Waikiki

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Mon 8/30/2010

Destination: Oahu

The Society of Seven got their start in 1969. You would have probably called them a variety act then. Their success led to a regular gig in Las Vegas. Before they left for the mainland—almost 10 years ago—they trained a troupe to carry on in Waikiki. Through September 20, the Vegas version is home, performing at the showroom at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach.
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Vacations Are Good for Your Health and Marriage

Kim Steutermann Rogers on Thu 8/19/2010

Destination: Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, Oahu

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?
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