Honolulu:  The current fine for using a handheld mobile device while driving is $97.  Effective July 1st, that fine increases to $147.

The two-year old law has seen almost 17,000 drivers cited and over $1.5 Million in fines collected.  (All fines go towards the General Fund, so I guess you can say its helping to balance the budget.)

The easiest way to avoid this fine is to simply stop using your mobile device while driving.  Short of that, you can get a corded headset/ear-piece or wireless bluetooth so you can use your phone hands-free.

There are many states that have various levels of laws against using cellphones and/or texting while driving.  A few states even go as far as to ban any use of cellphones, even hands-free use.

Those who are planning on visiting and renting a car while in Hawaii should take note of this law and consider yourself warned.

Are you a lover of  Japanese-style foods?  If so, you will love what Shirokiya has done with their 2nd floor.  Gone are the rice cookers, the crackers, and decorative furnishings that once filled the space.  The entire 2nd floor has been transformed into purely Japanese fare with ample seating in the center.

Shirokiya New Food Court

You may have picked up from the narration of this short video, that this is the last remaining Shirokiya in the world!  Personally, I was very surprised to hear that, but that just makes it all the more special.

When you think of double-decker buses, you usually have images of London and New York City.  Gray Line has just finished adding a fleet of colorful, open-top, double-decker buses to their Honolulu offerings.  The AlohaBus currently run two of three-lines on an unlimited, on-off basis.

You get unlimited use of the Waikiki – Honolulu Day loop, Pearl Harbor Express, and their night loop for dining and entertainment. (Pearl Harbor Express is operated on a Coach Bus and not the AlohaBus).

You purchase a 24-hour, 48-hour or 72-hour pass and set your own schedule as you get on and off any of their stops at your leisure.  Tickets cost $39, $49, and $59 respectively for adults and $14, $19, and $24 for children.

They currently offer a web special of $10 off adult tickets plus you can get one free child ticket for each adult ticket purchased! That brings prices down where the double-decker AlohaBus becomes a very reasonable alternative to renting a car, fighting traffic, looking for parking, and paying parking fees.

To get these special prices, simply log into their website and purchase your tickets, print out your confirmation email, and redeem them on any AlohaBus.  Or, if you don’t have a printer, simply make note of your reservation number and along with a proper id, you can pick up your tickets at their service center in Waikiki.

There are no seats on the lower-level of the AlohaBus, but fortunately, it doesn’t rain that often in Honolulu.  But, in the event of rain, they do offer ponchos.

One of the features of the new double-decker AlohaBus is that each seat is fitted with GPS-activated narration provided in English, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean and Spanish, featuring fun and unique stories and facts

If nothing else, children will love the added fun of taking in the sights of Waikiki and Honolulu from the unique vantage point of an open-air, roof-level seat of a colorful, double-decker AlohaBus!

As announced months ago, United/Continental Airlines begin direct service between Hilo and Los Angeles this month.  Flights are now available to fly direct between the two cities!

So, there is now one more option available for outer-island visitors looking to avoid the crowds at Honolulu-International (HNL).   And especially for those visitors who are primarily interested in visiting the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to catch the latest action there.  Prices are not exactly bargains at a round-trip fare of $796.90 (again, I just did a quick check and it may be possible to find lower fares).

At the time they announced their intentions to connect LA and Hilo, United/Continental Airlines also indicated that they would offer direct flights between Hilo and San Francisco.  However, that has not yet happened and is apparently not available yet…I checked as far out as the end of this month.

Saturday, June 4, 2011, is the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day!   In recognition, a recent post in The National Parks of the Pacific blog highlighted the only National Trail in Hawaii, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii.  This 175-mile trail runs from near the northern tip of the island, along the coast of Kona, around Ka Lae (South Point) and then back up along the coast till it reaches the border of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Along the way, it passes thru three of the four National Park sites on the island; Puukohola National Historic Site (near Kawaihae Harbor), often overlooked Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (not far from the Kailua-Kona Airport),  and the much more well-known and visited Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Place of Refuge) at Honauna.

Some special events have been scheduled for the day, including a one-hour guided tour at Puuhonua o Honaunau, from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.  Call (808) 328-2326 Ext.1241 for information.

There will be two 45-minutes-to-an-hour guided walks in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, at the summit of Kilauea Volcano.  This is a short 1/2 mile, wheel-chair accessible, paved path.  No, you won’t be seeing any lava activity on this short walk.  Call for information (808) 985-6000.

From 9:30 am till 11:00 am, at the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, hike with a park ranger from the park headquarters through lava fields along the coastline to see ancient fishponds, native birds, sea turtles and other sights.  You will also get to see one of the better preserved examples of petroglyphs.

For the more physically fit and those looking for more of a work out, the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are sponsoring a 5-mile hike leaving from Punaluu State Park, a black sand beach, along the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.  The turn-around point is Kamehame, another black sand beach that is a primary nesting site for honu ‘ea (hawksbill turtles).  There is a fee for this hike, $50 for Friends members and $65 for non-members.  Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price.  Call (808) 985-7373 or visit www.fhvnp.org to register.

Punaluu State Park is located about 2-hours from the hotel area of Kailua-Kona.  You take Highway 11, Mamalahoa Highway, south till you past Ka Lae (South Point) and the southernmost town in the U.S.A., Naalehu.  You may want to stop at the Punaluu Bake Shop, which contrary to its name is located in Naalehu, to grab a bite to eat.  There are no places to eat between Naalehu and Punaluu.

I will end with my usual cautions; remember the sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a cooler of drinks, snacks and sturdy, toe-covering shoes!  This is not flip-flop friendly ground you will be trekking.  You will thank me later.

2011 Merrie Monarch Festival

The week long 2011 Merrie Monarch Festival came to a conclusion on Saturday evening, March 30th.  And, after three nights of competition, the winner this year is…well, if you don’t already know, watch the video…

Merrie Monarch Festival Winner

This link will take you to Big Island Video News and an 18 minute excerpt from the  Halau O Kekuhi opening of the Merrie Monarch Festival Ho’ike.

So, what else did you miss?  You can also follow this link to Channel KFVE, Hawaii’s website to see day by day coverage of the festival.

Another project of the Kona Historical Society is the restoration of the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum.  They have gone through great lengths to research and stock items that would have been in need to the many cowboys (yes, cowboys…”paniolos” in Hawaii) and farmers in the area, circa 1890.

Built in 1870, by Englishman Henry Nicholas Greenwell, the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum is the oldest surviving store in Kona and one of the oldest buildings in the district.  Among its stock you will find accurate reproductions from rope to rice, saddles to wild dog poison, and denim trousers to wool long johns.  Yes, you read that correctly, wool long johns.  It gets cold at night up in the hills above Kona.

The H.N. Greenwell Store Museum is located just north of the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, between mile markers 111 and 112 on Mamalahoa Highway (Hwy 11).  This makes for a great pair of stops that can be made on the same day and if you can manage to do it on a Thursday, all the better.

Portuguese Stone Oven Bread at the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum on Thursdays

On Thursdays, in the pasture behind the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum, volunteers bake Portuguese sweetbread in a stone oven the way they did it a hundred years ago.  The Portuguese first arrived on the Big Island in 1878, and among their many contributions to the Hawaiian way of life, they introduced the now iconic ukelele and the sound of slack key guitar.  The sound of Hawaiian music would be completely different than what we have come to know as Hawaiian music without them.

They also introduced the Forno, or stone oven.  Whether it was a large communal oven or a smaller family forno, its where they made the taste Hawaii adopted as its own, the Pao Duce, now called Hawaiian Sweetbread.   (They are responsible for yet another island favorite, Portuguese sausage.)

To bake bread in a forno, someone has to be there at 6:00 AM to get the wood fire going to heat up the stone oven.  It takes 4-hours for the stone oven to sufficiently heated, then the coals are removed from inside of the oven and the bread is put in to bake in the residual heat stored in the stones.  (To experience this alone is worth visiting the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum.)

The H.N. Greenwell Store Museum is open Mon thru Thur, from 10:00 AM till 2:00 PM.  The Portuguese Stone Oven Baking is done on Thursdays only, between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM.  The bread starts coming out between 12:00 and 12:30 PM and is sold for $7.00 a loaf.    Only 30 loaves fit in the oven, and they are sold on a first come, first served basis, so make sure you time your arrival early enough to get a hold of one…or two.

Admission to the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 5-12, and free for children under 5.

Media release | Fern Gavelek Communications

Leaders of the specialty coffee industry are traveling to the stateʻs largest agricultural district this weekend to learn about award-winning Ka‘ū coffee.

Representing three areas of the US Mainland, they include specialty coffee guru George Howell of Terroir Coffee in Acton, Mass.; Skip Fay of Dunn Bros Coffee in Minneapolis, Minn. and James Freeman of Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland, Calif.

The notable coffee experts are participating in Ka‘ū coffeeʻs inaugural reverse trade mission as part of the third Ka‘ū Coffee Festival May 14-15 at the Pahala Community Center. They will learn first-hand about Ka‘ū coffee during Saturday festival activities, including guided tastings and farm tours. On Sunday, the men will give guest lectures to local coffee farmers at the free Ka‘ū Coffee College.

“We’re pleased and proud that these notable industry leaders are traveling to Ka‘ū to share in our community”, said Chris Manfredi who serves as lead festival organizer. “This strategic initiative to create collaborative relationships will benefit Ka‘ū growers and moves us another step forward on the path toward establishing Ka‘ū as a premium coffee growing origin.”

A pioneer of the specialty coffee movement in the early 1970s, George Howell founded The Coffee Connection, a high-end coffee retailer that was acquired by Starbucks in 1994. He is an expert on single-origin coffee and is a living legend in the industry.

Marshall “Skip” Fay is executive vice president of Dunn Bros Coffee Franchising, Inc. He opened Dunnʻs first franchised coffee house and roastery in 1994. Today there are 90 locations.

Named one of the New York Times’ “Nifty 50,” James Freeman is on coffee’s radar for his Blue Bottle coffee company in San Francisco’s Bay Area. Freeman’s network of coffee carts and cafes offer carefully made coffee drinks and he is committed to selling beans “less than 48 hours out of the roaster.”

The Ka‘ū Coffee Festival comes on the heels of recent coffee industry awards garnered by brews that hail from the rural southern end of the Big Island. Kailiawa Farm earned a Coffee of the Year award in the 2011 Specialty Coffee Association of Americaʻs (SCAA) annual international cupping competition. More than 120 specialty coffee submissions, representing 17 countries, competed in Houston. This marks the fifth consecutive year Ka‘ū coffees have placed at or near the top of international competition. Manfredi first introduced Ka‘ū to intentional competition in 2007 and his company, Ka‘ū Farm and Ranch, LLC, has sponsored the entries every year since.

On May 3, Hawai‘iʻs Pete Licata used Ka‘ū and Kona coffees to be the first from the 50th State to win the U.S. Barista Championship. The event is the culmination of 10 regional competitions organized by SCAA in which competitors produce espresso, cappuccinos and original signature drinks to exacting standards. Licata, of Honolulu Coffee Co., travels to Bogota, Columbia, June 2-5 to vie in the prestigious World Barista Championship.

All coffee-industry related activities at the Ka‘ū Coffee Festival are open to the general public; some require a fee.

Guided coffee tastings are $5 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and will be led by Licata and a host of coffee experts: Miguel Meza, coffee-quality consultant and co-owner of Isla Coffee Company; Dr. Shawn Steinman, coffee scientist and owner of Coffea Consulting; Andrew Hetzel, founder/director Cafemakers LLC; and Lorie Obra of Rusty’s Hawaiian Coffee, 2010 Grand Champion Hawaii Coffee Assoc. Cupping Competition.

Coffee farm tours are $10 throughout Saturday and Sunday and the Ka‘ū Coffee College is free. With the exception of the 1 p.m. recipe contest sampling for $5, all other festival activities are free, including a full day of entertainment headlined by Cyril Pahinui.

The Ka‘ū Coffee Festival is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. For a complete lineup of activities for the entire family, visit www.kaucoffeefestival.com; and follow the Ka‘ū Coffee Festival on Facebook and Twitter at kaucoffeefest.