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You are here: Home - Hawaii Travel Ezine - #62 Aloha Festivals
Aloha FestivalsThe and Hawaii ... Travel Ezine, dated 09/01/02, by Lisa Weber
01. Title Article - Aloha Festivals 02. Travel deals - air and room packages, waikiki oceanview room deal, wholesale airfare deals 03. Hawaiian Word - kakani 04. Hawaiian article - Haleakala camping; visitor first-hand experience and advice 05. Featured Website - Waimea Arboretum 06. Featured Links - Issue Sponsors: Tessie's Place on Kauai Afffordable Best Locations on the Big Island Maui Owner Condos Aloha everyone, I hope your Hawaii travel plans are coming along well and you get to come out soon. The weather is splendid, and soon the humpback whales will be back! (December to May). Have a great Hawaii love story? You could win a free trip for two to Hawaii just by sharing it: Lisa Issue Sponsor
01. Aloha FestivalsThis is the time for the Aloha Festivals in Hawaii, but what is the Aloha Festivals?According to the website Aloha Festivals is "Hawai'i's premier cultural showcase, a celebration of Hawai'i's music, dance and history intended to preserve the unique island traditions." Basically, the Aloha Festivals is a two-month long celebration of island culture - which culminates on the Hawaiian traditions, but also includes traditions of other cultures in the islands. It is the *only* statewide cultural celebration in the United States. Aloha Festivals started in 1946, and was originally called Aloha Week, and was originally intended to preserve island traditions. Now that the festivals include 300 events on six islands and span two month, the name has been changed to the more accurate Aloha Festivals. Kauai, Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, Molokai, and Lanai all have celebrations, usually lasting at least a week. You may already be familiar with an Aloha Festivals tradition: the Aloha Festivals Floral parade which is televised nationally as part of the CBS Thanksgiving Day Special, although it is filmed much earlier. This year it will be held on September 14th at 10 am. Other traditions include: The Royal Court Investiture A ceremony ratifying the new King and Queen for each Island for the year, and their court. This dates back to when Hawaii was a monarchy, before the forced advent of Western government. This year's Big Island King has been given the Hawaiian name: Kekanekahekilihoopaepaekahonua Try saying that 5 times fast. It means "The Crashing Thunder that Trembles the Earth" . Traditional Hula and Chants Every island has several opportunities for you to see hula free of charge - on the street, at parades, as part of the entertainment at shops and hotels, and more. Ho'olaule'a Several towns host their own ho'olaule'a during the months of August, September, and October. Ho'olaule'a (ho-oh LAU lay-ah) (the lau rhymes with cow) means celebration, or large party. At a ho'olaule'a you will see hula, contests, lei-making, possibly a parade, bands and music, food, games, and local merchants. Luau You may have to pay to eat the traditional Hawaiian foods at the luau, but the proceeds will probably go to charity. Craft Shows This is where anyone who would like to find authentic and reasonably priced Hawaiian souveneirs should go. You can find traditional crafts and products of several cultures, like Hawaiian Quilts and leis. King's Arrival Practically every island has a version where the royal court arrives by outrigger canoe to kick off some sort of celebration. That's not all there is to the Aloha Festivals either; if you are lucky enough to be in Hawaii during this time, your days and your nights will be filled with types of music, entertainment, and culture you have never seen before. Enjoy! p.s. Aloha Festivals are not the only time that you can see these types of cultural events ... while you are in the islands, pick up a local newspaper and check the datebook pages for a Ho'olaule'a, craft show, hula show, or cultural event. They happen on every island throughout the year for various reasons; such as Merrie Monarch, or to mark an important event. Have fun! Lisa Issue Sponsor
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kakani - (kah kah nee) - noisy
This week, I have some incredible Maui information from a visitor (and former resident) named Linda who would like to share her experience hiking at Haleakala in the spirit of Aloha. Thank you very much Linda! In her first e-mail she told me: "Also, I thought you might feature backpacking through Haleakala. My husband and I took my son and the nephews through and came out Kaupo Gap. It was difficult, but quite spectacular ..... not for the weak of heart because it is physically challanging. I highly recommend the cabins - you can request them based on a lottery. We had Paliku for the night - and it was a welcome refuge from the rain. The wood stove, bunks, and gas stove afforded tremendous pleasure after several hours of hiking through the rain. I hiked into the crater a dozen times in the 70's.... and still found this experience to be a true highpoint of the Hawaii experience. (Although my almost 50 year old body may have complained a little louder) The kids also voted Haleakala as the best event in Hawaii." I wrote back and asked for some details from her experience, and she was nice enough to send me: "To get the cabins in Haleakala, I sent a request in May. The first of each month, they have a "lottery" to choose who gets the cabins based on the requests. The more flexibility one has, the better chance you have to get the nights and location you want. The maximum is three nights. The cost is $40.00 for 1-6 people, and $80.00 for 7-12. They send you a permit if your name is selected that you either pick it up at the ranger station or they mail it to you. The day before you call and get a code for the lock on the doors. I believe you can also call on short notice for cancellations and availability. There are three cabins in the crater. If you start at Sliding Sands Trail, you can go left towards Holua Cabin and walk out the same day. That's a good 13 mile hike and the switchbacks to go back up are brutal, but certainly a fantastic day experience. I would start right after the sunrise though. In the middle of the crater is another cabin, and Paliku is about 9 miles towards the right side. Each cabin has different vegetation and views. You can tent camp also, which also needs a permit obtained at the ranger station. There is no charge. I would say the hike down Kaupo Gap is the hardest on the legs and knees. You need to arrange to have someone pick you up at the trail head, which is about 2 miles up from the Kaupo Store. We did hitchhike back from Kaupo on a couple occasions without difficulty. That may not be a good idea with the Hana local's apparent animosity. (This comment is due to an experience Linda had on the Hana Highway with some impatient young men acting very stupidly and dangerously while trying to get past the tourists on this teeny road) (I personally would never recommend hitchhiking, but if you are gonna do it anyway, Hawaii is a safer-than-most-places place to do it) (back to Linda ... ) I would rate the hike as moderate to strenuous, OK for most any age; if in good physical condition. If coming from sea level, the altitude may be a problem; although, when I lived in Hawaii I hiked the crater without any breathing difficulty. Musts for the trip:
So, again, thanks to Linda! I will feature Haleakala hiking here eventually, and I will include this information again for those who want it, but I didn't want to wait too long to get this out to you!
Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden (Oahu North Shore)
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