You know that drive up Kalanianaole Hwy from town to Makapu’u? I do that pretty often but I’ve never stopped at all those lookout points. I recently decided to drop by each one to check them out. There’s some some really great views out there.

See more »

The moon was full this past weekend. You could already see it glowing bright in the sky in the late afternoon. And when the sun went down, it was still pretty bright out. It was ideal conditions for a nighttime BBQ.

See more »

The 3rd Annual Surf Film Festival is playing at the Honolulu Academy of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre right now. They’ll be showing surf films from July 9th to the 30th. Last week I caught Hanging Five: Five Surfers – Five Artists. It’s about, you guessed it, five artists that surf and create surf inspired art. The movie was entertaining and inspiring but what really stuck with me was the work of one artist in particular – Wolfgang Bloch.

He paints waves. But, they aren’t just any waves, they are moody waves. In the film, they show him scavenging through piles of old wood looking for textures that could create the foundation for a landscape. One piece forms the sand, one forms the sky. Where the two pieces meet, he paints a wave.

The textures, tones and scale of the work sells it. For surfers, there’s nothing better than seeing a perfect peeling wave, with absolutely no one else around.

www.wolfgangbloch.com

It’s nice to have friends with organization skills. A few weeks ago I was informed that a house had been rented for the long 4th of July weekend. It was up in the North Shore and right by the beach.

So why would people that already live in Hawaii, many of us with places walking distance from the beach, rent a house? Well, most of us don’t live in houses. And if we did, it wouldn’t be by the beach (unfortunately I don’t hang out with any millionaires) and it wouldn’t be okay to have 25 people stay overnight. We mostly all work downtown and live in modestly sized apartments around Honolulu. Getting away to spend time in the country is a great respite from the rigors of work. And, sharing a house = better bonding.

This house here is in a small town on the North Shore, just south of La’ie, called Hauula. It’s a good place to rent a house for the weekend. You’ve got some nice beaches around (La’ie Beach Park, Kokololio Beach Park), a Tamura’s Market up the road and most importantly, you’re really far from the city. I’d recommend going in the summer months though as dangerous pounding waves hit the North Shore in the winter.

You can rent out standalone houses in this area for a reasonable price (see craigslist). It just depends on how many bedrooms you’re looking for. Look for something with a backyard and nice porch. You’ll likely want to spend most of your time outside.

See more »

Here’s another beach option for you if you’re up around the northeast side of Oahu. Kokololio Beach Park is just south of Laie Beach Park. The two are very similar but Kokololio is bigger. We checked it out yesterday as it was just up the street from the house some friends rented for the 4th of July weekend. The beach is great for swimming in the summer, there’s sandy bottom and it’s not at all crowded. See full post for more pictures.

See more »