Best of Hawaii Island

It’s Best Of time again—when readers share their picks for the best of Hawai‘i Island. We at HIJ always love hearing from readers and are delighted that so many of you let us know what’s on your mind throughout the year. But when the Best Of ballots come in and we’re gathering results, this is when we hear from the greatest number of you on the greatest number of topics.

Many responses are predictable and reassuring. For example, we suppose it’s theoretically possible that you won’t name Ken’s House of Pancakes as the best place for breakfast in East Hawai‘i, but as long as they’re open we can’t seriously imagine that happening. On the other hand, we always get some surprise results (like the island resident you voted Best Artist, yet she’s never exhibited here).

As always, some categories were blowouts, while other were surprisingly close—with only a vote or two separating several choices. We’ve also included a few picks that HIJ staffers personally like, and think you will too.

Best Farmer’s Markets: Many have strong opinions on this. One’s favorite seems to be based geography and convenience—you shop where you live. But many markets have unique characteristics: the Hilo Farmers’ Market probably has the widest selection of different products. You liked Maku‘u Market for “the social scene” and the fact that it has live music. In fact, several readers mentioned community building as one of the main functions of the market—to give neighbors a regular gathering place, while at the same time providing an outlet for local farmers.

A couple of your choices puzzled us. Instead of naming the best place to camp on the island one reader discouraged camping anywhere as “too dangerous.” We don’t think so. Camping, especially in one of the beach parks (get your permit) is one of the sublime pleasures of our island home.

In response to another question, you also named a wide range of “unsung local heroes” who epitomize Ben Franklin’s dictum: “It is better to live humbly for a cause than die gloriously for it.” There are some truly amazing people on this island—we’ll be telling you about some of them in future editions.

Health N Wellness

Top Doc
by Toni M. Todd
There’s a prevailing theme this year in readers’ choices for favorite medical and alternative medical practitioners. Apparently, when people seek treatment, they appreciate a doctor who listens. This is what Office Manager Chris Lindsey says sets Dr. Susan Lawton apart.
Lawton is a Family Practice Doctor with an office in Kamuela. She treats babies to elders for all manner of conditions, illnesses and injuries.
Dr. Lawton has been on the island for just a couple of years, but has already acquired a devoted following. Unfortunately for those who live outside the Waimea area, she is not taking any new patients. Dr. Lawton works just two and a half days each week and has appointments booked solid until October.
Dr. Susan Lawton
Waimea, 885-7351
Alt. Medical Practitioners
Dr. Jacqui Hahn relishes her alternative moniker. Still, she says, “I’m a scientist underneath it all.” In addition to her degree from National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore., she has other sheepskins, including a B.S. in microbiology and another in public health. She’s also a licensed massage therapist, a medical technician and has an associate’s degree in animal health.
The most satisfying part of her job, she says, is “empowering others,” to take control of their own well being.
Eve de Molin was pleasantly surprised to learn she was a runner-up in the category.
Like fellow faves, she attributes her success to a focus on the individual. De Molin is a licensed acupuncturist, nutritionist and massage therapist with a B.S. in psychology. De Molin has been a fixture here for eight years. She practiced 21 years prior to that on O‘ahu.
Jacquiline Hahn, N.D.
Hilo, 969-7848
Eve de Molin L.Ac.
Hilo, 938-6341
Another reader favorite was Scott Lee, who runs the Acupuncture Clinic in Hilo. Lee has built up a loyal following during his years of service to the community.
Scott Lee
The Acupuncture Clinic, 969-6819

Yoga Studio
Fear not, teetering primates—any form of exercise that motivates its late night students with chocolate could entice even the most reticent to give it a try. That, along with some enthusiastic, fun-loving teachers, has made Balancing Monkey our readers’ favorite yoga studio.
Co-owner Heather Heintz is stoked in a “You like me, you really like me,” Sally-Fields-receiving-the-Oscar sort of way. She found it easy to think of reasons why her studio was voted number one.
“I imagine it is for the same reasons we like it: the casual space, the lighting just right, the love of practice that our teachers communicate,” she says. On their Balancing Monkey Web site, Heintz and business partner Jennifer Weinert refer to themselves as “casual yoginis.”
“Wanting to explore our own personal limits, those limits absolutely challenged—while at the same time laughing at ourselves,” continues Heintz. “The late night two-hour sessions where dark chocolate bars are always present for the tasting in the middle of the studio floor, the hui of monkeys that help to keep the studio thriving, the open invitation for all levels to come enjoy the practice of yoga, the funky monkey special, the subtle teachings of yoga philosophy casually woven into each class.”
It seems Heather could go on and on. Suffice it to say, at Balancing Monkey, even if a yoga practitioner never achieves total balance, he or she will have a great time trying.
Yoga Centered is the runner up with a heart. This studio recently began offering a donation-based yoga class on Fridays at noon. All proceeds collected for the hour are given to the selected local charity or non-profit of the month.
The folks at Yoga Centered offer this class in hopes of inspiring the Hilo community to practice Karma Yoga, the yoga of selfless giving. Through Karma Yoga, they learn the art of non-attachment to their actions, of simply giving to others without expecting anything in return. In each class, the teachers share ways in which community members can practice their own Karma Yoga for the selected organization. They encourage participants to bring ideas for local charities that need support.
The word shala means “healing abode.” That’s the prefect description of Eastside Yoga Shala in Pahoa. The studio opened three years ago and has become a community center of sorts, hosting not only yoga classes, but virtually any community group or event in need of a space.
“We teach Ashtanga Yoga,” says Rivas. Ashtanga is a form founded by guru Sri K Pattavhi Jois in Mysore, India. Armando and his wife Colee teach this method to class members individually. Rivas explains that once a student learns the basics, an instructor is there to help perfect the poses with a hands-on touch.
Eastside Yoga Shala is located on the main drag through Pahoa, just north of Paul’s Repair and kitty-corner Jan’s Barber Shop.
Honorable mention goes Kona Yoga, which specializes in Iyengar yoga, a form that combines meditation with movement. Instructors Barbara Uechi and Don Slocum, are frequently joined by guest instructors. “Once people get into the practice,” she believes, “it’s the yoga itself that keeps them coming back.”
Balancing Monkey Yoga Center
Hilo, 936-9590
balancingmonkey.com
Eastside Yoga Shala
Pahoa, 965-0010
eastsideyogahawaii.com
Yoga Centered
Hilo, 934-7233
yogacentered.com
Kona Yoga
Kailua-Kona, 331-1310

Best Vet
Readers name Ali‘i Veterinary Hospital the best vets on the island. Owners Dr. Aaron Lorshbough and Dr. Elizabeth Jose work out of both locations, as does Dr. Maria Jose. “As a vet that really tickles me,” said Dr. Lorshbough when we told him he’d won. “As with any health care business, it’s a team effort. It’s not just an honor for me, but I’m really proud of our staff as well as our clients and their wonderful pets.”
Ali‘i Veterinary Hospital
Keauhou, 322-9133
Ocean View, 929-8231
Honorable mention: Dr. Stanley Levin at the Kohala Pet Clinic in Kapa‘au. 889-6405.

Arts N Entertainment

Arts Orgs
by Yvonne Hortillo
Any visitor who inquires about local art galleries will be directed to Hilo’s East Hawai‘i Cultural Center. Since 1967, EHCC’s goals have been to preserve traditional and creative Hawaiian arts, provide the community a venue for arts, and to coordinate resources and activities among East Hawaii cultural organizations.
A full fall is scheduled at the EHCC: Noh drama theater, the 2007 Fiber Art Invitational Exhibition, and the playwrighting workshops are scheduled for September. The Trash Art Show and music workshops are scheduled for October. The Fall Arts Festival and the Toastmasters Storytelling happen in November. In December, the winner of the 2007 EHCC Playwrighting Workshop will be announced.
All of these events occur simultaneously with an ongoing book sale, fundraising art exhibit, and classes in children’s theater, dance, slack key, painting, drawing, yogilates, mask-making, floral art, stained glass and glass-making. Their latest achievements include successfully raising $40,000 in membership dues for 2006-2007.
The Society for Kona’s Education and Art lacks a gallery space to match EHCC’s, but offers many similar services to the community. One unique aspect of SKEA is their “Art of Learning” program: Volunteer artists are paired with a public school to teach video, pottery, drawing, painting, printmaking and other crafts. This fills the community’s need, reflected nationally, for the arts and music courses that many public schools are no longer hiring personnel to teach.
SKEA is also known for offering unusual classes such as Polynesian dance, sumi-e, tai chi, natural birthing, along with ukulele, pottery, papermaking, painting, drawing quilting and pilates. They have regular Indian Dinners to celebrate culture, and in 2006 ukulele students participated in the annual Kailua Christmas Parade. Their historic buildings (which once held a Japanese schoolhouse and teacher’s cottage, and later HIJ’s offices) are available for rent to community orginizations.
The runners-up:
The Aloha Performing Arts Company has consistently maintained a professional standard in the performing arts. Gleaning from local talent, the theater company has offered an impressive offering of plays and musicals for 2007: Bye, Bye Birdie in January, Urinetown in March, Noises Off this past June, and two offerings in October: Honk, Jr. and The Rocky Horror Show.
Directors with APAC’s Original Play Festival XIV have selected five plays from 25 received nationwide. All the selected playwrights come from Hawaii, with four from the Big Island. A staged reading is scheduled for Aug. 15 to 18 at the Christ Church Episcopal Community Center on Konawaena School Road in Kealakekua; admission is $5 with $1 off each ticket stub for subsequent night’s admission.
APAC is also known for its Aloha Teen Theater summer workshops. Most performances are held in the famous Aloha Theater and Performing Arts Center, which had just been honored as the historical site of the year by the Kona Historical Society.
The Waimea Arts Council, founded in 1980, depends upon an all-volunteer network of artists to donate docent hours and work to the council’s causes: promoting the arts, encouraging artists and providing the community a place for art-related events. The council’s children’s classes culminate in an annual show in the spring, and its adult workshops give participants a break from the analytical side of their brains: For one event, scientists from the Keck Observatory were once invited to a weekend to make a mosaic out of broken tiles.
Funding comes primarily from donations, so the gallery relies on devoted artists, who stay with the gallery because they learn not only the business of managing a gallery, but also the craft and art to which they’ve chosen.
Currently on display at the council’s Firehouse Gallery is Merna Joan “Ululani” Watta’s collection, Then And Now, of which a 16x20 matted print, “Polynesian Heat: The Fire Dancer” is up for fundraising drawing.
East Hawai‘i Cultural Center
Hilo, 961-571
ehcc.org
Society for Kona’s Education & Art
Honaunau, 328-9392
skea.org
Aloha Performing Arts Company
Kealakekua, 322-9924
apachawaii.org
Waimea Arts Council
Kamuela, 887-1052
waimeaartscouncil.org

Art Galleries
Located on Kamehameha Avenue in on the Hilo Bayfront near the popular Cafe Pesto, is Grove Gallery, one of the two galleries readers voted best on the island.
Gretchen Grove has assembled a striking collection of art objects for sale: lava plates, ceramic clocks, quilts, pareos, divider curtains, wood turned bowls, Hawaiian ornaments, wooden wine stoppers, soaps, paintings, photography, and her own collection of original hand-painted greeting cards.
The L-shaped space designed for the Kailua Village Artists Gallery at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel seems more like the National Gallery gift shop, a prime space for visitors to purchase that token Hawaiian gift. The paintings reflect Pacific and Hawaiian themes; there are glass tropical fish, unique teapots and pottery, wood turning, nature photography, fabric, metal, tiles and jewelry. There are books, prints of paintings, and greeting cards.
Member artists volunteer at the co-op gallery daily, as well as a partner gallery at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Hotel on Ali‘i Drive. Across the hall is a room being renovated, which the co-op has occasionally used for various functions. Two large paintings are spotlighted in this room. The monochromatic painting show Elvis Presley, Marlene Dietrich, and other pop stars claiming love for Hawaii lining the painting’s bottom. Dominating the frame is a large, parked two-engine seaplane, and servants rowing a proud Queen Lilioukalani ashore.
Runners up:
The Firehouse Gallery is a project of the Waimea Arts Council. Currently on display is Merna Joan “Ululani” Watta, who has already sold three pieces from her “Then And Now” collection.
Watta says she and her fellow artists don’t get paid, but that it was payment enough to be working in the gallery, learning from peers, and having a space to display her work.
The East Hawaii Cultural Center is also noted for their efforts at raising funds during their membership drive. EHCC had reached their $40,000 goal in membership dues this summer. They’re raising the bar next year to $45,000.
The center’s many classes open to the community are also notable - most of them are currently on display at the center’s first floor. The playwriting workshops and the subsequent contest in December are also a great way for writers in the community to stretch their wings - especially if the story happens to be Hawaiian written by a budding Hawaiian scribe. —YH
The Grove Gallery
Hilo
961-4420 or 866-657-0400
thegrovegallery.com
Kailua Village Artists Gallery
Kailua-Kona, 329-6653
Waimea Arts Council
Waimea, 887-1052
waimeaartscouncil.com
East Hawaii Cultural Center
Hilo, 961-5711
ehcc.org
The Gallery at Bamboo
Hawi, 889-1441
bamboorestaurant.info/gallery.htm
Ka Huina Gallery
Hilo, 935-4420
kahuina.org

Radio Personality
“You gotta listen,” says Tommy Ching, popularly known as Kahikina. “You gotta make sure that people and community come first.”
One way Kahikina puts community first is his annual island-wide food drive. And he makes it a point to listen to every caller, whether it’s a request, dedication, or complaint about the traffic.
“Sometimes, you just gotta let people vent,” he says.
Big Islanders can catch Kahikina on the air from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays on KAPA FM, 100.3 in Hilo and 99.1 in Kona.
Coming in second was Darrin Carlson, better known as DC. He’s on the air 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays on B97 in Hilo.
30-year radio veteran Skylark Rossetti (an HIJ staff special fave) receives an Honorable Mention for her Mid-Day Kanikapila show on KAPA, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. Skylark’s show also includes the Kanaka Hour, 50 minutes of Hawaiian-language music.
Also receiving Honorable Mention is Sherry Bracken, on KANO, 91.1 FM, Hilo and KKUA, 90.7 FM, Kona. Bracken also hosts Island Issues, Sunday mornings on KKOA, KOA Country, 107.7 FM at 6:30 a.m. and on KBGX, Lava, 105.3 FM at 8 a.m.—TIG

Island Music Festival: A Tie!
As vibrant as our island’s music scene is, it was truly a feat to find a winner in this category: the Big Island Hawaiian Music Festival.
This year’s Hawaiian Music Festival, held on July 21 and 22, featured Ku‘uipo Kumukahi, Diane Aki, Brittni Paiva, Harold Kama Sr., Darlene Ahuna, and Brother Noland and others onstage at the Hilo High School Auditorium.
Look for next year’s Big Island Hawaiian Music Festival, held by the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, toward the end of July.
In second place is the eagerly-awaited KWXX Hilo Ho‘olaule‘a, part of the annual Aloha Festivals. The multi-stage event closes Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo, and attendance is estimated at about 20,000 music fans every year.
One reader likes Ho‘olaule‘a because there are “lots of bands in one location. The whole family with eclectic tastes can go together.” Ho‘olaule‘a also earned votes with its admission price: free.
This year’s event will be held on September 29.
Also mentioned frequently was the Waikoloa ‘Ukulele Festival, now in its 8th year.—TIG

Island Artist
A surprise
With hundreds of artists living on this Island to choose from, the voting for Best Artist can stretch a bit thin: the perfect recipe for dark horses. This year, a number of established artists, in-cluding Ira Ono, Arthur Johnson and Tomas Belsky, drew multiple votes. (A favorite of the Journal staff is Belsky, well known for his often-political, always liberal and frequently satiric works, such as the mural depicting the history of labor in Hawai‘i on the construction wall around the new Judiciary building site. And there are the hidden penises in his posters).
But the biggest vote-getter was a true surprise: a Waimea artist who has lived here for four years but has not yet exhibited locally: Heidi Paine.
Paine has exhibited and sold her jewelry, pastels and abstract paintings elsewhere, including St. Louis and California. She’s been somewhat distracted recently by the birth of her daughter, but hopes to have some of her gold jewelry on exhibit at Kim Wheeler Goldsmiths in Waimea within a month.
Paine makes her jewelry by lost-wax casting or by the “shell structure technique” (which involves stretching the metal into shape). Her abstract paintings and pastels often work in a way similar to macro photography, blowing small bits of nature up onto much-larger-than-lifesize canvases, forcing the eye to focus on three-dimensional forms that might have been missed in the general chaos of raw experience.
When we called Paine up and told her she’d won, she seemed just as baffled as we were. She apparently gained her surprise win through word of mouth and the loyalty of her friends, though she maintained that “I didn’t ask them to do that.”—ADM

Civic Doodies

Govt. Agency
by Alan D. McNarie
Sometimes our readers seem a bit fickle. Two years ago, they voted the County’s Planning Department the most effective government agency. This year, they voted it the least effective. Coming in at second place for this dubious honor was a perennial anti-favorite, the Dept. of Ed/Board of Ed.
Planning Director Chris Yuen and his employees (as well as the BOE/DOE) can take a little consolation from the fact that they were far from overwhelming “winners” in this category. Votes were scattered among an alphabet soup of 17 different county, state and federal agencies, including the County’s Public Works and Parks and Rec; the State Dept of Health and Dept. of Transportation, the Pohakuloa Training Area, the Federal DEA, INS and IRS.
Results were equally scattered (but with far fewer votes cast over all) in the Most Effective Government Organization category. The County’s Property Tax Office got a couple of votes—but also had one vote for Least Effective; County Parks and Rec also got votes both ways. Individual readers apparently had good feelings for the DMV judiciary system; even the fractious County Council, the IRS, and the President of the United States got votes. But there were no clear favorites, much less overwhelming ones. Most readers didn’t have a very high opinion of government in general. Maybe that’s one reason why we have such low voter turnouts here on the poll that really matters: it happens every other November.
Grassroots/Enviro Org
A dead tie between two old favorites: the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy.
The Sierra Club tends to move in the political, legal and educational arenas. It lobbied successfully for the passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2007 by the Hawai‘i State Leg-islature, for instance, setting up a program to cut the state’s greenhouse emissions back to 1999 levels by the year 2020. The club put its phone trees and mailing lists to work to help pass the 2 Percent Land Initiative and to elect County Council members who favored sustainable development. It joined in the legal and lobbying effort on the Hokulia case in Kona. And its Outings Committee plans trips to acquaint people with areas that deserve preservation. This August, for instance, it’s sponsoring a trail-clearing service project at Lokoaka Pond in Keaukaha and a moonlit kayaking outing on Hilo Bay.
The Nature Conservancy facilitates the purchase and management of endangered lands. On this island it manages three wilderness areas: Kamehameha Beach in Ka‘u, a prime nesting beach for Hawksbill turtles; the Kona Hema Preserve in South Kona, an ancient forest that’s home to endangered native birds and the Hawaiian Hoary Bat; and four parcels adjoining the Ka‘u Forest Preserve, which the Conservancy bought from a C. Brewer subsidiary so the state could have management access to the preserve area.
Both organizations are superb at building coalitions.
“Our success stems from a level of cooperation among and between local groups,” believes Paul Campbell, who heads the Moku Loa Group, the Sierra Club’s Hawai‘i Island arm. He points to the example of the group’s alliance with pig- and bird-hunting groups to lobby for the reopening of the cabins at Mauna Kea State Park. It works closely with Native Hawaiian groups on environmental issues from the Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument to the summit of Mauna Kea.
The Nature Conservancy is a part of two coalitions to manage large forest tracts as watersheds: the Kohala Watershed Management Partnership (with such diverse players as the DLNR and DHHL, Parker Ranch and Surety Kohala) and the ‘Ola‘a-Kilauea Partnership (with Kamehameha Schools and six state and federal agencies), which manages a huge swath of upland forests on Mauna Loa, Kilauea and Hualalai. It also played a role in the acquisition of land at Honuapo, next to Whittington Beach in Ka‘u, The Conservancy’s John Replogle brought in another powerful player, the Trust for Public Lands, to purchase the land parcel until the County could come up with funds to acquire it. Thanks in part to that intervention, the county’s largest beach park was created.
Local conservation groups are so closely intertwined that asking which is best is irrelevant. Members of one group are often members of the other; and often testify as private citizens at public hearings. The organizations fill slightly different niches, but the individuals, working together for a common cause, make those organizations effective. —ADM
Sierra Club/
Moku Loa Group
hi.sierraclub.org/Hawaii/mokuloa.html
Nature Conservancy
nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/hawaii/

Favorite Activist
It’s a tie between two people who are both key figures in the controversy over radiation monitoring on the island: long-time antiwar activist Jim Albertini, who’s dominated this category in the past; and local nurse/playwright/actor Lindafaye Kroll.
Nobody on the island has more solid credentials as a committed nonviolent activist than Albertini, who did prison time for trespassing on a nuclear submarine base in Washington State in 1977, and again in 1988 after he swam into Hilo Harbor to block a Navy frigate that may have been carrying nuclear weapons. He’s been instrumental in organizing the antiwar vigils every Friday at the Federal Building in Hilo; anti-Stryker protests on the Saddle Road; anti-arsenic protests over Shipman’s plans to build a hotel on an arsenic-contaminated site in Pahoa, and numerous other nonviolent protests. When the controversy erupted over abnormally high radiation readings--and the suspicion that they may have been generated by DU from Pohaku-loa--Albertini was one of the few civilians on the island who had a geiger counter and knew how to use it.
While Albertini is the master of the old-fashioned, sign-waving protest, Kroll has found a different medium for her message. A nurse-educator who’s been fighting the military’s use of depleted uranium for years, she’s best known for Ten Fingers, 10 Toes, the one-woman play that she co-authored and stars in, , which dramatizes the plight of returning veterans who’ve been exposed to radiation from depleted uranium munitions..
Both Kroll and Albertini have mastered another new tool: the e-mail alert. Both constantly monitor and pass on information about DU and related topics in Web mails to other activists--and the press, and, of course, the politicians. Their networks of co-activists can thus place instant pressure on the politicos when a hot issue comes up. —ADM

Best Blog
“Hyperlocal media” is the buzzword du jour, and HIJ readers are right on board with their favorite blogs and Web sites.
Aaron Stene has been running his Kona-focused blog since October, 2005. Stene describes himself as “a longtime kama’aina who is very concerned about the direction of this island.”
He’s a true citizen journalist with opinions about all things Kona and a willingness to share them in both the New Media and the Old (he often comments on coverage in local media, especially West Hawaii Today, and publishes his letters that the WHT doesn’t).
Journalist Hunter Bishop started his Puna-centric blog on July 22, 2006, “about six months after I was fired by the Tribune-Herald.”
Both Stene and Bishop give their take on local issues and provide comment space for readers; Bishop sees this instant two-way communication and instant access to the discussion as real advantages.
“Your opinion will be out there,” he tells his readers.
Well—most of the time. Bishop moderates his blog and there are comments he won’t post.
“I don’t post anonymous comments to trash other people. I believe everybody should identify themselves, but I understand the reasons some people don’t,” he says. He was able to determine that at least one County worker was posting from work, using various aliases.
One criticism of bloggers, as opposed to traditional journalists, is there is no “second set of eyes” looking at content before it’s published: the lack of an editorial oversight system that tries to ensure the information presented is as accurate and fair as possible. Most troubling gaff for Bishop?
“The time I [incorrectly] reported that Carolyn Lucas was fired from West Hawaii Today. I relied on a single source and did not verify.”
On the other hand, Bishop’s accuracy batting average is at least as good as the local dailies— probably better because he concentrates most of his efforts in Puna and is by far the best-connected journalist around covering that beat.
The credibility of blogs, like that of newspapers, depends on the credibility of those running them.
“It’s not the medium, but the use,” Bishop notes.
Reader’s favorite local Web site: the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory site. —PS ¬
Hunter Bishop
hunterbishop.com
Aaron Stene
aaronstene.blogspot.com
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
hvo.wr.usgs.gov

Food & Drink

Breakfast
Mos Broke-Da-Mouth
Ken’s Pancake House has had a lock on this category on the East Side for like, forever. The Hilo institution is one of those places where everyone expects the tables to look a bit worn and shabby, because there are so many people and the place is open 24 hours so there’s no time to replace the tables when they get a little worn, and the food is so good that who cares?
For breakfast, Ken’s has three big advantages: first, they serve breakfast all day and all night (and a whole lot of other things, too, but a lot of people never get past the breakfast menu); second, they have a huge and tasty menu, with everything from the classic bacon-egg-and-pancake comfort breakfast to such exotic variations as Crab Cakes Benedict (or compromises such this writer’s personal favorite, Crab Cakes and Eggs.) Third, the portions are so huge that the biggest blalah couldn’t want more. And fourth, the waitresses not only know what they’re doing, they seem to enjoy it and find time to be friendly. (Big shock for visitors from Kona.)
Our West Side winner (and one of our 2006 Best New Restaurants) is another repeater: U-Top-It. It’s a bit more European and upscale than Ken’s, with specialties such as crepes and “Smart Carb Plates,” though the prices are very reasonable. And the food is uniformly delicious. U-Top-It is one of those little mom-and-pop labors of love, run by Curtis and Leslie Masuda. Chef Curtis used to work at fancy resort restaurants, before finding a little hole-in-the-wall off Ali‘i Drive where he could cook the food he wanted to cook. There’s no ocean view, but you get as good a meal as you’d get anywhere in Kona.—ADM
Ken’s Pancake House
Hilo, 935-8711
U-Top-It
Kailua-Kona, 329-0092

Best Place for Dancing
The best place for dancing nude without interruption is…okay that wasn’t the question, but HIJ readers say the best place for getting down is in the very comfort of their own home. Runner up for hottest dance spot was the forest. Ok guys, haha, I guess that means turning up your music to drown out the coqui choir.
All silliness aside, the hippest place to see and be seen east side of Mauna Kea is the Emerald Orchid in its cush downtown Hilo location. Once the sun goes down, the dinner tables disappear to reveal the dimly-lit dance floor. But dancing isn’t the only activity available, the newly renovated bar/restaurant now has an outdoor seating area called Leilana’s Lounge, and a game room complete with darts, pool, shuffle board, and a karaoke machine. All the owners need do to reach local cabaret heaven is to skip up to Honolulu and pick up some of the retro-tiki fixtures and fittings from the classic tiki lounges now closing down.
Kona-side? The winner (and virtually the only West-side place to get more than a vote or two) was the now-shuttered Durty Jakes. We know HIJ readers are not just a bunch of wallflowers, so maybe there’s a opportunity for someone to open a boppin’ local dance spot in Kona that’s as good as the Emerald Orchid.—KH
Emerald Orchid
Hilo
961-6400

Thai Restaurant
Sombat Saenguthai’s hit Pad Thai Sauce isn’t the only thing that’s selling briskly these days – readers voted her Sombat’s Restaurant in Hilo this year’s best original Thai restaurant. Royal Thai Cafe in Kailua-Kona and Thai Thai Restaurant in Volcano tie for runners-up.
Thai food is traditionally spicy - but Saenguthai balances hot and spicy with fresh and natural that the bit of heat in her food is not unpleasant. She uses herbs she grows herself, and buys vegetables, fruit and other herbs from local farms and greenhouses.
Try the Fresh Basil Rolls with Shrimp - four tight rolls with bean sprouts, mixed green salad, fresh basil and shrimp with honey dressing: Crisp, fresh greens complement lime-flavored shrimp and Thai spices. Or the Pineapple Fried Rice - shrimp, chicken, cashew nuts, raisins, cilantro and pineapple, served in a halved pineapple shell and garnished with fresh orchids.
Sombat’s serves generous portions and there is enough space between tables, giving diners privacy.
Winning the 2005 best Thai restaurant and runner-up this year, the Royal Thai Cafe offers a great view of the ocean with a prime location onAli‘i Drive. An anonynmous reviewer online at Igougo.com has nothing but praise for the pineapple curry: “I really can’t think of words that would accurately describe how delicious this was. Every speck (literally) of this was eaten up and even though our stomachs were full, we were wanting more. Pure delight, I tell you,” he said.
Thai Thai in Volcano is known for serving tourists hungry after a trek around Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The menu is primarily Thai seafood dishes. Reviewers online called the massaman beef curry sauce “deep and complex” and the red curry as some of the best they have ever had this side of Bangkok.—YH
Sombat’s
Hilo, 969-9336
Royal Thai Cafe
Kailua-Kona, 322-8424
Thai Thai Restaurant
Volcano, 967-7969

Sushi
by Kelleen Lum
Located in the Keauhou Shopping Center, Kenichi Pacific hosts a large sushi bar, cocktail bar, outdoor patio, and a dining area with shadowy lighting and modern décor. The sushi menu shines with fresh sashimi, generous nigiri, and creative special rolls. Try the “Hawaiian roll” featuring spicy seared ahi, or the “Kenichi Special” roll: inside-out with crab, avocado and roe. Besides the sushi bar, the restaurant offers a full menu of tempting appetizers, Japanese and fusion food, and delectable dessert specials, like a meltingly sinful molten chocolate cake with Kona coffee chip ice cream.
In second place was Sushi Rock in Hawi. Chef Rio Miceli melds traditional Japanese techniques with modern local tastes at this popular sushi bar, located in the Beyond Boundaries storefront. Sushi Rock now has a full bar and live music on weekends. Try the Kohala Inside-Out roll with ahi poke, papaya, cucumber and macadamia, or the Baited Hook: a double serving of ahi roll and ahi sashimi.
Kenichi Pacific
Keauhou, 322-6400
Sushi Rock
Hawi, 889-5900

Place to Buy Local Fish
by Kelleen Lum
As our readers have discovered, individual fishermen with Commercial Marine Licenses can sell whole fresh fish right off the boats as they come into the Honokahau and Kawaihae harbors. However, most fishermen sell to distributors or wholesalers, and processed fish (filets, poke, etc.) needs to be purchased from distributors or prepared in certified commercial kitchens. Since Marina Seafood in Honokahau recently closed, the closest distributor to the West harbors is La‘au’s Seafood near Kawaihae Harbor. Our favorite markets for fresh fish are Suisan in Hilo and KTA Superstores islandwide.

Wine Store
Kona Wine Market is a favorite for finding that special bottle of wine, distinctive liqueurs, gourmet foods, and even fine cigars. The staff is very knowledgeable and always enthusiastic and excited to talk about wine.
Tucked back in an unassuming white storefront is Kamuela Liquors, Alvin Wakayama’s popular and much beloved wine, liquor, and gourmet foods store. Many of the locals in Waimea treat Alvin’s as their personal wine cellar, especially the chilled back room with its aged reds. The Kamuela Liquor Store suffered mightily in last year’s October 15 quake, and many a resident neglected their own houses and businesses to help them clean up the broken bottles. This year, Alvin has added an impressive cheese collection in their back refrigerators. Don’t miss the Friday evening wine tastings.—KL
Kona Wine Market
Kailua Kona, 329-9400
konawinemarket.com
Kamuela Liquor Store
Kamuela, 885-4674
Honorable Mentions:
Cost-U-Less,
Hilo, 933-3030
Kadota’s Liquors
Hilo, 935-1802

Best Omiyage
Over the past 30 years Big Island Candies has established itself as a Hawai‘i Island institution. Founded in 1977 by Allan Ikawa (who remains in charge), the company’s product line has grown from macadamia nut and chocolate candies to include shortbreads, truffles, sugar-free candies, and even chocolate-dipped ika (cuttlefish strips).
By far their most popular product is their signature item, the chocolate-dipped mac nut short bread, according to Chief Operating Officer Sherrie Hollie. She says that her two personal favorites are the Corn Chip Crunch Bar (corn chips and peanut butter, coated in milk chocolate) and the chocolate-covered mochi balls.
Hollie can’t tell us exactly how much candy Big Island Candies produces annually, but says it’s “a lot.” That’s a lot of yum.
Kona coffee was also voted one of the best products on the mainland. Of course it’s one of the island’s best products: it’s what we’re known for.
Unless someone on the mainland was a big fan of Pepsi’s short-lived coffee/cola product Pepsi Kona, their first association with Kona, or the Big Island for that matter, often is gourmet coffee. And while Ka‘u, Hamakua and Puna coffees are certainly nothing to sneeze at, they have yet to develop the brand recognition Kona has.
If it’s Kona coffee, you’re at no loss for retailers on Hawai‘i Island. Most residents need not even set foot in a store to get some. Chances are a cousin, a co-worker, or a co-worker’s cousin can come through with a couple of pounds, no problem. There are also farmers’ markets where you can usually buy estate-grown beans directly from the grower. If you’re in a hurry, you can’t be too far from Long’s and its extensive aisle of pure and blended Kona coffee products.
In the Konawaena area you can always drive down Napo‘opo‘o Road and stop by the Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative. They’ve got plenty of coffee and other locally grown agricultural products, with pictures of the co-op members on the wall of the shop, reminding you just whose toil produced such fruit.¬—BT
Big Island Candies
Hilo, 935-8890
bigislandcandies.com
Kona Pacific Farmer’s Co-op
Napo‘opo‘o, 328-2411

View While Dining
by Ben Tucker
Located on the makai side of Mamalahoa Hwy. in Honaunau, The Coffee Shack has truly been blessed by its hillside location above Bishop Estates-owned coffee land, with a view of 26 miles of coastline from Kealakekua Bay to Ho‘okena—and there’s nary a bad seat in the house.
The Shack has a great selection of fresh baked goodies, and quite a generous double espresso.
Originally a Buddhist mission, according to co-owner Jim Kerver, the building dates back to the 1930s. It was then a coffee processing plant, and has been operating as a restaurant since the early ‘90s.
The Coffee Shack is a family-owned business, operated by Jim and Melany Kerver and their daughter Jenny.
The runner-up: Hooters in Kailua-Kona. Some of our more lecherous readers might assume this has to do with the servers, not the landscape. Well, stop drooling and listen up!
Manager Maricris Buen describes the view as spectacular.
“It’s the truth. We block Bubba Gump’s view. We have two decks to watch the sunset from,” boasts Buen.
While the staff does wear their trademark revealing uniforms, Hooters’ unobstructed sunset view over Kailua Bay is really what’s worth staring at. We think the ocean view has really im-pressed our readers.
You might want to sample a 25 oz. “Big Daddy” beer during their happy hour and enjoy the sunset. And the view.
Honorable mentions: Huggo’s and Bubba Gumps in Kailua-Kona, Teshima’s in Kealakekua (tip: only on the second floor, which is reserved for special events), and Harrington’s and Nihon, both in Hilo.
The Coffee Shack
Captain Cook, 328-9555
Hooters
Kailua-Kona, 329-9464

Getting Around

Airline
When Mesa Airlines announced the launch of its Hawai‘i interisland subsidiary, go! Airlines, USA Today remarked, “Mesa isn’t diving into the market, it’s dipping its toe in.” Airline officials said that they had expected resistance from island customers loyal to the two Kama‘aina carriers, Hawaiian and Aloha.
Instead, they found a market that was ready to welcome them. In its very first year, go! airlines rocketed to the top of our poll for “best interisland airline.” It repeated this year. With its $39 fares, it’s had little trouble filling its 50-seat, Canadian-built Bombardier commuter jets. In fact, that may be the only problem with this air alternative: with only a half-dozen or so planes in go!’s fleet, it’s sometimes tough to find a flight that isn’t booked.
go! has succeeded where other start-ups failed (remember Mahalo?) for a number of reasons. First, it had the deep pockets of Mesa behind it, allowing it to launch into an immediate fare war. Second, it started at a time when the two legacy carriers were already weakened by high fuel costs and some marketing miscues. Both Aloha and Hawaiian have been in and out of bankruptcy court in recent years; valuable customer good will may have been squandered by a combination of high interisland fares, “sale” fares that turned out only to be available on certain flights or for a small number of seats per flight, and rock-bottom fares on mainland flights that some customers compared to their skyrocketing interisland tickets and wondered where their home-state airline’s loyalties lay.
The decline of Aloha, which once dominated our poll, is as much of a story as the rise of go! Aloha has forfeited its once-proud title of “on-time” airline to Hawaiian in recent years, and we’ve noticed a deterioration of services as well; our editor has lost bags on two Aloha flights in the past year.
We hope that our local airlines can make a comeback. Aloha is one of the few family-owned airlines left, and we usually root for local businesses over corporate interlopers. Maybe go! will prove to be the wakeup call that Aloha and Hawaiian need to get back to their roots and supply customers with inexpensive, on-time interisland travel on a regular basis.—ADM

Best Auto Shop
Edwin Gaspar, owner of Japanese Autoworks was excited to hear that his shop had been voted as the Best Mechanic. After working at Big Island Honda, Gaspar took a big leap into entrepreneurship when he purchased Japanese Autoworks at the beginning of 2007, which has been around since the mid-1990s.
“To go out on your own is a bit thrilling. You don’t have anybody to answer to but the bills, says Gaspar, with a smile. “Sometimes I question what I got myself into.”
The shop specializes in Hondas and Acuras, but does general repair on domestics and imports. Gaspar credits the team he works with for Autoworks’ success. He says that the qualities he hopes will cause customers to return are his shop’s good personality, honesty with customers, good communication with customers, and treating each as if they were a friend. —BT
Japanese Autoworks
Kailua-Kona, 329-5297

Bike shop
Back in 1989, Grant Miller started Hawaiian Pedals as a bike rental operation. Six years later, in 1995, he transformed it into Bike Works, a serious retail bike shop with bicycles, their products, accessories, and repair in addition to rentals. Journal readers laud them as the best in West Hawai‘i.
Janet Higa-Miller, co-owner of the shop, attributes Bike Works’ success to its staff’s excellent customer service. “They’re knowledgeable. They’re all into swim, bike or run themselves so they’re excited to get the customer into (those activities). I think that’s why we have people come back time and time again.”
On the east side, the Hilo Bike Hub has consistently dominated this category. It’s sort of a 14-year mutual love affair: Hilo bicyclists love Ken Seymour’s little shop in Kilauea Industrial Area, because Ken Seymour loves biking and loves Hilo.
“I don’t consider myself a mountain bike shop or a road bike shop,” he says. I consider myself more of a Hilo and family shop. I love it here in Hilo and I try to do as many things for the community as possible.
Seymour’s shop seems to be crammed with every possible configuration of bike for every possible Hilo rider: from $129 keiki bikes to super-macho $5,000 mountain bikes, from a sleek pink lady’s bike to a lean street racer with spaghetti-thin tires. There are “cyclo-computers” that tell riders their current speed, average speed and maximum speed. There are bike jerseys, bike gloves, bike socks (we didn’t get around to asking Seymour why some bike socks had no toes).
Aside from selling gear, the Bike Hub sponsors recreational rides, bike repair clinics and other events.
“I would love to see more bike lanes and bike paths, because we have the most beautiful place in the world to ride,” Seymour maintains. “I hope everyone would start getting out of their cars and onto their bikes. —ADM & BT
Bike Works
Kailua-Kona, 326-2453
Hilo Bike Hub
Hilo, 961-4452

Superferry:
best and worst
Being the Hawaii Island Journal, we just couldn’t resist warping an occasional question in our “Best Of” survey to get at some real news. We asked you the best reason to ride the Superferry, and the best reason not to ride it. The answers were a yardstick on which side was getting its message out more effectively.
The most popular reason: you could take your car. Others believed the ferry would be “cheaper” than the airlines—a point that the Superferry is pushing—but opponents claim just isn’t so. One reader cited the cost as a reason not to use the ferry. (Whether riding the ferry is cheaper than flying may depend on a variety of factors, including the number of people in the party, the destination (those traveling from neighbor island to neighbor island must go through O‘ahu and pay for two ferry rides), the type and amount of baggage or cargo (a truckload of fruit, say, vs. a carry-on suitcase) and the discount fares being offered by the airlines at the time.
The two most popular reasons not to use the Superferry very much reflected the testimony given by the ferry’s opponents in public hearings: the danger of inadvertently moving invasive species interisland, and the danger to whales and other marine life. Those reasons are also the focus of the publicity battle going on over the Internet. Superferry, Inc. recently issued a press release announcing its acquisition of a night-time navigation system that would “assist the operators in the detecting, and thus avoiding the whales and other objects, as well as prove valuable in assisting search and rescue operations at night.” Within hours, e-mails were flying from environmentalists, criticizing the system as “low tech” and unable to cope with the back-scattered infrared light from fog and rain, severely limiting its effectiveness in bad weather.
Other reasons not to ride the Superferry included and the corrosive effect of seawater on cars and the possibility of “military use.” Pacific Business News (03/26/05) reported that then-Superferry President Tom Dick hoped Superferry would transport Stryker vehicles from O‘ahu for training exercises at Pohakuloa. But company officials in public meetings last March said that the company had no contracts with the military, nor any plans for same.
Our favorite reason given for not using the Superferry: “It ain’t serving the Big Island yet.” The Superferry won’t begin service to Hawai‘i Island until its second vessel completes its sea trials, probably in 2009. —ADM

Out N About

Best Hikes
Hawai‘i offers no shortage of spectacular places to take a walk. But in terms of scenery per ounce of sweat, our readers chose Pololu Valley, at the northernmost end of Akone Pule Highway in North Kohala.
Pololu isn’t an easy hike. To reach the valley floor, one has to descend a steep mule trail down a 400-foot cliff. It’s sometimes possible to peer over the switchbacks of this trail, and see ‘io (Hawaiian hawks) circling below you. And the clay of the trail can get very slippery when it rains, which is often. Besides, most of the valley is private property, fenced off and posted with NO TRESPASSING signs.
Yet Pololu remains a spectacular hike. The trail offers incredible views of the wild Hamakua Coast; the next paved road is in Waipi‘o Valley, at least a dozen miles away as the ‘io flies. Enormous black cliffs capped with rich green jungle march away to the east, sharing the scene with an intensely blue ocean punctuated by black sea stacks (rocky islets); the jagged, lush valley walls stretch away inland. Directly below, at the valley’s mouth, is a picture-perfect black sand beach, backed by a grove of stately ironwood trees that’s sprung up on top of enormous sand dunes. It’s not a great swimming beach because of the big windward waves.
But those same waves explain why local kids labor up and down this trail in rubbah slippahs with body-boards slung over their shoulders. And it’s a great beach to relax and picnic and just take in the natural sounds of wind and water, untainted by traffic noise.
Beyond the beach, the trail climbs again, crossing the cliff tops to Hokukane, the next valley, with equally spectacular views.
The runner up is Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, which covers a lot of territory. HVNP offers something for hikers at every level of ambition: from the leisurely, lush mile-long stroll of Kipuka Pua‘ulu (Bird Park), to the short but strenuous hikes on Waldron’s and Byron’s ledges and Kilauea Iki, to potentially blistering but spectacular back-country hikes such as the Hilina Pali and Napau Crater Trails, to the high-altitude challenge of the Mauna Loa Summit.
Those of us who have been here many years sometimes forget just how incredible a landscape we live in. But these places make it easy to bring that sense of awe back to life. —ADM

Encountering ocean animals
People talk about the dolphins at Kehena Beach and Kealakekua Bay; about the reef fish at Honaunau and the Kapoho tidepools. But when we asked our readers about the best beach for encountering ocean animals, their favorite answer: Punalu‘u. And that means sea turtles.
No other cold-blooded animal (with the possible exception of geckos) seems to evoke such warm human feelings or sell so much merchandise. Sometimes this gets out of hand, as tourists approach the animals too closely, touch them, even pick them up or sit on them—all of which could result in jail time or large fines.
The turtles that most tourists see at Punalu‘u are green sea turtles. At night the beach may have different visitors: hawksbill turtles, laboring across the dark sand to lay their eggs in holes above the tide line.
Concern for both species has been a key inspiration for local resistance to plans by a group called Sea Mountain Five to expand the moribund golf course subdivision behind the beach into a resort with two hotels, a shopping center and up to 1523 housing units. Opponents worry that a large increase in beach traffic will put further stress on the feeding and basking greens, and that the development’s lights may disorient newly-hatched hawksbills, which use moonlight to help them navigate across the sand to the ocean. The developers claim that they can mitigate such impacts.
The anti-Sea Mountain faction thought they’d won outright on July 10, when the County Council Finance Committee voted unanimously to support a proposal by Councilman Bob Jacobson for the county to purchase 150 acres behind the beach. But the full council voted 5-4 to postpone a final vote until September 18, in order to give Mayor Harry Kim more time to pursue a compromise between the developer and the preservationists.
There are other places to see sea turtles, including the long white beach at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Park in North Kona and Champagne Pond at Kapoho. In fact, the greens have made such a comeback that they’re a fairly common sight at most local beaches. ¬—ADM

People watching
What makes Ali‘i Drive special? Is it the historical sites, the sea crashing against the sea wall, and endless window shopping opportunities? Or perhaps it’s the street urchins, the ice heads, and the angry drunks caterwauling out of bars past midnight?
Or maybe our readers voted it the island’s best people-watching site because of a guy named Sven, wearing nothing but a banana hammock and fanny-pack, walking past Fun Factory at mid-day, making you wish you knew how to say “Put on some pants!” in Swedish.
But really what makes people watching on Ali‘i Drive so fascinating is watching the whole cast of characters from near and faraway against a tropical backdrop.
If you enjoy eating ice cream or drinking a cup of 100 percent Kona coffee (the only coffee we drink at HIJ office–except for when we drink varieties from Ka‘u, Hamakua or Puna) while watching the world go by on Ali‘i Drive, you’ve got something in common with Steve and Gwen Hicks. In fact, they liked it so much that they bought their favorite Kona spot, Hula Bean Coffee, this past February.
“The opportunity became available and we jumped on it,” says Gwen. “It’s the American dream,” adds Steve.
The Hicks agree that what makes Ali‘i Drive great for people watching is the tourists who come from all over the world. Plus the locals like to drive up and down it in their nice vehicles, es-pecially their motorcycles.
Another reader favorite sits on the corner of Hilo’s Kamehameha Avenue and Volcano Highway, with nary a beach in site. In Bogart’s Casablanca, everybody goes to Ricks; in Hilo, everybody goes to Ken’s. Readers didn’t vote it Best Place for Breakfast for nothing. The action may be out the window on Ali‘i Drive at Hula Bean, but it’s all inside at Ken’s. Come at 4 a.m. and stay till dawn to watch the changing of the guard in this 24-hour diner and local institution—when the up-all-nighters and the gotta-start-work-at-six-a.m folks share breakfast and coffee—lotsa cof-fee—before going their separate ways. Thousands of human dramas play out every day on this island—more than a few of them at Ken’s. ¬—BT & PS
Hula Bean Coffee
Kailua-Kona, 329-6152
Ken’s House of Pancakes
Hilo,
935-8711

Avoid Tourists
There are many spots along Hawai‘i Island’s 266-mile shoreline where one can escape the masses, and to keep it that way, we’re not telling you about it.
While some readers wrote in with suggestions such as the Hilo Bayfront and the Road to the Sea in Kona, many wrote in answers like “Why would I tell you that?”
One reader from Waimea responded, “If I told you, I would have to kill you.”
This reader, raised on Maui, saw what happened when secluded beaches got publicity. Beaches that were previously known to few appeared in tourist guidebooks and were then overrun.
“It happened on Maui, and I can see it happening here,” he said.
Government and private entities regulate access to popular spots with fences, gates, and security. When unscrupulous members of the public trash a place, gates are closed earlier and security is tightened. But many of the most pristine spots on the island lie defenseless. Someday, these places will be developed, made into parks, or even fenced off completely. For now, we should protect them by sharing their locations carefully with people we can trust to take care.
With knowledge comes kuleana, a responsibility to share it wisely. Knowing where the most secluded piece of shoreline is, where the best menpachi spot is, or where the limu still grows in abandon does nobody any good if everyone knows.
So, how can one find these spots?
Respect the land and those who inhabit it. Volunteer with organizations that malama ‘aina (care for the land). Make friends. Earn trust. Explore with care.—TIG

Retailing

Best books
Borders and the indies
There are advantages to being a big chain store, and advantages to being a service-oriented local store. One of the keys to Borders’ success is that it tries to be both.
Borders is the biggest retail new bookstore on the island; they also sell music and movies. But unlike many large chains, Borders makes their stores comfortable and friendly.
But Borders doesn’t have a monopoly on the book business here, and probably never will. A number of bookstores have found their own secure niches—and enough reader votes to get honorable mention here. Basically Books, on the Hilo Bayfront, is the place to go for Hawaiiana and maps. Kohala Book Shop, in Kapa‘au, is an elegant warren of quality new, used and rare editions. Island Books in Kainaliu is all used, packing an incredible number of paperbacks and hardbacks into a small space, with Mark Medler, the island’s most genial, impassioned and energetic bookshop owner, as a guide—though Brenda Eng and Joy Vogelgesang, owners of the new Kona Stories in Kealakekua, also excel in friendliness.¬—ADM
Borders Books
Hilo, 933-1410
Kailua-Kona, 331-1668
borders.com
Basically Books
Hilo, 961-0144
basicallybooks.com
Kohala Book Shop
Kapa‘au, 889-6400
kohalabooks.big808.com
Island Books
Kainaliu, 322-2006
Kona Stories
Kealakekua, 324-0350

Buy music
Ironic, that, in a store that sells both used and new CDs, for as low as $3.99 for a fresh CD newly cracked from its plastic seal and heard only once, that the bestsellers come from... the smoke shop.
Rather than buying CDs, smoke shop manager Pono Ontiveros, speculates that most fans download their music.
But CD believers will still find CD Wizard a gold mine; favorites could lurk under the next forgettable one-hit wonder.
The store sells music lifestyle so that even the newest mainland transplant can get a quick hit of island flava: cure yourself from ignorance of local bands by grabbing the latest releases, blend in with clothing from Fearless Hawaiian or Rumble on the Rock, or deck the new apartment with reggae flags and Marley posters. —YH
CD Wizard
Hilo, 969-4800
Places to buy music instruments
Want to learn the uke? Go buy one at Hilo Guitars and Ukulele. Staff will let you try out their shiny jazz guitars or cigar box ukes and will sometimes even jam with you. They’ll recommend books you might want to study, suitable guitar picks, or the weather - they’re that friendly.
Behind the October Brew Festival and the Chocolate Festival; the Kona 4th of July Parade and the annual Filipino Parade are the lights and sound that make it come alive. With about 16 years service, SoundWave Music has made them all sound good.
The store offers more than light and sound—there are enough instruments, amps and instructional material to coax the confidence out of any fledgling rock band.
“And we have ukuleles,” said assistant manager and technician Chama Cascade. “Lots of ukes.”
Customers can buy instruments, and vintage amps. The store has a 50 by 200 feet showroom complete with a drum set, guitars, and a keyboard for customers. They also rent sound and DJ equipment and will deliver. —YH

Hilo Guitars & ‘Ukuleles
Hilo
935-4282
Soundwave
Kailua-Kona
326-2297
iPhone: she go
HIJ readers put AT&T a couple of votes ahead of Verizon as the best cell phone providor on the island, but it’s very close. But AT&T has something Verizon doesn’t (and won’t for two years): The Apple iPhone.
Apple and AT&T would like us to spend $500-600 on a cell phone? Sure, that’ll sell big, we scoffed. But it did—300,000 iPhones were sold nationwide in the first 30 hours that it was available.
As fate would have it, a few days after iPhone’s launch, my old phone slipped out of my hand and dove six stories to the ground. I conveniently needed a new phone. It’s been a month now, and while I had my doubts in the beginning, iPhone lives up to the hype. It is as solid as the pavement my old phone fell onto.
In addition to making calls and text messaging, you can browse the Internet, check your e-mail, check your calendar, take notes, take and look at photos, watch videos and listen to music.
I’m a big braddah, between 6’0” and 6’3” depending upon which 7-Eleven I’m leaving. With that comes big fingers, the kind that make typing on most manini keyboards tough. But iPhone, with its advanced magic to correct errors and anticipate your next keystroke, makes typing easier than other cell phones.
In fact, iPhone has only four buttons—everything else is controlled by flicking, pinching and tapping the screen. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, with the grease that local delicacies leave on the fingers, ah?
Luckily, iPhone has a screen so vibrant that you don’t even see the smudges or fingerprints. And using your fingers to control iPhone is much more intuitive than using buttons to go through menus as on most mobile phones.
Perhaps my favorite feature is that every time you connect iPhone to your computer, your contacts and calendars are synchronized. So should your iPhone take a six-story dive, you won’t have to play the “Brah, I lost my phone. Wat yo numba?” game.
With a price of around 300 Spam musubi, over 100 mini chicken katsu plates, or about 100 gallons of milk, iPhone had better be pretty ‘ono. And it is. Just wipe your hands before you borrow mine, eh? —TIG

ISP
This was a slaughter¬—Harlem Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals. Exactly one reader in our poll didn’t think the Road Runner was the best local ISP.
It’s fast, fairly reliable and the competition is so sucky. Hawaiian Telcom claims that its phone-based DSL service is faster than RoadRunner, but past experiences have left us, ahem, skeptical.
Not that RoadRunner is perfect. It doesn’t serve a lot of rural subdivisions where the population isn’t dense enough to turn the conglomerate a nice profit. RoadRunner is a bit pricy, but they have good package deals combining cable, Internet and (in some places) phone service. We can’t wait until we can get their digital phone service at home and live a totally Hawaiian Tel-free life. ¬ —ADM

Computer Repair
For the second year in a row, it’s Falcon Computers. In addition to the original store in Kailua-Kona, last month Falcon opened a new shop in Kamuela. Owner Shaun Paine and his team provide sales, service and support that includes computer repair, web design and web hosting; and these are some of the friendliest computer geeks we’ve ever met.
Like most people in the publishing industry and newspaper biz, we at HIJ are confirmed Mac users. We sympathize (though maybe a little smugly) with our PC-using friends and family who curse the heavens about the latest viruses, hardware conflicts, crashes or spyware they seem prone to. The common perception among PC users: Microsoft does not have the consumer’s best interest at heart. Paine agrees.
“Unless the customer absolutely insists, we won’t even install Vista (Microsoft’s newest operating system) until they address all the problems,” he says, estimating it will take about a year for the company to fix most of the glitches.
“People come to us with computers they’ve bought at Costco or Walmart, or from Dell directly, that just aren’t working for them. We advise them to return those machines and we can cus-tom-design and -build a basic personal or home office machine for about $450, with local support,” he says. (The monitor is extra).
Garrett at the Kona store can also provide complete service in Japanese and works on Windows XP, Japanese OS.
Second place honors went to The Computer Store in Hilo, the oldest office electronics business on the island. Like Falcon Computers, The Computer Store does computer repairs, cus-tom-builds desktops, and is an authorized Toshiba laptop dealer. —PS
Falcon Computers
Kailua-Kona: 334-1988
Kamuela: 885-1998
konafalcon.com
The Computer Store
Hilo: 969-1166
computerstoreinc.com

Top dive shop
Jack’s Diving Locker, our Kona-side winner, celebrates its 26th anniversary this month, offering PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses from beginner to professional level. Jack’s has all the usual features of a full-service dive shop: diving tours, air and Nitrox refills, and new and rental gear, lots of gear.
Nautilus Dive Shop has been in business for 25 years. Co-owner William DeRooy says it’s easy to see why his shop was chosen, since it’s the last full-service dive shop left on the East Side.
Oh — and the Flip Side Lounge on Mamo Street in Hilo also got a vote as best dive on the island.¬—ADM
Jack’s Diving Locker
Kailua-Kona, 329-7585
jacksdivinglocker.com
Nautilus Diving Center
Hilo, 935-6939
nautilusdivehilo.com

Nursery
by Barbara Fahs
Clean, attractive, inviting— this describes Rozett’s Nursery, in Hawaiian Paradise Park near Kea‘au. People travel from all over the island to purchase plants at this 17 year-old business. Their plants are healthy and beautiful, and the store also includes pots, fertilizers, and special services, like moving large trees. “Our staff is extremely knowledgeable. We have made large trees available to homeowners, which is something that’s often hard to find if you’re not a contractor,” said owner John Rozett.
Paradise Plants: Huge orchid selection; furniture; decorative home and garden accessories and more.
Quindembo Bamboo Nursery: Large selection of non-invasive bamboos, some very rare and ultra-rare varieties.
Sunrise Nursery: Bedding plants, flowering potted plants, fruit trees, ground covers, herbs, statues, pottery, and more.
Rozett’s Nursery
Kea‘au, 982-5422
Paradise Plants
Hilo, 935-4043
info@paradiseplants.net
Quindembo Bamboo Nursery
885-4968, Kamuela
bamboonursery.com
Sunrise Nursery
Kailua-Kona, 329-7593
Tree to plant in your yard
Our winner is the Tree of Life, which is not really a tree at all, but rather “an important symbol in nearly every culture. With its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it dwells in three worlds—a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below. It is both a feminine symbol, bearing sustenance, and a masculine, visibly phallic symbol—another union,” according to altreligion.about.com.
In Judeo-Christian mythology, it appears as a tree in the Garden of Eden: its fruit gives immortality. It is viewed as a mystical concept within the Kabbalah of Judaism, which is used to un-derstand the nature of God. Charles Darwin used the Tree of Life as a metaphor to describe the interrelatedness of all living things through evolution.
Runners-up: mango, papaya, jacaranda, lychee, koa, and avocado.—BF

Buy a lei
by Ku‘uwehi Hirashi
Lei stands at or near the Hilo or Kona Airports seem like the most visible option for buying a lei. In fact, HIJ readers overwhelmingly favor lei stands along Ka’iminani Drive in Kona (turn mauka at the first stoplight south of the airport), or Ah Lahn’s and Lin’s in the Hilo Airport. However, most lei buyers at these stands are quick to reach for the cheap, short-lived plumeria lei or the scent-less, yet colorful, orchid lei, perfect for the lei-ssential occasions of airport arrivals and departures.
A wilting plumeria lei isn’t something you want to be wearing when it comes to Merrie Monarch. Audience members don top-of-the-line lei and haku at the world’s premier hula festival. HIJ staff pick for the Merrie Monarch lei is Pua Lane Florist, tucked under a little banyan tree on Banyan Drive in Hilo. Order in advance because when Merrie Monarch hits Hilo, every flower tree and fern bush will be bare. Ask your neighbor if you can pick their puakenikeni and they’ll tell you it’s already sold to a halau.
Like the Merrie Monarch lei, a graduation lei is easier to find if you order in advance, but procrastinators can grab a last-minute lei, at a cost, from vendors set up right outside the graduation ceremony.
Anniversary and birthday leis are easiest to shop for because you only need to ONE ( or two) lei. Most people probably go to the local grocery store. But with all the fresh flowers and ferns growing around us on the Big Island, why not opt to make your own? Because, face it, a lei strung with tiare picked from the bushes of an HFS-FCU parking lot may be a reasonably cheap alternative, but if you’re looking for a quality lei, leave it to the professionals.
Pua Lane Florist
Hilo, 961-5575

Biz with the most aloha
There was no clear winner, and that’s a good thing. We’re glad that patrons can find friendly folks and good service in so many businesses on the island.
But several businesses were mentioned often:
Kona Outdoor Circle’s Full Circle Thrift Shop is located in the KOC’s Education Center in Kona.
Income from the shop goes to the Kona Outdoor Circle Foundation to maintain the education center’s facilities and grounds. The shop welcomes your tax-deductible donations. Call 329-6217 for more info.
Owner Ruderman says that the Golden Rule is paramount in Island Naturals. “We treat our employees with respect, and that comes through in the way our employees treat the customers,” he says.
Other businesses mentioned that also won in other categories were Big Island Candies (Best Omiyage), and Falcon Computers (Best Computer Repair), and Teshima’s Restaurant (this wasn’t a ballot category, but we consider the family’s 100-year-old martiarch, Mrs. Setsuko Teshima, a Living Treasure of Hawai‘i Island).—TIG

Surf shop
This year’s best surf shop is OrchidLand Surf Shop, voted the favorite for 2001 and 2007. In business since 1972, owner Stan Laurence sponsors the Big Island Pro-Am competition, now 23 years running, and has supported other surfing competitions. Laurence is a well-known activist in support of Bayfront improvements, such as the developing of Mokupane Point.
“It’s historically a surf spot,” he said. “Right now [surfers] are jaywalking down to the beach to surf.”
In second place is Jeff Hunt Surfboards and Accessories in Pahoa. Hunt is also a shaper whose shop is near the family anthurium farm.
He recently partnered with local fashion designer Sig Zane; customized Sig boards will soon be available at Sig Zane Designs in Hilo. Hunt was the last surfer to ride waves at Smashface on Kalapana Black Sand Beach before Madame Pele took it back in 1990.
“The coast guard had to drag me out of the water,” he said, grinning. —YH
Orchidland Surfboards
Hilo, 935-1533
orchidlandsurf.com
Jeff Hunt Surfboards and Accessories
Pahoa, 965-2322

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