UHMC Autofest 2014

I got a chance to attend this year's Autofest event at the University of Hawai'i Maui College on Sunday, March 23rd.  Put on annually by UHMC's Auto Department, it's one of the biggest and best car shows on Maui.  Maui doesn't have a big car scene due to our small island population and limited (or should I say, expensive) automotive resources.

27th Annual Hoʻomau Fundraiser on Saturday 03/29

I urge all of you Mauians to attend one of the biggest fundraising events on the island -- Hoʻomau.  An annual fundraiser for Pūnana Leo o Maui Hawaiian Language Immersion preschool, the event features live entertainment, ʻono food, keiki games and crafts, live and silent auctions, and Hawaiian crafters and vendors from all over Hawaiʻi.

This is the first time that I am on the other end of the event, helping to organize and work at the fundraiser for my son who is in his first year of preschool and first year of Hawaiian immersion.  Pūnana Leo o Maui's program is the best.  Our keiki receive an excellent education, have the most caring and dedicated kumu, and it's all done in a true immersion setting.  I would recommend it to any 'ohana who is interested in revitalizing the Hawaiian language and culture through our youngest generation.

This year's theme, Kū Ha'aheo I Ka 'Ōlelo Makuahine, loosely translates to "stand proud in our mother-tongue," and thus reflects the school's mission statement: E ola ka 'ōlelo Hawaiʻi - "the Hawaiian language shall live."

Live entertainment includes:

• Kamaka Kukona, Piʻilani Arias & Hālau O Ka Hanu Lehua
• Weldon Kekauoha
• Mark Yamanaka
• Nā Hoa
• ʻEkolu
• Ata Damasco
• ʻAipōhaku
• The Keiki & Mākua of Pūnana Leo o Maui
• Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Maui

27th Annual Hoʻomau
Saturday, March 29, 2014
9:00 am - sunset
Maui Nui Botanical Gardens
Wailuku, Maui, HI
$10 presale, $15 at the door

For more information, visit hoomau.com, or call Pūnana Leo o Maui Preschool at 808-244-5676.

Practice Makes Perfect (video)

Both car enthusiasts with a desire to learn the art of drifting, my husband, Enoka, and I acquired a 1989 240sx coupe about two months ago.  The completely primered exterior, rust spots here and there, and stock motor didn't phase us.  I mean, we WERE asking the car gods for a drift missile to practice on.  You can't exactly slide around in a nice car that you've put your heart and soul + hours and dollas into.  Not until you're pro, that is.  But heck, even the pros slam into walls every once in a while!  The difference is they're sponsored and have the money and resources to fix up their drift cars.  We Average Joes do not.

Hawaii All-Stars are "Showoffs"...in a good way.

Hawaii All-Stars Senior Level 3 is a co-ed team featuring a male flier.

Saturday, March 8th marked the second annual "Showoffs" at War Memorial Gymnasium in Kahului hosted by Maui's elite cheerleading team, Hawaiʻi All-Stars.

The Wettest Spots on Earth

Mauna Kahālāwai as seen from Wailuku, Maui, Hawaiʻi

"We travel ma uka to the mountain range known traditionally as Mauna Kahālāwai, The West Maui Mountains. The older of Maui’s two volcanoes, Mauna Kahālāwai is the backdrop of the district known as Nā Wai 'Ehā, the four famous waters of Maui. It is a composition of dark basalts formed from pāhoehoe lava eruptions and it stretches 18 miles long and 15 miles wide. Kahālāwai dates back some 1.3 million years. Literally, Kahālāwai translates as “the meeting of the waters.” There are many peaks and ridges within Kahālāwai, but its highest peak, Pu'u Kukui, stands 5,788 ft. and is located in the upper regions of the mountain on the Western end. It literally means "hill of light or enlightenment" and is used in poetry as a metaphor symbolizing a beacon of light illuminating Kahālāwai. From Kahālāwai comes Ka Wai Ola, the life giving waters of Kāne, the source of water that supports Central, South and West Maui. Mauna Kahālāwai is a glorious and beautiful mountain range with diverse topography ranging from lush, green landscapes to drier, red toned terrain, but it is not only esthetically pleasing, it is kūpuna, considered to be an ancestor of our race. Stop for a moment and take some time today to enjoy the splendor of Mauna Kahālāwai." - Luana Kawaʻa, Kumu Hula & Hawaiian Protocol Specialist