Ko Olina Beachfront Penthouse

During your stay at the Ko Olina Beach Villas, a place to consider for a day excursion is Shark’s Cove in Sunset. You can enjoy snorkeling, swimming, or even paddle surfing; however, some local say the snorkeling is best on the right side of Shark’s Cove. Visit Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau, “Hill of Escape,” an ancient Hawaiian heiau up above Waimea Beach to do some hiking or to enjoy the beautiful North Shore sunset. Locals also advise not to leave your car unattended.

Another activity, one that could be for the whole family, is found out on Highway 99 between Haleiwa and Wahiawa and is the Dole Plantation. Reports say it has the world’s largest maze. There’s a 2-mile train ride around the plantation and they have a koi pond, gardens you can stroll through, outdoor places to eat, plus shopping and food vendors.

Snorkeling at Kahe Point, which is nicknamed Electric Beach, can be very interesting with lots of fish, turtles, and sometimes even spinner dolphins. It is called Electric Beach since an electric plant has two huge cooling pipes where clean warm water is sent into the ocean. Because the water temperature at the openings of these pipes is several degrees warmer than the surrounding ocean, the water attracts a lot of sea life. Use caution though and stay away from the actual pipe openings as they can be dangerous. Since our resort at the Ko Olina Beach Villas is close by, it makes for a nice excursion.

Many people, who visit Oahu, Honolulu, and/or Waikiki, make the trek to the grandiose Diamond Head crater to watch the sun rise from the immense Pacific Ocean east of Oahu. Climbers scale Diamond Head anytime, but it is probably best at about 6 a.m. (eluding the heat of the middle of the day). The drive is about 10-minutes up the hill and through a tunnel to Diamond Head Park, which rests inside the vast crater. The circumference of the crater is 1,072 meters and it is 230 meters high. Get ready to climb though as there is a reported 170 stairs.

There are wonderful views down to the Diamond Head lighthouse, built in 1899, and you will see surfers who are riding the perfect waves that roll in from the south toward the condos of Waikiki. Once you’ve reached the top of the crater, there are signs explaining the history; which was formed by a massive eruption some 150,000 years ago. Additionally, there is information about the trail, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for defense purposes in 1908.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has broadcast the growth of the Global Entry initiative — a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pilot program that streamlines the screening process at airports for trusted travelers through biometric identification — to an 13 additional airports across the United States; Honolulu is one of the airports to be involved in this Global Entry expansion.

The extension starts August 24, 2009 and new Global Entry enrollment centers and kiosks will open at international airports in Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Honolulu, Las Vegas, Newark, N.J., Orlando, Fla., Sanford, Fla., Philadelphia, San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and Seattle.

Global Entry permits pre-approved members an another option to regular passport processing lines. At the kiosk, Global Entry members insert their passport or lawful permanent resident card into a document reader, provide digital fingerprints for comparison with fingerprints on file, answer customs declaration questions on the kiosk’s touch-screen, and then present a transaction receipt to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers before leaving the inspection area.

The new Global Entry system is projected to help reduce average wait times by 70 percent. Additionally, it is said that almost 75 percent of travelers can be processed in under five minutes. So far, Global Entry kiosks have been used more than 51,000 times at seven airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Washington, D.C., according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Expanding this vital program allows us to improve customer service at airports and concentrate our resources on higher-risk travelers,” Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

Honolulu Symphony

The Honolulu Symphony was founded in 1900 and it is the oldest symphony orchestra West of the Rocky Mountains in the US. They offer regular performances September through May.

Hawaii Opera Theatre

The Hawaii Opera Theatre is the state’s only professional opera company. Founded in 1960, they usually present three springtime productions.

Chamber Music Hawaii

Chamber Music Hawaii was founded in 1982 and they present a series of concerts throughout the year which feature its three resident ensembles: Spring Woodwind Quintet, Honolulu Brass, and the Galliard String Quartet. Their season runs from September through May.

Honolulu Chamber Music Society

The Honolulu Chamber Music Society presents the world’s finest chamber music ensembles to Hawaii and the season typically runs from September through May. Recent featured artists included the Tokyo Quartet, the Emerson Quartet, the Ying Quartet, and the Pacifica Quartet.

Aloha International Piano Festival

The Aloha International Piano Festival has a week of master classes and recitals by some of the world’s best pianists. The event offers local students the opportunity to study with international artists and teachers. The event also includes a series of piano recitals, many of the free to the public.

The Atherton Studio Concerts at HPR

Located in the offices of Hawaii Public Radio, the Atherton Studio is a small recital space. The Atherton presents ongoing concert and lecture series that features music of many different genres by both local and international artists.

Ko Olina’s Taste at Kapolei, (the all-you-can-eat benefit on the beach at Ko Olina Resort & Marina on Ulua Lagoon 4), celebrates its 10th year on Saturday, September 12, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and presents the largest number of restaurant and beverage offerings ever.

More than 30 restaurants from Honolulu to the North Shore on Oahu will be providing culinary fare ranging from Pacific Rim specialties to island poke; Okinawan, Thai, Egyptian, Italian, Japanese, and good, old-fashioned American cuisine; and cheesecake, yogurt, and more at this year’s Taste at Kapolei.

According to the press release, guests at the main venue can choose from 24 restaurants including Sam Choy’s, Don Ho’s Island Grill, Formaggio, Gordon Biersch, Haleiwa Joe’s, Hooter’s, Indigo, Kolohe’s Bar & Grill, P.F. Chang’s, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Top of Waikiki; and local favorites Auntie Pasto’s, Creations in Catering, Da Pokeman, Da Spot, Hapa Grill, Hana Sushi, Off the Wall, Souvaly Thai Cuisine, Tanioka’s, and Thai Kitchen. Nine celebrity chefs, including one flying in from Maui especially for the event, will be serving VIP sponsors. Nine fine wine, beer, and spirits companies are donating the liquid sustenance for the Ko Olina Taste.

Sunday, August 16, 2009, the Ki-ho’alu Foundation will stage the 27th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival. Performances run from 12:00 pm (noon) to 6:00 pm at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

The festival line-up includes Makana, Bobby Moderow, Dennis Kamakahi, John Cruz, LT Smooth, Donald Kaulia, Danny Caravalho, Stephen Inglis, Ozzie Kotani, Paul, Togioka, Ken Makuakane, Jeff Peterson, Dwight Kanae, Walter Keale, Pali Kaaihue, and Slack Key Wings.

The lengthy run “Horizons” show at the Polynesian Cultural Center has come to an end and will be replaced with a new show, “Ha: Breath of Life.” The new show tells the life story of a fictitious Polynesian warrior. One visitor to the new show said, “I watched PCC’s new evening show last week and found it breath-taking.”

The show is presented at 7:30pm Monday through Saturday at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Oahu.

Red Bull Rivals is a one day surf event setting in opposition Oahu’s legendary shores (North Shore and South Shore). Top Surfers from each shore will fight it out in a head-to-head surf competition for the ultimate island bragging rights. In order to keep things fair, the event will be held on the Eastside of Oahu at Sandy Beach.

The event takes place on September 5, 2009 from 10:30am – 4:30pm and at 1pm – Halftime. The teams will compete for a territory advantage in next year’s competition and the losing team has to give the winning team their surfboards.

According to Global Surf News, “Ten surfers for each team will be chosen by online voting and teams must include at least one female surfer and 2 groms (17 or under). A “ringer” will be allowed to be a part of each team and does not have to be disclosed until day of competition (this can be any surfer from anywhere in the world).”

Felicia was downgraded to a tropical depression Tuesday morning (8/11/09) as it approached Hawaii with maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph, but a flash flood watch and a high surf warning remained in effect. As of Tuesday afternoon, Felicia is dissipating as a tropical depression but she still could produce some localized heavy rains and gusty winds.

Oahu and Maui County residents could expect winds increasing to up to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph; however according to the Associated Press, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the center of the depression was located 120 miles east of Maui and 210 miles east-southeast of Honolulu.