Given the intensified efforts by State and City officials to address the growing effects of the coronavirus pandemic on O‘ahu, and with highest concern for the health and safety of our resort community, Ko Olina is closed to the general public until further notice.

News

24 Sep 2020

Aulani Resort Will Plan to Begin a Phased Reopening on November 1

Given Hawaii’s recent announcement of a pre-arrival testing program for those traveling from out-of-state, we are working toward a phased reopening of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa beginning on Sunday, November 1. And just like our other Disney destinations that have re-opened, we are using a measured approach that focuses on the health and safety of our guests, cast and community.

09 Jun 2020

Ko Olina Hosts 4th Annual World Oceans Day Virtual Celebration

World Oceans Day on Saturday, June 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and community organizations, is hosting a free virtual event to celebrate World Oceans Day.

20 May 2020

Relax at Aulani from the Comfort of Your Home with Help from Disney

Source: insidethemagic.net Life gets a little crazy sometimes and all we need is to find a little peace. Hawaii is always known for its tranquility and its “aloha” way of life. For Disney fans, Aulani is the Disney Resort that is a place of escape in Hawaii that mixes the Disney magic with island calmness.

19 May 2020

Hawaii Go “All In” with Three-island, Twelve-Night Luxury Vacation to Benefit Covid-19 Relief Charities

Source: press.fourseasons.com Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii step up to the “All In Challenge” and donate an extraordinary twelve-day vacation to benefit charities fighting food insecurity during these challenging times. The “All In Challenge” hosts auctions and sweepstakes.

18 May 2020

#DisneyMagicMoments: Find Your Zen with Peaceful Scenes at Aulani

Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com Our #DisneyMagicMoments series of “living photos” continues this weekend with a relaxing virtual trip to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa to add a dose of tranquility to your day. Whether it's watching soothing clouds drift above the mountainous landscape of Aulani or enjoying the sight of a sunny day at the beach.

14 May 2020

The Coconut Wire – A Weekly Virtual Master Class Series

Source: press.fourseasons.com Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina debuts The Coconut Wire, a weekly virtual master class series to transport guests to the world of Four Seasons from afar. The engaging series features in-depth “how to” topics.

24 Nov 2019

Nathanael Endo: The West Point Graduate

Growing up in Wai‘anae, fires were frequent during the summer. At age 4, I witnessed firefighters put out a fire behind my house, and I decided that I wanted to be like them. Then, in sixth grade, my older brother, who was in the U.S. Army, told me about military firefighters.
23 Nov 2019

Christopher Caravalho: The Comic Artist

As a young boy, Christopher Caravalho would rummage for loose change in between the cushions of his family’s living room couch. Coins in hand, he’d bike to 7-Eleven in hot pursuit of what many ’80s kids regularly sought: comic books.
22 Nov 2019

Kawika Shook: The Preservationist

I grew up in Kapolei, moved out here in the early ’90s when Kapolei wasn’t really Kapolei yet. I went to Kamehameha Schools Kapalāma Campus, and, at the time, my whole thing was football.
21 Nov 2019

Divine Flight

Pueo, with their piercing yellow eyes and faces ringed with white plumage, are active in the hours between early morning and dusk, unlike most short-eared owls and the barn owls that have recently taken up roost in Hawai‘i.
20 Nov 2019

A Creative Turn

For years, the 150-foot, streetfacing exterior of Nānākuli Super was the site of repeated vandalism that included graffiti, curse words, and lewd pictures. Everyone who drove into Nānākuli saw it. “It was an eyesore,” says Kris Okimoto, one of the family owners of the store.
19 Nov 2019

Ladies of the Lineup

In the childhood home of Keānuenue and Puamakamae DeSoto on the west side of O‘ahu sits a shining, gobletshaped trophy engraved with the logo of the World Surfing League. In 2010, when the sisters were 6 and 4 years old respectively, their father, Duane DeSoto, raised that trophy high above his head at Mākaha Beach.
18 Nov 2019

Magical Moringa

Mountain View Farms is true to its name. Tucked at the foot of Mount Ka‘ala, O‘ahu’s tallest mountain, the farm is set against a perpetual backdrop of jade-colored peaks. The farm’s owner, David Wong, leads me confidently down a short, gravel trail.
17 Nov 2019

Chapel of the West

One block off Farrington Highway in Wai‘anae, on a sun-baked street lined with squat, plantation-style houses and 1970s concrete walk-ups, sits a small church. Vinyl siding wrapped around the building covers almost all the original wood.
16 Nov 2019

A Healthy Source

The searing blue waters of Wai‘anae blaze bright from the wraparound deck of Ka‘aha‘aina Café. Inside, high ceilings, tall, wooden beams and a skylight channel the earthy, open feeling of a mountainside summer lodge.
15 Nov 2019

Busy Bees

On O‘ahu’s leeward coast, miles of sky kissed sand meander alongside the two lane highway. Cars slow as drivers, in no hurry to make their turns, crawl through Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae. The pace of life on the West Side, like the traffic, is languid. It’s as if the heat makes everything as slow as syrup. Or honey.
04 Jul 2019

Ka ‘Ōlelo: The Language

Mai ka liko a ka lā‘ele, aloha pumehana kākou. ‘O Mathew “Manakō” Tanaka ko‘u inoa, a he aloha ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Ua ho‘omaka ku‘u huaka‘i i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke komo ‘ana i ka papa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ia‘u e noho ana ma nā papa ‘oihana ho‘okipa o ke Kulanui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa.
03 Jul 2019

Kawehi Namu‘o: The Guardian

As a teenager, I hung out at Nānākuli Beach Park often. There, I’d see the lifeguards come and go on their work day. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a lifeguard. Because when I see the ocean, I see God’s creation. And I truly love playing in God’s creation. It’s where I feel at home, happy, and at peace.
02 Jul 2019

Uncle George: Bay of Dreams

In my early twenties, I went to San Diego to help my cousin. He was a general contractor; we’d build houses by day and then in the evening go out to Oceanside and surf. On weekends, we’d jump in a truck and drive to Mexico to check out different surf spots. I loved surfing.
02 Jul 2019

Ghosts in the Shells

Did you hear about George? You would have to live under a rock—or maybe a leaf—not to have learned that the world’s last Achatinella apexfulva, a tree snail endemic to O‘ahu, died on New Year’s Day. News of the extinction caught like a wildfire, seeming to make international headlines before the last slimy streaks on the ‘ōhi‘a leaves in George’s terrarium were dry.
01 Jul 2019

Fish Sommeliers

Every fisherman has an epic tale of a fish they’ve landed. But for Jared Chang and Ryan Houser, landing epic jobs have been the best stories yet. Both men are Mina’s Fish House’s fish sommeliers—the first two in Hawai‘i and perhaps the world—known to hold this title.
30 Jun 2019

The Art Aquatic

One day Desmond Thain is helping spearfishing champion Jon Barretto memorialize the 90-pound ulua (giant trevally) that broke the men’s three-prong pole-spear world record. The next, he’s imprinting an elusive cookie-cutter shark for professional surfer Mark Healey. But no matter which fish Thain immortalizes in ink, his artwork is always true to life.
29 Jun 2019

Dancing In The Deep

Following a long night of collaborating to catch lantern fish, shrimp, squid, and other deep-ocean prey, nai‘a (spinner dolphins, or Stenella longirostris) seek refuge at spots along Wai‘anae’s coastline like Mākua Bay and Pōka‘ī Bay. The sandy-bottomed bays offer more safety from predators and respite from big swells and wind.
28 Jun 2019

A Moving Legacy

By way of Hawai‘i’s largest moving-image archive in the islands, generations raised on YouTube and Netflix have a resource for better understanding Hawai‘i’s rich cultural history. "Believe it or not, some generations don’t know what any of this is," says Heather Giugni.
27 Jun 2019

Country Comfort

The Lighter Side Cafe is a true family affair. Owner Mady Burke, who learned how to cook from her grandmother, runs the eatery with her daughter Lexie Manabat-Rule. Most employees who work there too, are family.
26 Jun 2019

Character Arcs

The cofounders of Ho‘okipa I Po‘okela, an afterschool golf instruction program for students in the Nānākuli district, believe that underneath the science of the sport lay the keys to character-building, including sportsmanship, patience, perseverance, and integrity.
25 Jun 2019

A Trek To The Sun

Driving up the winding road to the entrance of Kuaokalā Trail on the northwestern tip of O‘ahu, I pass golf ball-like doppler radars and abandoned military buildings.
21 Dec 2018

Makua Homecoming

It is overcast on this early morning in Mākua Valley. A heavy cloud lingering over the surrounding peaks and ridges releases showers of mist onto the valley’s foothills. In a wide, grassy clearing, six tents are pitched around an open pavilion.
20 Dec 2018

Leeward Kai Canoe Club: The Wa‘a Speaks

Me‘e means “hero” in Hawaiian. Thirty-four years ago, I was given this name by Henry “Baldy” Van Gieson after being sculpted out of a koa tree. Since my creation, however, I’ve become convinced that the real heroes are not wa‘a (canoes) like myself but rather their caretakers. My caretakers are the paddlers of Leeward Kai Canoe Club.
19 Dec 2018

Across the Universe

In the coastal town of Wai‘anae, almost everything is within a stone’s throw of the ocean. In 1990, this logistical convenience inspired an epiphany from high school teacher Susan Lum: What better spot for young minds to learn the sea-farming techniques of ancient Hawai‘i than a high school hugged up against the Pacific?
18 Dec 2018

The Waterman’s Olympics

I am not totally positive, but I am 95 percent certain the lowered Toyota Tacoma PreRunner V6 I’m following around Mā‘ili Point on O‘ahu’s west side is headed to the right place. The giant Hui Nalu Canoe Club decal on the tailgate is a dead giveaway, and the halfdozen other bumper stickers, including a comical “I Take Care of My Beaches,”
17 Dec 2018

Stewards of Seaweed

In the coastal town of Wai‘anae, almost everything is within a stone’s throw of the ocean. In 1990, this logistical convenience inspired an epiphany from high school teacher Susan Lum: What better spot for young minds to learn the sea-farming techniques of ancient Hawai‘i than a high school hugged up against the Pacific?
16 Dec 2018

Angela Morales: Best Coast

Throughout Na Leo’s musical journey, we’ve come across many different people, Hawaiian artists and cultural experts, if you will. The song “Nani ‘o Wai‘anae” came to the table when considering mele to do for our album.
15 Dec 2018

Kahunui Foster: Star Student

Whenever someone I met at Harvard would ask me where I’m from, I would proudly say, “Hawai‘i,” and smile at the look of shock and wonder that appeared on their face. Another question always seemed to follow—“Oh! Did you go to the same school as Obama?”
14 Dec 2018

A Food Makeover

The Mākeke Market, a farmers market on the West Side, supplies the community with a healthier and happier diet. “How can we be a food desert and be a food basket at the same time?” asks Alicia Higa.
13 Dec 2018

Heavy Metal Master

Drawn to the spiritual and elemental energy of Hawai‘i, a copper artist sculpts large scale pieces with peaceful messages. Far back in Wai‘anae Valley lies an oasis of calm and abundance that copper sculptor Muthukumaru Sooriyakumar calls home.
06 Dec 2018

A Hula Unearthed

With one of hula’s most athletic and ancient dances, the men of Ke Kai O Kahiki excavate the fundamentals of the form’s multi-layered tradition. A hand slices through the air. In concert with the foot, leg extended and parallel to the arm, it thrusts forward in a precise, singular movement.
08 Aug 2018

Hand of the Heavens

After nearly 30 years of apprenticeship, a tattooist continues his family legacy of kākau, the practice of traditional Hawaiian body art. In the screened-in lanai of Ka Pā ‘O Hūnōhūnōholani, Keli‘iokalani Mākua is preparing for this day’s work of kākau, the traditional art of Hawaiian tattoo.
07 Aug 2018

Mōlī Rising

In spite of setbacks throughout the past century, island albatross colonies, including the rookery at Ka‘ena Point, are growing once again. Whether you walk it from Keawa‘ula Beach on O‘ahu’s west side or Mokulē‘ia on the North Shore.
06 Aug 2018

Off the Beaten Path

On these beautiful winding trails rich with plants and artwork, travelers are invited to walk for both wellness and learning. Long before it was home to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, the small but jagged peak of Pu‘u Mā‘ili‘ili was a fishermen’s lookout.
06 Aug 2018

Fisherwomen of Waiʻanae

Meet the West Side wāhine who seek the sea for sustenance, camaraderie, and self-worth. In this photo essay, follow the daily adventures of these faithful fishers, from sunrise to sunset. In Hawai‘i, fisherwomen are a small demographic
05 Aug 2018

Seeds of Hope

At a Wai‘anae educational farm, an awareness about one’s relationship to the land starts with the soil. Near the end of Wai‘anae’s long highway is a farm, tucked along the outskirts of Mākaha Elementary School.
05 Aug 2018

Watering Minds

Lessons learned in his youth at Pōka‘ī Bay continue teaching educator Abe Nahulu how to care for his community. Almost every weekend until Abe Nahulu was in the eighth grade, he and his three younger brothers would fish or dive off O‘ahu’s west coast.
04 Aug 2018

Hog Heaven

Two ladies are bringing back locally raised pork with their humane piggery. Women make better pig farmers. This is what a female pig farmer once told Stacy Sugai of 2 Lady Farmers, a piggery in Wai‘anae.
03 Aug 2018

Man and the Sea

Waterman Jacob Kahiapo has spent a lifetime on and in the unmatchable waters of O‘ahu’s West Side. When Jacob Kahiapo talks about what it is to be a waterman, he means knowing—really knowing—the ocean. From top to bottom, inside and out.
25 Jul 2018

Duane DeSoto: Water Cycles

I’ve always been bound to the water. When I was about 3 years old, my mom strapped a leash on my hand from a boogie board and let me play in the shorebreak at Mākaha. Right around then, I also got my first surfboard.
24 Jul 2018

Pashyn Santos: The Comedian

Pashyn Noheamakanaonalani Santos always knew she would be an entertainer. A proud Hawaiian girl, her relatable style of humor, which draws upon her cultural identity and upbringing in Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, has made her an internet sensation with more than half a million followers across her social media platforms.
23 Jul 2018

Ma‘o Farms: Digging Deep

Tucked away in Wai‘anae’s Lualualei Valley, MA‘O Farms is more than a teaching and learning farm. An acroynym for Mala ‘Ai ‘Ōpio, or youth food garden, it is an opportunity for a better life. The farm’s Youth Leadership Training program supports academic and entrepreneurial growth by giving young adults college tuition support.
22 Jul 2018

Blessings Bestowed

A woman connects with mothers past and present in the plains of Kūkaniloko and the waters of Anianikū. A little baby sat quiet and brave along the shoreline of Anianikū, one of Lanikūhonua’s three lagoons, her petite frame cocooned by folds of warm sand. Her eyes wide, she drank in an intimate scene: The serene waters
22 Jul 2018

Hometown Heroes

“Our Town Has So Much Pride.” Mixed martial artists Max Holloway and Yancy Medeiros speak about their unbreakable bond with Oʻahu’s West Side and giving something for their community to rally around. When Max “Blessed” Holloway knocked out José Aldo in the final bout of the Ultimate Fighting Championship 212 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
22 Jul 2018

Roaming Pālehua

Each summer, thousands of youth line up to learn ocean rescue skills from the best lifeguards in the world. As I head deep into the west side of O‘ahu, past the sun-faded towns of Nānākuli and Māʻili, the roadside mini-marts and family homes disappear and the beaches turn vast and quiet.
22 Jul 2018

Standing Guard

Each summer, thousands of youth line up to learn ocean rescue skills from the best lifeguards in the world. As I head deep into the west side of O‘ahu, past the sun-faded towns of Nānākuli and Māʻili, the roadside mini-marts and family homes disappear and the beaches turn vast and quiet.
22 Jul 2018

Plantation Stroll

At Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village in Waipahu, visitors get a glimpse of a bygone life among sugarcane fields. “Thank you for coming to Hawai‘i’s best kept secret,” Ken Kaneshige, a docent, tells the group standing near the entrance to Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village. Up the hill, lined along a narrow lane, are replicas of a traditional Japanese furo
21 Jul 2018

At Full Bloom

Floral artist Pamakane Pico’s eye-catching creations demand attention. On a warm summer morning, Pamakane Pico glides through a garden. With one hand, she holds an overflowing bouquet of flowers in bright hues of yellow and red. With the other, she reaches into a tangle of stems nearly as tall as her, and plucks a magnolia.
21 Jul 2018

Sam Kapoi: My Journey to Voyaging

I grew up in Waiʻanae and, on paper, I'm nine generations deep—I’m sure there’s more prior to that. I went to public school: Waiʻanae Elementary, Intermediate, and High School. In 10th grade you selected your career pathway, and I selected Hawaiian studies and natural resources. I was really interested in a side program in voyaging.
21 Jul 2018

Healing Garden

On 50 acres in Lualualei Valley, Kahumana Organic Farm and Community grows more than just greens. At Kahumana Organic Farm, which is hidden within Lualualei Valley at the base of Mount Ka‘ala, monkeypod and mango trees tower over buildings alongside fields of produce, an aquaponics system, and quiet, lush areas marked by small temples.
20 Jul 2018

The Giving Tree

Among the sunny, dry setting of O‘ahu’s leeward side, an unexpected food source is flourishing. “Kiawe is the mother tree of the desert,” says Vince Dodge at his home in Wai‘anae, where he is making kiawe-flour pancakes. He spoons the thick batter mixed with kiawe and ‘ulu (breadfruit) flour into a hot cast-iron pan.
19 Jul 2018

The Weaver: Jordan Kroger

The first time I saw coconut weaving was in the Polynesian Club in Kapolei High School, where they race to see who can make the fastest basket. In this club, I felt that I belonged. My mom is Micronesian, but we were never around that family a lot and I didn’t know what it meant
19 Jul 2018

Upward from Here

There is a spot in the sky where your body knows to surge toward heavenly things. Mapping the heights— ka hoʻokuʻi, ka hoʻohālāwai, ka makuʻialewa the juncture, the meeting, the sky connection. There are these familiar terms for that place. There are clouds and weather systems to dress the moment when you arrive. You will not know at what part of infinity you are stopped.
08 Sep 2017

Makaha’s Music Men – Jerome Koko continues the Makaha Sons’ tradition

In the 49 years that Jerome Koko has been a professional musician, he’s been to a lot of places. None of them is closer to his heart than the part of O‘ahu that he calls home.
18 Nov 2016

Song and Dance in an Unlikely Place

In a high school cafeteria nestled in a valley on O’ahu’s west side, some days you will find chairs and tables rearranged, a stage set and elementary through high school students singing, dancing and acting in Broadway productions. This is the Nanakuli High & Intermediate School Performing Arts Center (NPAC), a program started in 1991
24 Aug 2016

The Importance of Being Enos

Revered artist Solomon Enos’ work ties him to his community Born and raised in Wai‘anae on the west side of O’ahu, Enos says he always knew he’d be an artist, something his parents not only encouraged from an early age, but also helped nurture through instruction. Enos’ father completed a Master of Fine Arts degree
21 Jul 2016

Cultivating a Community - Malama Learning Center

Malama Learning Center grows knowledge through arts, science, conservation and culture. One coast. One community. And so much opportunity. That’s what Pauline Sato saw when she headed out to the Wai’anae Mountains to plant indigenous and rare plants with the Nature Conservancy almost 20 years ago.
09 Jun 2016

Makaha Mangoes' Sweet Success

From the street, you would never know the Suiso residence is the home of Oahu’s famous Makaha Mangoes. Just a few steps into their yard and it’s as if you’ve been transported into mango heaven! The approximately one-acre property is surrounded by more than 70 mango trees, including at least a dozen different mango varieties.
13 Apr 2016

Hula, Language and Na Mea Hawai’i at Lanikuhonua

The Lei ‘O Lanikuhonua Hula Festival gives students a rare opportunity to learn from well-known kumu hula who share their knowledge and style of hula, and nurture their practice of the art. Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute programs such as the Lei O Lanikuhonua Hula Festival (for high school students), the Lanikuhonua Canoe Festival (for high school students)
10 Dec 2015

West Paint

As a child, Mark Kadota asked his parents for some paints. Slightly mystified by the request, they went ahead and bought him a paint-by-number kit. He removed the paints, ignored the picture and created his own art—a little boy who knew his whole life what he wanted to be and grew up
10 Dec 2015

Nanakuli’s Ambassador

You could think of Josiah “Uncle Black” Ho‘ohuli as an unofficial ambassador for his hometown of Nanakuli. He’ll gladly take the curious around to discover the histories and tales that seem to be hidden in plain sight. If anyone should know, it would be Ho‘ohuli, who’s a fixture at Nanakuli High School.
09 Dec 2015

Ancient Fibers

To watch a skilled Hawaiian kapa artist like Dalani Tanahy is akin to seeing a chef concoct a favorite dish: “Take the bark, shred it and boil it for a week,” she might tell her students, who hang on every word. “Kapa is cloth made from a tree
09 Dec 2015

Destiny Defined

For Kumu O’Brian Eselu, Hula is About Character By Nina Wu Since 1980, O’Brian Eselu has been director of entertainment at Paradise Cove Luau, overseeing a troupe of Polynesian dancers that delight visitors. While he presides over the show every evening, Eselu also has another role: kumu hula.
09 Dec 2015

Rooted in Tradition

For Albert Silva, the Key to the Future Lies in the Past By Chad Pata When most people think of the environmental movement, thoughts turn to 21st Century inventions like wind farms and electric cars. But for local cowboy and lifetime resident of the Waianae coast Albert Silva.
09 Dec 2015

Unearthing the Past

Shad Kane chants a prayer and places a lei at the large ahu, or stone altar, where the remains of 15 people are interred. Ti leaves planted at each of the four corners rustle in the wind while sleek-looking chickens bob and weave around the area.
09 Nov 2015

Milking it, Naked Cow Dairy’s owners diversify to keep farming

Located in Wai’anae, Naked Cow Dairy Farm, the only dairy farm left on O‘ahu, creates gourmet creamery butters, unique artisan cheeses, and fresh cream top yogurt.
14 Oct 2015

4th Annual Lauhoe O Lanikuhonua Canoe Festival

Students from various leeward canoe clubs and cultural organizations go beyond the sport to learn and understand the significance of the canoe to our islands from a historical perspective and how they can contribute to perpetuating ocean- and canoe-related practices for future generations.
11 Dec 2014

Living Culture

By Lianne Bidal Thompson As you head west along the Wai’anae Coast, resting at the foot of Pu’u Ma’ili’ili is the Wai’anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) and the Dr. Agnes Kalaniho’ohaka Cope Traditional Hawaii Healing Center.
13 Aug 2014

Voyaging into the Future

By Lynn Cook Hawaiian men and women and others who love the sea and these beautiful islands, anchored in the Tropic of Cancer, sail on great Polynesian voyaging canoes. They dream great dreams.
29 Jul 2014

Watermen of the Waianae Coast (Adapted from Fostering the Keaulana legacy by Bunky Bakutis)

Makaha, the fabled surfing area near Ko Olina resort on the Waianae Coast, is home to living legend Richard “Buffalo” Kalolo‘okalani Keaulana and his family of watermen. At 77 years old, he traces his roots to Hawaiian royalty. Yet his early years were challenging. My life of surviving was in the ocean.
17 Jun 2014

Tracking Time (Adapted from The Hawaiian Railway Society Recalls a Bygone Era Words by Sarah Pacheco)

Why not tour O‘ahu’s “Wild West” aboard a historic locomotive? Near Ko Olina, you can take a train ride through history. The Hawaiian Railway Society, established in 1971 to preserve Hawai‘i’s rich railroad past, takes passengers on the ride of a lifetime on a fully restored diesel train.
17 Apr 2014

Bridging Heaven and Earth, Nurturing the cultural ties of Lanikuhonua

Lanikuhonua, “Where Heaven Meets Earth,” is the cultural refuge at the entrance to Ko Olina, where kupuna, the respected elders, teach a variety of Hawaiian arts from singing, hula and music to knowledge about medicine plants and other natural resources.

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