Surfing in waterproof board shorts on a fibreglass board are both relatively new innovations but surfing itself is an ancient sport of Hawaiian chiefs.  Oahu has always been known for excellent surfing.  In ancient times when Honolulu was still known as Kou, there was a famous surf break near what is now Ala Moana Beach Park.  It was called Ke-kai-o-Mamala or the Mamala Sea. 



​Mamala was an ancient surfing legend.  She was a high ranking chiefess in life but at some point she changed into a giant surfing lizard - a mo’o.  From that point forward she could change into the form of a beautiful woman or a fierce lizard.  Hawaiians say that she would surf in both forms - one thing for sure - you wouldn’t want to drop in on her wave! 

They say that she would paddle far out into the ocean where the waves were high and rough and then she would ride the waves into the shore where the old Honolulu (Kou) residents would cheer and applaud.  Her husband, Ouha became jealous of all the attention showered on her and challenged her to a surfing competition.  She easily defeated him and then mocked him in front of all the people. 

Being thus disgraced and humiliated in front of so many people was so terrible to Ouha that he lost his human form and turned into a shark god that would prowl the waters between Kokohead and Waikiki looking for surfers to eat!


The Hawaiians have a beautiful chant in which they remember and honor Mamala.  Translated it reads:

The surf rises at Ko’olau, 
Blowing the waves into mist.
Into little drops, 
Spray Falling along the hidden harbor
There is my dear husband Ouha
There is the shaking sea, the running sea of Kou
The crab like moving sea of Kou
Prepare the awa to drink, the crab to eat. 
The small konane board is at Hono-kau-pu
My friend on the highest point of the wave
This is good surf for us
My love has gone away
Smooth is the floor of Kou
Fine is the breeze from the mountains
I wait for you to return. 
​

While not as important to native Hawaiians as it is to the islanders of Samoa or Tonga - the Niu, Hawaiian Coconut Palm is still a revered, respected, and an important plant.  Technically called the Arecacea or the Palmae by some botanists, the actual name is Cocos nucifera L.  There are no other members of the Cocos genis...the coconut stands alone!

No one knows exactly where the coconut came from!  People argue about it.  Some say it came from tropical America and others insist that it is an Asian species.  The truth is that it is everywhere and useful to people wherever it is.  The plant it is most closely related to isn’t in Asia or the Americas - it is in Southern Africa!  There are ancient temples in Indonesia and India dedicated to coconuts - but it is far older than the temples.  The word ‘copra’ meaning dried meat of the coconut is actually a sanscrit word. ​

The word niu comes from ancient voyagers who carried the fruit with them on long voyages for the meat and water it contained.  From Madagascar to Hawaii the niu is known by some variant of this name.  The coconut likes warm weather and because of that is usually found on the sunny hot sides of Hawaiian Islands.  Coconut trees live to be around 70 years old and can grow as tall as 100 feet!  Leaves are 10-20 feet long and have around 100 leaflets on them.  It takes about 10 years for the first coconuts to appear.  Maturation of the fruit takes almost 10 months. 

Ripe coconuts have three ‘eyes’ - these are softer tissue and tell smart humans where to access the meat and water inside.  Coconut milk is actually the juice derived from crushing the meat - the water inside the fruit is not coconut juice at all.....it's known as coconut water!

​Coconuts were valuable to Hawaiians as food, water, voyaging supplies and more.  The trunks were sometimes made into canoes.  The leaves would be woven into baskets and mats.  The mid-ribs of the leaves were used to string kukui nuts in order to make torches.  Old flower clusters were used as rakes.  Every part of the fruit could be used.  The fibres from the husk could be made into ropes and twine.  Coconut shells were made into cups and containers.  Pieces of the shell would be made into tools and implements like combs. 

In addition to being food, the meat of the coconut was sometimes chewed by fishermen and spat into the sea - the oil would calm the ripples and allow the fishermen to see his prey better. 

Here's a quick demonstration on how to open a coconut.  Brought to you by your thirsty staff here at Private Tours Hawaii:

​
​There are many more uses of the humble coconut.  Just watch out for them falling on your head. 
And, as always.....Aloha from Paradise!!

Let's face it, properly educating our children has been one of the greatest (and more difficult) tasks for communities around the globe for generations.  There are few states in the United States with as high a percentage of kids in private schools as Hawaii.  Many believe that the key factor in this statistic here in the Hawaiian Islands is the imbalance in Hawaii's cost of living compared to the salary that our teachers get paid within the public school system - therefore it becomes more difficult for our public schools to recruit solid educators to create well-rounded curriculums for the public school student body.  In addition, the public schools are the only ones in the nation which do not benefit from a state property tax.  All of that aside - there are some really really good private schools here in the Aloha State and while they are expensive - they are among the best.  The best among them are the Prestigious Punahou Academy and the Kamehameha Schools. 

​Kamehameha Schools was once the school for the children of the Hawaiian Royals and Punahou was the school created for the children of the first missionaries to come to Hawaii.  Punahou was founded in 1841 and sprawls across more than 76 acres in the gorgeous Manoa Valley.  There are 34 school buildings, award winning libaries, major sporting facilities, a strong focus on performing arts, art studios that focus on everything from sculpture to glass blowing and of course, well paid professional teachers. 

The buildings on campus have architectural value - among them the Thurston Memorial Chapel designed by famous architect Vladmir Ossipof and Dillingham Hall designed by Bertram Goodhue. 
​ ​

Hawaii wasn’t always a tourist destination.  In fact, two hundred years ago, most of the world didn't know about Hawaii.  It wasn’t until the 1780s that the world found Hawaii and things have been very different ever since.  The Hawaiian culture existed in isolation for nearly a thousand years before Captain James Cook sailed in and put it on the map. 

Since then, people have been coming here and trying to reshape Hawaii in a different image than it was found.  They brought new political systems, new religions, invasive species, diseases, new technologies, arts, scientific advances, and a diversity of people who somehow all have managed to live together in this world without any major hullaballo. 

Today, Hawaii is made up of at least fifteen different ethnic groups who are referred to as ‘local’.  Descendents of the original Hawaiians are the only group referred to as ‘Hawaiian’.  The major ethnicities in Hawaii are (in descending order of population share) Japanese, European Descent, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Latino, African-American, Micronesian, and Melanesian.  Each of these groups have unique languages and culture and- amazingly, for the most part - they have joined together to create what is referred to as ‘local culture’.  The big challenge today is that of American capitalism, land exploitation, and the imposition of non-Hawaiian cultural values on the land and the people of Hawaii. 

​​The most prominent imposition of colonialism was during two periods.  The first was the ‘Missionary Period’ where Hawaiian culture was actively suppressed.  Hawaiian language was made illegal for business, hula and surfing were banned, and many cultural practices died out.  Later, after a consortium of missionary children and American planters overthrew the monarchy and claimed Iolani Palace as their headquarters, came the Territorial Period.   The ‘Territorial Period’ was a further example of colonialism as Americans flooded into the territory and began to build an American style ‘paradise’ without regard for local traditions, customs, or values.  The big problem with both periods was the blatant disrespect heaped onto Hawaiians as cultural values were disregarded.  

During the 1960s, after Hawaii became the 50th state - there was a period of growing pride and a rebellion against the values of the missionaries and the suppression of Hawaiian culture.  This reached a peak in the 1970s when Hawaiian activist groups occupied the island of Koho’olawe and built the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea.  Since that time, Hawaiians and locals have been fighting a new kind of colonialism as large tourism and lifestyle based companies have attempted to co-opt local and Hawaiian culture and customs.  Some examples are businesses using Hawaiian names or products to sell their products, make money, and dilute the importance of the beliefs and practices of the people who call Hawaii home.  We humbly ask that each visitor to the Hawaiian Islands take it upon themselves to learn more about the local culture here.  Please treat our communities and our natural resources (lands and waters) with respect.  Recently, there is widespread local protests about the TMT Project on the Big Island of Hawaii.
​

​Many think that colonialism is a thing of the past, but for many who live in Hawaii - it is an everyday struggle to maintain importance and integrity of the cultures that are embedded here in the islands.  And sadly, similar actions of disregard for our fellow man have been seen throughout the world for centuries.  However, we feel that there is a new paradigm shift on the planet today.  The power of diversity is leading this particular shift towards a stronger connection between each and every one of us.  Our Ohana (the Hawaiian word for Family) here at Private Tours Hawaii are optimistic for the future of our world communities!!  

You have a choice today and each day forward, my friends.....choose to treat yourself, all living beings, and the planet with respect (Malama Honua).  Choose ALOHA/LOVE.  

                                                                   Aloha is The Answer.


Aloha from the local and diverse Family at Private Tours Hawaii:
​
Adam White
Christopher Damitio
Ron Wong

​

When you talk about food or plants in Hawaii, one of the first things that will come to mind is the coconut.  Called, Niu in the Hawaiian Language, this was one of the most important plants in the world to the ancient Hawaiians. 
​

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (also known as the Hawaiian Homesteads Act) set aside almost 200,000 acres in the Islands for homesteading by Native Hawaiians.  It was spearheaded by Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole to help the Hawaiian people to recover from a dwindling population and the transition from a protective monarchy to a part of the United States. 
​

​The Hawaiian Homestead Act set aside nearly 200,000 acres, which made up just a small part of crown lands stolen from the Kingdom of Hawai'i when it was annexed.  Prime agricultural and important urban land was excluded from the Act.  Under it, people with at least 50% of Hawaiian ancestry could apply for 99-year leases for just $1 per year.  Most parcels early on were 40 acres but in recent years parcels have become as small as a residential lot. 

Today, there are nearly 6500 families occupying Hawaiian Homesteads.  These families occupy about 30,000 of the more than 200,000 acres.  The rest of the land is leased to big business - which is quite controversial because it goes against the intent of the Act.  Additionally, Federal, State, and Local governments have seized large portions under eminent domain with no compensation to the program. 

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is today administered by the State of Hawaii’s Government with broad oversight by the U.S. Federal Government.  The proceeds from the land leasing are used to pay for the administration of the program. 

​

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole was born on the island of Kauai on March 26, 1871.  He was the grandson of the last King of Kauai and his mother was the sister of Queen Kapiolani - wife of King Kalakaua.  He was brought up in the court of the king and made a prince when he was 13 by a royal proclamation.  Prince Kuhio was educated in Hawaii, California, and England and after his education lived in Japan for a year.  His uncle, King Kalakaua wanted Kuhio to marry a Japanese Princess and cement an alliance between Japan and Hawaii - but the hoped for union did not come about. 

Prince Kuhio was an accomplished athlete and excelled at football, rowing, yachting, polo, marksmanship, golf, and of course the Royal Hawaiian sport of surfing.  In fact, Prince Kuhio was surfing in Santa Cruz, California nearly three decades before Duke Kahanamoku ‘introduced’ the sport to California.  In letters he wrote from Britain, Prince Kuhio also talked about surfing in the North Sea and introducing the sport to several UK locals.  We don’t know if he did any surfing while he was in Japan.

One of the more established surf schools in Hawaii is Hans Hedemann Surf School.  Located in both Waikiki and on the North Shore, Hedemann himself was born in 1959; also the same year that Hawaii became a state.  He started surfing in 1966 in Waikiki when he was 7 years old.  By the time he turned 18, he had become a professional surfer and was named Surfing Rookie of the Year in 1978.  Hans has competed in men’s professional surfing events since the 1970's, winning championships along the way. 


​If you want to learn how to surf in Hawai’i - this is one of the best places to do it.  The school was established in 1995 and all instructors are lifeguard and CPR trained to make sure that you are safe and learning how to be the best surfer you can be whether you are beginning, intermediate, or advanced.  The most popular surfing lessons are the group surf lessons, in which 2-4 surfers will be matched with an instructor.  These lessons start in the $100 range.   Private lessons (one-on-one) are a bit more expensive at $120/hr and if you want to go whole hog - you can book private lessons with Hans Hedemann as your instructor - it won’t be cheap, but you’ll definitely learn from one of the best. 

The Bishop Estate was created in 1884 at the request of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha the Great - the founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii.  The Princess refused the throne from Kamehameha V on his deathbed and thus set the stage for the first election in the Kingdom of Hawaii which resulted in King Lunalilo becoming the 6th monarch of the kingdom. 

From birth, the Princess was supposed to have married the future King Kamehameha V (Lot) but instead married prominent American financier Charles Reed Bishop.  After her death, her land holdings (approximately 9% of the land in the Hawaiian Islands) were dedicated solelyto benefit the Kamehameha Schools.  Later, her widower built the Bishop Museum as a tribute to his late wife.  While there is a connection between the two - the Bishop Museum runs on a trust from Charles Reed Bishop while the Bishop Estate funds Kamehameha Schools. 
​

​To understand the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct, the kapu system, one must also be aware that in the Hawaiian worldview, life was ruled by an invisible but powerful energy called mana.  Mana was, in many ways, similar to an energy that will be familiar to fans of the Star Wars universe - yes, mana was the the Hawaiian version of ‘the force’. 

Daily life in Ancient Hawaii was a struggle to keep the positive side of the force in control and to keep the dark side of the force from gaining power.  To be clear, mana is generally considered positive and a lack of mana is negative.  In order to keep things on the positive side - the Hawaiians developed a complex religious and political system that structured their daily interactions with one another.  All of this was designed to preserve the mana of the land and rulers on the positive side. 
​

​
Kapu, is the Hawaiian pronunciation of the Tahitian word Taboo.  It’s not just a table game.  Taboo (and Kapu) mean forbidden.  Daily life in ancient Hawaii was structured around a strict set of rules, the violation of which often led to death.  The world of Hawaiians was very black and white with a great many things forbidden and everything else free or ‘noa’.  Some examples are the relations of men and women, the relationship between chiefs (ali'i in the Hawaiian Language) and commoners and even the colors of royalty.

​
Visitors often chuckle at the list of kapu - things like women not being allowed to cook or eat ahi but the Hawaiians had reasons for these rules - it was the glue that held their society together.  Today, the word ‘kapu’ is still fairly common in Hawaii - although the meaning today is not quite the same (nor is it fatal if you  violate) - in today’s usage it generally means ‘keep out’ or ‘private property’.  Still, even though it is unlikely that anyone will be killed for violating a kapu today - it's best to pay attention and show respect to it when you see one.