Aloha Reporter » Hawaii

Hawaii hotel occupancy grows, rates shrink

ar — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:46:05 +0000

Royal Hawaiian Hotel ~ Source: Wikipedia

Occupancy at Hawaii hotels increased to 70.8 percent for the week ending May 22, a 3.2 percentage point increase over the same week last year.

Average hotel room rates, however, dropped by 4.6 percent from the same week last year, to $162.59.

20,000 Tons of Hawaiian Rubbish

ar — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:41:56 +0000

Robert D. Harris of the Sierra Club examining garbage delayed for shipping to the mainland.

At first glance, it does not look much like garbage. More than 20,000 tons of it have been shrink-wrapped into green bales that are neatly stacked, ready to ship about 2,300 miles across the Pacific to the mainland as an another export — “opala,” as garbage is called in Hawaiian.

But the trash’s passage has been delayed again and again since it first began piling up here in the tropical heat last September. Now, when the wind changes, it offers a pungent reminder of how Oahu’s latest plan to dispose of some of its trash has gone awry.

Eruption of Kilauea Volcano reaches 10,000 days

ar — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:09:14 +0000

1954 eruption of Kilauea. Courtesy of SkyObserver.net

The world’s longest continuously erupting volcano, which has become a major attraction for scientists and tourists since it became active in 1983, has marked a milestone.

It was 10,000 days ago Friday that Kilauea Volcano began erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island.

The superintendent of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Cindy Orlando, calls it “a biological and geological wonder.” The scientist-in-charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Jim Kauahikaua, says it’s one of the few eruptions that can be studied up close every day.

The east rift zone vent began erupting Jan. 3, 1983, and a summit vent has been erupting since March 19, 2008.

Source: Associated Press via Google

Do Hawaiians Eat Hawaiian Pizza?

ar — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:41:26 +0000

Photo credit: branflakez on Flickr

Well, sometimes … but the Hawaiian Pizza was actually invented in Canada.

Yup, Ontario, Canada to be exact.

According to Nadine Kam of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin ….

… Just about every chain restaurant here has a version of the pineapple-topped pizza, popular with a small segment of the population who like sweet-sour flavors. They love it, but they’re an exception.

Tastes in pizza here are pretty conservative, even in the post-CPK [California Pizza Kitchen] era. That may seem a little odd considering we’d eat some of these ingredients, like Thai chicken or Japanese eggplant, in various ethnic restaurants. We just like them more with rice than on a pizza crust.

So the go-to pizzas are usually a basic pepperoni-sausage combination pizza, or a vegetarian pizza. No one is averse to a teriyaki or barbecue chicken pizza, for instance. We love barbecue chicken. But anecdotally, whenever we have office pizza parties, the Italians and combinations go first, followed by the vegetarians, and the chicken pizza is left standing.

Read the full story …

Source: Sarah DiGregorio, The Village Voice

Electric Cars Made With Aloha

ar — Sat, 08 May 2010 21:18:12 +0000

Korean car company CT&T (Creative Transportation & Technology) is looking at building an assembly plant on Oahu and rolling out electric vehicles within two years.

Tim Sakahara at Hawaii News Now reports …

The company has narrowed its potential sites to four confidential locations on Oahu. It’s revving up its plans and hopes to be built and operating within the next two years. When it’s fully operational the facility expects to produce 10,000 2-seater electric vehicles a year and employ 400 people.

“In addition to the jobs we provide there may be as many as a 1,000 jobs from the ripple effect of our factory being built here,” said Joe White, CT&T USA Chief Operating Officer.

The cars will cost between $8,000 and $20,000 to buy, but only $7 a month to operate. They have a top speed of 25 miles per hour and a range of 80 miles per charge. The company also plans to import assembled cars for sale in the next six months.

Read Full Article

Hawaii priciest state to own a vehicle

ar — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:06:45 +0000

Pacific Business News reports …

Hawaii is the most expensive state in which to own a vehicle, according to a new study by Edmunds.com.

The study, which projected average vehicle ownership expenses over five years, looked at such costs as taxes, fees, insurance, fuel and maintenance for both new and used vehicles in each state.

The report projected the average cost to own a vehicle in Hawaii over five years at $51,233.