Hawaii
WHEN little Kaimana Kinimaka was 2 years old, his parents were asked to remove him from the Lahaina Community Swimming Pool because he was wearing Pampers. Kaimana, who's the grandson of island Career shift for 4 year old
entertainer/minister Kalani Kinimaka, promptly turned his back to the water and took up skateboarding. Then the winter surf came to the popular "Breakwall" surf spot and Kaimana, at age 3, couldn't pass it up. He's now 4, and has won or tied for first in numerous surfing contests since taking up the sport. Kaimana still rides his skateboard when he isn't in the ocean, but no longer goes to pools -- or wears Pampers. Grandpa modestly predicts he'll be a champion ...
THEY'RE smiling on the Neighbor Islands these days, particularly John Toner, G.M. of the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. His resort has been selected as best hotel in Hawaii and No. 3 in the world by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine. Others in the top five locally are the Grand Hyatt Wailea at No. 2, the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Isle at No. 3. followed by the Four Seasons Maui (No. 4) and at No. 5, the Lodge at Koele on Lanai. Hard to argue with any of those choices ...
Return of the reporters
TWO former Hawaii journalists were back in town last week. Janos Gereben, a former Star-Bulletin writer and culture maven, flew in for a quiet get-away to Molokai and the Big Isle and a stop in Waikiki. He was one of six people at the Hotel Molokai, Gereben reported, theorizing it must have been "the peak season." Also here for a family vacation was ex-travel writer (and Brand X reporter) David Butwin, showing his wife and teenage daughter Hawaii for the first time. He was on the Big Isle for the most part, but stopped over at the Halekulani briefly before returning to, shudder, New Jersey. Both are still writing. Butwin is now a contributing editor for Modern Maturity, the AARP magazine with a massive circulation of older folks. Gereben works for a group of San Francisco Bay area newspapers, the Post Group. Butwin says he had a lot of good feelings about Hawaii on his return after eight years, and Gereben was royally moved by the Big Isle Aloha Festivals Royal Court investiture on the rim of Halemaumau. He also gave high marks to KHPR locally, complaining that there's no public radio station of its equivalent in the Bay area. On the downside, he wrote disparagingly of the Asian Youth Orchestra and guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu at the Waikiki Shell ...
High times
CLOSET Carusos or secret shower singers take note. The deadline is Friday to enter the Big Isle Aloha Festivals Clyde "Kindy" Sproat falsetto and storytelling contest. The finals are Sept. 12 at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea, and the top prize is a Hula Records recording session where you can make your very own CD. Who knows, it may put you on the road to stardom. No charge to enter -- simply call Gloriann Akau at (808) 885-8086 ... Former Honolulu D.J. Michael Qseng now lives in Houston, but still keeps up on Hawaii-produced music. He must be living right, too, because when a friend sent him a copy of the new DisGuyz CD, "Believe in Us," he bought a new car. Qseng explained he didn't have a CD player, so he bought a car that had one. He now plans to share the CD with friends in the recording industry nationally ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com