flumin' kauai style

welcome to the newly instituted saturday travel post! i know i haven't been very attentive to this section of the blog lately but check in every weekend to discover off the beaten path ideas for your next getaway.

you may have heard that flumin' da ditch on the big island had to shut down for safety reasons after the earthquake last year. there are no definite plans to repair the canals which sustained damage in october's quake, so if you are looking for an alternative you'll have to go to kauai to go flumin' the old school way. 

kauai backcountry adventures (who also operates a zipline) has a mountain tubing adventure which is more like local kids did it back in the day or so my fella (who grew up surrounded by sugar cane fields) tells me (aka city mouse).

if you go that means you'll hop on your very own tube to float down the irrigation canals of the lihue plantation. the three hour tour (i kid you not, gilligan) promises ocean and mountain views and a picnic lunch when you arrive at a quaint sounding swimming hole. keep in mind that this a low key & family friendly adventure so don't expect an adrenaline rush from raging waters.

check out tripadvisor for reviews from travelers who have been there & done that.

more from sig zane

sig zane is kicking off the new year in style! i love the koi tee which is a new take on the second design the illustrious mr. zane created back in 1978.

students of the hawaiian language may want to snap up this aloha shirt which donates a portion of its proceeds to the ke ana la'ahana charter school. the design is currently 25% off but act quickly since there are only a handful left in the smaller sizes.

ke ana la'ahana ki'ikau

sig zane x kicks/hi

a clearance section also recently made its debut in the online shop so click over asap if you have been daydreaming of splashing down rainy streets while twirling one of those lovely umbrellas i wrote about back in november.

finally, 2007 brings a much anticipated collaboration with kicks/hi (word is one of the projects is with converse for bono's [product] red campaign). first up is the uluwehi keaukaha cap which is being released tomorrow. this is a limited edition so if you want to score one get yourself to a sz shop, kicks/hi in honolulu, or the cutlery (kuhao zane's new shop in hilo) on saturday.

pearl jam + hawaii '78

i finally talked to my friend the other day after playing phone tag since the holidays and learned that she scored free tickets to the big U2/pearl jam show at the stadium last month. she raved about pearl jam's cover of the makaha sons' classic "hawaii '78" so i went online to have a listen.

of course, someone posted video from the blaisdell show on youtube but if you want a copy of the song hit up pearl jam's website for the official bootleg (which is recorded straight from the board).

roketo tee house

 hawaii + cheer squad

if t-shirts & jeans/shorts are your standard uniform then you have to check out roketo, an up & coming design company from kaneohe. limited edition tees have gotten big in the past few years (check out threadless for a taste) and roketo is all about going back to the past to create t-shirts that connect with their customers.

yes, if you dug through your brother/uncle/cousin's closet you could probably unearth a graphic similar to roketo's hawaii tee that conjures up sweet memories of the 80's, but there is something to be said for a tee that is clean and free of stains and smells embedded since 1983.

here are a few more reasons to shop roketo: designs are available for both guys & gals, tees are sweatshop-free and organic when possible, and roketo donates a portion of sales to island non-profits.

roketo tees can be found online and at ma honolulu and sera's surf & shore.

lip balm roundup

there's a bit of an arctic chill hitting the west coast so i'm bundled up and yearning for a trip home to soak up the balmy weather. lips usually take the biggest hit when the mercury dips so i decided to do a lip balm roundup for some much needed moisturizing goodness all the way from the islands.

no. 1 - mama coco's has redesigned their packaging but the lip balm is still made from the same fair-trade & organic virgin coconut oil, unrefined cocoa butter and raw hawaiian honey that have earned it a devoted following. flavors include coconut cream, orange cream, real vanilla & vanilla mint.

no. 2 - a little lip moisture from hawaiian bath & body (aka north shore soap factory) should make those lips a bit more kissable with mango butter, kukui nut oil and vitamin e. take your pick of flavors: coconut, mint, pineapple, sugar cane, tangerine & unscented/kukui.

no. 3 - body + soul recently launched its naughty line of 4-play lip balm which is infused with essential oils and just a hint of color. and the product names are just as saucy as you would imagine: ahh/cherry, mmm/grape, ohh/melon, yes/peach.

no. 4 - island soap & candle works has an affordable line of lip balms made with macadamia nut oil, olive oil & beeswax. the tropical packaging and flavors like kauai kiss and island passion are sure to add a little sunshine to those gloomy winter days.

no. 5 - ali'i kula lavender transforms the harvest from its maui farm into a lip balm made with their very own lavender essential oil blended with moisturizing avocado oil, mango butter & more.

no. 6 - island herbal's handy 3-in-1 lip balm means you can match the flavor to your mood (pineapple, mango or coconut?). ingredients include aloe vera, calendula and hawaiian beeswax.

no. 7 - east coast tropics' kiehls-esque packaging contains a balm made of luxury oils and butters with a whopping 9 flavors to choose from (banana mango smoothie, coconut, guavaberry, kona coffee cream, macanilla, papaya smoothie, pog, rainbow shave ice, tropical chocolate).