flumin' da ditch

if you find yourself on the big island and are looking for something different to do you might enjoy flumin' da ditch. it's pretty relaxing as adventures go with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery while you leisurely navigate down the old irrigation canals in north kohala. and, since there's not that much paddling involved it's perfect for younger kids or grown-ups who don't feel like doing too much work.

if you go, try to schedule your reservation on any day but monday. flumin' da ditch is located in small yet funky hawi which is also home to one of the best restaurants on the island. at least that's what i've heard since the bamboo restaurant was closed the day we went flumin' da ditch on our honeymoon.

learn from my mistake and make your reservation on tues-sun so you can dine at the restaurant. if you want to check out the food before you go, keep an eye out for the big island episode of rachael ray's $40 a day on the food network.

{update | feb 21st, 2007: due to the october earthquake, flumin' da ditch tours have been stopped for safety reasons, but if your heart is set on this mellow adventure take a peek at flumin' kauai style}

just say om

some days (okay, most days) it can be really difficult to get motivated to exercise and there's nothing worse than catching yourself in the mirror and looking like one of the poor souls on what not to wear. enter local designer & devoted yoga practitioner laurie momi chee and her comfy, cute & colorful clothing line lily lotus hawaii.

my favorites are the "buddha is my om boy" tee and the lotus logo fidel cap (a good cap is very hard to find). lily lotus designs everything from tanks & tees to hoodies & capris. it's not sold online yet but you can find the line at a number of yoga studios & boutiques in the islands as well as a handful of shops on the mainland.

aloha rag

 

one of hawaii's most stylish boutiques has got to be aloha rag (as seen in lucky & vogue) which caters to the fashionistas on the island. you'll find everything from chloe and balenciega to loomstate organic denim and l.a.m.b. (the only place in town to score gwen stefani's designs). i'm particularly fond of this tee from martin margiela.

if you can't get to the shop on kapiolani blvd. (street level in that brown & glass building by ala moana. you know the one.), you can shop online (don't forget to check out the sale section . . . shhh!).

soda pop stop

okay, we're definitely going to need to bring home an extra suitcase when we go home this summer. it's really tricky to find soda made with cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup (seriously, check the ingredient list next time you're at the grocery store. it's almost impossible to unless you're at whole foods or bevmo).

i can't wait to try waialua soda works since their flavors are definitely hawaiian style - lilikoi, mango, papaya & pineapple. root beer & vanilla flavors are also available for the soda traditionalist. waialua soda works is bottled on the north shore and can be found at various restaurants & shops around the islands. sweet. 

north shore soap factory

a few years ago, we headed up to the north shore to check out the goodies at the country market. one of the vendors had a table filled with soap and since the fella needed to stock up we spent a good 10 minutes sniffing each bar and trying to decide which ones to bring back to the mainland with us.

the soap maker was really friendly and explained the benefits of all the ingredients. this was back in the day when we thought all soap was made the same (we know better now). it was some seriously good soap and even though we've been home quite a few times since then we never had a chance to get back to the north shore on market day.

imagine my delight when i discovered that the north shore soap factory is now online. they have outgrown their original soap shack and now call the historic waialua sugar mill home. their product line has expanded to more bath goodies and now you can stop by their soap factory for a visit when you're on the north shore.