Hawai'i Walks

02/13/2021

It's that time of year again--Laysan albatross have migrated to Hawai‘i from the open ocean to lay eggs up at Ka‘ena Point. 🐣 Last week, this albatross parent shifted to give me a peek at their egg underneath.

This bird could be the mother of the egg, the father of the egg, or it could be the female partner of the mom of the egg! Albatross share parenting duties as lifelong partners, so male and female birds participate in nesting. Meanwhile, some female albatross partner with other female albatross and just "visit" with male albatross to become pregnant, and then return to their same-sex partner. These birds are simply amazing creatures.

Whenever people ask when the best time of year is to visit Hawai‘i, I always say February. Migrating whales and birds like the albatross are giving birth around the islands, the weather is cool, and the craziness of the holiday season has passed. It's a calm month, full of animals. 😎

If you want to read more about Ka'ena Point and the nesting area of the albatross, check out our blog at hawaiiwalks.org/hawaii-walks-walking-tours-blog
You can also sign up on our site for our to learn more about the indigenous animals of this island!
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01/18/2021

Today marks a solemn day in Hawaiian history. On January 17th, 1893, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was illegally overthrown by a group of American businessmen. This ultimately led to the American annexation of the islands in 1898, followed by the Hawaii Admission act in 1959, which declared Hawaiʻi as the 50th state in the union.

This overthrow was the result of over 100 years of political maneuvering by foreign entities, driven by aggressive pursuit of profit, and emboldened by a lack of respect for Hawaiian sovereignty and culture. Much more is explained in this document created by the Ho‘okahua Cultural Vibrancy Group from Kamehameha schools. You can find it linked within the attached post.

To look towards the future, we must understand the past!

January 17 marks the 124th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Learn the truth about the events leading up to the overthrow and read Queen Lili‘uokalani’s words of protest against the injustice.

01/12/2021

Our mission as a company is to inspire wonder about the world around us. History is everywhere--from the waves of Kalehuawehe to the warning chirps from visiting kōlea telling us we have gotten too close. Walking through Waikīkī can be a transformative experience. Behind the high-rises and the crowds, there are stories in the soil and in the trees. It's always a pleasure to see people from all over the world, of all ages, learning about this sacred place and leaving the walk with a greater appreciation for Hawai‘i. We are open for limited tours as cases continue to disrupt life on the islands. Follow us (link in bio) for more updates.

01/02/2021

We love to help you learn about the nature of with a little help from our bird ID cards! Every guest on the tour receives this little swag pack--a sticker, pen, and a bird ID card to keep track of sightings. Just a little extra touch to make your learning experience with us as helpful and memorable as possible!

11/11/2020

We spotted this awesome person ripping it at Sunset last weekend and had to share!⁣⁣
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Stay safe and healthy, folks! If you want to be outside, make sure it's solo activities like this🤙🏄‍♀️

We hope to see you soon!

10/11/2020

looks and feels otherworldly as we enter nearly 7 months of lockdown due to . These pictures were taken at 5pm on a Friday, which is usually one of the busiest times for this neighborhood! This time last year, we had 800,448 visitors according to the . This year in August saw just 22,344 visitors with most of those individuals being people seeing friends and family versus regular tourists. The 2 week quarantine for most just wasn't worth it. Astonishing what just one year can bring.
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So many businesses have not and will not make it through this, even with tourism slowly re-opening next week. Unfortunately, Waikiki priced out many locals, so many restaurants here haven't even reopened for takeout like those outside of Waikiki has. ⁣Countless hotels are also hanging in the balance. It really is hard at this point to know what tomorrow will bring.
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As for us, we are still here, still waiting to see how to best adapt to these new circumstances. We are tentatively re-opening in November, but we are prioritizing health and safety before all! Message us for details. We want to be as flexible, but as safe, as possible! ⁣
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Looking forward to walking down these roads with you all soon ♥️⁣
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09/08/2020

Meet the endangered kukuluaeʻo , or "aeʻo" for short! (English: Hawaiian black-necked stilt). ⁣
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If you're from North, Central, or South America, these birds may look familiar. Their cousins the are common from the southern US all the way to southern Argentina. However, the kukuluaeʻo is a specific sub-species that is found only in the Hawaiian islands. There are likely only 2,000 or so of these birds in existence today.⁣
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This particular "aeʻo" is enjoying a people-free golf course up at . Without balls flying through the air and people zooming around on golf carts, the birds can forage the greens with ease. One small benefit of ! The is next to this golf course, so it is not uncommon to see some birds wander onto the course.
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If this bird looks familiar, it is because it is also the logo for . As this bird used to be plentiful in the wetlands of Waikīkī prior to the development of the region, their image as our logo serves as a reminder of the nature that once was.⁣
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08/15/2020

Check out our latest blog post about the COVID-19 situation in Hawaii. We discuss how we went from one of the nation's success stories to the highest infection rate in the country. We also discuss what lies ahead for future bookings and tours (spoiler alert: We are waiting out the storm!) Read more below:

Read our latest blog about the COVID-19 situation in Hawaii for August, 2020

05/09/2020

Interesting information about the endemic from the formidable
https://www.facebook.com/1755308048086936/posts/2643572319260500/?substory_index=0

The Nene is only surviving endemic goose species of six described from the Hawaiian Islands. Using genetic information, scientists theorize that nēnē and the Canada goose diverged from a common North American ancestor less than three million years ago.

AWEsome information and photo by

05/07/2020

Home in quarantine, we had a lovely visit from a baby in our backyard. This chick likely fell out of its nest after strong winds in . But the mother was nearby and continued to feed the bird. Eventually the baby bird followed the mom slowly back into the forest.

The White Rumped Shama is a forest bird brought from Indonesia in the early 20th century. They are known for their beautiful singing and the flash of white at the base of their tail. They are invasive, but more research needs to be done to understand their impact on the native ecosystem.

We almost always see or hear these birds on our with ! We can't wait to walk and talk with you all again. We are aiming for a July reopen, but of course, there are many unknowns still. The birds, however, are certainly flourishing and I can't wait to look up and see them all again!

05/03/2020

We are back! We spent some time writing our reflections from the past couple months, thinking about where we've been and where we are going. Check it out here:

What lies ahead for Hawai'i Walks after COVID-19 in Hawai'i? Read our blog reflecting on the past few months and looking ahead to the future.

03/17/2020

Aloha. Out of abundance of caution and respect for you and your loved ones' health, we are suspending all tours indefinitely. Airbnb Experiences have all been halted from AirBnb, TripAdvisor is sure to follow in the coming days. It only makes sense that we respect these larger-scale business decisions and halt our tours until this crisis has passed.

These are truly trying times, and this event is unprecedented in scale. Right now, what matters most is your health. Staying home is simply the only method we have at the moment for protecting ourselves and our loved ones. We care about our community and would never want to make a bad situation worse.

Hoping you all find some peace and solace in the coming days, and we will update again soon.

-The Hawai'i Walks Team