october • 2017 keiki cover model

Aloha and mahalo to Drestyn Koloa Tauto‘a Sims and his family for sharing his sweet smile with us for our cover this month!

Drestyn’s mom is Tiara Hasegawa, who works at Andaz Maui as a resort host, and dad is Jimmie Sims, Jr.

Drestyn attends preschool, and his favorite things to do are playing soccer, wrestling, football, and riding his dirt bike.

Mom shared, “Every day is a highlight with my son. He loves being silly and making people laugh. He always reminds me how much he loves me with lots of kisses, hugs, and ‘I love yous.’ He is definitely my ‘opihi boy.’ Dre inspires me to be a better person and to live life with no regrets and to always have fun!”

mauka makai: the westin nanea ocean villas’ culinary jewel

New resorts don’t often pop up on Maui anymore, so when one does, it’s a highly anticipated big deal. The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, which opened in April of this year, sit on what used to be the last 16 acres of undeveloped land fronting Ka‘anapali’s alluring North Beach. Consisting of 190 initial villas, the Westin Nanea (nanea means “relaxation” in Hawaiian) is scheduled to be fully up and running with an additional 200 villas by this year’s Holiday Season.

Inspiration for the resort’s overall design comes from the hina‘i (traditional Hawaiian fishing basket). The hina‘i represents a basket of stories, and it’s the Westin’s goal to communicate the history and shared stories of the Hawaiian people with guests. The hina‘i is brought to life throughout the resort, from the spectacular interwoven wood design on the lobby ceiling, to exquisite basket-weave lampshades in the villas.

7th annual hawai‘i food & wine festival

The 7th Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is an epicurean destination event which will take place over three weekends on multiple islands, featuring a roster of over 100 internationally-renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit producers. The Festival in Hawai‘i Island, Maui, and Oahu will showcase wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, one-of-a-kind excursions, and exclusive dining opportunities with dishes highlighting the state’s local farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. The Maui events run from Friday, October 20 to Sunday, October 22, here are the details:

queen ka’ahumanu center 2nd annual kokua 4 kokonuts fundraising walk for breast cancer

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center and Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation announces the second annual Kokua 4 Kokonuts, a fundraising walk for breast cancer scheduled for Saturday, October 14, 2017, from 8 to 10am.

Kokua 4 Kokonuts is a fun walk through Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center that is appropriate for all ages and skill levels.  A minimum $35 registration fee ($10 for keiki 12 and under) is all that is needed for walkers to receive an official event t-shirt, and to be entered to win fabulous prizes.  Businesses and organizations are encouraged to create teams, collect pledges and walk together.  Strollers and walking aids are welcome.  Maui’s own Mistress of Ceremonies, Kathy Collins, will introduce energizing entertainment, keiki activities, a visit from Hello Kitty and much more.  Sponsorship opportunities are available from $350 which include various recognition packages.

trilogy excursions outfits boats with reef safe sunscreen hawaiian sol

Trilogy Excursions extends its commitment to the environment by outfitting all six of its sailing catamarans with sunscreen free of reef damaging chemicals. After significant research by Conservation and Education Director Magen Schifiliti and Trilogy’s Executive Council, the company has chosen to provide Hawai‘i and Florida-based Hawaiian Sol sunscreen on its tours.

Trilogy had previously been using a brand that was deemed “reef safe” but as research progressed on the topic it was determined that certain chemicals, even in low concentration, have a detrimental impact to reefs. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit research organization that rates products based on toxicity to humans and the environment, the harmful chemicals that have been found to damage reefs are the following: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Most of the sunscreen on the market today contains a combination of two to six of these ingredients. When the chemical Oxybenzone is in the water column, it disrupts the lifecycle of young corals causing DNA damage and death. With thousands of visitors to Hawai‘i’s coral reef systems daily, the concentration of coral damaging chemicals is high. This in combination with an inevitable future coral bleaching event caused by an El Niño year has the potential to be as lethal to Hawaiian coral reef systems as the events we have recently seen in the Great Barrier Reef.