I like sake. Good sake.

The Joy of Sake, a Honolulu tasting fest, is all about good sake. Much of it, award-winning sake. It’s also about good food … Japanese cuisine from a dozen of Honolulu’s finest restaurants including Nobu Waikiki, Hoku’s, Wasabi & Nadaman and Chai’s Island Bistro.

Honolulu began this event, and has exported it to New York and San Francisco, which will have their Joy later in the year. This year’s Honolulu Joy of Sake happens Aug. 28 at the Hawaii Convention Center, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

You can taste more than 328 sakes. They’ve already been tasted here by an international panel of judges, who award medals in various categories. The bonus for you? The sakes you’ll enjoy are guaranteed to be at their taste peak.

If you’re a sake enthusiast, miss Joy of Sake at your peril.

Don’t like sake? Chances are you probably haven’t had a good one yet.

Tickets are $70 advance, $80 door. Order tickets at the Joy of Sake Web site here, or call (808) 739-1000.

Joy's Web site also has all of the down low on the evening’s culinary guests, sakes, food menu and still more sake facts.

Kanpai!
 
 

Over the last century, tandem surfing has evolved from leisure activity to competitive sport, practiced and respected the world over. 

It takes two surfers, one very large board and can trace its roots to Waikiki’s very own Kuhio Beach. And starting Wednesday, Waikiki will again play host to one of the sport’s premier events—The 2008 International Surfing Association/International Tandem Surfing Association’s 3^rd Annual World Title of Tandem Surfing.

A mouthful of words, we know. But trust us when we say you’re in for a treat if you go.

Tandem surfing is an awe-inspiring synergy of surfing, gymnastics and figure skating where two people—typically a male surfer and a much smaller female partner—perform acrobatic stunts and poses.

This, of course, happens while they stand on a floating piece of fiberglass and barrel down a wave at full speed. The world title contest is part of the ongoing Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest, an annual celebration of the pioneering Hawaii surfer’s many accomplishments.

Tandem surfing’s origins can actually be traced back to the legendary waterman. Back in the early 20^th century, Waikiki beach boys like Duke would take tourist women out on their boards, letting the ladies sit or stand on their shoulders for a more exciting ride. 

But don’t think tandem surfing is just for show. There are serious physics at work behind the sport.

It is difficult for surfers to turn and control the large board with someone else on the deck. This is why surfers place their partner on their shoulder. The move is referred to as the “lift.” As soon as the female is hoisted up, the surfer can ride and turn the board as though he was surfing alone.

Who’d a thunk it?

The last few days of OceanFest have featured tandem-related events—including a “boot camp” for beginners and a team competition for "most official tandem lifts." But the real tandem deal is set to begin Wednesday morning. Quarterfinal and semifinal action takes place on Friday, the finals on Saturday.  

For a complete World Title of Tandem Surfing schedule, click here.

See you on the beach!

Photos: CunninghamPhotos.com

 

January 2, 2009.

That’s when the long-shuttered Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island will reopen. Reservations are being taken now.

The 43-year-old luxury resort shut down in October 2006 after an earthquake caused extensive structural damage and safety concerns. More than $150 million has since been poured into the venerable Kohala Coast resort’s renovation.

The improvements leave us anxious to reserve a room.

First off, there are fewer guest rooms to reserve—258 instead of 310. They’re larger and completely refurbished from beds to baths to amenities. A handful of guest rooms even have private bath lanais with views of the ocean or golf course.

The Mauna Kea’s common areas and restaurants were redesigned. New retail shops and a spa and fitness center are planned. Front desk check-in will be replaced by seated, personalized check-in for all guests—these days, an expected amenity at luxury resorts of the Mauna Kea’s caliber.

Even the Mauna Kea Golf Course — closed since May 2007 — has been given a makeover for an inaugural tee off in December.

The view from the hotel, overlooking Kauna’oa Beach, one of the Big Island’s best white sand expanses? Couldn’t be improved. It was and is still stunning.

To keep up with progress, consult Mauna Kea Beach resort’s new preview Website here. Call (866) 977-4589 to make a reservation.

A gala grand opening weekend for the resort is being planned for March 26, 27 & 28. Packages and amenities will be announced soon.
  

Call it the “Weird Little TV Show that Could.” A castaway drama launched four years ago with modest expectations that blew up into an Emmy-winning global phenomenon.

Of course I’m referring to the Hawaii-filmed ABC hit series, Lost.

I’m not one to camp out overnight at Kualoa Ranch for a glimpse of Jack or Locke or even Hurley. But I had a change of heart last week when I heard about an open casting call for extras for the show’s upcoming fifth season.

It would be madness, I thought. Ridiculously long lines. The sun beating down relentlessly. Overzealous wannabe actors waving headshots and throwing elbows. Fun times.

Not to mention the fact that the few souls hired would get paid $759 a day—a solid chunk of change for a young gun like myself.

I wandered over to Oahu’s Ala Wai Elementary School last Saturday to audition. No makeup. No headshot. Just a t-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap. Sure enough, hundreds of people were there, lined up against the schoolyard’s fence, snaking down the block and around the corner.

The line buzzed with excitement. Beautiful women paraded around in the mid-afternoon heat in tube tops, short shorts and heels, waiting to be discovered. A mother with her small child gushed about her plans to move to Los Angeles as soon as she got the call.

Jumping a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?

After a few hours, our patience was rewarded with a invitation to the school cafeteria. A casting director there barked out orders, wrangling up the aspiring stars and starlets.

For all the fanfare, the actual process was quite anticlimactic. Stand against a blank wall, hold up a number, smile and have your picture taken. That’s it. Kind of like a mug shot, only in a cafeteria…and with no food.

Exciting stuff.

Casting officials informed us that actual auditions would be given to folks called back in the next few months.

Outside the cafeteria, a portly man who stood behind me in line slipped on his Oakley shades with Hollywood cool and pulled out his cell: “Honey, I nailed it.”

Ah, if we all could have such confidence.

Will I be called back? Stay tuned.

Photo: ABC

 

Want to take part in some awesome surf action in Waikiki? Minus the embarrassment of wiping out or the pain of getting sand in your pants, that is.  

The 7th Annual Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest kicks off eight days of surf contests and ocean-related activities, Sunday at Waikiki’s Kuhio Beach. Presented by the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, the weeklong festival honors the legacy of the Hawaii surf legend while raising funds for local scholarship and grant programs.

Duke Kahanamoku, of course, was the famed Waikiki beach boy and waterman who ruled the surf off Kuhio Beach for decades with great warmth and Aloha spirit. He also brought Hawaii worldwide attention with his surf skills and passion for the sport.

Duke won five Olympic medals—three of ‘em gold—in the 1912, 1920 and 1924 summer games. He was also the first inducted to both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and International Surfing Hall of Fame. Top that, Michael Phelps!

In 1999, Surfer Magazine named him Surfer of the Century—a fitting title for a man who put the sport in the global spotlight.

With a week’s worth of surf action, the Duke’s OceanFest has something for everyone. A complete schedule of events is here. For more information, call (808) 545-4880.

Me? I’m down for these can’t miss OceanFest events:

•  Roxy Jam Honolulu Pro Women’s Surf (Aug. 20-23). I’d be remiss if I didn’t give it up for the ladies. This meet attracts the best female surfers from around the world and is Waikiki’s only women’s longboard surf competition.

•  ITSA/ISA Waikiki Sandbox Bar World Title Tandem Surf (Aug. 20-23).  I’m really excited about this contest—a wicked combination of surfing and acrobatics with two riders on one board. Check back with HawaiiMagazine.com in the next few days for a post from me on the event and Waikiki’s storied tandem surfing history.

•  Waikiki Lei Parade and Draping of Duke’s Statue (Aug. 24, 4:45 p.m.). OceanFest’s closing ceremony is traditionally held on Duke’s birthday. Colorful lei are carried by surfboard down Kalakaua Avenue—Waikiki’s main drag—and draped on Duke’s iconic beach-fronting statue. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the sentimental stuff.

See you on the beach, kids!