Humpback Whale Season in Hawaii

In addition to the huge winter surf, the peak of the Humpback whale season in Hawaii is here! This is not just the moment when the whales have come to the warm waters of Hawaii to give birth in December. Now the lucky whale watchers will see the mama whales with their baby calves. I've found a wonderful photo of a humpback whale mother with her calf floating right above her on the official Hawaii Humpback whale site. Why don't you pay the site a visit to see the stunning humpback whale photo and read more about what is done to save and protect these special ocean creatures, so we and our kids will be able to enjoy watching them for many years to come. You may also find out more about what's happening during Humpback Whale Awareness Month.

Whale watching boats can be seen around all the Hawaiian Islands at all times of the day this whale season. For our Hawaii visitors, the captain of the boat can't seemingly get close enough to the whales but boats or divers are not legally allowed to approach closer than 100 yards of any humpback whale or closer than 300 yards of a humpback mother and calf. Well, there is always the question 'Does the humpback whale know that?'. To tell you the truth there are many close encounters with the gentle giants reported and whale stories told. That's what we intend to do today. Here is Keoki's own close encounter with a humpback whale mother and her baby:

"Sometimes the most astonishing things happen when you lest expect it. This experience happened to me years ago, yet I can remember it as though it was yesterday. I was working as a massage therapist at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was January and the whales were back from Alaska for their winter breeding season.

Myself and Jeanne, a fellow therapist, had a 2- hour break and the weather was beautiful, as it often is on the Kohala Coast, though the ocean can be a bit turbulent in winter, however today it was calm as glass and we decided to take the 2- person kayak out for a look back at the island from sea. I would say we got out about a quarter mile and had decided that was far enough. The day was absolutely gorgeous and we had seen a couple dolphins and we were about turn around and head back when we had our minds blown.

You know when something happens so fast, like instantaneously, that you just sit there and go 'WOW!' in your mind. I mean not even being able to say anything. We were just sitting there and the next instant a mother whale and her baby appeared not more than 5 meters away, although at the time it seemed much closer. My first thought was 'Holy crap! What are we going to do?', and my second was 'Just sit here and let her make the next move'.

It seemed like we sat there forever though I know it was only minutes. We just kinda stared at each other, at least that was what I was doing. How she had appeared out of the blue, I'll never know but when she decided she had seen enough of us, I swear she and her baby dove straight down causing like a vortex in the ocean threatening to take our kayak with her. It was one of the most amazing experiences!"

Did you have any close encounters with humpback whales in Hawaii? Our blog visitors would love to hear those whale stories. Mahalo and aloha, Pua and Keoki Hawaii Vacations

Humpback whales in Hawaii

Whales are back to Hawaii
Whale Watch in Hawaii
West Hawaii Today Whale Story

Tags: Hawaii whale story, encounter with humpback whale in Hawaii

Humpback Whale Season in Hawaii

In addition to the huge winter surf, the peak of the Humpback whale season in Hawaii is here! This is not just the moment when the whales have come to the warm waters of Hawaii to give birth in December. Now the lucky whale watchers will see the mama whales with their baby calves. I've found a wonderful photo of a humpback whale mother with her calf floating right above her on the official Hawaii Humpback whale site. Why don't you pay the site a visit to see the stunning humpback whale photo and read more about what is done to save and protect these special ocean creatures, so we and our kids will be able to enjoy watching them for many years to come. You may also find out more about what's happening during Humpback Whale Awareness Month.

Whale watching boats can be seen around all the Hawaiian Islands at all times of the day this whale season. For our Hawaii visitors, the captain of the boat can't seemingly get close enough to the whales but boats or divers are not legally allowed to approach closer than 100 yards of any humpback whale or closer than 300 yards of a humpback mother and calf. Well, there is always the question 'Does the humpback whale know that?'. To tell you the truth there are many close encounters with the gentle giants reported and whale stories told. That's what we intend to do today. Here is Keoki's own close encounter with a humpback whale mother and her baby:

"Sometimes the most astonishing things happen when you lest expect it. This experience happened to me years ago, yet I can remember it as though it was yesterday. I was working as a massage therapist at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was January and the whales were back from Alaska for their winter breeding season.

Myself and Jeanne, a fellow therapist, had a 2- hour break and the weather was beautiful, as it often is on the Kohala Coast, though the ocean can be a bit turbulent in winter, however today it was calm as glass and we decided to take the 2- person kayak out for a look back at the island from sea. I would say we got out about a quarter mile and had decided that was far enough. The day was absolutely gorgeous and we had seen a couple dolphins and we were about turn around and head back when we had our minds blown.

You know when something happens so fast, like instantaneously, that you just sit there and go 'WOW!' in your mind. I mean not even being able to say anything. We were just sitting there and the next instant a mother whale and her baby appeared not more than 5 meters away, although at the time it seemed much closer. My first thought was 'Holy crap! What are we going to do?', and my second was 'Just sit here and let her make the next move'.

It seemed like we sat there forever though I know it was only minutes. We just kinda stared at each other, at least that was what I was doing. How she had appeared out of the blue, I'll never know but when she decided she had seen enough of us, I swear she and her baby dove straight down causing like a vortex in the ocean threatening to take our kayak with her. It was one of the most amazing experiences!"

Did you have any close encounters with humpback whales in Hawaii? Our blog visitors would love to hear those whale stories. Mahalo and aloha, Pua and Keoki Hawaii Vacations

Humpback whales in Hawaii

Whales are back to Hawaii
Whale Watch in Hawaii
West Hawaii Today Whale Story

Tags: Hawaii whale story, encounter with humpback whale in Hawaii

Modbook Mac Tablet

"Andreas Haas, CEO of Axiotron, tells InformationWeek how the company turns the dowdy MacBook into its sexy Modbook Mac tablet, and why its not afraid of competition from a rumored Apple-made Mac tablet.

If you live all day in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or some other visual Mac app, Axiotron has its eye on you. The company makes the long-awaited Modbook Mac tablet, designed for designers, illustrators, and other visually creative professionals.

"It's for people who draw, scribble, and paint," said Axiotron CEO Andreas Haas. We sat down with Haas for a one-on-one interview recently.

The Modbook, priced starting at $2,290, was announced at Macworld 2007, a little more than a year ago, and finally started shipping Dec. 31.

Axiotron built the unit in cooperation with Apple. The Modbook is manufactured by the same companies that make Macs. Axiotron ships the manufacturers the pen displays, the manufacturers rip the displays and keyboards out of standard MacBooks, and then add the Axiotron display. The manufacturers keep the notebook displays and keyboards and use them to repair defective MacBooks -- displays and keyboards are the most common points of failure for notebook computers, Haas said.

Apple is reportedly developing its own tablet computer, but Axiotron isn't afraid of the competition, Haas said. The Apple tablet will basically be a bigger version of the iPhone or iPod Touch -- a consumer device with a 7-inch to 10-inch display, running a cut-down version of Mac OS X with little or no third-party application support, with an interface that's lacking in fine control, in part because it'll be controlled using the user's finger. "Finger painting is fun -- when you're four," Haas said." View Full Review

Biggest Waves in Hawaii

Aloha Hawaii lovers,
Let's get right into our Hawaii Monday Photo of the week by well-known Hawaii photographer's Jennifer Crites. Hope we can attract your attention with this big shot of a huge wave on Oahu's North Shore surfer's paradise. Facing a wave of that size is even for pro Hawaiian surfers a challenge. Having watched Hawaiian surfers on the Big Island during the winter months for many years, each time time I was mesmerized. Big Island surf does not really have the pipelines like North Shore of Oahu. So, each time when I saw a surfer crushed by the big wave at the end of the ride, I seriously doubted he'd come ever up again. Big relief when he did!

Here is what Jennifer, who also a popular Hawaii travel writer, has to say about this photo: "Showing one of the amazing shore-break waves at Waimea Bay during winter's high surf, when all the surf contests are held on the North Shore. Every year, top surfers hope the waves at Waimea will be big enough (must be at least 20-foot waves) and rideable enough to hold the Eddie Aikau Big-Wave surf contest.

It hasn't happened for awhile. I'm not sure when the last one was. The waves have been almost big enough but not quite, but if the wave size cooperates, the contest will be on with perhaps only hours notice to competitors. Eddie Aikau was an expert big-wave surfer, lifeguard at Waimea Bay, and crew member aboard an early voyage of the famous Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hokule'a. When the canoe ran into trouble and capsized, Eddie paddled off on his surfboard to get help. The crew was rescued, but Eddie was never found. We honor Eddie with this giant of a surf contest because he risked his life for his crew members. We say in Hawaii, "Eddie Would Go," meaning he wouldn't hesitate to face danger to protect those he cared about."

Honolulu star bulletin wrote a great article about Eddie Aikau 'Twenty years ago this month, big-wave surfer and lifeguardEddie Aikau lost his life in a brave effort to save crew members of the capsized Hokule'a.' Here is more about the Big Wave on North Shore, also showing interested surfers or visitors the current height of North Shore Oahu waves! Check it out.

Well, next to the question 'Where are the best beaches in Hawaii?', another favorite question is - of course, especially asked by passionate surfers 'When is the time for the high waves in Hawaii?'. The time is here and now. The winter months are the months for the biggest waves and often most dangerous surf. It's very interesting for Hawaii residents to see how small beaches suddenly totally disappear like they have never been there. But believe me they all will be coming back into existence when the winter surf calms down in spring. Even the big popular beaches change their appearance during high and rough winter surf - the sandy part gets much narrower and tide pools and big rocks, normally out on the sand, will disappear. To cut a long story short, winter surf is different.

Here are 5 best ocean safety tips for your Hawaii vacation during winter months:

1. Biggest rule: Pay respect to the ocean!
2. Make sure to go to a beach with a lifeguard. Look for a calm beach when traveling with kids.
3. Don't stand on rocks which can be reached by water because of the risk of a sudden wave.
4. Never turn your back to the ocean and always follow Ocean Safety signs.
5. If signs are up for jelly fish Portuguese man-of-war, don't ignore them.

Have fun, but don't take chances. With that being said, enjoy this youtube video Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, from February 2007. As usual, we'd love to hear from you about your encounters with big waves in Hawaii. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Surfing in Hawaii Articles

How safe are Hawaii beaches - A life or Death Story?
Kohala Coast Beaches
5 Myths about Hawaii
Surfing in Hawaii
Hawaii Weather

Tags: Best of Hawaii, Surfing, North Shore Oahu

Biggest Waves in Hawaii

Aloha Hawaii lovers,
Let's get right into our Hawaii Monday Photo of the week by well-known Hawaii photographer's Jennifer Crites. Hope we can attract your attention with this big shot of a huge wave on Oahu's North Shore surfer's paradise. Facing a wave of that size is even for pro Hawaiian surfers a challenge. Having watched Hawaiian surfers on the Big Island during the winter months for many years, each time time I was mesmerized. Big Island surf does not really have the pipelines like North Shore of Oahu. So, each time when I saw a surfer crushed by the big wave at the end of the ride, I seriously doubted he'd come ever up again. Big relief when he did!

Here is what Jennifer, who also a popular Hawaii travel writer, has to say about this photo: "Showing one of the amazing shore-break waves at Waimea Bay during winter's high surf, when all the surf contests are held on the North Shore. Every year, top surfers hope the waves at Waimea will be big enough (must be at least 20-foot waves) and rideable enough to hold the Eddie Aikau Big-Wave surf contest.

It hasn't happened for awhile. I'm not sure when the last one was. The waves have been almost big enough but not quite, but if the wave size cooperates, the contest will be on with perhaps only hours notice to competitors. Eddie Aikau was an expert big-wave surfer, lifeguard at Waimea Bay, and crew member aboard an early voyage of the famous Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hokule'a. When the canoe ran into trouble and capsized, Eddie paddled off on his surfboard to get help. The crew was rescued, but Eddie was never found. We honor Eddie with this giant of a surf contest because he risked his life for his crew members. We say in Hawaii, "Eddie Would Go," meaning he wouldn't hesitate to face danger to protect those he cared about."

Honolulu star bulletin wrote a great article about Eddie Aikau 'Twenty years ago this month, big-wave surfer and lifeguardEddie Aikau lost his life in a brave effort to save crew members of the capsized Hokule'a.' Here is more about the Big Wave on North Shore, also showing interested surfers or visitors the current height of North Shore Oahu waves! Check it out.

Well, next to the question 'Where are the best beaches in Hawaii?', another favorite question is - of course, especially asked by passionate surfers 'When is the time for the high waves in Hawaii?'. The time is here and now. The winter months are the months for the biggest waves and often most dangerous surf. It's very interesting for Hawaii residents to see how small beaches suddenly totally disappear like they have never been there. But believe me they all will be coming back into existence when the winter surf calms down in spring. Even the big popular beaches change their appearance during high and rough winter surf - the sandy part gets much narrower and tide pools and big rocks, normally out on the sand, will disappear. To cut a long story short, winter surf is different.

Here are 5 best ocean safety tips for your Hawaii vacation during winter months:

1. Biggest rule: Pay respect to the ocean!
2. Make sure to go to a beach with a lifeguard. Look for a calm beach when traveling with kids.
3. Don't stand on rocks which can be reached by water because of the risk of a sudden wave.
4. Never turn your back to the ocean and always follow Ocean Safety signs.
5. If signs are up for jelly fish Portuguese man-of-war, don't ignore them.

Have fun, but don't take chances. With that being said, enjoy this youtube video Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, from February 2007. As usual, we'd love to hear from you about your encounters with big waves in Hawaii. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Surfing in Hawaii Articles

How safe are Hawaii beaches - A life or Death Story?
Kohala Coast Beaches
5 Myths about Hawaii
Surfing in Hawaii
Hawaii Weather

Tags: Best of Hawaii, Surfing, North Shore Oahu

Optical Art With Illustrator

"Illustrator’s transform functions to create a stunning op art piece with a real sense of movement. Mark Mayers shows you how...Optical art, or op art, is a genre of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. Op art is also known as geometric abstraction and hardedge abstraction, although the preferred term for it is perceptual abstraction. The best-known method is the creation of illusions through the use of pattern or line where the viewer is given the impression of movement such as hidden images, vibration or warping. All these techniques trick the eye into seeing three dimensions even though the image hitting the retina is only two dimensional. This tutorial pays homage to the English painter Bridget Riley, who is one of the foremost proponents of op art and evolved a style in which she explored the dynamic effects of optical art". Go to tutorial page.

Hawaii Weather

When you finally made it to the Hawaiian Islands, whether it's Maui, Kauai, Big Island or Oahu, and are planning major activities for your Hawaii vacation, the most important question is 'What will the weather be like in Hawaii?'. Our Hawaii weather post, will provide you with the most comprehensive information about Hawaii weather for all Hawaiian Islands at one glance.

We will give you the weather links to the major Hawaii towns and best places on each Hawaiian island, so it's easy to find out what the weather will be like in your area where you spend your Hawaii vacation.

Maui Weather Today and Maui Weather Forecast

Visit Maui Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman does not only provide you with the Maui weather today and Maui Weather Forecast for 6 different areas on Maui - you can choose the areas on the Maui map, including Halehakela Summit. Best part of his Maui weather forecast is that he includes the different Maui activities weather forecast for Maui Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Maui Beaches. Maps of Molokai and Lanai are included with weather forecasts on those islands.

Kahului Weather Today and Kahului Weather Forecast

Lahaina Weather Today and Lahaina Weather Forecast



Oahu Weather Today and Oahu Weather Forecast

Visit Oahu Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides you with the Oahu weather today and Hawaii weather forecast for 7 different areas on Oahu. You can choose the areas on the Oahu map including North Shore for watching surfers riding the giant waves. Best part of his Oahu weather forecast is that he includes the different Oahu activities weather forecast for Oahu Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Oahu Beaches.



Hawaii Big Island Weather Today and Big Island Weather Forecast

Visit Hawaii Big Island Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides the Big Island weather today and Big Island Weather Forecast for 8 different areas on the Big Island. Visitors can choose the areas on the Big Island map, including Summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa for detailed weather. His Big Island weather forecast includes the different Big Island activities weather forecast for Big Island Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Big Island Beaches.

Kona weather forecast

Hilo weather forecast

Kauai Weather Today and Kauai Weather Forecast

Visit Kauai Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides the Kauai Weather Today and Kauai Weather Forecast for 3 different areas on the Kauai. His Kauai Map displays areas on Kauai with Kauai weather forecast which include the different Kauai activities weather forecast for Kauai Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Kauai Beaches.

Related Articles

When is the best weather for Hawaii vacation
Best time to watch the green flash in Hawaii

Tags: Hawaii weather for your best Hawaii vacation, Maui weather, Kauai weather, Oahu weather, Big Island weather

Hawaii Weather

When you finally made it to the Hawaiian Islands, whether it's Maui, Kauai, Big Island or Oahu, and are planning major activities for your Hawaii vacation, the most important question is 'What will the weather be like in Hawaii?'. Our Hawaii weather post, will provide you with the most comprehensive information about Hawaii weather for all Hawaiian Islands at one glance.

We will give you the weather links to the major Hawaii towns and best places on each Hawaiian island, so it's easy to find out what the weather will be like in your area where you spend your Hawaii vacation.

Maui Weather Today and Maui Weather Forecast

Visit Maui Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman does not only provide you with the Maui weather today and Maui Weather Forecast for 6 different areas on Maui - you can choose the areas on the Maui map, including Halehakela Summit. Best part of his Maui weather forecast is that he includes the different Maui activities weather forecast for Maui Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Maui Beaches. Maps of Molokai and Lanai are included with weather forecasts on those islands.

Kahului Weather Today and Kahului Weather Forecast

Lahaina Weather Today and Lahaina Weather Forecast



Oahu Weather Today and Oahu Weather Forecast

Visit Oahu Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides you with the Oahu weather today and Hawaii weather forecast for 7 different areas on Oahu. You can choose the areas on the Oahu map including North Shore for watching surfers riding the giant waves. Best part of his Oahu weather forecast is that he includes the different Oahu activities weather forecast for Oahu Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Oahu Beaches.



Hawaii Big Island Weather Today and Big Island Weather Forecast

Visit Hawaii Big Island Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides the Big Island weather today and Big Island Weather Forecast for 8 different areas on the Big Island. Visitors can choose the areas on the Big Island map, including Summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa for detailed weather. His Big Island weather forecast includes the different Big Island activities weather forecast for Big Island Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Big Island Beaches.

Kona weather forecast

Hilo weather forecast

Kauai Weather Today and Kauai Weather Forecast

Visit Kauai Weather Today. Glenn the 'Hawaii Weather Today' weatherman provides the Kauai Weather Today and Kauai Weather Forecast for 3 different areas on the Kauai. His Kauai Map displays areas on Kauai with Kauai weather forecast which include the different Kauai activities weather forecast for Kauai Diving and Snorkeling, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding, Surfing and Sunbathing & Swimming on the Kauai Beaches.

Related Articles

When is the best weather for Hawaii vacation
Best time to watch the green flash in Hawaii

Tags: Hawaii weather for your best Hawaii vacation, Maui weather, Kauai weather, Oahu weather, Big Island weather

Scratch Brushes for Adobe Photoshop

A set 17 scratch texture brushes for Adobe Photoshop from daughterofsnape...

Might be of use if you are esigning a grungy scene or a distorted layer mask.

Download

Best Hawaii Books

When making up our Hawaii blog about Best Hawaii Vacation, we told our blog visitors, that our blogging goal is to provide Hawaii visitors with insider feedback about how to best prepare and spend their Hawaii vacation. Let's just do that with this post.

Nobody doubts anymore that the Internet has become for most people their first #1 choice for finding answers for their top questions when planning their Hawaii vacation:
Which Hawaii Island to visit?
When is the best weather in Hawaii?
What to do in Hawaii?
Where to stay in Hawaii - Vacation Rental or Hawaii Hotel?
Where are the best Hawaii beaches?

Of course, there is a big number of tourists to Hawaii who doesn't care so much about individual Hawaii island information. They 'just' want to spend a vacation in Hawaii and go straightforward to Hawaii Vacation Packages Travelocity, Hawaii Vacation Deals Expedia or Orbitz. Still involves searching according to the budget you are on but eliminates making too many other choices.

You next choice is probably a local travel agent who has all the Hawaii travel information at hand. You tell him your travel dates and what you want to spend for your Hawaii Vacation and he or she puts a package together for you. You won't know whether the travel agent did a good job until you are right in Hawaii enjoying your vacation or wishing you never started this trip.

For all those, who arrange their Hawaii vacation on their own, here is our suggestion...plan your trip as early as possible by reading as many Hawaii Guide books as you can. We already spend too many hours in front of computers. How about reading a book about Hawaii instead? Now imagine sitting with your Hawaii guide book in front of your fireplace in Montana...reading about tropical Paradise and your Hawaii vacation! Doesn't that sound much more relaxing and fun? And you won't get square eyes or a headache.

All the local libraries offer a nice collection of Hawaii books from Guide books to novels. When you have found the island and the book of you choice, go order it and take it as your travel companion with you when exploring the Hawaii islands. Today we'd like to share with our Hawaii blog visitors our favorite Hawaii books for planning your best Hawaii vacation:

Frommer's Hawaii 2008 by Jeanette Foster

Our top favorite Hawaii Guide Book is 'Frommer's Hawaii 2008' by Jeanette Foster. This book is perfect reading for all those who first want to get an idea about all the Hawaiian Islands. Jeanette offers a Hawaii vacation expert opinion with yet her own subjective aspects. Frommer's tells you about the geography and climate of each Hawaii island, accommodation reviews (from affordable vacation rentals to fancy 5-star Hawaii beach resorts), restaurants, best Hawaii activities on the island and so much more. When you read reader's reviews, you will notice that we are not the only people who love the Frommer's Hawaii 2008 book.


Hawaii Revealed Series by Andrew Doughty

When you have once made your decision which Hawaiian Island to visit on your Hawaii vacation, we definitely recommend the series of 'Hawaii Revealed' books for your trip planning. With all the Hawaii revealed books, take into perspective that these books reflect a personal opinion by the author when he was visiting a certain restaurant or vacation rental. Remember the only constant in life is charge. So change can happen from his last visit to your visit, for the better or worse.

The following Hawaii Guide Books are small enough to carry with you as a Hawaii travel companion for finding best beaches, affordable accommodations, spectacular hiking trails to hidden waterfalls, restaurants from casual to luxury.

Maui Revealed - The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook by Andrew Doughty

Hawaii - The Big Island Revealed by Andrew Doughty

Oahu Revealed by Andrew Doughty

We invite our readers to share their favorite Hawaii Vacation Guide Book with our blog visitors. What's your BEST Hawaii Book? Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Related Articles

Free Hawaii Vacation Planners
Tips for Snorkeling and Diving in Hawaii
5 Best Photo Tips for your Hawaii Vacation

Tags: Best Hawaii Guidebooks, Discover Hawaii with Hawaii Revealed books

Best Hawaii Books

When making up our Hawaii blog about Best Hawaii Vacation, we told our blog visitors, that our blogging goal is to provide Hawaii visitors with insider feedback about how to best prepare and spend their Hawaii vacation. Let's just do that with this post.

Nobody doubts anymore that the Internet has become for most people their first #1 choice for finding answers for their top questions when planning their Hawaii vacation:
Which Hawaii Island to visit?
When is the best weather in Hawaii?
What to do in Hawaii?
Where to stay in Hawaii - Vacation Rental or Hawaii Hotel?
Where are the best Hawaii beaches?

Of course, there is a big number of tourists to Hawaii who doesn't care so much about individual Hawaii island information. They 'just' want to spend a vacation in Hawaii and go straightforward to Hawaii Vacation Packages Travelocity, Hawaii Vacation Deals Expedia or Orbitz. Still involves searching according to the budget you are on but eliminates making too many other choices.

You next choice is probably a local travel agent who has all the Hawaii travel information at hand. You tell him your travel dates and what you want to spend for your Hawaii Vacation and he or she puts a package together for you. You won't know whether the travel agent did a good job until you are right in Hawaii enjoying your vacation or wishing you never started this trip.

For all those, who arrange their Hawaii vacation on their own, here is our suggestion...plan your trip as early as possible by reading as many Hawaii Guide books as you can. We already spend too many hours in front of computers. How about reading a book about Hawaii instead? Now imagine sitting with your Hawaii guide book in front of your fireplace in Montana...reading about tropical Paradise and your Hawaii vacation! Doesn't that sound much more relaxing and fun? And you won't get square eyes or a headache.

All the local libraries offer a nice collection of Hawaii books from Guide books to novels. When you have found the island and the book of you choice, go order it and take it as your travel companion with you when exploring the Hawaii islands. Today we'd like to share with our Hawaii blog visitors our favorite Hawaii books for planning your best Hawaii vacation:

Frommer's Hawaii 2008 by Jeanette Foster

Our top favorite Hawaii Guide Book is 'Frommer's Hawaii 2008' by Jeanette Foster. This book is perfect reading for all those who first want to get an idea about all the Hawaiian Islands. Jeanette offers a Hawaii vacation expert opinion with yet her own subjective aspects. Frommer's tells you about the geography and climate of each Hawaii island, accommodation reviews (from affordable vacation rentals to fancy 5-star Hawaii beach resorts), restaurants, best Hawaii activities on the island and so much more. When you read reader's reviews, you will notice that we are not the only people who love the Frommer's Hawaii 2008 book.


Hawaii Revealed Series by Andrew Doughty

When you have once made your decision which Hawaiian Island to visit on your Hawaii vacation, we definitely recommend the series of 'Hawaii Revealed' books for your trip planning. With all the Hawaii revealed books, take into perspective that these books reflect a personal opinion by the author when he was visiting a certain restaurant or vacation rental. Remember the only constant in life is charge. So change can happen from his last visit to your visit, for the better or worse.

The following Hawaii Guide Books are small enough to carry with you as a Hawaii travel companion for finding best beaches, affordable accommodations, spectacular hiking trails to hidden waterfalls, restaurants from casual to luxury.

Maui Revealed - The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook by Andrew Doughty

Hawaii - The Big Island Revealed by Andrew Doughty

Oahu Revealed by Andrew Doughty

We invite our readers to share their favorite Hawaii Vacation Guide Book with our blog visitors. What's your BEST Hawaii Book? Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Related Articles

Free Hawaii Vacation Planners
Tips for Snorkeling and Diving in Hawaii
5 Best Photo Tips for your Hawaii Vacation

Tags: Best Hawaii Guidebooks, Discover Hawaii with Hawaii Revealed books

Towers Vector Pack

This vector pack contains the shapes of the Eiffel Tower, The Tower In Pisa, Big Ben, Berlin TV-Tower, Burj al Arab in Dubai, Sears Tower, Tai Pei 101, Petronas Towers and Empire State Building. Download (eps format). Thanks to Nimpsher

Porn

Last night I came out with this composition. I used the concept of the Official NBA Logo, for the silhouette of the girls I actually used a Norp Icons 2 font available for download here. The actual silhouette shape is the letterform for number 7, and I made a few manipulations in Adobe Illustrator > Select the letterform , Type , Create Outlines. With the rounded rectangle tool I just created the background element and diagonally cuted it with the Knife Tool and used light blue and pink gradients for fill colors. Pretty easy and basic composition, but I really like the final result. I'm actually thinking of creating a poster with that logo, but we'll see. The wallpapers below are in 1024x768 px and 1280x800 px .

35+ brush sets (1400+ brushes) for GIMP

Well, browsing around digg.com I found a great link for all open-source lovers, especially GIMP users. 35 free artistic brush sets.

"GIMP is an open-source image editing program, one of the most popular image-editing programs. It is supported by a huge open-source community that is open in every aspect - development, source, sharing and participation.As is common to open-source applications, GIMP too has a huge repository of plugins, scripts, brushes and gradients (we’ve already covered Top 40 GIMP plugins). The open-source enthusiasts pour hundreds of hours into developing the application and its add-ons for no cost, and shares them generously with the community...

And what better way for me to admire GIMP than by presenting a list of some amazing, beautiful and stunning brushes? The name, link and description of each brush are given just below each illustrative image. There are also sections linking to huge GIMP collections and further resources aimed at every group from novice to expert."

VectorDesign : MacHeist 2 Bundle

Yesterday, TweakerSoft’s VectorDesign was revealed as the final app for the current MacHeist 2 Bundle. As Pixelmator is to Adobe PhotoShop, VectorDesign is to Adobe Illustrator. For those of us who want to be able to create and edit vector graphics (.svg, .eps, etc.), but don’t want to spend several hundred dollars, VectorDesign looks to fill the void.

MacHeist aims to bring the best shareware from the brightest independent Mac software developers to the masses. We’ve already highlighted the contents of the bundle, but since then all of the original apps have been unlocked - Speed Download has been included, and two games from FreeVerse have been added as well. So now VectorDesign has been included as well.

As it now stands, the bundle has a value of nearly $500 worth of quality Mac shareware for under $50. not to mention that $300,000 has been raised for charity! Read more

Hawaii Hula Dancers

It's Monday and our Hawaii photo is getting posted. It's a photo of Hawaiian hula dancers, which Jennifer selected for this Hawaii photo. Aren't we all mesmerized when watching a Hawaii hula performed by one of the graceful Hawaii hula dancers or hula halau (groups), whether you watch them at your Hawaii hotel or at a Hawaiian luau? Hula is a big part of Hawaii heritage and tradition. Hawaii visitors cannot resist the attraction of an ancient hula accompanied by Hawaiian music. The hula belongs to your Hawaii vacation like the palm trees and the white sand beaches. You might want to read more about 'Learn how to hula'.

Hawaii photographer Jennifer Crites took the above photo of Hawaii hula dancers at Waikiki Beach, between Queen's Beach and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, at a very special event during the Aloha Festival in September last year. In 1996, hula dancers from Hawaii had set a new Guinness Book record for the 'Largest Hula Dance' with 3,500 dancers participating. Unfortunately, the record had dropped from the Guinness Book.

The hula dancer photo shows you the attempt to set up a new record for the longest hula dancers line. In celebration of the 55th Waikiki Ho'olaule'a, Aloha Festivals will be breaking its Guinness Book of World Records by lining up 5,500 hula dancers in 2007, dancing to Andy Cummings "Waikiki" and Kimo Alama Keaulana's "Aloha Week Hula". On my search for more information on this longest hula dancer line, I came across some more beautiful photos on the longest hula line on Waikiki Beach. I love the photos of the keiki hula dancers! Honolulu Starbulletin reports about this exciting event or read more on GoHawaii visitors site.

Maybe Jennifer can tell us whether the attempted record was successful and our Hawaii longest hula dancer line is back in the Guinness Book of Records? Stay in touch with Best Hawaii Vacation Blog to hear Jennifer's answer. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations Hula Festival
p.s.
Have to share this with our Hawaii blog visitors - my favorite hula halau group is Sonny Ching hula halau! Do you have a certain hula halau in Hawaii you love best?

Related Articles

Learn how to hula

Hawaii Aloha Festivals
Best Hawaii Luau Show
Hawaiian Music

Tags: Longest hula dancer line in Waikiki 2007, hula dancers in hawaii

Hawaii Hula Dancers

It's Monday and our Hawaii photo is getting posted. It's a photo of Hawaiian hula dancers, which Jennifer selected for this Hawaii photo. Aren't we all mesmerized when watching a Hawaii hula performed by one of the graceful Hawaii hula dancers or hula halau (groups), whether you watch them at your Hawaii hotel or at a Hawaiian luau? Hula is a big part of Hawaii heritage and tradition. Hawaii visitors cannot resist the attraction of an ancient hula accompanied by Hawaiian music. The hula belongs to your Hawaii vacation like the palm trees and the white sand beaches. You might want to read more about 'Learn how to hula'.

Hawaii photographer Jennifer Crites took the above photo of Hawaii hula dancers at Waikiki Beach, between Queen's Beach and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, at a very special event during the Aloha Festival in September last year. In 1996, hula dancers from Hawaii had set a new Guinness Book record for the 'Largest Hula Dance' with 3,500 dancers participating. Unfortunately, the record had dropped from the Guinness Book.

The hula dancer photo shows you the attempt to set up a new record for the longest hula dancers line. In celebration of the 55th Waikiki Ho'olaule'a, Aloha Festivals will be breaking its Guinness Book of World Records by lining up 5,500 hula dancers in 2007, dancing to Andy Cummings "Waikiki" and Kimo Alama Keaulana's "Aloha Week Hula". On my search for more information on this longest hula dancer line, I came across some more beautiful photos on the longest hula line on Waikiki Beach. I love the photos of the keiki hula dancers! Honolulu Starbulletin reports about this exciting event or read more on GoHawaii visitors site.

Maybe Jennifer can tell us whether the attempted record was successful and our Hawaii longest hula dancer line is back in the Guinness Book of Records? Stay in touch with Best Hawaii Vacation Blog to hear Jennifer's answer. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations Hula Festival
p.s.
Have to share this with our Hawaii blog visitors - my favorite hula halau group is Sonny Ching hula halau! Do you have a certain hula halau in Hawaii you love best?

Related Articles

Learn how to hula

Hawaii Aloha Festivals
Best Hawaii Luau Show
Hawaiian Music

Tags: Longest hula dancer line in Waikiki 2007, hula dancers in hawaii

The Best Of : Adobe Flash Tutorials Around The Web

Although usability evangelists often consider Flash to be a usability nightmare, used properly, Flash can provide users with a rich and interactive interface which would be impossible otherwise. Today Flash is the de-facto standard for interactive elements on the Web as most users install Flash plug-in by default. And in fact, there are many paths creative designers can take to create a more interactive and user-friendly interface.

Searching for ‘flash tutorials’ via Google & Co. won’t provide you with the results you expect. Not that you won’t find any relevant results, on the contrary — you will be directed to a large number of Flash repositories which offer everything: sometimes useful, but mostly not. Besides, browsing through these repositories isn’t that much fun — as you sometimes need to figure out whether a link you see is a hidden AdSense-block or the actual tutorial. And it’s really hard to find something “refreshing” and new simply using some standard keywords.

This article provides hand-picked professional Flash tutorials which can enrich your design skills and improve the quality of your works. We’ve tried to select most interesting and useful tutorials. Most sources can serve as the entry point for further tutorials. Full Article

Puzzle Brush

Puzzle bursh set for Adobe Photoshop The set includes 64 BIG Brushes (1400-2438px). Download from here. Author's profile

The New Corel DecoStudio®

Wilcom International, a leading developer of embroidery and decorations technology, and Corel Corporation (NASDAQ: CREL; TSX: CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today introduced DecoStudio®, a revolutionary new graphics and embroidery technology ideal for users in the apparel and promotional items industries, as well as embroidery hobbyists. Offering the industry’s most comprehensive solution for multi-decoration design, DecoStudio offers the ease-of-use and full creative power of CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite while delivering the digitizing quality and flexibility of Wilcom ES.

With DecoStudio, users can effortlessly combine embroidery and print, moving easily between vector art and embroidery elements, while keeping everything in one file for production purposes. In addition, designs can now be layered with different techniques including screenprint, direct-to-garment, print embroidery, applique and more, making linear workflows a thing of the past. Read full article

Hantaran Cupcake (Fondant)

Hantaran Cupcake for my friend, Diana for her engagement. Congrats Diana!

For any order and info :
Call/ SMS : 017-355 7734
EMail : lovelycakes1@yahoo.com
lovelycakes01@gmail.com
YM : lovelycakes01
* Location : Maluri, Cheras

Oahu Vacation Trip Report 1

Dear Best Hawaii Vacation Blog visitors,

We are so happy to be able to post another Hawaii Vacation Trip Report from one of our blog visitors who recently visited Oahu on their Hawaii Vacation.

Here is what Joanne and Art Sala of Marina del Rey California have to say. We are sure you will also appreciate their Oahu vacation photos!

"We urge visitors to see ALL of Oahu. While Waikiki beach always has nice sunny weather and plenty of amenities, we prefer to get away from the crowds, chain retail stores and big box hotels. Our recent vacation included a one-week stay at a studio cottage in Kailua which we found on the VRBO website. Kailua has a beautiful beach and excellent restaurants.

We highly recommend Baci Bistro. Worth the drive to eat at this fine Italian restaurant where fresh local fish and organic produce is always on the menu. Another great spot to stay and get away from the crowds is Hawaii Kai, close to world-famous Hanauma Bay for snorkeling and lots of beautiful sunny beaches nearby including Sandy Beach Park.

Of course, the absolute must visit attraction of Oahu is Pearl Harbor. Every American should see the USS Arizona Memorial and accompanying museums at least once in their lifetime. I was so moved by the experience. Plan to spend an entire day there. Much to see including the USS Bowfin Submarine, the Battleship Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Loved this experience, but perhaps mine was colored by the fact that my father volunteered to join the Navy after Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th 1941. My father is 84 and still talks about his days as a WWII airplane mechanic who lived aboard a Liberty Ship which patrolled the waters around the New Hebrides island chain.

No trip to Oahu would be complete without a hike to the top of Diamond Head. This is a well-traveled, popular attraction and if you can put one foot in the front of the other, you can and should do it. It's about a 45-minute walk up and 20 minutes back down. The day we went we were amazed to see so many travelers of all ages and sizes making the climb--some in high heels or flip flops! I think I was more amazed by the assortment of questionable footwear than I was the people.

My advice: No hiking boots necessary, just a good pair of supportive tennis shoes with good traction on the soles will serve you well. Please leave the flip flops and high heels back at the hotel! Word of warning: there are two funky narrow staircases to climb near the top, plus a spiral staircase. If you're horribly claustrophobic or seriously fear heights, this hike may not be for you. Views from the top are phenomenal. Well worth the effort and it's a nice workout before a hearty Hawaiian lunch back in nearby Waikiki.

Last but not least, we were lucky enough to be in Oahu during the winter. Waves on the North Shore were pounding around 8 to 12 feet when we visited the beaches on that side of the island. Saw lots of experienced surfers riding monster waves. The day we left town the surf at Waimea Bay was reported to be a whopping 18 to 22 feet! If only we could've seen that.

There's always next visit to Hawaii!"

Much mahalo again, Joanne and Art, for sharing your Oahu vacation with our blog visitors. We can't wait to hear more from you about your next visit to Hawaii - curious where that will be! Enjoy the islands, just as Joanne and Art did and do. There is no place like Hawaii. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Hawaii Trip Reports

Big Island Vacation Trip Report 1
Big Island Vacation Trip Report 2
Molokai Vacation Trip Report 1
Maui Vacation Trip Report 1

Tags: Best Oahu Vacation, Have fun on your Oahu Vacation

Oahu Vacation Trip Report 1

Dear Best Hawaii Vacation Blog visitors,

We are so happy to be able to post another Hawaii Vacation Trip Report from one of our blog visitors who recently visited Oahu on their Hawaii Vacation.

Here is what Joanne and Art Sala of Marina del Rey California have to say. We are sure you will also appreciate their Oahu vacation photos!

"We urge visitors to see ALL of Oahu. While Waikiki beach always has nice sunny weather and plenty of amenities, we prefer to get away from the crowds, chain retail stores and big box hotels. Our recent vacation included a one-week stay at a studio cottage in Kailua which we found on the VRBO website. Kailua has a beautiful beach and excellent restaurants.

We highly recommend Baci Bistro. Worth the drive to eat at this fine Italian restaurant where fresh local fish and organic produce is always on the menu. Another great spot to stay and get away from the crowds is Hawaii Kai, close to world-famous Hanauma Bay for snorkeling and lots of beautiful sunny beaches nearby including Sandy Beach Park.

Of course, the absolute must visit attraction of Oahu is Pearl Harbor. Every American should see the USS Arizona Memorial and accompanying museums at least once in their lifetime. I was so moved by the experience. Plan to spend an entire day there. Much to see including the USS Bowfin Submarine, the Battleship Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Loved this experience, but perhaps mine was colored by the fact that my father volunteered to join the Navy after Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th 1941. My father is 84 and still talks about his days as a WWII airplane mechanic who lived aboard a Liberty Ship which patrolled the waters around the New Hebrides island chain.

No trip to Oahu would be complete without a hike to the top of Diamond Head. This is a well-traveled, popular attraction and if you can put one foot in the front of the other, you can and should do it. It's about a 45-minute walk up and 20 minutes back down. The day we went we were amazed to see so many travelers of all ages and sizes making the climb--some in high heels or flip flops! I think I was more amazed by the assortment of questionable footwear than I was the people.

My advice: No hiking boots necessary, just a good pair of supportive tennis shoes with good traction on the soles will serve you well. Please leave the flip flops and high heels back at the hotel! Word of warning: there are two funky narrow staircases to climb near the top, plus a spiral staircase. If you're horribly claustrophobic or seriously fear heights, this hike may not be for you. Views from the top are phenomenal. Well worth the effort and it's a nice workout before a hearty Hawaiian lunch back in nearby Waikiki.

Last but not least, we were lucky enough to be in Oahu during the winter. Waves on the North Shore were pounding around 8 to 12 feet when we visited the beaches on that side of the island. Saw lots of experienced surfers riding monster waves. The day we left town the surf at Waimea Bay was reported to be a whopping 18 to 22 feet! If only we could've seen that.

There's always next visit to Hawaii!"

Much mahalo again, Joanne and Art, for sharing your Oahu vacation with our blog visitors. We can't wait to hear more from you about your next visit to Hawaii - curious where that will be! Enjoy the islands, just as Joanne and Art did and do. There is no place like Hawaii. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Hawaii Trip Reports

Big Island Vacation Trip Report 1
Big Island Vacation Trip Report 2
Molokai Vacation Trip Report 1
Maui Vacation Trip Report 1

Tags: Best Oahu Vacation, Have fun on your Oahu Vacation

The Four Elements

Cris Vector

Halftone Background in Adobe Illustrator Tutorial

Using both Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop together can produce some original designs. I’ll go over a technique of creating a shape in Illustrator and then using it as a clipping mask in Photoshop, which is then partially hidden for a nice background effect. Full tutorial

Hawaii Wedding

Monday 'Hawaii Photo of the week' is here. What about this great Hawaii wedding photo by Jennifer Crites, Best Hawaii Vacation blog's favorite Hawaii photographer for showing you Hawaii with photos. Jennifer is a also a well-known Hawaii travel writer, whose publications appeared in many Hawaii publications and international travel magazines. We are so happy to have her on board of our Hawaii blog for taking care of the Hawaii photo assignments. So let's introduce Jennifer and her Hawaii photography a bit more today.

Your wedding will be the most special day of your life. When it’s over, once you’ve walked down the aisle - or better walked down the path to the beach, as Keoki and I did - in your special wedding dress and beautiful flower leis, thrown your bouquet, and celebrated with family and friends who may have traveled long distances all the way to Hawaii to be with you, you’ll want your precious memories of that day to be preserved in professional photographs.

That’s when you’ll appreciate Jennifer’s photographic artistry and 20-plus years of experience photographing weddings in Hawaii. She knows the prettiest wedding locations in Hawaii, how to choose the most flattering light and the best ways to capture all the romance and excitement of your Hawaii wedding just as she’s done for hundreds of couples. She can also help you find Hawaiian flower lei arrangements, music, a minister and all the other wedding essentials. With Jennifer's expertise, you'll be able to share the unique experience and memories of your Hawaii wedding with family and friends. Memories are illusive. Bring them back to life in years to come with Jennifer's special wedding photos.

Hawaii is truly the most enchanted setting for your wedding day. The variety of beautiful locations is as endless as the beauty of the Hawaiian islands...from hidden waterfalls, to secluded tropical gardens or white sand beach sunsets. Paradise surrounds you as you exchange your vows amidst a tropical setting.

We won't ever forget the moment when our minister made our family and friends form a circle with us in the middle. After we did our vows - honestly they were not even prepared - everybody joined with all the good wishes they had for us and our ever-growing love. The sun was setting on the beach and the trade winds picked up a little more. It was a mesmerizing moment, we all got caught in. It must have done its magic. We just celebrated our 16th anniversary of love!

Here are a few Hawaii wedding links we came across with our search for Hawaii weddings: Maui wedding with nice photos You can find lots of information for your Maui wedding on the site of Maui Wedding Association from wedding coordinators to catering services, photography, music, wedding flower arrangements and more. Sweet Hawaii Wedding offers unique ceremony arrangements for Oahu. Kauai Wedding Pro is a great directory for Kauai wedding needs from musicians to florists, photographers, wedding cakes etc.

Hope this helps you get started planning your Hawaii wedding. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

p.s.

Not to forget, Hawaii Wedding photo by Jennifer Crites shows a wedding ceremony at Waimea Falls on Oahu.

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Tags: Hawaii Wedding, Getting married in Hawaii