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ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"We're reconsidered our feelings about yard work!","type":"text"}]

I Stock 481141608

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: You will not guess where this weed-wacking goes</title>

In today's social media find, thepoipoundah demonstrates the proper technique for lawn maintenance with style.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: You will not guess where this weed-wacking goes

We&#039;re reconsidered our feelings about yard work! 

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, is now open to the public. The Pinehopple Room is located on the second floor, directly above the Kaka

The space was previously home to the HI Brau Room, Aloha Beer Co.’s speakeasy that the biz operated primarily as a private event space.

“We always loved the room and felt like it had so much character,” says Candice Ishikawa, Aloha Beer Co.’s head of marketing and brand. “People who discovered it seemed to immediately fall in love with it, and we saw an opportunity to reimagine the space as something more distinctly connected to Aloha Beer and to Hawaiʻi, while opening it back up for more people to enjoy.”

Ishikawa explains that The Pinehopple Room concept came from the idea of taking the creativity and craft that goes into brewing beer and applying that same spirit to cocktails and hospitality.

“We wanted to create an intimate, upscale lounge that still felt unmistakably part of Aloha Beer, while offering a different side of Aloha Beer from the casual beer garden downstairs,” she says. “The name ‘Pinehopple’ comes from our logo icon and is a play on pineapple and hops, bringing together something immediately evocative of Hawaiʻi, with our roots as a brewery.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The venue’s name impacted its décor and ultimate vibe."}]

“We didn’t want to lose the darker, intimate character that made the original space special, so we built it with a vintage Hawaiʻi-inspired aesthetic, adding tropical botanicals, greenery, warm lighting and other details that make the room feel lush and inviting,” Ishikawa says.

She says The Pinehopple Room’s beverage program is where “the concept comes to life.” The drinks were inspired by the golden age of Hawaii cocktail culture, but the team wanted to bring its own unique twist to the beverages.

“We kept coming back to the idea that classic Hawaiʻi cocktails deserve to be remembered, not simply replicated,” Ishikawa says. “We’re taking those flavors and traditions, and reinterpreting them through fresh ingredients, thoughtful technique and our perspective as a craft brewery.”

So far, popular cocktails include the tropical itch ($18), Molokai fogcutter ($16) and paradise of the Pacific ($21). The tropical itch is made with 

bourbon, rum, orange curaçao, lilikoʻi, pineapple and a dark rum float; the Molokai fogcutter features aged and white rums, pineapple, lilikoʻi, lemon and orgeat; and paradise of the Pacific includes aged rum, tamarind, pineapple and hibiscus grenadine, according to Ishikawa.

Customers can also enjoy a scorpion bowl for two ($38), which is served in a vintage-inspired fish bowl. The drink is designed to be shared and also doubles as a fun centerpiece for the table, according to Ishikawa.

She also explains that The Pinehopple Room team is excited to offer a series of guided spirit flights.

“Guests can explore bourbon, Scotch, international whiskies, agave spirits, and Caribbean rum or Hawaiʻi-made rum, with a guided tasting sheet that provides some background and context for each pour without making the experience feel overly formal,” she says.

Customers can also enjoy light bites that pair naturally with the cocktails. Highlights include Pinehopple sashimi trio (market price) — served with a lilikoʻi-wasabi glaze — Pinehopple shrimp cocktail ($12), spinach dip salmon belly bites ($18), Cuban sliders ($13), paprika chicken pops ($18) and a salami caprese flatbread ($15).

“On the food side, we wanted dishes that were easy to share and felt at home alongside the cocktail program,” Ishikawa says.

The Cuban sliders feature brioche buns stuffed with mayo-mustard, ham, kalua pork, Swiss cheese, pickled cucumbers and cilantro-orange sauce. The paprika chicken pops comprises chicken drummettes in paprika batter, served with blue cheese honey-Red Zeppelin buffalo sauce and celery curls. So far, the chicken pops, spinach dip salmon belly bites and sliders have been customer favorites.

Ishikawa explains that The Pinehopple Room team has been excited to welcome guests and have them experience “the way different kinds of craft come together in one space.”

“Pinehopple is also about the experience around what’s in the glass,” she says. “There’s a sense of nostalgia and vintage Hawaiʻi hospitality without trying to recreate a specific era. We want it to feel special, but never overly formal — a place where people can slow down, connect and stay awhile.”

The Pinehopple Room is currently open from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The lounge does not have a formal reservation system set up and is primarily open for walk-ins, but if a customer calls ahead, the venue can hold a table for them, according to Ishikawa.

“Aloha Beer has always been about creating places for people to gather, and Pinehopple gives us a new way to do that,” Ishikawa says. “Someone can have a beer in the beer garden downstairs, then head upstairs for a cocktail or whiskey flight and feel like they’ve stepped into an entirely different experience without ever leaving Aloha Beer. We’ve loved this room for a long time, and we’re excited to finally open the doors and share it with more people.”

The Pinehopple Room decor 092826

<title>The Pinehopple Room is a new upstairs lounge in Kakaʻako</title>

Located upstairs from Aloha Beer Co. on Queen Street, The Pinehopple Room — previously home to the HI Brau Room speakeasy — recently opened to the public. The upscale lounge features a vintage Hawaiʻi-inspired aesthetic, along with classic Hawaiʻi cocktails with a modern twist.

The Pinehopple Room is a new upstairs lounge in Kakaʻako

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Do you remember Ward Warehouse? It was something of a landmark in Kaka‘ako once, but after being demolished nearly 10 years ago it’s now on its way to being forgotten.

The Ward family is foundational to the history of Kaka‘ako. Back in the 19th century, the clan came to own a large tract of land stretching from their private home that was just across King Street from Thomas Square, all the way down to what is now Kewalo Basin. This ownership, of course, is the origin of the name Ward Avenue for the street that formed most of the boundary of the property on its ‘Ewa side.

By the middle of the 20th century, the Ward land contained a mix of private homes and a variety of business tenants. The family-owned corporation that managed the property, Victoria Ward Ltd., started taking small steps towards more lucrative tenants in the 1950s but ramped up its redevelopment goals in the early 1960s by constructing a series of modern, low-rise structures.

A major new commitment came in early 1974 with the start of construction of Ward Warehouse on a 4.1 acre site between Ala Moana Boulevard, Ward Avenue and Auahi Street. The location had some special considerations in that it was covered by two very different types of zoning: one was for retail while the other was strictly for wholesale and industrial uses. The latter category was slightly problematic for what was intended as, essentially, a shopping center open to the public, and initially required a careful selection of tenants.

Designed by architect Steve Au, Ward Warehouse had a notably 1970s appearance. The hippie movement in the USA by this time had popularized more earthy, natural materials, so the complex’s exteriors were dark-stained wood, inspired in particular by a trend-setting development called Sea Ranch in California from the late 1960s. The only outside decorations were sections of bold painted “supergraphics” in geometric patterns. Industrial elements were not covered up but were openly displayed; on the outside, pipes and fittings were painted in bright colors to show them off, along with some oversized machine parts that were installed purely as decor. Inside the rental spaces, high ceilings showed undisguised conduits, light fixtures and air-conditioning ducts. Floors were concrete and walls were mostly unpainted wood. The effect was “honesty” in materials vs shiny synthetic surfaces.

Ward Warehouse opened with 87 tenant spaces; some interiors had the potential for the construction of mezzanines. Parking on the ground level accommodated 250 vehicles while the four-level concrete garage had 400 more spots. A soft opening for some businesses took place in time for Christmas 1974. By April 1975 the complex was placing large display ads in the Honolulu newspapers.

Those who are old enough to have patronized Ward Warehouse will undoubtedly remember particular stores or restaurants they regularly visited. For many people, the Old Spaghetti Factory at the far ‘Ewa end, with its two-story interior spaces, was surely a favorite (it has since moved to Aloha Tower). Embellished by numerous antique light fixtures and other old-time props which the company had been able to accumulate when such items were mostly inexpensive salvage goods from the demolition of 80- or 90-year-old structures in the USA, the low-cost restaurant had a unique feeling in its diverse seating areas.

Of course many other businesses came and went through Ward Warehouse over the years. There was the Liquor Collection which was filled with limited-edition figural ceramic specialty bottles, stores just for outdoor furniture, kitchenware, and flags, and the Nohea Gallery for local artwork of all kinds.

Ward Warehouse was never intended to last throughout the ages. A 1969 newspaper article quoted a statement from Victoria Ward Ltd that said offices and high-rise structures were eventually planned along Ala Moana Boulevard. Closure of the shopping center came on July 31, 2017 followed by demolition that began in November.

Howard Hughes Corporation, by then the owner of the site, first announced that two “ultraluxury” towers would soon rise here, the Ward Village Gateway. One of these was to be the 

 with units offered for prices ranging from $1.3 million to $23 million; these were first put on sale in 2015. But in 2018 the entire project was dropped, even after Howard Hughes had spent $29 million on it, and 28 of the 125 apartments in the Cylinder had been sold. In 2019 Victoria Place was approved for construction on the Waikīkī end of the property. Next to it was the start of the new Victoria Ward Park which would eventually occupy what had been the center part of Ward Warehouse.

However, it wouldn’t be until 2025 that one of the familiar construction cranes would finally be erected on the rest of the former Ward Warehouse, signaling yet another of the Kaka‘ako condominiums to come: Kalae.

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<title>Changing Kaka‘ako: Remembering Ward Warehouse</title>

Ward Warehouse was never meant to last — even the previous owners who built it, Victoria Ward Ltd, always intended for offices and high-rises to take its place. But it had a four-decade run from its 1975 opening to its 2017 demolition, featuring such businesses as Old Spaghetti Factory, Orson's, The Liquor Collection, Nohea Gallery and more. Here's a look back at the shopping center, including a glimpse of the neighborhood before Ward Warehouse came along and fishing, rather than shopping, was the area's industry.

Changing Kaka‘ako: Remembering Ward Warehouse

’s newest location near the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa opened today. This store marks the 

; it’s on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street.

The University store — which is about 2,300 square feet — is CU Hawai

i’s second-largest location (behind its 

). The University store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Similar to the Downtown Honolulu store, the University store will feature CU Hawai

i’s ramyun library wall with in-store cookers, exclusive Korean and local snacks, customizable drinks, popular onigiri, and more.

i’s signature DIY smoothie machine and slushy machine. Smoothies come in flavors like strawberry banana, mixed berry, acai and mango banana kale. 

The University store will also feature new, exclusive products that aren’t offered in other CU Hawaiʻi stores, including CU Hawai

i socks and other merch, BTS figurines and Kendama.

To celebrate the University store’s opening, customers can enjoy free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7. Prizes include CU goodie bags with treats, limited-edition collectible CU characters and more. For examples, customers with student ID can get free onigiri tomorrow, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until sold out). On Saturday, Oct. 3, customers will receive a free CU goody bag with any purchase. From Oct. 1 to 7, customers can take advantage of a BOGO musubi offer (buy one, get one free).

[{"type":"text","text":"All giveaways are while supplies last (limit one free item per purchase)."}]

Customers can also take advantage of month-long specials at this location, including $1.99 triangle gimbap and $4.99 katsu sando with fountain drink (or ice cup) combo.

[{"type":"text","text":"Limited customer parking is available at this location."}]

CU Hawaii University blessing 100126

<title>CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa</title>

The new store — on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street — is the brand’s fifth location in Hawaiʻi. The University store is CU Hawaiʻi’s second-largest location; to celebrate its opening, customers can look forward to free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7.

CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

 plans to move away from the state of Hawai‘i, the LPGA is still sending its best to the Islands. 

The 2026 Lotte Championship, which runs from Oct. 1-4 at Hoakalei Country Club, will feature a bevy of players featured in the 

Jeeno Thitikul, No. 4 Hyo Joo Kim and No. 5 Miyu Yamashita. Thitkul and Kim are in the same group and tee off at 7:22 a.m., while Yamashita tees off at 12:03 p.m.

Though world No. 1 Nelly Korda will not play this week, the Lotte field includes a return for 2021 champion Lydia Ko, one of the biggest names in the sport. Ko, who was born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, ascended into worldwide superstardom when she reached the top spot in the women's rankings at just 17 years old, becoming the youngest player among both men and women to be ranked No. 1. Now 29, Ko enters the tournament with a world ranking of 13.

Among her 23 victories on the LPGA Tour was the 2021 Lotte, which was moved to Kapolei Golf Club. Her 28-under 260 was a tournament record by eight strokes. After finishing in a tie for 18th in the 2022 Lotte, Ko will compete in the Islands for the first time since then. Five years after her first Lotte victory, she believes there's a lot that can be replicated despite playing on a different course. 

"I just remember I played with a lot of freedom and confidence, and I think I could draw on a lot of that, like the mindset of how I was playing then," Ko said during her pre-tournament press conference. "But it is two very different style of golf courses, so it's hard to kind of compare those. But more like kind of the mindset I played with, I think that is something that I could draw not only for this event but the events coming up (for the rest of the season)."

While Ko made history with her unprecedented world ranking at 17 years old, she enters this year's Lotte with an opportunity to earn another milestone in the sport. 

Despite not reaching 30 yet, Ko has accumulated $21.8 million in career earnings. She is $223,228 away from surpassing Annika Sorenstam's mark as the LPGA's all-time money winner, a record that has stood since 2001. 

The 2026 Lotte carries a purse of $3 million, with the winner getting a $450,000 cut. Meanwhile, second place earns $282,976 and third place comes with a payout of $205,279, meaning Ko will need to finish in the top two to surpass Sorenstam this weekend. 

"To be honest, it's really not on my mind," Ko said of the money record. "I mean, Annika had (72) wins, and we are just playing in a very different generation where we're playing for so much more money.

"As golfers, we're very lucky because it's one of those rare things where if we perform, we get rewarded, and not all work, not all careers have that. I'm just very grateful to be in this position and be able to excel at my job and have great payout days. But my career versus Annika, it's so different, and I don't think I'm gonna reach 70 something wins in the time that I'll be playing. Obviously, I want to win as many as I can, and I'm still eager for the trophy more so than the prize money."

As for local golfers in the tournament field, Punahou alumna golfer Allisen Corpuz is the highest ranked player with Hawai‘i ties at 32. Meanwhile, Moanalua alumna and Kapolei Golf Club assistant Lani Luafalealo returns after debuting in the 2025 Lotte. 

Luafalealo shot a 1-under 71 in the first round but ultimately missed the cut. 

"The pressure, the intimidation of the course, the atmosphere, the environment was just totally different from what I was used to," she said on Wednesday. "I just took the competition and the competitiveness from last year, and that's what I learned."

As Ko tees off at the first hole at 11:52 a.m. on Thursday, her presence will be a welcome sight for local golf fans eager to get a glimpse of one of the top names in the sport. In return, she'll compete in a locale she's genuinely fond of. 

"I love coming to Hawai‘i," Ko said. "Not even for a golf tournament. I like coming here for vacation. We were here on a vacation last week. It's been a while since I actually have been to O‘ahu. I went to the Big Island last year for some work and vacay, but I think the people are great. It feels a little bit like New Zealand in parts, and the food is good. I've loved it more as I've gotten older, and I actually met my husband here in Hawai‘i. So, it's kind of become a very special place for us."

Lydia Ko 093026

<title>Global golf star Lydia Ko looks to reach new milestone in Hawai‘i</title>

Ko, the 2021 Lotte champion, looks to replicate her success from five years ago at Hoakalei Country Club and has a chance to make some history in the process.

Global golf star Lydia Ko looks to reach new milestone in Hawai‘i

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Aloha Spirit

State and U.S. flags will be flown at half-staff this weekend in commemoration of former U.S. Rep. Patricia “Pat” Saiki, who died Wednesday at the age of 96.

Saiki was the second woman in Hawai‘i elected to represent the state in Congress — the first being Patsy Mink — as well as the first Republican Hawai‘i Congress member. She reportedly died peacefully in her home in Kāhala, according to the 

, a successor organization to the state’s first teachers’ union, which she founded.

Before her career in politics, the Hilo-born Saiki was a public school teacher at Kaimukī Intermediate School. When her daughter fell ill at school and was taken to the hospital, she was told she could not use school phones for personal business such as checking on her daughter, which led her to form the Teacher’s Chapter of the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association.

Saiki ran for the state House of Representatives in 1968 and won — becoming the first woman to hold the seat — and served through 1974. Following that, she ran for the state Senate, where she served until 1982, when she unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor.

In 1986, she was elected to her U.S. House seat, where she served until 1990 before an unsuccessful U.S. Senate run. That year, then-President George H. W. Bush appointed her to be the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Association, where she served until 1993.

Among her legislative achievements were the establishment of the Kapi‘olani Medical Center’s Sex Abuse Treatment Center, passing reparations for Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans detained in internment camps during World War II, and successfully urging President Bush to halt the use of Kaho‘olawe as a bombing range in 1990.

Later in life, Saiki was chair of the Hawai‘i Republican Party from 2014 to 2015 — during which time the party saw membership rolls triple, according to Gov. Josh Green’s office.

“Pat Saiki’s six decades of public service and her pioneering example for young women and Asian Americans in Hawai

i and across the U.S., combine to form both a lasting, inspiring legacy and a high bar for all of us who serve the public,” Green said Wednesday.

From Friday through Monday morning, U.S. and state flags will be flown at half-staff at all state offices and agencies, as well as Hawai‘i National Guard facilities.

Saiki is survived by four children, Stuart Saiki, Sandra Saiki, Margaret Saiki and Laurie Saiki, as well as numerous grandchildren. Services are pending.

Screenshot 2026 09 30 at 3 43 39 PM 16x9

<title>Former Congresswoman Pat Saiki dead at 96</title>

Flags to fly at half-staff this weekend to honor the state's first Republican delegate

Former Congresswoman Pat Saiki dead at 96

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Public archives are known for documenting land and genealogy, but Hawaiʻi State Archivist Adam Jansen said Hawaiʻi State Archives does much more than that. 

Archives Month, a month-long virtual exhibition that begins on Thursday, Oct. 1, highlights the archives’ special collections that people might not know about. The month will explore how Waikīkī is represented in art and music, and has changed over time through a virtual exhibition. Some of the material has never been displayed online before.

The first week of Archives Month focuses on 19th century history of Waikīkī, including the first known map of the area documented by a Russian expedition. The second week looks at the representation of Waikīkī in art and music and the third week is all about Waikīkī hotels. The fourth week is about the development of Waikīkī, featuring photos from the Williams Family’s collection of construction projects between Chinatown and Waikīkī. The last week focuses on the conservation of Waikīkī with the display of the personal files of Nancy Bannick, who advocated to preserve Oʻahu’s historical places.

Archives Month material will be available on the 

is open to the public between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays,

 will also post daily on their social media pages.

Jansen said that not everyone has the availability and ability to visit the archive in person, so celebrating Archives Month virtually makes the archive more accessible and equitable. More Kānaka Maoli live on the 

 than on the Islands, and Jansen said that the archive hopes to help Native Hawaiians maintain connection to the ʻāina.

The archive “collects, preserves and makes available to the public

” government records and special collections. 

Making records available to the public is at the core of Jansen’s role as State Archivist.

“We can protect by putting things in a vault and locking the vault door. We’ve preserved it. But our founding legislation is to preserve arrange, describe and make accessible,” Jansen said. “It does not belong to us, it belongs to the people, so providing them access to their documentary heritage in a format than they can use, appreciate, enjoy is incredibly important to our overall goal and mission.”

He pointed to the Hawaiian proverb “I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope,” which means “the lessons of the past are the keys to the future.”

Jansen said, “He who controls the record controls history, controls knowledge, controls power, and as the public archives, we need to make sure everybody has that, that no one person controls it.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Meet the State Archivist"}]

Jansen doesn’t have a favorite item or collection at the archive but said that Queen Lili‘uokalani donating her 

which includes her diaries, draft constitution, letters and more 

inspires and drives him to do more to support the people of Hawaiʻi. The archive has digitized approximately 24,000 documents as part of the queen’s collection.

“She entrusted us with her most intimate words because she wanted us to share her voice with everybody for generations to come,” he said. “How can we pay back that faith and trust that she placed in us?”

The Hawaiʻi State Archives is also home to 

Jansen said that there’s still “societal angst regarding overthrow and annexation” and generational trauma.

“We have records dealing with that time period that need to be more globally understood, so when these discussions happen, everybody is starting from the same foundational knowledge of the words from the people who were there shaping that history,” he said.

Jansen said that he took an atypical path to his career as an archivist. He originally planned to major in chemical engineering but changed his mind halfway through college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I quickly learned that while I had a deep love of science and math, the concept of working in a small lab with two other people and no windows for the rest of my life really didn’t appeal to me,” he said.

He decided to get his bachelor’s in history instead. The university librarian asked him, “if you love history so much, why don’t you think about protecting it?”

Jansen went on to work in information management at Microsoft and UNOVA. He served as the Deputy State Archivist for the State of Washington, where he managed the Washington State Digital Archives while earning his Master of Science from Eastern Washington University in Business Administration and Computer Science, and later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.

Jansen moved to Hawaiʻi in 2013 to consult the Hawaiʻi State Archives on digitization and fell in love with the state and spirit of aloha. He stepped into the role of State Archivist in April 2016 and now oversees a team of about 20 staff.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.

The people have kept Jansen passionate about his work, and he sees archives changing lives daily.

Jansen remembers an aunty in tears looking at the microfilm readers who had told him that she found the land record that her grandmother had signed, making it the first time she’d ever met her tutu.

“The impact that I see that these primary sources can make in (people’s) lives is absolutely irreplaceable,” he said.

Hawaiʻi State Archives has been upgrading its hardware to photography equipment over the last five years to improve digitization efforts. According to Jansen, the archive has digitized approximately 1% of their collection. As they make progress digitizing records, people continue to donate materials.

Hawaiʻi State Archives is developing artificial intelligence to increase accessibility of public hearings and aims to roll it out by the end of the year, Jansen said. The system will transcribe thousands of hours of hearings into a system researchers can search.

“We understand some of the fears and limitations and dangers of AI, so we are very cognizant of the fact that our language model that we are using, all of the AI tools are only on the corpus that we give it,” Jansen said. "It knows nothing about the grand universe beyond. It’s not finding anything other than those hearings and the documents we give it.”

Waikiki songbooks

<title>'Archives change lives': Archives Month kicks off this week</title>

The Hawaiʻi State Archive kicks off American Archives Month on Thursday with a five-week long virtual program about Waikīkī. Aloha State Daily sat down with State Archivist Adam Jansen to learn more.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: You will not guess where this weed-wacking goes

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: You will not guess where this weed-wacking goes

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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