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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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Living.wit.sammy

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: When there’s a will, there’s a way</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @Living.Wit.Sammy, who really wants to catch fish.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: When there’s a will, there’s a way

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Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

, is an ʻukulele virtouso who started her career entertaining tourists on the streets of Waikīkī. Today, she is known for her bold performances which meld together classical music, flamenco, metal and rock in ways that are sometimes meditative and other times sultry. Her instruments are the ʻukulele and her ethereal voice. And now, the Nā Hōkū Hanohano-award-winning musician — whose name means “diamond” in Samoan — is releasing new music.

“I'm coming out with a new song called ʻP

kake Princess,’ coming out October 10, and this song was inspired by Princess Kaʻiulani and our similarities,” she told Aloha State Daily.

On Thursday, Oct. 16, Gardner will perform the song, which was commissioned by Outrigger Waikīkī Paradise Hotel, as part of a celebration of Princess Kaʻiulani’s 150th birthday, honoring the place she called home, ‘Āinahau, in Waikīkī. 

 starts at 5 p.m. and features a lei draping ceremony, performances from 

, flowers by Ocean Dreamer Floral Artistry Hawaiʻi and a market featuring local vendors from Art + Flea.

, including ones for entertainer of the year, instrumental composition of the year and instrumental album of the year. She also performed for National Public Radio’s series Tiny Desk Concert, and the video has 1.7 million views. Recently, she was an artist-in-residence at 

Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design

She can play classical favorites such as “Carmen” with the 

 at Hawaiʻi Theatre and the national anthem at a men’s volleyball game at the University of Hawaiʻi. Sometimes, she even combines genres in a single song.

“What inspires my mash-up medleys with the classical music and the metal and the classic rock is I love listening to those types of music,” she said. “The ʻukulele would just so happen to be the instrument that I use to express myself, which makes it even more cool and unique.”

After getting the request to write a song for Princess Kaʻiulani, Gardner “immediately went into research mode,” she wrote on social media.

“They asked me to create a song for her, but if she were Gen Z, if she were Millennial,” Gardner said. “I thought that concept was so cool, so I created the song ʻPīkake Princess.’ But I also wanted it to be about the similarities between us, because I didn't want to try and pretend to be her, because I'm not her. I found similarities that were true about both of us. And that's how the song ʻPikake Princess’ came about.”

Gardner went to the Bishop Museum, which features some of Princess Kaʻiulani’s things, to get inspiration.

“I really wanted to get a feel for her and her story,” she said. “And then as I was writing and researching, I realized how many similarities that we had. She was a world traveler. She spent a lot of time in Europe. She played music. And she also was half caucasian, half Polynesian, and so I really connected with that. And I think the most important thing that was important to both of us, is really just to make Hawaiʻi proud. We're just local girls. There’s one little lyric that I love. It's: ʻWe're women of the world, but we're also coconut girls.’ ’’

 recently returned from an approximately month-long tour in Europe, where she completed 12 concerts in 

 Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

“The thing that I love about performing live in different areas of the world is their reactions are very different,” she said. “For example, in America, they love covers. They love music that they already know, and they can hear it in a fresh way. Europe loves originals. They love to hear the artist's heart, which is a really refreshing and great feeling too.”

 also wrote the music for the independent movie 

 which was filmed in Hilo and named the best breakout feature at the 

 in 2024. In September, that movie screened in theaters on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. To write the soundtrack, she watched the visuals and created the score to go with it, she said.

“I perform live which is very extroverted, but then I also do music for films, as well, which is very introverted,” she said. “Being in the recording studio, it's very intimate, quiet, sterile, compared to a loud event.”

Gardner got her start performing on the streets of Waikīkī, which taught her how to respond to crowds. She was mentored by Don Ho and took ʻukulele lessons from 

“I think I was around 12 years old, back in the day, and that was a really good way for me to hone my skills — to see what people liked,” she said. “Because you got to remember, these people are walking. They're going somewhere. So what captures their attention? It's a great way to practice.”

While she may appear extroverted on stage, Gardner is not.

“Secretly, I'm an introvert,” she said. “There's an aspect of performing, which I love, but I definitely feel like I need to reset my batteries after. It's a lot of energy out, and I am an introvert, so my way to refresh my batteries is actually I take a bath, and it’s kind of weird, but I turn the lights off, and I just like to be in my little bathtub.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Her love of music came early."}]

“My dad gave me my very first ʻukulele when I was five, and I pretended to be a rock star, j

ust playing in front of the mirror until I broke a string,

” Gardner said. “My dad got me into some classes, and from then on, I just loved performing.”

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Taimane Gardner

<title>Taimane Gardner releases new song, “Pīkake Princess”</title>

As a kid, she got an ʻukulele and pretended to be a rock star. Today, she actually is one. The ʻukulele virtuoso who hails from ʻĀina Haina can play classics from the opera “Carmen” and rock music by Led Zeppelin. She also writes her own music inspired by the Islands she calls home. Her newest song, “Pīkake Princess” releases today.

Taimane Gardner releases new song, “Pīkake Princess”

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Following a recent morning practice for the University of Hawai‘i football team, dozens of players stayed on the field for some extra work. Coaches even joined the players for up to half an hour of extra instruction. 

"Through six weeks, we've identified with all of our guys some things that they can work on," 

 coach Jared Ursua said. "Whether we get it post practice, pre practice, whether we get it in the afternoon window, we're just trying to continually get 1% better, like coach (Timmy) Chang preaches."

The Rainbow Warriors are 4-2 midway through their regular season slate in Year 4 of the 

 era. The 'Bows have inched closer to bowl contention each season that Chang has been at the helm. 

Hawai‘i has three regular season home games remaining, starting with Utah State on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. 

In order to get one win closer to achieving their goals, the Rainbow Warriors will have to get past a program that has dominated them for a decade and a half. Utah State has eight straight wins over the Rainbow Warriors dating back to 2011. In the most recent meeting of the series, the Aggies throttled the Rainbow Warriors 55-10 in Logan on Nov. 16, 2024, putting an end to UH's bowl hopes. 

"It's a big game for us last year. They embarrassed us. It was bad," co-captain Zhen Sotelo said. "So, we take this one personal. We're gonna have to go take it to 'em, and we just have to execute our plays and perform."

Added Chang: "They're a good football team. They done a great job since they've been in the Mountain West, I even remember them winning the Mountain West (in 2021). Even though last year they didn't have a great year, they kind of spoiled our hopes for a postseason down the end of the stretch. They pose a problem for us and we have to be at our best to beat a team like that."

competing in the Mountain West for the final time

 before departing for the Pac-12 following the season. 

UH's remaining home schedule in 2025 following Saturday will be spread out. After Utah State, the Rainbow Warriors will not play another home game until San Diego State on Nov. 8 before closing out the regular season at home against Wyoming on Nov. 29. The 'Bows are hoping to make each home game count. 

"We'd love to just pack this stadium, right? We have three opportunities, and this being one...we would love our fans to be out here," Chang said. "I love that the whole state 

 and we're good to go. But to have everybody here, their energy, it just means a lot to our players. They love playing in front of the packed stands and all the loudness and all the great things that happened here at Clarence T.C. Ching."

Entering Saturday, Utah State and Hawai‘i will both take the field following bye weeks. On UH's end, the Rainbow Warriors are anticipating the return of standout receiver Nick Cenacle, who has been sidelined with an injury and has not played since an Aug. 30 loss at Arizona. 

"He's ready to rock and roll. He's full go," Ursua said. "If we played last week, he would have played, and he was really close to playing at 

, but going into the bye it was just too much of a risk, and so we thought it was important to get that week. He is touching top speeds every day on his speed report, so we're excited to have him back full go."

 have accumulated over 100 receiving yards. 

"We're happy for the success that we've had. We still feel like there's another level to this," Ursua said. "The first part of that is we got to be able to be able to consistently throw the ball as we did at Air Force, which is just completing the football, being in our spots, making the right reads, being on the same page as a quarterback. 

"The second piece of it is really just getting the consistency and just being the same every single play. What we love is the depth. We've established some with the group of guys that are coming in and making good plays. Tama (Uiliata), Blaze (Kamoku), everybody knew about Pofele Ashlock and Cenacle from the jump. Koa Eldredge get his first catch. You see Nick Delgadillo jump in the mix and play, Max (Ware) is playing, Karsyn Pupunu, Jackson Harris, (Brandon) White, a lot of these new guys now are starting to establish themselves, and we're happy with the growth."

Timmy Chang 100925

<title>Hawai‘i football set for pivotal home matchup against Utah State</title>

The Rainbow Warriors have lost eight straight matchups against the Aggies, a losing streak that dates back to 2011.

Hawai‘i football set for pivotal home matchup against Utah State

It is spooky season and multiple haunted houses are underway. Aloha State Daily rounded up a few of the scary events happening on Oʻahu this month. Several haunted houses will host tours Friday through Sunday this month. Another hosted by the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks 

Recreation will be a free one-night-only event on Halloween Night.

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Step inside the site of the old Buca di Beppo Restaurant at 1030 Auahi Street in Kakaʻako for a Halloween experience called Trial of Fears. The haunted space is presented by Waikīkī Trolley. The event includes sinister puzzles and pitch-black corridors. 

Oct. 10-12, 17-19, 23-26 and 30-31, as well as Nov. 1 and 2.

 Tickets cost $38. Early bird tickets with promo code FEAR5 are available until Oct. 13. 

 will host its Haunted Plantation experience 

in Waipahu. The experience is recommended for attendees who are at least 13 years old. Tickets cost $21, including the reservation fee.

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 will share ghost stories at Paradise Park in Mānoa. He will also share stories, accompanied by the 

, as part of a one-night-only performance called 

“Hapa Halloween: Mysteries of Hawaiʻi in Concert,”

 at Hawaiʻi Theatre. Kapanui and his wife, Tanya, started the ghost tour company 

, which was recently ranked the No. 1 ghost tour in the nation by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The duo also writes a 

 offered by Mysteries of Hawaiʻi in October.

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The Hawaiian Railway Society will bring back the Spookapalooza with haunted train rides and trick or treat opportunities on 

 Costumes are encouraged. Reservations can be made by calling (808) 681-5461. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Oct. 31"}]

The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation will host an inaugural haunted mansion from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of the McCully District Park in Honolulu. There will be games, face painting and a haunted house suitable for all ages. There will also be opportunities to trick or treat in the parking lot. Limited parking is available at the King William C. Lunalilo Elementary School. The parking lot of the park will be closed for the event. High visibility clothes and lights are encouraged for traffic safety. Free.

Trial of Fears

<title>Haunted experiences on Oʻahu</title>

Ready to be scared? Aloha State Daily rounded up five options for haunted fun on Oʻahu at all different price points, from free to $38. Check out options in Kakaʻako, Waipahu and more.

Haunted experiences on Oʻahu

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

i, Sakura Sushi and Hibachi recently reopened following an extensive renovation.

The eatery used to feature a teppanyaki grilling experience. After undergoing a $300,000 renovation to remove the teppanyaki grills and include additional tables, the eatery reopened at the end of August. The restaurant now has 30 more tables, which expands its dining room capacity to around 300 individuals.

In conjunction with its reopening, the eatery added new dishes to its menu. The menu offers a huge selection of chef signature rolls, sushi bar entrees, lunch specials, hibachi entrees, appetizers, nigiri and more.

The hamachi kama ($25.95) is one of the eatery’s new most popular dishes. The grilled yellowtail collar can be ordered as an entrée, but is often shared as an appetizer.

Start your dining experience with appetizers like gyoza ($8.50), shrimp and vegetable tempura ($11.50), Lady’s Finger ($15). The latter is a sashimi-like appetizer from the sushi bar. It features seared fresh salmon wrapped with spicy crab meat and served with ponzu sauce.

The salmon tartare ($15), consisting of diced fresh salmon, avocado and salmon roe, is another popular appetizer for sharing, due to its light, refreshing flavors.

The menu boasts an extensive assortment of sushi rolls, hand rolls, and raw bar selections. If you’re dining with a larger group, the eatery’s sushi boats are a popular option. The Kapolei boat ($92.95) includes a chef’s choice of 15 pieces of sushi and 15 pieces of sashimi with a dragon roll and rainbow roll. The dragon roll consists of eel and cucumber topped with avocado, masago and unagi sauce; meanwhile, the colorful rainbow roll includes crab, cucumber and avocado in its interior and is topped with salmon, tuna, white fish and avocado.

For those who enjoyed the eatery’s teppanyaki experience, don’t worry — the restaurant still features a variety of hibachi lunch specials and dinner entrees. Hibachi combos ($35.95) feature a choice of two proteins — steak, chicken, shrimp or salmon — served with miso soup, hibachi noodles, steamed rice, freshly tossed Sakura house salad, and lightly seasoned hibachi vegetables.

The Sakura VIP special dinner for two ($69.95) includes a combo of rib-eye, calamari, shrimp and chicken.

The restaurant also added several teriyaki dishes — including beef ($24.95), chicken ($18.95), tofu ($15.95), salmon ($22.95) and shrimp ($21.95) — to its menu. These are delivered tableside on sizzling platters, and proteins are coated generously with a savory shoyu-based sauce.

Keep an eye out for special dishes during the holidays. The Sakura holiday special ($18.99) is an off-menu dish likely to be featured during occasions like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. It features spicy tuna and avocado in a soybean paper heart-shaped roll, along with tuna in a rose shape on the side.

Open 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 12-3 p.m., 4-9 p.m. Sundays 

Sakura Sushi and Hibachi Kapolei boat 100625

<title>Sakura Sushi and Hibachi recently reopened in Kapolei</title>

The eatery, located in Ka Makana Aliʻi, used to be focused on a teppanyaki grilling experience. After an extensive renovation, the eatery recently opened with more dining tables and a new menu.

Sakura Sushi and Hibachi recently reopened in Kapolei

, new University of Hawai‘i softball coach Panita Thanatharn has called the months since a whirlwind. Between moving to the Islands and putting her initial recruiting class and coaching staff together, time has been of the essence. 

Thanatharn, who joined Hawai‘i after 16 years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Long Beach State, is a head coach for the first time with UH.

Last week, Thanatharn held her first practice as the program's head coach at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. As the Mānoa mist started to come down following practice, Thanatharn fielded some questions about her transition to UH and what she's hoping to see from the team in the fall, which includes eight scrimmages.

What was your first practice like, just being on the field with your team?

 "It was exciting. First day right then, we already had to deal with a little adversity with the rain starting, so they dealt with that for a little bit just to start. But super excited. They're excited. It's our first day. We haven't seen a whole lot yet. This the first time they were all together. Just a lot of reps, a lot of evaluating, kind of throwing them right into it. We play a week from Friday, so hitting the ground running."

 How has your time in Hawai‘i been so far? 

"It's been awesome. The support has been great since we've been here. I have my whole staff together now. Since I got hired, been hitting the ground running with recruiting and then just trying to get to know our players. My time here has been awesome, and everybody's been really supportive, and the girls are working hard, and the whole support staff is, too. It's been fun.

"I told the girls they were my No. 1 priority. And then right after that, I was going to work as fast as I can and hard as I can to 

, but at the same time, I was going to take my time just to make sure it'd be a right fit for the girls and for myself.

"We kind of came in here not knowing anybody, and just learning a lot about the state of Hawai‘i. It's been awesome, yeah. .... It's been paradise, for sure. I'm not quite settled yet, but my assistants got settled right away. I'm living out of a suitcase a little bit, but I close on my house on Monday, so I'm signing papers today, so then I will be settled."

How are you liking the Hawai‘i weather?

We haven't gotten poured on too much. It's just a little bit of showers here and there. But the weather has been great. Our girls, they're tough. ... They went out there, they were eager to get out there, and then they were stretching in the rain. They're just excited to get working."

What's your relationship like with (new UH athletics director) Matt Elliott? (Note: Thanatharn was hired by then-acting athletics director Lois Manin in June, back when the search for UH's permanent AD was still in progress).

 "It's been awesome. He called me right when he got hired. I was still on the Mainland, and he called me right away. I know my old colleagues are people that he's worked with before. Right when he got hired, they called him. They all loved him or loved working for him. So they're like, 'Oh, you guys are gonna match perfectly.' He's been nothing but supportive. It's been awesome. Like I said, everybody's been awesome. The support staff has been great. ... He's been super supportive in our needs and wants, and he gets it, and it's been awesome."

What are some of your objectives for fall ball? 

"Fall is a lot of practice. We're playing all eight of the games that we're allowed to play. ... Everybody's gonna play, whether you start or don't start. The nice thing with fall ball is free substitution. We're gonna try a lot of different combos. We're all new. We want to see what's best for the team, and we're going to try to mix and match up a few things and see what's best. And like I told the girls, their best position might not be what's best for the team, but we're just going to try to find the best combo. We're going to do just a lot of mixing and matching and seeing what the best lineup is going to be come spring."

Panitha Thanatharn 100225

<title>Q&A: New University of Hawai‘i softball coach Panita Thanatharn</title>

Thanatharn, who was hired in June, held her first practice as UH's new head softball coach last week.

Q&A: New University of Hawai‘i softball coach Panita Thanatharn

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

The people have spoken, casting their votes for the best hotels and resorts across the Islands in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach

. It previously was ranked No. 1 in 2023, as well.

 earlier this year, which is part of a multi-phase, multi-year renovation.

Mike Kass, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, said in a statement that the honor is a testament to the "passion, dedication and excellence" of the hotel's more than 250 staff members "

who bring the spirit of The Ritz-Carlton to life each and every day

Rounding out the top 10 Hawai‘i hotels are 

The Laylow Waikīkī, Autograph Collection

, located on the Big Island's Kohala Coast, ranks No. 1 on the list of 

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection

Hundreds of thousands of people submitted their ratings between April 1 and June 30, and the results were tabulated by Condé Nast. Read more about the methodology 

A number of Hawai‘i hotels were also recently ranked among the best in the U.S. in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Read more about those 

HNLRR Exterior HERO 2022

<title>Hawai‘i hotels, resorts recognized in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards</title>

Hundreds of thousands of people voted between April 1 and June 30 to find the best hotels, resorts, cruise lines, spas, cities and more around the world, including the top hotels and resorts in Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: When there’s a will, there’s a way

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: When there’s a will, there’s a way

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Take a trip

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Too busy vibing

Most read