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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by ChrisAnn Hayes in Kaimukī. "

 Avenue Kaimukī December 1 — goodbye November!"

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

25 12 2 Higgins 16x9

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: Hello December!</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by ChrisAnn Hayes in Kaimukī.

Hawai‘i Skies: Hello December!

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by ChrisAnn Hayes in Kaimukī. &quot;The sky over Waiʻalae Avenue Kaimukī December 1 — goodbye November!&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

, previously located in Kaimukī, now has a new home.

Business owner Kanako Kiyabu says she has been looking for a new space for her business for more than a year.

“We really loved being part of the Kaimukī community,” she says. “As our business continued to grow, we needed a larger kitchen to keep up with production. We spent about a year looking for the right space, and we’re so happy we finally find our new location.”

The business had been located in Kaimukī for about six years, according to Kiyabu.

“It (the business) all started when I made my daughter’s first birthday cake,” she says. “After that, friends and family began asking me to make cakes for their special occasions, and my business grew, little by little.”

While her business stemmed from making cakes, Kiyabu says the business's name “We Heart Cake Company” had a deeper meaning.

“I didn’t want it to be just about me making cakes,” she says. “I wanted it to be about our team, our customers and our community. We create happiness together. The heart (symbol in our name) is simple, cute and something everyone recognizes. But to me, it also represents love, kindness, care and the spirit of Aloha.”

We Heart Cake Co. closed its doors in Kaimukī at the end of May and soft opened in its new space in mid-June. The dessert shop is now located on South King Street; the entrance to the parking lot is on Liona Street.

“We have more space to work efficiently, and our customers have been so warm and welcoming,” Kiyabu says. “We’re happy to be part of this community. Our new location has a much-larger kitchen, which allows us to make more products, while maintaining the quality we care about.

“The name ‘We Heart Cake Company’ reminds us that everything we make is created with love and care,” she adds. “We truly put our hearts into every product we make.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Having more customer parking is another benefit of the new location."}]

“Customers can park right in front of our store for up to 30 minutes when they’re picking up an order from We Heart Cake Company,” Kiyabu says. “It makes pick-up much more convenient and stress-free.”

The business is popular for its cakes, but also offers cake pops, cupcakes, mini meringue cookies and butter mochi.

Its lava puffs ($4.95 each or $4 with a purchase of more than four) are a new dessert now available at the store, according to Kiyabu.

“One of our most popular products right now is our lava puff,” Kiyabu says. “What makes it special is the crispy top and the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth cream filling. We also offer unique flavors that you won’t find everywhere, like red velvet and ube.”

The business’s butter mochi is also a newer treat. We Heart Cake Co.’s butter mochi and daifuku (mochi with a filling, often red bean paste) are both made using high-quality mochiko flour imported from Asia, according to Kiyabu.

“Being Japanese, I’ve always loved traditional Japanese sweets,” Kiyabu says. “In Hawai

i, I became fascinated by butter mochi because it’s such a wonderful combination of Japanese mochi culture and Hawaiʻi’s local culture.”

Customers can now find We Heart Cake Co.’s butter mochi — available in flavors like original, peanut butter and coconut — in 7-Eleven stores, Times Supermarkets and at Aloha Gas stations.

We Heart Cake Co. is officially celebrating its grand opening this Saturday, Aug. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During this time, the business will be giving away free cake pops to the first 102 customers, according to Kiyabu.

“We wouldn’t be here without the support of Hawai

i’s local community,” Kiyabu says. “Because of your support, we’ve been able to grow and continue doing what we love. We Heart Cake Company exists because of all of you (our customers), and we’re truly grateful.”

Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, closed Sundays

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

We Heart Cake Co business owner 080526

<title>We Heart Cake Co. has a new Honolulu store</title>

The dessert shop — which used to be in Kaimukī — is now open in McCully. The biz is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 8, with free cake pops for the first 102 customers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We Heart Cake Co. has a new Honolulu store

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Aloha Spirit

MĀNOA — Ahead of what promises to be a sobering trip to Maui this weekend, the 

 spent their Wednesday afternoon preparing lei for 

Before members of the team got started, they gathered and received a brief explanation of the cultural significance of lei making from Kahala Rowe, the sister of UH associate head coach 

. Kahala Rowe told the players to have positive mana while crafting the lei, which involved twisting and crossing lau lau leaves to ensure tight and uniform lei.

Each member of the team was tasked with making two lei. Once complete, they went into a cooler, which will be transported to Maui along with the team. The lei made by the Rainbow Wahine will be placed at memorials honoring victims of the Lahaina wildfires. 

On Sunday, the 'Bows will take on Seattle University in an exhibition game in Pukalani. Soccer will come second to both teams in the Valley Isle this weekend, as the primary focus will be on the anniversary of the wildfires, which began on Aug. 8, 2023. 

The wildfires still hit close to home for members of the UH soccer team, which features nine players that graduated from high schools across the state. That includes senior midfielder Leila Kahoano, an O‘ahu native who volunteered at a shelter at Baldwin High School in Wailuku in the immediate aftermath of the devastation.

"I got to hear so many testimonies, and we also had many family friends that went through a lot of struggle, and that kind of just put it into perspective," Kahoano said. "People lost their homes. People lost everything. People lost family, and that's just something you can never replace. For us to show that we obviously support them, that we love them, even though they might not know us, is a really big part of who Hawai‘i is and who we are as an institution here."

Kahala Rowe's advice in embracing lei making as a spiritual experience were words Kahoano and her teammates took to heart. 

"Intention in any aspect, not just lei making, not just in soccer, but in life, the intention that you put into into the things you have is what you're going to receive out of it," Kahoano said. "We are just super big, and our coaches are super big about how you do one thing is how you do everything. So, really being intentional about why we're making these leis. ... It's just a big part of who we are and the culture and everything like that, and it's just amazing to be a part of this opportunity."

Following its exhibition against Seattle, the Rainbow Wahine will officially begin their 2026 regular season on Aug. 13 against No. 23 Texas Tech at 4 p.m. On Thursday, UH announced that its first seven home contests of the season have been relocated from Waipi‘o Peninsula Soccer Complex to the program's on-campus field, including the Texas Tech opener. 

Hawaii soccer 080526

<title>Hawai‘i soccer makes lei for Lahaina wildfire victims ahead of weekend Maui trip</title>

The Rainbow Wahine will play an exhibition game against Seattle on the Valley Isle on Sunday, a trip in which both programs will also honor victims of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.

Hawai‘i soccer makes lei for Lahaina wildfire victims ahead of weekend Maui trip

Since 2018, Hawai‘i's Little League state championship tournaments have been dominated by Honolulu Little League and Central East Maui Little League. The two powerhouses have advanced to the Little League World Series a total of six times since then, with Honolulu Little League winning the world championship in 2018 and 2022. 

In 2026, Kaua‘i's Kawaihau Community Little League knew it would have to get past both to achieve its dreams of taking the state crown. Miraculously, the team of 12 won five games over the span of three days, including a doubleheader sweep of Honolulu on July 21 to win its first state title since 1990. 

"It just kind of stayed surreal for me," Kawaihau manager 

Ka‘ili Pānui told Aloha State Daily. "

It's been a long journey with these kids, and just getting past states is an accomplishment. Just amazing and still surreal."

The championship run for Kawaihau nearly never got off the ground. In its first game of the double-elimination state tournament, Kawaihau lost 7-6 to Honolulu in extra innings. 

With no margin for error, Kawaihau rattled off five straight wins over the next three days, including a 5-4 win over hosts Central East Maui in Wailuku on July 20. 

Winning a tournament with such a compressed timeline was a testament to the team's pitching depth. Pānui said nearly every player on the team can pitch, with "four or five elite" arms. That includes ace pitcher Waika Doctolero, who struck out 11 while allowing just one hit and a walk against Honolulu in a 1-0 win to set up July 21's winner-take-all game, which Kawaihau won 3-2. 

Doctolero will be on the mound again when Kawaihau opens West Region play on Sunday against Arizona's Chandler Little League. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ at noon HST. 

"He's definitely our ace pitcher, and definitely the guy that'll be taking the mound the first game for us," 

"He'll battling up for us out there again, and it'll be a special moment again for him."

Pānui, a 2002 Kapa‘a High School graduate, also was a former Kawaihau Community Little Leaguer. Although his time playing with the 11- and 12-year-olds came half a dozen years after the 1990 team's state championship, he remembers how special their run was in the Kaua‘i community. The 1990 Kawaihau team fell just short of a Little League World Series appearance, losing in the West Region semifinals. 

I got a couple of my friends that I know that was a part of that team, most of them are a little older than me. When I was growing up playing T-ball and stuff, their names were flying all over the place, and they were getting talked about a lot," Pānui says of the 1990 team. "To this day, people are always talking about that team and how they're the only team that made it (prior to 2026). 

Following their state tournament victory, 

Pānui acknowledged that the championship run took a physical toll on his team, so he gave his team four days off. But since then, they've returned to the diamond and have ramped up activity before heading to California. 

Regardless of how the weekend goes, the tournament promises to be a special time for the Kawaihau Little Leaguers and their families. Given the additional costs of attending a Mainland tournament, a 

fundraiser was recently set up for the team

With only four teams in the West Region, Kawaihau will have to win just one of its first two games in order to play on ESPN's main channel. Additionally, the further Kawaihau advances, the more they can expect to play in front of big crowds. 

"I talked to (Honolulu Little League manager) 

, and he said, 'Be ready to be playing in front of 10,000 to 15,000 people,' which is gonna be something crazy for these kids," Pānui said. "Even if it's 100, it doesn't matter. It's the same approach."

Kawaihau Little League 080526

<title>Kaua‘i's Kawaihau Community Little League continues historic run this weekend</title>

Kawaihau will be the state's representative in the Little League World Series West Regional, which begins on Sunday in San Bernardino, Calif.

Kaua‘i's Kawaihau Community Little League continues historic run this weekend

i Kai Shopping Center. It’s located nearby sister company Island Brew Coffeehouse, in the former space of Kawaii Ice Wave. 

Pastries and breads are baked fresh daily. Right now, the bakery is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Customers can find a variety of sweet and savory pastries, according to manager Rocco Baez. The selection includes salt bread, butter croissants, dark chocolate cranberry scones, oatmeal raisin cookies, biscuits with honey butter and more. The bakery is also known for its focaccia loaves.

“The salt bread is the top seller, but the spinach puffs are my favorite,” Baez says. “We’re experimenting (with flavors) every day. People like our oatmeal raisin cookies and gluten-free pastries as well.”

The bakery’s salt bread ($4.50) is available in its original flavor for now, but additional flavors, like chocolate, may come in the future.

Pastries are available for grab-and-go, and the shop offers limited outdoor customer seating.

The shop sells other desserts and treats, including croissant sundaes, Moku Pops, locally made ice cream, crepes and bingsu. Bingsu flavors range from mango and matcha to strawberries and cream and peanut butter dream.

Bakehouse by Island Brew is celebrating its grand opening this Saturday, Aug. 8. starting at 8 a.m. Follow the biz on 

Bakehouse by Island Brew manager 080426

<title>Bakehouse by Island Brew is open in Hawaiʻi Kai</title>

The new bakery, whose sister company is Island Brew Coffeehouse, is celebrating its grand opening this Saturday, Aug. 8. The shop offers freshly baked pastries like chocolate chip muffins, salt bread, biscuits with honey butter and oatmeal raisin cookies. It also features gluten-free pastries and other desserts like bingsu.

Bakehouse by Island Brew is open in Hawaiʻi Kai

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Prior to Western contact, the Waiākea Peninsula at the edge of Hilo Bay sustained a thriving Hawaiian community for generations. As Hilo gradually developed into an important port for the sandalwood trade, supply replenishment, and the whaling industry, the area began to change.

Although the traditional stewardship of the ʻaina ensured the loʻi kalo (taro fields) and the loko iʻa (fishponds) continued to provide food for the area, the peninsula slowly took on a different purpose. Then, the introduction of private ownership through the Great Mahele of 1848 forever changed how Waiākea would be managed.

With the expansion of Hilo Harbor, the wetlands were drained, and fishponds fell into disuse. To accommodate larger ships, the bay was dredged, and the fill from the bay was used to create new land along the shoreline. Ancient canoe landings disappeared beneath that newly created land, and much of the ceremonial landscape surrounding Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau was erased. Roads, homes, and public buildings gradually spread across the shoreline, covering many of the features that had defined Waiākea for centuries.

Due to the harborʻs continued growth and change, today’s shoreline bears little resemblance to the one that greeted the first Western merchant vessels. During the early 1900s, a new public park was created to honor the last reigning monarch. Liliʻuokalani Gardens, with its walking paths, decorative bridges, and ornamental gardens replaced the loʻi kalo and loko iʻa, creating a space where residents and visitors could enjoy the shores of Hilo Bay.

In 1933, the Hilo Parks Commission invited director Cecil B. DeMille and other celebrities from the film "Four Frightened People" to plant banyan trees along a new roadway. Later that year, Babe Ruth planted a tree, and the road was formally designated the following year in time for a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who planted his own tree. Over time, nearly 50 trees were planted by aviators, entertainers, politicians, and other notable visitors, and the Banyan Drive became known as “Hilo’s Walk of Fame.” In 1939, the Naniloa Hotel opened its doors on the site of a former yacht club, welcoming visitors to its tranquil location by the sea.

Like the rest of Hilo, the Waiākea Peninsula has had to face the destructive power of the sea. Tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 devastated the coast, destroying homes, businesses, and facilities along the waterfront. While many of the banyan trees survived, a new infrastructure once again reshaped the landscape and Banyan Drive soon became the center of Hilo’s visitor industry.

By the 1970s, Banyan Drive was already established as the center of Hilo’s visitor industry. The Naniloa and the new Hilo Hawaiian, along with other new hotels, welcomed travelers from around the world, while nearby golf courses, parks, and public spaces drew both residents and visitors to the bay.

Although centuries of development had transformed nearly every part of the peninsula, places like Mokuola (Coconut Island) continued to preserve a connection to an older Hawaiʻi. The landscape may look different from the days of loʻi kalo, loko iʻa, and Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau, but its mana cannot be erased.

Perhaps that is why, despite decades of change, stories continue to emerge from Banyan Drive, describing experiences that seem to be connected to a long-lost past. Former staff have mentioned doors of empty rooms rattling for no reason, and housekeeping staff talk of the water faucets in one of the rooms turning on by itself.

However, the scariest stories are the ones about a group of visitors who turn up during specific moon phases, without reservations. One security guard said it starts with the sound of drums. It’s distant, but the sound is a consistent beat that doesn’t change like modern music. As the drums get louder, a mist appears on the building’s mauka side and moves through the wall and the hotel rooms, exiting through the wall on the opposite end of the building on their way to the ocean.

“I know it’s not my imagination,” he said. “The lights dim and flicker, pictures on the wall shake or fall to the floor, sometimes the furniture moves.”

The guard said that the employees at the hotel know to make themselves scarce during that time, but no one really talks about it with each other.

Grand Naniloa Hilo

<title>Night Marchers at the Naniloa</title>

Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.

Hawai‘i Skies: Hello December!

ASD Staff

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Hawai‘i Skies: Hello December!

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Moon rising

Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees

Hawaiʻi Skies: Another one

Hawaiʻi Skies: On top of the world

Most read