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Katie Helland

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As a kid, Mark Ellis saw the Hōkūleʻa, a double-hulled voyaging canoe. It sparked his imagination and inspired him to build a mini version of the vessel as a school project. Eventually, he joined the Polynesian Voyaging Society, which operates the Hōkūleʻa.

Today, he is training the next generation of navigators aboard the Iosepa, a traditional double-hulled sailing canoe, which sets out on a 31-day voyage of the Hawaiian islands on Saturday, May 24.

Ellis grew up “in the water” and “on the water,” he told Aloha State Daily. When he was seven years old, he saw 

coming home from a voyage to Tahiti and told his parents he wanted to sail on that vessel.

“That ʻboat’ is what I was called it, but now I know it's a canoe,” Ellis said. “Everything I did in my class projects was always to do with Hōkūleʻa and voyaging.”

 Kāne’s books and Ellis used to look through the pictures, he said. At around nine years old, his teacher asked students to make boats as part of studying density. Ellis decided to create a mini version of the Hōkūleʻa.

He asked his parents to take him to see the double-hulled voyaging canoe and remembers the crew explaining things.

Eventually, he started volunteering for dry dock work with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, which operates the Hōkūleʻa and its sister vessel, Hikianalia. The duo are named after sister stars that “break the horizon together at the latitude of the Hawaiian islands,” according to website for PVS.

“And then, it wasn't until after college that I was invited to sail on Hōkūleʻa,” he said. “And after that, I just started constantly sailing.”

Weather permitting, Iosepa’s voyage includes landings at Lāʻie, Pōkaʻī Bay, Haleʻiwa and Mauliola on Oʻahu; Lahaina on Maui, and Kaunakakai on Molokaʻi. Iosepa was built in 2001. It was designed as a working classroom to teach navigation and seamanship, as well as Hawaiian values, according to representatives of the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is where the canoe is housed when it is not on the water.

Ellis worked his way through the ranks as a crew member and watch captain.

“It was never my desire to become a captain,” he said. “It was just at one point that they said, ʻHey, we need help. Can you be a captain?’ ”

 has been part of legs of voyages across the world, including to California and the Galapagos Islands as well as legs from New York to Virginia, Florida to Virginia and Samoa to Aotearoa, according to the PVS website.

 birthday on March 8. The voyaging canoe has sailed 

across the Pacific, according to the website for PVS. On May 30, the Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are scheduled to depart Hilo for French Polynesia to resume the Moananuiākea Voyage, which is a four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean.

At any time, the crew for Iosepa is usually 12 to 16 people, Ellis said. But different people will be part of the crew for each leg of the voyage. The crew will likely consist of about 70 or more people over the entire voyage, he said.   

“I’m grateful for my family for supporting me and allowing me to follow my dream and my passion,” he said. “And now we’re on Iosepa and we’re training the next generation and getting them all excited.”

Iosepa

<title>Iosepa starts 31-day voyage across Hawaiian Islands</title>

The double-hulled sailing canoe, Iosepa, is headed for a month-long tour of the Hawaiian Islands, starting Saturday, May 24. At its helm is Captain Mark Ellis, director of voyaging experiences at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where the canoe stays when it is not on the water.

Iosepa starts 31-day voyage across Hawaiian Islands

It has been a busy couple of months for Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu. His hālau, the Oakland-based Academy of Hawaiian Arts, competed in Merrie Monarch, which ran from April 20 through 26. This week, when Disney’s live action version of “Lilo & Stitch” debuts in theaters on Friday, May 23, his voice will be part of the soundtrack.

, the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, and the North Shore-based brothers 

. Of that group, only Hoʻomalu and the director of the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, 

can say they were part of creating the soundtrack for the original movie.

Hoʻomalu did the singing and some of the composing for the 2002 movie’s “He Mele No Lilo” and “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,” performed with the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus.

This year, at Merrie Monarch, the wahine in his hālau’s performed “Kuʻe Hao O Ka Lanakila,” a mele about a railway line that stretched from Moanalua to Waiʻanae. The oli that started the performance included parts of 

which was also featured in “He Mele No Lilo” in the original “Lilo & Stitch” movie.

“On the Merrie Monarch this year, the girls kahiko, 

. We did get recognized: ʻOh, that's the oli that he did for ʻLilo & Stitch,” the original, which is called ʻKa Wohi Ku Ka Moku,’ ” he told Aloha State Daily. “It was really nice because everybody in the audience was singing. … What a beautiful gesture to the queen.”

Going into Merrie Monarch, the practice schedule for the kumu hula included hula classes every day, with kāne on one night and wahine the next, Hoʻomalu told ASD. 

“I’m different because I don't see hula and the sound of hula as the same thing,” he said. “The sound is a whole other element that’s for the hoʻopaʻa, that’s for the chanters. … Hula is for the eyes and the leo — the sound — is for your ear. It's not the same thing, but they should both make your brain dance.”

The annual competition brings Hoʻomalu back to the Hawaiian Islands. After the competition on Hawaiʻi Island, he spent time with family on Oʻahu, he said.

“It allows me to come home and to bring hula home that Hawaiʻi is not doing,” he said. “Being away from Hawaiʻi allows me to not get caught up in what everybody else is doing. … By osmosis you become like everybody else. It was like that 50 years ago, and I don't want to be like that.”

The  kāne kahiko performance of “Holo Mai Pele,” was a mele that dates back to at least 1860 and tells the story of the migration of Tūtū Pele to Hawaiʻi, he said.

“Everyone in Hawaiʻi who has done it has done it the way that the Kanakaʻole family has done it,” he said. “That's where they learned it from, and they present it that way.”

But Hoʻomalu choose to share the story as a migration from the ocean, he said. In fact, his dancers brought outrigger canoe paddles to the stage.

“He's talking about a migration, sailing from Tahiti and I am bringing it from the ocean — not land locked, but from the ocean — and presenting a new rendition of an old mele,” he said.

of other 2025 Merrie Monarch performances. 

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Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu

<title>Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu shares how the same oli was featured at Merrie Monarch…</title>

Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu reflects on Merrie Monarch and how hula and music are not “the same thing, but they should both make your brain dance.” An oli he performed at Merrie Monarch this year had the audience singing. It appeared in the original animated version of ʻLilo & Stitch’ in 2002. It will also be part of the soundtrack for Disney’s live action version of the movie, which debuts Friday, May 23.

Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu shares how the same oli was featured at Merrie Monarch and in Disney’s new “Lilo & Stitch” movie

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 locations will offer new, limited-edition menu items and movie merchandise for the entire ‘ohana starting May 23 for the premiere of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” live-action movie.

These fun food offerings are inspired by the Hawai

[{"type":"text","text":"This menu will be available through June 8."}]

Consolidated Theatres Lilo and Stitch Disney 052025

<title>Limited-time “Lilo & Stitch” movie-themed menu items launch May 23</title>

Consolidated Theatres is offering movie merch and fun food offerings to celebrate the premiere

Limited-time “Lilo & Stitch” movie-themed menu items launch May 23

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

With an asking price of $589,000, a one-bedroom, one-bath cottage located at 99-139 Nāpuanani Road No. 2 is the lowest priced single-family home currently on the market in the ‘Aiea Heights neighborhood.

The home sits on a quarter-acre parcel. Listing agent Jennifer Peele, with Royal Realty, said it's one of five homes constructed on a larger property that was later subdivided through a condominium property regime.

It has an open concept kitchen and living room, and a total of 600 square feet of living space, "so it's definitely open space, cozy," Peele told Aloha State Daily last week, also noting that there's a balcony and green space as well as a shed on the property that can be converted to something else that fits the buyers' needs.

And if you like gardening, Peele said there's land in front where prospective homeowners can "get creative and do whatever type of gardening that the buyer would want to do."

"The single-wall wood frame construction and level lot add to its charm, while the garden view creates a relaxing ambiance," the 

. "With a low HOA fee and proximity to local amenities, this property is a fantastic alternative to high-maintenance condos or townhouses."

Fees for the Turner Condominium Homeowners Association LLC total $104 per month, and cover common areas, yard and grounds maintenance, HOA savings, insurance and taxes, according to information provided by Peele.

This is a seemingly rare offering in ‘Aiea Heights. Peele said it was hard to find comparables to even price the home. 

"I haven't seen a house like this in a while, so it's a rare opportunity to be a homeowner [of] a single-family home here in Hawai‘i for a price point under $600,000," she said. "Even though it's a one-bedroom, it'll be perfect for a cute little couple or even a single man that wants to get away from the busyness [of town]. When you drive down Chester Way, and you're on the property, it's just really peaceful and quiet and just the scenery of green everywhere is really nice."

As for the community itself, Peele said ‘Aiea Heights is an older neighborhood in the mountains, but there are restaurants, shopping and recreation close by — and it's not far from Pearlridge Center and everything Pearlridge has to offer.

A four-bedroom home at 99-720 Puluniu Loop listed for $1,588,000 is the highest-priced single-family home on the market in ‘Aiea Heights, according to the HiCentral MLS. You can see the 

99 139 Napuanani exterior

<title>For sale — home bargain in ‘Aiea Heights</title>

You can get this cottage for under $600,000.

For sale — home bargain in ‘Aiea Heights

Want to own your own slice of Waikīkī's iconic Iliakai? Check out Unit No. 223 — a fee-simple steal at just $475,000.

Fully renovated about eight years ago, the studio unit is a total of 420 square feet with a 116-square-foot lānai, and city and mountain views. Maintenance fees total $895 a month, plus an additional $57 for cable. The Ilikai is located at 1777 Ala Moana Boulevard.

It’s currently the lowest-priced unit for sale within the renowned building, according to the HiCentral MLS.

 and notes that the fully furnished unit is “perfect for part-time owners who want to rent out their unit while away from Hawai‘i.”

Listing agent Mei Ling Ng, broker in charge of Marina Hawai‘i Vacations, which is located within the lobby of the Ilikai, says location is the biggest benefit of living in the complex, which also has two pools and a courtyard.

You can easily walk to the lagoon at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort, view Friday night fireworks from the courtyard, and it’s close to several eateries, she said. Ala Moana Center is also a short walk away.

“It’s really a good location to everywhere,” she told Aloha State Daily.

Developed by Chinn Ho and designed by John Graham Jr., the Ilikai opened in 1964 but achieved broader notoriety when it was featured in the opening credits of Hawai‘i Five-0 later that decade.

 from Honolulu Magazine — written by Aloha State Daily Editor-in-Chief A. Kam Napier during his tenure there — highlights the history of the Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites.

A $4.5 million penthouse is the highest-priced listing in the Ilikai currently on the MLS. You can view that listing 

Median home prices are just one way to look at Hawai‘i's real estate market — buyers and sellers are often interested in a fuller range of real prices.

With that in mind, Aloha State Daily will be looking at neighborhoods, even at single apartment buildings, to find the highest priced home on the market as well as the lowest, along with some hidden gems, so that you can see the range of what you can get for your money.

Ilikai Unit 223

<title>For sale in the iconic Ilikai</title>

Check out this fee-simple studio that's on the market for $475,000.

For sale in the iconic Ilikai

ASD Staff

Today's social media find comes from jensonkona, who keeps on truckin'.

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: TACOMA FIGHT!

Today's social media find comes from waikikipd, on how to get the truth out of some low-life.

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique

Glad jackakrop19 is doing OK after this big wave wipeout at Jaws, on Maui's north shore.

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Surfer gets dropped

Cream Puff is hearing impaired but has a big heart, say Maui Humane Society.

Cream Puff

Adopt-a-Pet May 23, 2025: Maui's Cream Puff seeks home

"With his bright smile ad big heart, Batman is sure to show you the true meaning of true companionship," said the Hawaiian Humane Society. "Could your home be his new Batcave?"

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Daily Features - Saturday, 24 May

Pet of the Day: Maui's Cream Puff seeks home

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: TACOMA FIGHT!

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: TACOMA FIGHT!