Hawaii
Hawaii is the rainbow capital of the world. Here's what that means
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s regular sunshine, short rain showers and clean air come together to create some of the planet’s best conditions for viewing rainbows. They’re such a frequent sight that a University of Hawaii professor calls the state the “rainbow capital of the world.”
Right now it’s the winter rainy season in the islands, which means the odds of seeing a rainbow are even higher than usual.
Rainbows emerge so often in Hawaii they’ve become popular symbols of island life. Pictures of them adorn buildings, the sides of public buses and appear on standard vehicle license plates. University of Hawaii sports teams are even named after rainbows.
“For me, rainbows really signify hope and new beginnings,” said Liane Usher, the president of the Children’s Discovery Center in Honolulu, which features rainbows on its exterior wall and in its exploration rooms. “I can’t ever help but smile whenever I see a rainbow after the rain.”
Here are some things to know about rainbows in Hawaii.
Where can I find rainbows?
Rainbows form when raindrops refract sunlight into a spectrum of colors. The brighter the sun, the clearer the rainbow.
Look for them when it is both sunny and raining at the same time. They will appear opposite the sun. They will seem larger and higher in the sky in the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is lower on the horizon.
Steven Businger, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, says the archipelago’s trade winds bring many small showers with enough blue sky between them for the sun to shine through.
Hawaii’s clean air also helps. Other places tend to have more air particles from dust, pollen and cars. Conditions improve further during Hawaii’s rainy season, which lasts from October through April.
“Hawaii has maybe the best rainbows on the planet,” Businger said.
Businger created an app called RainbowChase to help people find rainbows in Hawaii.
Rainbows are so prevalent that there are about 20 names for them in the Hawaiian language, according to a Manoa website, including distinct words for rainbow fragments and those that sit low on the horizon.
What role do rainbows play in Native Hawaiian culture?
Rainbows represent divine or supernatural power in Native Hawaiian tradition.
Sam ‘Ohu Gon III, senior scientist and cultural adviser at The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii, said rainbows are considered a symbol of Kāne, one of the four main gods in Hawaiian tradition. Traditionally, the closer one got to a rainbow, the more likely they were to encounter a supernatural force, or an extremely powerful or chiefly person, he said.
In one centuries-old story, a rainbow appears over the secluded home of a Hawaiian princess for four straight days. Another emerges above the ocean when her suitor arrives, a man so strong his punch pierces an opponent’s chest like a spear.
To Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a teacher and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, a rainbow signals an “aumakua,” which is a deified ancestor or a family or personal god.
“When those of our loved ones go before us, they precede us in life and they leave us in this realm. They are able sometimes to show their presence,” Wong-Kalu said. “The rainbow is one of those ways.”
Rainbows let her know spiritual protection is present and that she is loved and watched over, said Wong-Kalu, who is also known as Kumu Hina.
When did rainbows become symbols of island life?
Rainbow imagery decorates everything from buildings and restaurant facades to athletic uniforms.
The Hawaii men’s athletic teams are called Rainbow Warriors and the women’s teams are Rainbow Wahine, using the Hawaiian word for women. The teams are called ‘Bows’ for short.
The origin of the rainbow mascot dates to New Year’s Day in 1924. Hawaii was locked in a scoreless tie against the visiting Oregon Aggies when a rainbow appeared over the field. Hawaii scored soon after and reporters began calling the team the Rainbows, according to the book “Hawai’i Sports: History, Facts and Statistics.”
The Hawaii football team in 2000 dropped “Rainbow” from its nickname when a coach expressed concern it carried a “stigma” because of its association with the LGBTQ+ community. The school restored the name in 2013.
Will climate change affect rainbows?
When Kimberly Carlson was a professor at Manoa, she saw a rainbow outside her apartment window that made her wonder how climate change would affect them.
Now a New York University environmental studies professor, she’s studied the impact over the next century.
Her team’s analysis, published in a paper two years ago, predicts Brazil, the Mediterranean and parts of Central Africa will have fewer rainbows by 2100. They found places that currently get lots of snow, but that will instead receive more rain, will likely see more rainbows. Alaska falls in that category.
Scientists believe rainbows will continue to be plentiful in Hawaii, but in the coming decades, longer dry spells might lead to fewer rainbows on the arid, leeward sides of the islands, Businger, the atmospheric sciences professor, said. Maui and the Big Island might be particularly affected, he said.
The singular experience of glimpsing a rainbow makes them worth studying, he said.
“Rainbows are a cultural touchstone for us. They cause us to stand still and for a moment, forget about the past and the future,” Businger said. “We are really in the moment when we see a spectacular rainbow, and that’s a rare experience in our busy lives.”
Hawaii
Kanakaʻole, Zane ʻohana transform Hawaiian cultural practices into captivating visual arts | Maui Now
This powerful new exhibition will feature the work of Nālani Kanakaʻole, Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane—a Hilo-based family of artists whose creative practices are deeply rooted in hula ʻaihaʻa.
Hula ʻaihaʻa is the low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that Kanakaʻole was known for as kumu hula of Hālau o Kekuhi. The hula springs from the eruptive volcano personas of Pele and her sister Hiʻiaka, characteristic of Hawaiʻi Island’s creative forces.
The Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, on Oʻahu is presenting “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” in the J. M. Long Gallery beginning on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The exhibition title references “Kūhaʻimoana,” a chant describing the migration of shark gods from Kahiki (ancestral homeland) to Hawaiʻi. “Ea Mai ʻEiwa” reflects the strength, resilience, and environmental knowledge embodied in these ancestral stories.
Bringing together new and existing works alongside botanical specimens and cultural treasures from Bishop Museum’s collections, the exhibition weaves themes of migration, community resilience, and environmental stewardship—offering insight and inspiration for today.
“This exhibition demonstrates that the gap between historic collections and contemporary art is actually a lot smaller than people think,” said Sarah Kuaiwa, Ph.D., Bishop Museum curator for Hawaiʻi and Pacific Cultural Resources. “Audiences will see how the artists use the same materials as pieces in Bishop Museum collections but in different forms. The resonance between the artist’s work with mea kupuna (ancestors) is what makes ‘Ea Mai ʻEiwa’ a uniquely Bishop Museum exhibition.”
Kuaiwa curated the group exhibitions along with co-curator, kumu hula Kauʻi Kanakaʻole, and Bishop Museum exhibit designer, DeAnne Kennedy.
The artists’ work across visual and performing arts is continually charged and sustained by hula. From Nālani Kanakaʻole’s art direction and choreography to Sig Zane’s photography and textile design, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane’s graphic design and immersive installations, each artist channels ʻike (knowledge, wisdom) carried through generations.
“Through repetition, deep study, and consistent practice, mastery is achieved. As practitioners of hula, the artists have continued to deepen their understanding of the natural and spiritual world, which has in turn inspired their art practices,” Kuaiwa said. “They aim to produce art in various visual media not only to educate, but to also be aesthetically celebrated and enjoyed.”
“Patterns of Practice” was suggested by Sig Zane as a way of representing how the artists hone their skills.
“‘Kūhaʻimoana,’ for me, has many layers to it,” Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane said. “On a first take, it’s a migratory chant that compares migrations to waves of ocean-navigating sharks. That metaphor sets out the tone of connectivity between our natural environment and the beings that inhabit it.”
“‘Kūhaʻimoana’ is an example illustrating metaphorical depth within Hawaiian poetry,” said Sig Zane. “The importance of navigation surfaces in day-to-day cultural practices. This archaic chant reveals nuanced content, giving us a peek into hierarchy, dualities, and familial belief systems.”
Kanakaʻole passed away in January this year, so Kauʻi Kanakaʻole hopes that “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” reflects Kanakaʻole’s philosophy of practice and piques curiosity within people about others’ stories, history, and culture.
“She intentionally taught hula with depth of language, craft, and art form to encompass a full-on lifestyle commitment,” Kanakaʻole said. “This was her everyday; the way she learned, grew, and inspired.” “I would love for guests to leave (the exhibition) with a mixture of awe, appreciation, and curiosity.”
Highlights of the “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” exhibition include:
- Nālani Kanakaʻole’s kite installation, “Kūhaʻimoana,” her last large-scale installation before her passing
- Botanical specimens from various locations across Hawaiʻi Island, chosen to represent their hula ʻahu (altar) and sources of inspiration the artists frequently draw from
- Uniquely colored kūpeʻe (sea snails) shells made into adornments, as well as adornments made to look like kūpeʻe shells
- Kapa (barkcloth) made from the 19th century with dynamic designs
- ʻAwa (kava, Piper methysticum) cups and kānoa (kava bowl) associated with the aliʻi
- New and archival sketches and rubylith artworks by Sig Zane from 1990 to present
- A collection of family photos from the Kanakaʻole ʻOhana
- Memorabilia and ephemera from the theatrical performance, “Holo Mai Pele” (1995-2000)
“Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” will be presented in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, and will be on view until Sept. 20, 2026.
For more information, visit bishopmuseum.org.
The demolition of Aloha Stadium on Oahu took a big step forward Thursday with the first section of seating pulled down from the steel structure.
Half of the elevated deck-level seating on the stadium’s makai side was severed and toppled backward as part of demolition work that began in February.
The other half of the upper makai-side seating is slated to come down Tuesday, followed by similar sections on the mauka side and both end zones, though the concrete foundations for lower-level end-zone seating are being preserved for a new, smaller stadium to rise on the same site.
A private partnership, Aloha Halawa District Partners, led by local developer Stanford Carr, is replacing the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, which opened in 1975 and was shuttered in 2020, with a new stadium featuring up to 31,000 seats.
AHDP is using $350 million of state funding toward the cost of the new stadium, which could be $475 million or more, and will operate and maintain the facility on state land for 30 years with a land lease.
The development team also is to redevelop much of the 98-acre stadium property dominated by parking lots with a new mixed-use community that includes at least 4,100 residences, two hotels, an office tower, retail, entertainment attractions and open spaces expected to be delivered in phases over 25 years and costing close to or more than $5 billion or $6 billion.
Earlier parts of stadium demolition work led by Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. included removing four covered multistory spiral walkways leading to the upper level from the ground, and concourse bridges.
Demolishing the stadium is projected to be done by August, according to Carr.
Building the new facility is expected to be finished in 2029.
Hawaii
This Airbnb Tiny Home Sits on a Lava Field in Hawaii With Unbeatable Night Sky Views—and It’s a Guest Favorite
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