Hawaii
Auliʻi Cravalho on How to Be a Respectful Tourist in Her Native Hawaii
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/07/12/707/n/43463692/02e1738e669152cec99086.48904754_.jpg?ssl=1 "Auliʻi Cravalho on How to Be a Respectful Tourist in Her Native Hawaii")
Auliʻi Cravalho is on a lifelong mission to give back to her native Hawaiian community. Having grown up in Hawaii — in Kohala, a region on the Big Island — “I have this chord in me that says this island home that I love so much has given me so much that that is simply what is right,” she says.
It’s why she continues to be vocal about spreading awareness and raising funds to help build back Lahaina after the Maui wildfires, and why she recently teamed up with Sheba, a cat food brand, and Kuleana, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring coral reefs in Hawaii. A three-part film series, the first of which released on July 15, follows Cravalho in Hawaii, hanging out with her cat Rocco and embarking on a dive in which she highlights coral and explains why saving reefs is so close to her heart.
“I also think coral is really cool. I graduated with a heck of a lot of science under my belt,” she says, adding that her interest in marine biology stems from her upbringing. In fact, she planned on pursuing that line of work until “Disney called and I pivoted really hard.” (In 2016, Cravalho booked her first role as Disney’s Moana at age 14.)
“Hawaii is beautiful, and to deny anyone from seeing a beautiful place is sad.”
But the actor isn’t just passionate about preserving the waters. As Hawaii continues to rebuild its infrastructure following the Maui wildfires in 2023 and the COVID pandemic of years prior, she emphasizes the importance of traveling responsibly to the Aloha State — and anywhere you visit, for that matter.
“Hawaii is beautiful, and to deny anyone from seeing a beautiful place is sad,” Cravalho says. “And yet, it is also so real that Hawaii’s main income is driven by tourism.” The “Moana” actor believes the state needs to diversify how native Hawaiians can continue living on the islands without getting “priced out of paradise.” But there are also ways you can be a more conscious tourist.
Her number one piece of advice? “Respect, or mālama, the land,” she says. She urges kuleana, which is the Hawaiian word for personal responsibility. “Something that my partner and I do while we’re here in Los Angeles is we pick up trash anytime we go to the beach. Consider it the same way,” she says. “If you are taking your family there, pack out what you pack in. Use reef-safe sunscreen. Use reusable water bottles. These are small things that make an impact.”
Showing respect not only applies to the land, but also to folks who live and work in Hawaii. “My family [in Hawaii] either works in hospitality or hospitals, and they are still trying to find rest, so understand that when you are entering these spaces expecting to be waited on, they are people, first and foremost,” she says. “Kindness, or the aloha spirit, as we call it, goes a long way. Everyone needs a break. Everyone needs a vacation. But you’re vacationing in my home, so treat me with respect as well.”
Cravalho also recommends supporting local businesses while visiting. As for her favorite spots, she loves Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, a craft store with pieces made locally or by artisans with Polynesian ties. “It’s these small choices that make an impact for us, for the kamaʻāina, the people who really live there and will be there after you leave.” Foodland, the largest local supermarket chain in Hawaii, is also one of her go-tos. “If anyone wants the best poke, go to the grocery store,” she says. “We don’t put mango, we do not put cucumbers, we do not put ginger, no nothing in our poke bowls, but it will be the best poke bowl you will ever have. They also have really good fried chicken.”
For her next trip back home, Cravalho is looking forward to eating, spending time with her family, and getting into the ocean. Since filming her docuseries with Sheba and Kuleana, she’s now a certified scuba diver and is excited to go on her next dive. “I have to say, I thought that scuba and snorkeling were tourist activities, but I have fully done a 180,” she says. “I love it now. I now look at it as such a beautiful educational tool to really see what’s going on at the bottom of our oceans.” Watch the first part of the video series below.
Yerin Kim is the features editor at POPSUGAR, where she helps shape the vision for special features and packages across the network. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, she has over five years of experience in the pop culture and women’s lifestyle spaces. She’s passionate about spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, entertainment, and style.
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
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/tal-airbnb-one-off-tout-1465b3bde0864117b43761b0d1dd346e.jpg?ssl=1 "This Airbnb Tiny Home Sits on a Lava Field in Hawaii With Unbeatable Night Sky Views—and It’s a Guest Favorite")
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The team behind a popular Hawaii-based home renovation show is now facing legal troubles after airing content that shouldn’t have been released, according to the state.
Hawaii’s Attorney General is now involved after HGTV’s ‘Renovation Aloha’ showed uncensored images of apparent ancient skeletal remains that were discovered at a Hilo property.
In a now-deleted clip on social media, Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama, along with the production team, discovered a cave beneath a Hilo property where they found the remains deep inside.
Video documented their shock when it was found, with the hosts saying, “There’s bones back here. I got to get out of here. Are you fricken serious? I’m serious dude. Is that a skull?”
Tristyn was seen standing further back, saying “This is terrifying. I’m at my stopping point” before leaving.
Hawaii News Now is not showing the bones, but confirmed with HGTV the episode was filmed in December 2025.
Video didn’t show them touching or moving the remains, and HGTV said authorities were notified after the discovery, the property was not developed, and the site was later blessed.
At the time, police said no crime was committed, and the state AG obtained a TRO to prevent the broadcast of the images in accordance with state law.
However this week, uncensored video of the bones was posted online by the Kalamas and HGTV, and included in the episode, triggering a quick rebuke from the community.
“We don’t kaula’i iwi. We do not lay our bones out in the sun to expose him in this manner,” former Oahu Island Burial Council Chair Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu said.
She also said the release of the images was “extremely disappointing,” saying the damage was already done.
“It is irrelevant that bones were not moved. It is irrelevant that they were not disturbed, per se, because somebody didn’t touch them — but you went into their space and that space becomes kapu space once they have transitioned over to po. And when you do that, we honor that. We don’t disturb them,” Wong-Kalu added.
The AG said they took immediate legal action to prevent the unlawful broadcast of images, pointing to a TRO issued prior to the episode’s release. They also said, “We are aware that the segment aired notwithstanding the court’s order, and we take this matter very seriously. The Department will pursue additional action as necessary.”
Court Documents revealed the Kalamas and producers of the show are now facing four counts for allegedly breaking Iwi Kupuna protection rules.
“If that were our grandparent, would we want them, after they have physically transitioned to po, would we want to share our family in this manner? I don’t think so,” Wong-Kalu added.
HGTV said in a statement, “We take the concerns raised by the community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate. We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, that was not HGTV’s intention.”
They also confirmed the original episode was removed, and re-edited without the bones included.
Through our communication with the HGTV spokesperson, Hawaii News Now offered the Kalamas a chance to respond directly, but they did not. They did however take to Instagram to address the episode, saying they followed the protocols they knew, and never intended to build there. They stressed their respect for Hawaiian culture and practices.
The investigation remains active.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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