Hawaii

Auliʻi Cravalho on How to Be a Respectful Tourist in Her Native Hawaii

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2024

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.

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Hawaii

Hawaii police investigate alleged gun threat at Kealakehe Intermediate

Published

10 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii police investigate alleged gun threat at Kealakehe Intermediate

KONA (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Police Department is investigating a terror threat at Kealakehe Intermediate School after a student reportedly intended to bring a gun to campus on Friday.

Police said they interviewed several students and, during the investigation, determined the student in question was absent and not on campus.

Authorities said they have not located anyone who directly heard the alleged threat, and the report has not been substantiated.

Police said the school remained open and its daily operations were not impacted.

Anyone with information is asked to contact officer John Antonio at (808) 935-3311 or by email at John.Antonio@hawaiipolice.gov.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling (808) 961-8300. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

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Hawaii

3 dead after helicopter crash at Kalalau Beach in Hawaii

Published

22 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

3 dead after helicopter crash at Kalalau Beach in Hawaii

Three people are dead after a helicopter crashed at Kalalau Beach on Kaua’i in Hawaii, the island’s police department said in a statement.

Police said they received a “text-to-911” message around 3:45 p.m. that a helicopter had crashed into the ocean near Kalalau Beach. According to Kaua’i police, multiple agencies responded to reports of the downed chopper.

The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers, and was operated by Airborne Aviation — a company that operates helicopter tours, police said.

It was not immediately clear which of the three passengers was killed, and their identities were not released.

The other two passengers were taken to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment, police said.

The Kaua’i Fire Department, the Kaua’i Emergency Management Agency, the United States Coast Guard, American Medical Response, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Kaua’i Police Department all responded to the crash and “are actively involved in the response,” according to the police statement.

The statement said no further information is available at this time and updates will be shared when they are available.

Meanwhile, Hawaii has been facing historic floods that have wreaked havoc on the islands in recent weeks amid devastating “kona low,” or seasonal Hawaiian cyclones. The storms first caused destruction on Oahu and Maui last weekend, and alerts were up for the Big Island earlier this week.

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Hawaii

Hawaii baseball’s Ryan Inouye has friendly duel with former team Hawaii Pacific

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii baseball’s Ryan Inouye has friendly duel with former team Hawaii Pacific

HONOLULU — Hawaii Pacific coach Dane Fujinaka joked with his staff that it was a lose-lose situation.

When HPU Sharks all-time saves leader Ryan Inouye took the mound in the ninth inning for the University of Hawaii against his former team Wednesday, there were plenty of mixed emotions in the Les Murakami Stadium visitors’ dugout.

“It was like we either come back and make a push here, and our guy obviously has to wear it,” Fujinaka said. “Or he shuts it out like he did, and we lose.”

The 5-foot-9 Kailua High graduate with the unorthodox right-handed mechanics limited the Sharks to a single to record his first save in a Kelly green uniform, as UH beat its crosstown opponent 4-1.

Former HPU pitcher, Ryan Inouye, gets the save in the Rainbow Warriors’ win against the Sharks. Hawai’i wins 4-1. Tsubasa Tomii gets the win, Noah Rhea gets tagged with the loss.#HawaiiBSB ⚾⚾⚾ pic.twitter.com/LdAuAZGdU1
— Spectrum Sports HI (@specsportshi) March 26, 2026

[Note: See below for more photos of Hawaii-Hawaii Pacific baseball.]

Inouye, his face a neutral mask minutes later, resolved to keep his emotions the same way as he stepped on the turf.

“Gotta keep it the same even though I know a lot of the guys over there,” he said.

Afterward, he greeted old teammates and coaches and was warmly received.

Inouye posted 20 saves over the last three years with Division II HPU, including the program single-season record of 13 en route to second-team All-West Region honors in 2025. He learned last season that he had a year of eligibility restored from his time at Menlo at the front end of his college career. But by rule he also would not be able to apply it at the D-II level.

Once the season ended, Fujinaka reached out to UH pitching coach Keith Zuniga and head coach Rich Hill.

“I said, ‘Hey, is there any interest here? I think you guys like perfect fit. He lives five minutes away. He’s a different arm that a lot of your league hasn’t seen.’”

“It was an easy phone call, and he was out of Division II eligibility, so he wouldn’t have been able to come back to us anyway,” Fujinaka added. “I’m just really happy that that UH, Rich gave him a chance to continue playing.”

It was his seventh appearance for the Rainbow Warriors, but first since March 8 against Cal Poly.

Hill acknowledged it was “weird” to put Inouye in a situation to face his old friends. He was the last of seven pitchers to see work in the mid-week bullpen game.

“He went to war with those guys for a few years. But they understand,” Hill said. “And he loves his teammates and he loves his coaches on both sides. I don’t think that entered into it at all. He was just trying to execute pitches and get a save for his team.”

Four UH pitchers — Derek Valdez, Saul Soto, Jack Berg and Zac Tenn — took a combined no-hitter into the seventh, when the Sharks’ Owen Wessel singled to right off Tenn.

Shortstop Elijah Ickes threw Wessel out at home on Ethan Murakoshi’s fielder’s choice. Jayden Gabrillo scored on a wild pitch by Tsubasi Tomii to give the Sharks a momentary lead.

Ben Zeigler-Namoa started a four-run rally in the bottom of the frame with a single to right. Kody Watanabe tied the game with an infield single and catcher Jake Redding drew a bases-loaded walk for the go-ahead score.

After UH faced ex-‘Bows pitcher Rylen Bayne in the bottom of the eighth — Bayne got through old teammates Zeigler-Namoa, Ickes and Draven Nushida cleanly — it was Inouye’s turn to face old friends.

He got Blake Helsper to foul out with a nice sliding catch by third baseman Tate Shimao just in front of the UH dugout.

Noah Hata singled up the middle, but Inouye struck out Carter Jones on eight pitches and Gabrillo grounded out to first to end the game.

Inouye was teammates with all the batters he faced, save Helsper.

“Definitely wanted to get all of them out,” Inouye said. “But Noah got a hit, so he’s definitely gonna hold that one over me.”

UH (13-10, 3-6 Big West) now readies for Cal State Fullerton (11-13, 5-4) in a three-game series starting Friday.

Hill said he appreciated the closely played contest that tested his team’s nerve when the Sharks got on the board first late in the game. HPU hadn’t beaten UH since 1986.

“It felt like the game meant something,” Hill said. “It’s good for our guys to be in that situation heading into Cal State Fullerton. You can’t replicate that in practice.”

As for Fujinaka, it was encouraging to see some of his eight pitchers on the day work their way out of jams, a known trouble spot for his group.

His message to the players was, “Look, guys, like, we can play alongside anybody in the country, as long as we continue to throw strikes, play defense, do the fundamental stuff that we talked about all year.”

HPU (12-14, 10-10 PacWest), which beat Chaminade 11-7 on Tuesday, hosts Fresno Pacific in a four-game series at Hans L’Orange Park next Wednesday.

The Sharks have weathered a literal storm or two.

They had a four-game home series against Westmont washed out by the first of two Kona low storms to hit Oahu. HPU’s practice site at Keehi Lagoon was inundated by knee-deep water — something Fujinaka had never seen.

They will attempt to make three of the Westmont games up on the road, Fujinaka said, in a tough 11-games-in-12-days stretch in mid-April.

Hawaii pitcher Ryan Inouye threw a pitch against his former team, Hawaii Pacific, in the ninth inning. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Hawaii third baseman Tate Shimao, sitting, made a sliding catch in foul territory near the UH dugout against Hawaii Pacific. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Former Hawaii pitcher Rylen Bayne threw a pitch for HPU against his old team. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Hawaii’s Jake Redding got caught in a rundown short of home plate as HPU catcher Brock Wirthgen stood in his way. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.

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