Hawaii

Hawaii is the rainbow capital of the world. Here's what that means

Published

1 year ago

February 9, 2025

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.”

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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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