Hawaii
Hawaii Judge Allows Short-Term Rentals Up to 90 Days To Operate Legally
Skift Take
The injunction specifically benefits existing home rental owners. It allows them to continue renting their properties for fewer than 90 days
Despite a 2022 ordinance making short-term rentals illegal in Hawaii, a district court judge ruled that existing short-term rentals can continue their operations and advertising of rentals for stays of 30 to 89 days.
Ordinance 22-7, which passed in October 2022, redefined a “short-term” and made rentals from 30 to 89 days illegal and subject to fines, Courthouse News reported. The Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance challenged the ordinance, claiming it violated property owners longstanding rights and would lead to financial losses.
30-Day Minimum
This permanent injunction means that those rentals that were grandfathered-in can operate under the 30-day minimum rule. The judge said the ordinance conflicted with state zoning laws and ruled that it cannot eliminate existing lawful residential uses within zoned areas.
The new ruling, however, doesn’t apply to any short-term rentals that opened after the ordinance was put in place.
The City Council originally passed the ordinance to address the perceived adverse impact of short-term rentals, often owned by out-of-state landlords, on housing costs and local life.
Short-Term Rental Conversions
Meanwhile, Hawaii Governor Josh Green urged homeowners to convert 3,000 short-term rental condos and homes into long-term housing for those displaced by the summer’s Lahaina wildfire. In December, Green mentioned the possibility of using post-emergency orders if the conversion isn’t voluntary by mid-January.
Over 6,000 residents are still in hotels due to housing shortages. The Federal Emergency Management Agency planned to offer rent subsidies to short-term rental operators who provide units for about 2,000 families.
And in November, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen proposed tax incentives to encourage the transformation of short-term rentals into long-term housing, potentially saving property owners an estimated $17,775 each for the year 2024.
Hawaii
US, China held maritime security talks in Hawaii, Chinese navy says
BEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.
The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii, according to a posting on the official social media account of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
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“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges … mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the U.S.,” China’s navy said in its posted statement.
China also criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China claims sovereignty.
“China … resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation,” China’s navy said in its statement, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by U.S. forces.
Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries … to help the front-line naval and air forces of China and the U.S. interact more professionally and safely,” it said.
China has been steadily boosting air, naval and coast guard deployments around democratically-governed Taiwan, which it claims as its own. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claims of sovereignty over the island.
The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China over its military modernisation and regional posture, calling for greater transparency on its nuclear weapons build-up and more theatre-level discussions with military commanders.
The working group will have a follow-up meeting in 2026, the statement said.
Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Tom Hogue
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Hawaii
Let These Oceanfront Resorts Convince You to Book That Hawaii Vacation
In 2012, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison acquired 98% of Lānaʻi, a rural island off Maui known for its rural, upcountry vibe (there’s only about 30 miles of paved roads) and its two Four Seasons–operated hotels: the 213-room Four Seasons Lānaʻi and the 96-room, wellness-focused Sensei Lānaʻi. The latter, created in partnership with Ellison’s own hospitality brand, Sensei, is powered by the cutting-edge research of renowned oncologist and professor Dr. David Agus, whose philosophy centers on three pillars: Move, Rest, and Nourish. Surrounded by pine-covered mountains and blending Hawaiian and Japanese design influences, this adults-only retreat is conceived as a distraction-free sanctuary—a place to disappear for a few days and focus wholly on your health. “I stayed at both Four Seasons’ properties when I visited Lanai a few years ago; my time at both, but especially at Sensei, felt like a reverie,” shopping director Talia Abbas shares. “An oasis in every sense of the word, you feel the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders surrounded by the lush greenery and the serene mountain air.”
The experience begins with a biomarker session, a body-composition analysis, and a one-on-one consultation with a nutritionist. Additional tech-driven assessments may follow, from thermal body scans to pinpoint inflammation to HRV monitoring for a closer look into a guest’s physiological state. “The consultation took place in one of the privates hales, and was followed up by a massage targeting the inflammation, and a soak in the private onsen pool,” Abbas shares. “I’ve never felt more relaxed.” The “Move” component can take many forms: horseback riding through cook-pine forests, aerial yoga, tackling obstacles in the outdoor adventure park, or simply wandering the resort’s vast sculpture garden, dotted with large-scale works by artists like Fernando Botero and Jaume Plensa. Yet for many guests, the highlight is the spa. Ten standalone spa hales are each outfitted with ofuro soaking tubs, infrared saunas, and outdoor onsen pools—inviting hours of relaxation post-treatment day and night.
Hawaii
Watch: Cameras capture stunning timelapse of recent eruption episodes in Hawaii
🌋TRIPLE THREAT: Watch Kilauea, a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, experience three eruption episodes over less than a two month span. Nearly 40 of these episodes have occurred since December, and models project another could happen as soon as next week.
KILAUEA, Hawaii – Cameras on one of Hawaii’s Big Island volcanoes have captured a stunning timelapse of the mountain’s three previous eruption episodes.
Kilauea, which stands 4,091 feet above sea level, has been actively seeing these events since December 23, 2024, with the last three episodes happening over just a 39-day span.
SEE IT: LAVA SHOOTS NEARLY 1,500 FEET HIGH DURING KILAUEA VOLCANO’S EXPLOSIVE 35TH EPISODE
The most recent episode from the mountain’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater began on November 9 at 11:15 am local time, and lasted around 5 hours long, ending at 4:16 pm local time.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the latest eruption sent lava spewing over 500 feet high from the crater’s north vent, with fountains in the south vent reaching about one-third that height.
HOW TO WATCH HAWAII’S KILAUEA VOLCANO ERUPTION
“All eruptive activity is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; commercial airports in Hawaii County (KOA and ITO) will not be affected by this activity,” USGS noted during the most recent eruption.
Some models predict that the volcano’s next eruption episode could occur sometime within the next week
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
Models project that Kilauea’s 37th episode is imminent, and it could occur sometime between November 21 and November 25th.
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