Active Living Archives - Ward Village

Surfing people with Diamond Head in the background

A Brief History of Surfing in Hawaiʻi

Standing on the shoreline at Ehukai Beach Park, John John Florence, a towheaded world champion from the North Shore, casts his ice-blue eyes toward surfing’s most famous wave: Pipeline. Under his tanned arm is a bright-white surfboard emblazoned with the logos of a half-dozen sponsors that pay him handsomely. John John, as he’s more simply known, is the heir apparent…

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Woman practices yoga sitting cross-legged outdoors

A Commitment to Wellness in 2020

Did you have a holiday party recently with coworkers or close friends, maybe a celebratory dinner with spouses and significant others in tow? Perhaps someone remarked that they couldn’t believe how quick the year flew by? Maybe you feel that way, too, like all the events of 2019, since that last holiday party, somehow neatly fit into a three-month span,…

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A Good City is a Walkable City

Across the country Americans are flocking back to cities and the convenience of well-planned urban neighborhoods. While the mid-20th century bore witness to the rise of the suburbs and an exodus of people leaving urban life behind, this past decade has shown that many of us have helped turn back the tide and favor city life. As droves of us move…

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Choy’s Monster

In Hawaiʻi, the words “marlin” and “fishing tournament” in the same sentence may not necessarily evoke images of Honolulu’s South Side. But that’s about to change with the first-ever Kewalo Harbor Big Fish Chase. On June 6, some of Hawaiʻi’s top fishermen and anglers will gather and compete to catch the largest marlin, ahi, ono, and mahimahi in this inaugural…

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Chronicling Town with Eric Wehner

With a bevy of world-class backdrops at their fingertips, a community of esteemed Hawaii-based photographers are reshaping the way the world views paradise. Whether it’s a misty, grainy moment in Manoa captured on film or a jaw-dropping panoramic view of the Koʻolaus, thanks to their perspective—and a little help from Instagram—these talented crop of lens men and women are sharing…

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Up-close image of ocean waves during sunset

Earth Day: Don’t Torch the Reef

It’s a beautiful morning at O‘ahu’s popular snorkel and dive locale, Hanauma Bay. The sun is out, the trade winds are light, and billowy white clouds dissipate before they reach the coastline. People from all over the world have staked out towel-sized rectangles on the sand and are enjoying one of O‘ahu’s most scenic stretches of coastline. Most of the…

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Woman with eyes closed at Yoga in the Courtyard

For A Better You

It seems that with self-awareness comes the innate drive to improve our lives. One way we habitually do this is through New Year’s resolutions. In fact, humans have been making New Year’s resolutions for thousands of years. Ancient Babylonians made resolutions to their gods at the beginning of every year to return borrowed object and repay outstanding debts. The Romans…

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Get To Know Ala Moana Bowls

A few hundred yards out to sea from the manicured lawns that skirt Magic Island, a perfect left-hand wave known simply as Bowls reels into a Honolulu channel. For decades, when a southerly swell pumps life into this magical lineup, both locals and visitors have flocked to the peak in droves. Bowls’ reputation for being one of the most mouth-watering…

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Into the Blue We Go

Bill Goding stands at the edge of the Ala Moana Beach Park swim channel. It’s a beautiful Friday morning. The water is calm. The trade winds are light and the post-dawn orange glow is lingering in the eastern sky. He adjusts his goggles, tugs at the waistband of his skin-tight jammers, and curls his toes wet sand. He takes a…

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Muscle Memory

Maybe it’s happened to you before. You were trying to squeeze a workout into an already packed day so you decided to skip your five-minute stretching warm-up to buy a little extra “me” time. But then, during the workout, you pushed a little too hard. Instantly, you felt the hot, sharp pain of a muscle strain. If only you’d taken…

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Polynesian Spaceships

To say that Hawaiʻi holds a deep-seated connection to the outrigger canoe is an understatement. To be sure, our entire existence on these islands depended on the craft. The outrigger canoe was an exploratory vessel. A Polynesian spaceship that would propel a people into the expansive unknown, guided only by their ingenuity, fortitude, and knowledge of the heavens. Indeed, the men and women…

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Spot Check: Kewalo’s

The Making of a Legend A faded red minivan backs into an oceanfront parking spot at the end of Kewalo Basin Park, adjacent to the refurbished shed that plays home to a mix of fishing nets. A tanned father opens the tailgate to reveal a quiver of surfboards stacked haphazardly in the back, neon colors blazing from under the wax.…

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The Forgotten Wave of Ala Moana

It’s often a memorable detail that sticks out in the mind of the first surfers to discover a surf spot that gives the break its name. Little mementos about the wave itself, something noteworthy on the beach, or, boringly, the name of a street or park that might abut the surf break. “Hey let’s go back to that wave we…

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The Ward Village Run Guide to Honolulu

In this new decade, we’re making a continued commitment to wellness in its many forms. As part of this resolution, we’re lacing up our running shoes and are hitting the pavement by incorporating a running routine into our weekly schedule. Thankfully, with perfect weather and a slew of parks, trails, and boulevards at our disposal, finding a new favorite running…

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Directory

A Brief History of Surfing in Hawaiʻi

A Commitment to Wellness in 2020

A Good City is a Walkable City

Choy’s Monster

Chronicling Town with Eric Wehner

Earth Day: Don’t Torch the Reef

For A Better You

Get To Know Ala Moana Bowls

Into the Blue We Go

Muscle Memory

Polynesian Spaceships

Spot Check: Kewalo’s

The Forgotten Wave of Ala Moana

The Ward Village Run Guide to Honolulu