Say Aloha to Murder! Official Blog for the 2009 Left Coast Crime Convention
March 7 - 12, 2009 Waikoloa - Hawaii, HI

On the sunny west side of the Big Island, the weather is remarkably consistent year-round with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s and 70s. The record high temperature in Kailua-Kona was 95 degrees in 1989 and the lowest recorded temperature was 57 degrees in 2003. The Kona Coast receives just 11 inches of rain per year, so vacationers staying in Kona are virtually assured of warm, sunny days.

 At higher elevations on Hawaii’s Big Island, the weather is cooler. Waimea has daytime highs in the 60s to low 70s, while the temperature at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is usually around 60 degrees. The mountain peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are generally about 30 degrees colder than the coastal temperatures, so be sure to bring warm clothes if you’ll be visiting the mountains.

 Vacationers can enjoy swimming and water sports year-round since the ocean temperature ranges from 71 to 81 degrees. Hawaii’s hurricane season runs from June to November, but hurricanes are fairly infrequent. The last major hurricane to hit Hawaii’s Big Island was Estelle in July of 1986.

Everyone asks (or thinks) the same question when they come to a new place. Where and what can I eat? And will it be too expensive?

            Not to worry!! There are plenty of restaurants and food courts within short walking distance of the hotel and they come in all prices and sizes. There are even supermarkets where you buy prepared food and sandwiches and drinks and prices just about comparable to mainland prices. No need to bring food with you from the Mainland—you will not starve.

            There will be a handout in the convention bag that lists and describes places to eat (and food shop) within 3-10minutes walk (gentle) from the Hotel and if you have a car, restaurants that are within an easy 25-minute drive of the hotel. The roads are straight and well maintained and you will not get lost (there are maps at the hotel which will direct you and we can help you with additional information). We can direct you to one of the best pizza cafes and a wonderful Asian Fusion restaurant and a eating place with more types of fish than you seen at most local restaurants “back home”. And you can get hot dogs, roast beef sandwiches, sushi, rice, noodles and hamburgers at the shopping center at the Queens Market.

            Eat well and have fun. Did I mention all of the exotic drinks? Experiment and taste the difference in Hawaii. 

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK (KHNL) — Hawaii’s biggest draw is its natural beauty. It brings in millions of visitors to enjoy the sun, surf and scenic sights.

But on the Big Island, many guests are drawn to a different kind of adventure. One that helps the environment while providing a rare experience.

The sounds that fill a remote rainforest on a Big Island volcano Are the same heard here centuries ago.

Nearby, the elements battle.

Unrelenting waters sizzle and steam as hot lava pours into the ocean.

But this is not the only struggle in nature.

“Today, there’s a real life battle going on, too,” said Rob Pacheco of Hawaii Forest & Trail. “Between the non-native world that has been brought here and the native world that is struggling for existence.”

But people are joining in this fight by taking part in a most unusual tour.

And now the sounds of footsteps also fill the rainforest.

“This stuff is bad because it creates matting on the forest floor,” said Pacheco.

These visitors, with smiles on their faces, attack this alien species.

Having paid for the chance to get rid of unwanted ginger.

After their exhausting work is done, the ground is cleared and their spirits lifted.

“You can sit there and say I feel bad people are destroying the natural environment but when you are digging stuff up, you are doing your part,” said Stedman Ng, a Los Angeles resident. “And hopefully other people will do the same thing and are encouraged to do the same thing. That’s a great feeling.”

Hawaii forest and trail has tapped into the desire of visitors to get more than just a tour of natural sights. But to make a real connection with the land.

“To have people pull them up out of the ground and smell the dirt and roots as they clip them, its something they’ll never forget,” said Pacheco.

This Big Island company have been honored with awards for taking visitors off the beaten path. But it is what visitors take home that really counts.

“We have this passion about Hawaii and we want people to feel that passion and take that home with them,” Pacheco said.

Along with the rainforest tour in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, there are also tours that take visitors to remote locations to see waterfalls or rare birds and even a stargazing tour to the top of Mauna Kea.

All meant to showcase the natural and evolutionary history of Hawaii.

There is a web site that can give you this information. Our very own Sue Trowbridge found that her name Sue Ellen Marie translates to Keuleni Malia. So go to http://www.alohafriendsluau.com/names.html  and find your name in Hawaiian.

Harry Endo, the actor who played a forensic scientist on the long-running TV show “Hawaii Five-0,” died at the age of 87 on Friday afternoon. Family members say he suffered a stroke and died at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Endo was best known as the character “Che Fong.” He was one of the original cast members in 1968, and he was the third and longest-running Che Fong. Two others played him previously. Endo took over the role from “Blind Tiger” onward, taking part in 111 episodes.
Endo’s daughter Leslie Baker says her father was born in Colorado but spent much of his life in Hawaii, where he worked for a local bank. While doing a commercial for the bank, he was approached to play the role of Che Fong. During the “Five-0″ run, he played a bit part in the 1977 pilot “Code Name: Diamond Head” (which also featured Zulu/Kono). After the show ended in 1980, Endo played a few roles in local productions: two episodes of “Magnum P.I.” (1985, 1988); a crossover episode of “Murder, She Wrote” that was filmed here in Hawaii (1986); and a turn in one episode of “Jake and the Fatman” (1990). Endo retired from show business after 1990, but Unko Harry lives on nightly in “Hawaii Five-0″ reruns!

Allen Kimo St. James
Hawaii Kai

You have arrived at the Kona Airport and your adventure begins!  Hopefully you have either a reservation with Speedi Shuttle (see www.speedishuttle.com) or made Car Rental arrangements (see www.leftcoastcrime.org/2009 for Avis Left Coast Crime 2009 rates) and you are on your away along the beautiful Kona coast road.

You have arrived at the Waikoloa Marriottt Resort, checked in and admired your lovely room. Now you are hungry you say. Okay, your choices are overwhelming.

There are several restaurants in the Hotel so you can choose a quick lunch seated at the Hawaii Calls Restaurant or be served poolside. Dinner can be enjoyed at the Royal Luau where your selection of Hawaiian food is enhanced by Polynesian entertainment (www.marriott.com). 

You can walk across the street, 3 minutes away (I timed it) to the Kings Shops and enjoy dinner at Roy’s Waikoloa Bar and Grill. Here you will find a culinary experience with the flavors textures and colors in Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. Combining the freshest local ingredients with European sauces and bold Asian spices, each creation leaves you with the feeling that you’ve just found paradise (see www.roysrestaurant.com).

 Also across the street, is Merriman’s Market Café open for lunch and dinner.  Another opportunity at Merriman’s to enjoy fresh Hawaiian organic produce and Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. A casual atmosphere combined with friendly service enhances your dinning experience.  About a 30 minute drive uphill from Waikoloa to Waimea is the famous Merriman’s Restaurant with a lunch, dinner and even a children’s menu. A more formal and expensive atmosphere with the same seasonal, fresh fish and produce as the Café Market, it is worth the drive to Waimea.

 On your way to Waimea, about 15 minutes from Waikoloa at the Kawaihae shopping Centers is Café Pesto a long time favorite of our family. There are Asian inspired pizza and pasta selections as well as fresh fish. Always busy but the service is excellent.

 So what’s closer to the Marriott Waikoloa Resort?  As you walk out the door, turn right and into Queens Marketplace, the newest shopping center on the Island.  After passing shops calling for your attention, pass the Gazebo and at the very end of the Market is the Sansei Seafood and Sushi Bar. We ate there twice and would have eaten at Sansei every day, lunch and dinner, because the sushi and other Asian specialties were luscious.

 Finally, there are the Hilton Hotel offerings. Take the shuttle to the Hilton to avoid the parking hassle and go into the lobby, hop on the boat or train for a fun ride through to Donatoni’s. The romantic setting combined with excellent Italian food such as gnocchi’s, ossobuccco, lamb and fresh seafood is a treat for dinner. See http://waikoloabeachresort.com/big-island-dining/247/donatonis for a quick trip through the restaurants discussed above.