by JP on September 25, 2011
“In Shades of Green,” a new CD with Hawaiian music and Celtic influences, has close ties to our Kauai vacation rentals. The vocalist, musician and composer is the talented Madeleine Brandli who owns House of The Cherished Seacoast managed by Parrish Kauai.
If you watched our Kauai wedding video you heard Madeleine’s beautiful voice in the background. You can also listen to her original compositions on the Madeleine Brandli website where copies of her CD are available for purchase.
Madeleine’s poetic music “celebrates the beauty of the Earth, the wisdom of world traditions and the deep connections we share with those we love, whether for a moment or a lifetime.”
I’m inspired each time I listen and reminded of the joy her warm and uplifting personality exudes.
Madeleine was on island last week to compete in the Kauai Mokihana Festival and is studying slack key guitar with Keola Beamer. She also plays harp, piano and ukulele. Add to that a soprano voice that can “sing the curtains off of Carnegie Hall,” and you have a truly gifted renaissance woman.
House of the Cherished Seacoast “Hale Kahakai Punahele”
Madeleine and her late husband Warren, purchased the lot to build their home after Hurricane Iniki. Longtime visitors to Kauai since 1970, they were original owners at Manualoha.
House of the Cherished Seacoast received a Hawaiian blessing in 1997 to the release of butterflies and Madeleine performing one of her first songs. Many family celebrations have been held here including their 30th wedding anniversary. Madeleine and her daughter Christina now divide their time between California and Kauai.
Guests who stay at this charming Poipu vacation rental have a spectacular oceanfront setting to enjoy the unobstructed views across from Brennecke’s Beach.
We look forward to sharing more stories with you about the homes and owners who are part of The Parrish Collection Kauai.
Here’s a historic hidden gem that’s close by our Kauai vacation rentals at Poipu. It’s the Lawai International Center which replicates a thousand year old pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan. I suggest you go. You’ll be warmly received with a cup of tea, sweet bean mochi and Aloha.
It was on this 32 acre site that ancient Hawaiians brought their sick and wounded to heal. Where their heiau once stood, Japanese immigrants built 88 miniature shrines over 100 years ago to represent the original ones in Japan.
United States Senator Daniel Inouye chairs its Honorary Board. Even with that distinction the Center is still being found by visitors. For many years it was overgrown and forgotten. A group of volunteers, led by Lynn Muramoto, began the restoration back in 1990.
According to Lynn, “This is more than just a place. It is made of deep roots with the pure heart and soul of the people on this island, and it is the place for the future.”
My favorite event is their annual Pilgrimage of Compassion.
This year it will be held on Sunday, August 7 from 3pm to 5pm. If you go you’ll see a rare hula appearance by children of Ni`ihau, hear Grand Master Riley Lee from Australia play Japanese flute, and listen to the pulsating drums of Taiko Kauai.
Interesting Fact: This is one of the oldest Buddhist temple sites in the country. There’s no other place like it outside of Japan. Lynn is quick to point out that this is not a religious or Buddhist center. “It’s an inclusive destination where people of diverse interests, ethnicity and cultures can gather.”
Details: The Lawai International Center is open the second and last Sunday of each month. It’s free of charge although donations are welcome. Click Map for directions. Tour times are 10am, 12 noon and 2pm. Bring walking shoes for this hillside walk and an open heart. Expect to spend an hour or so.
I have a feeling you’ll leave as I do with a feeling of peace and happiness.
Honoring Kauai native son Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Piikoi is occasion for a week-long festival March 19-27, 2011, mostly on Kauai’s South Shore.
Events include many hands-on cultural education offerings, music and hula performances, plenty of chances to eat ono (delicious) Hawaiian food, a Hawaiian outrigger canoe race and even an amateur boxing match. Many events are free. Venues include the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, Prince Kuhio Park; Kukuiula Village, Plantation Gardens and Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club on the South Shore; and the Kauai Beach Resort and Kauai Veteran’s Memorial Hall in Lihue. [click to continue…]
by Cynthia on February 11, 2011
As a child, I learned from my grandma and my parents how to work the salt beds (flats) of which my Uncle and his family continue to preserve today. It is located in the western side of Kauai in an area called Salt Pond Beach Park, named for the traditional Hawaiian sea salt produced in salt flats near the beach.
Rights to process the salt are handed down each generation and sometimes families can be seen working their salt beds, preserving this great piece of Hawaiian culture. The salt patch is made out of 17 different families. Each family has their own section within the patch. [click to continue…]
by Anne on December 24, 2010
As the last accessible, undeveloped coastline on the south shore of Kauai, Maha`ulepu still remains a quiet and unique refuge. Kauai residents and their families come here to relax, picnic, hike, fish, dive, surf and windsurf and to observe the sea life along the coast. Visitors say that the area - pristine, inspiring and still secluded - is what they hoped to find when they came to visit Hawaii.
This spectacular section of wild coastline is a treasure-trove of geological and cultural sites (see future blogs on Maha`ulepu trails, places, plants and animal life). It is a unique heritage place, revealing 5 million years of continuous history. [click to continue…]
by Belinda on December 5, 2010
The Hawaiian taro fields (kalo lo’i) of Hanalei are one the main sources of cultivation for Hawaii’s favorite starch, the taro (kalo) root. This respected plant can be prepared many ways and is eaten in its entirety. The lo’í or irrigated terrace is the vast paddy that feeds and nurtures the kalo. These colorful paddy’s are harvested year around and the taro farmers work relentlessly in knee deep mud and battle such enemies and apple snails and droughts to maintain lush productive fields. [click to continue…]
