Hualālai Magazine ~ Winter/Spring 2020

The front nine

A QUICK SWING THROUGH THE LATEST NEWS, VIEWS, AND HAPPENINGS AT HUALĀLAI

1) FANTASTIC VOYAGE

TRENT FISCHER

In January, Hualālai’s Alaka‘i Nalu (Leaders of the Waves) will once again add Whale Watch expeditions to their extensive roster of water-based adventures for the resort’s Members and guests. “Each year, humpback whales migrate from Alaska’s frigid ocean to our warm Hawaiian waters to give birth to their calves and to mate,” says Daniel Perez, one of Alaka‘i Nalu’s experts. “Our 29-foot Ribcraft accommodates up to 14 guests, and tours are scheduled on request. During the 90-minute tour, our quick and maneuverable Zodiac-style craft can cover miles of offshore waters.” Whale watchers can hear the mammals’ songs by hydrophone and might see calves mimicking their mother’s moves— breaching, tail slapping, or just cruising. Tours continue through March. 808.325.8062

2) A CULINARY TRADITION CONTINUES

Hualālai’s Kazuhisa Kitahara (below center) is sharing the secrets to his mouthwateringsashimi and sushi creations with Brandon Uchida (left) and Jued Malagayo (right), andtogether the chefs are delighting diners at the Hualālai Canoe Club.

For 12 years, Kazuhisa “Kazu” Kitahara has been delighting Hualālai’s Members with his exquisite sashimi and sushi creations, and he’s ensuring that his legacy will endure. “Thanks to Kazu, we now have three generations of accomplished sushi chefs on our culinary team—all trained by the master himself,” says Hualālai’s executive sous chef James Ebreo. Kitahara, the 77-year-old sushi master who has plied his culinary art at the Hualālai Canoe Club and in the dining room at the Ke‘olu Clubhouse, recently took line cooks Jued Malagayo and Brandon Uchida under his wing. “Chef Kazu chose Brandon and Jued because of their respect for tradition, their understanding of how each step in the process is important to ensure consistency and pristine deliciousness,” says Ebreo. Their delicious sushi and sashimi creations are offered for lunch daily at the Hualālai Canoe Club. 808.325.8450

3) CHILDREN AT PLAY

Snorkeling in Hualālai’s King’s Pond among thousands of colorful fish is always a hit with the kids, and during the annual Festive Celebrations (December 19 to January 4), the resort’s Kids for All Seasons program lets children ages 5 to 12 dive into many other fun activities as well. “We love seeing many of the kids return year after year, making lifelong memories with family and new friends,” says the program’s assistant manager, Robyn Scott. “Our entire team is committed to providing unique activities and crafts programs.” On December 21, participants in a painting class called Sunset & Slushies will paint their very own sunsets while enjoying slushies they blend themselves. New additions to the program’s Theme Night offerings include Glow Up, where glow-in-the-dark paint will be used to decorate T-shirts, and Chopped—based on the cooking show of the same name—where kids will form teams to create a culinary masterpiece using all of the ingredients provided to them. 808.325.8000

4) FISHING FOR KNOWLEDGE

Hualālai’s natural resources team, headed by director David Chai, has long been committed to protecting the resort’s traditional ponds, and as stewards of the land and sea, they also are devoted to sharing their passion with Members and guests. “With more than a dozen interactive marine programs created over the years, there is something for the entire family to enjoy,” says marine programs specialist Melissa van der Merwe. Families can partake in the Marine Life Adventures all year long, but during the winter a few programs are especially popular: At the 1.8-million-gallon King’s Pond, explorers can hand-feed Kainalu, a resident spotted eagle ray; help feed 4,000-plus tropical fish; and direct their own “fish training”—yes, the pond’s smart fish can be trained to do tricks. Hualālai’s honu, or green sea turtles, can also be seen up close during a visit to the beach with one of the team’s marine biologists. 808.325.8043

5) ALL TEED UP

The Hualālai Golf Hale is preparing to make its debut in mid-January, in conjunction with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai (see “Swinging into Action,” page 12). “This will be a one-of-akind facility for the islands, with state-of the-art, high-tech instructional platforms and engaging programs all located under one roof,” says the new clinic’s director of instruction, PGA pro Eddie Lee. A number of unique golf experiences will be offered through the 3,000-square-foot facility, which will boast an indoor golf simulator and a luxurious lounge, among other amenities, when it opens at the driving range of the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Hualālai Golf Course. Experiences are expected to include the Full Day Retreat— with one-on-one instruction focusing on technique assessment, warm-up exercises, and training both inside the facility and out on the course (lunch included)—and the Half-Day Mini School, featuring similar training and assessment in a shorter format. 808.281.4436

6) FILM FEST RIDES AGAIN AT HUALĀLAI

The annual Waimea Ocean Film Festivalwill return to the Four Seasons ResortHualālai from January 5 to 8, 2020, bringingwith it more than 70 must-see films, frombig-wave-surfing epics to movies about theocean environment, island cultures, andmuch more. “Everyone loves the time atHualālai,” says Tania Howard, the festival’sfounder and director. That time includes notjust the films themselves, but also filmmakerQ&A sessions, special exhibits and presentations,and the festival’s popular BreakfastTalks. These conversations with filmmakersand additional speakers kick off all butthe first day of the festival and are held onthe Moana Terrace at the oceanfront ‘Ulurestaurant. Films and presentations run frommorning through evening—in the ballroomby day and under the stars in Hualālai’sHōkū Amphitheatre at night. 808.854.6095,waimeaoceanfilm.org

7) A TASTE OF KONA

Members and frequent guests of Hualālai know to stop in for their morning brew at the Hualālai Trading Company but may not realize they can actually visit the farm that filled their cup. A half-day outing takes coffee lovers to Kona Coffee & Tea—located on Hualālai’s volcanic slopes—for a tour and an education about the family-owned operation’s sustainable farming methods and milling and roasting practices. Milling and roasting happen in the company’s Holualoa mill, which is just a short drive from the farm. During their visit, guests taste the various blends and roasts with the farmers, who share their notes on the nuances of each selection. Once back at the resort, guests can peruse a Hualālai pastry chef’s desserts—all options for pairing with a local pick-me-up. 808.325.8000

8) SEASONAL STAPLES

TEK MEPON

For more than a decade, the Seaside Beach and Seaside Luxe stores at Hualālai have been introducing up-and-coming designers and hosting trunk shows and pop-ups, and now the in-store boutiques at both outlets are providing spot-on styles for the current season. Winter in Hawai‘i still calls for shades, and the eyewear boutique inside Seaside Luxe features signature selections from Tom Ford, Fendi, and Celine, among others. “Our sunny days make high-quality sunglasses an essential accessory for protection and high style points,” says Susan Welch, Hualālai’s director of retail. At Seaside Beach, the James Perse boutique has everything from baseball caps to T-shirts—must-haves for the island’s balmy winter weather. And the only James Perse designs that are offered here are exclusive to Hualālai Resort. 808.325.8549

9) SWINGING INTO ACTION

BRYAN APPELT

In January, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship (MEC) will return to Hualālai Resort—the tournament’s home for more than 20 years. PGA pro Tom Lehman will attempt to defend his 2019 MEC title against a field of elite golfers, including past MEC winners Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez. No doubt all will recall playing on the spectacular oceanfront Jack Nicklaus–designed Hualālai Golf Course, which, in addition to hosting the pro tourney from January 16 to 18, will also host the MEC Pro-Am from January 14 to 15. Members of the Hualālai Club can play in the Pro-Am for a fee of $3,950 per player, and proceeds benefit the Hualālai ‘Ohana Foundation. Members and their guests can also opt to watch the action on big-screen TVs at the Residents’ Beach House, where a complimentary lunch will be served. One- and three-day spectator passes to the tournament are also available. pgatour.com/mec

BRYAN APPELT

FACES OF HUALĀLAI

The wonderful Hualālai staff likely need no introduction—they’ve probably had the pleasure of serving you before,maybe you’ve known each other for years. So instead of an introduction, the following is a chance to catch up with a fewmembers of our Hualālai family, or, as we like to say, our ʻohana.

Daniel Perez

This winter, expert waterman Daniel Perez will be out on the ocean once again, for reasons that are far from routine. A longtime member of Hualālai’s Alakaʻi Nalu (Leaders of the Waves), Perez will greet the humpback whales that travel south this time of year to Hawaiʻi’s warm waters, giving resort Members and guests who ride along on his crew’s 29-foot Ribcraft the chance for an up-close—but not too close—look at the magnificent mammals. “Whale season is pretty special,” says Perez, who was born and raised in Kohala. “I’m very careful because the moms are trying to nurse babies, and also the whales are enormous—about 40 to 50 feet, and a ton a foot when they reach adult size.” Full-body breaches, though rare, have been witnessed, he says, and sometimes the whales do their own observing: “They’ll do something called a spy hop, where they come up to the boat and pop their head straight out of the water so they can look at everybody. You can see the pectoral fins moving to hold themselves in place; you can see the bubbles coming out of the blowhole.” If such experiences are fairly familiar to Perez, he doesn’t take them for granted. “It’s something I do with complete reverence. You feel small when you’re out there next to something like that. It’s humbling every time.”

Jerod Kahoalii

For more than five years, Jerod Kahoalii has been working in Hualālai’s landscape department on the special projects team, a crew of four who care deftly for the resort’s hundreds of acres. The team handles large-scale tasks—from replacing sidewalks to redoing shower gardens—that to others may seem downright daunting. “When you come in those gates,” says the Waiakea-born Kahoalii, referring to entering the resort and taking in the scene, “we do all of it. We do the rock walls, we do irrigation, we do concrete—you name it, we do it all. It’s a whole team effort.” And a team player he clearly is, diverting attention to his colleagues. “In our department, I think there are three tree trimmers and two assistants,” he says, “and if you look around at our trees, they’re beautiful—they’re canopied, they’re umbrellas, they’re high-maintenance. The amount of work everybody does, that’s the amazing part of it all.” Some of Kahoalii’s latest efforts will be focal points at the forthcoming Hualālai Golf Hale: “We planted some cocoa trees, six of them,” he says. Plus, he and his coworkers are currently replacing a number of golf-cart paths along the roadways to ensure that Members and guests always enjoy their surroundings and get where they’re going with ease.

Nora Calamayan

From spa attendant some 17 years ago to member services supervisor today, Nora Calamayan has made Hualālai her home away from home. “I love being part of this ʻohana,” says the Hilo native, whose career trajectory at the resort has also included positions in retail and a stint as club concierge. “This place has the spirit of aloha. They’re part of my family, too.” So it’s only fitting that Calamayan’s current role—a recent promotion—has her welcoming new Members into the Hualālai ʻohana. “Once they’re on board and the closing is done on their home, I invite them over for an orientation,” she says. “It’s an interactive orientation that allows them to see their benefits, rather than just reading them on paper.” She takes them by golf cart from the Keʻolu Clubhouse to the Hualālai Canoe Club and touches on all other venues in between. “As we’re driving, I’m talking to them about the benefits they have for each location.” Her new position keeps her busy, but that, she says, is a good thing. “I just love it here.”