HAWAII POLO CLUB @ MOKULEIA FIELD ON OAHU'S NORTH SHORE

HAWAII POLO CLUB @ MOKULEIA FIELD ON OAHU'S NORTH SHORE

Mokuleia on Hawaii’s North Shore is home to The Hawaii Polo Club, which holds matches at the Hawaii Polo Field on most Sundays during the six-month polo season beginning in May. The Club celebrated its 43^rd anniversary in 2008 and is part of a nearly 140-year history of polo in Hawaii. Visiting polo teams come from as far away as England and Argentina. And the club has coined its matches, Polo by the Sea, hosting spectators to exciting matches with rolling surf and white sand beaches as a backdrop.

Open to the public, the polo matches are a great excuse to drive to the “country” and relax near the ocean while enjoying the matches and other opening, half-time, and post game activities, including hang gliding demonstrations, food, drink, and bands. Our visit featured the band Green Eggs n' Sam, dancing and dining. Bring your kids or date and check it out this Sunday!

Cost: $8 entry fee

Do's and Don'ts: Get there early for seating with umbrellas; Games start at 2 p.m. (gates open at 11 a.m.). Although food and drinks can be purchased, we recommend bringing a cooler with food and drink. Beach chairs and an umbrella or small tent for shade are good ideas as well. Don’t run across the field during a match!!!

NU’UANU JUDD MEMORIAL TRAIL TO JACKASS GINGER SWIMMING HOLE

NU’UANU JUDD MEMORIAL TRAIL TO JACKASS GINGER SWIMMING HOLE

Looking for a quick stroll in the forest or for a refreshing swim? This is the ticket. Right off the Pali Highway, just outside of Downtown Honolulu, the Judd Trail is an easy hike that runs along Nu'uanu Stream to Jackass Ginger Pond and then continues in a 1 mile loop, with minimal elevation gain. Jackass Ginger Pond is a great swimming hole with a 10 foot waterfall into the pond and a rope swing to jump from into the water, which is up to 8 feet deep in some places. Be warned that this pond is surrounded by boulders, which means there might be boulders in the water. Remember, "sticks and stone can break my bones," so jumping is at your own risk.

Those looking for more of a workout can take an alternative path to a higher elevation, Pauoa Flats, and finally Nu'uanu Valley Overlook (1600 feet) which has views of the Pali, higher peaks in the Ko'olau Range, the Wai'anae Range, Nu'uanu Valley, and Punchbowl.

Cost: Free

Do's and don'ts: Do consider mosquito repellent or walk fast. Don't try anything fancy off the rope.

OCEAN SPEED SAILING DATE -OUTRIGGER CANOE

OCEAN SPEED SAILING DATE -OUTRIGGER CANOE

Need for speed? Sail on a Hawaiian Outrigger Sailing Canoe. SeaBreeze Watersports in Hawaii Kai is the only outfitter in Hawaii offering ocean speed sailing. Na'ilima, a former Hokulea crew member who sailed between Hawaii and Rapanui using Hawaiian sailing methods, will take you on a sailing canoe for an invigorating site seeing adventure on Maunalua Bay. The sailing canoes seat up to six passengers, who will get views of East Honolulu's coastline and, if lucky, views of marine life including seals, turtles, and whales. Follow up your date with an early dinner at the Bluwater Grill, The Shack, or Cha-Cha-Cha Salsaria after you are done for the day. These are all located in Hawaii Kai Shopping Center right next to SeaBreeze.





Cost of Date: Speed Sailing $45

Do's and Don'ts: Do consider a Day on the Bay Package to fill the day out. Call before and get a free ride from Waikiki. Don't forget to bring a camera and a change of clothes for dinner afterwards.

Website: http://www.seabreezewatersports.com/hawaii-speed-sailing


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NINNIKU YA JAPANESE GARLIC HOUSE RESTAURANT IN KAIMUKI

NINNIKU-YA JAPANESE GARLIC HOUSE RESTAURANT

Hidden in the now blossoming Kaimuki in Honolulu is the Japanese Garlic Restaurant, Ninniku-ya, which means Garlic House in Japanese. Owner Chef Eiyuki Endo uses 5-10 pounds of garlic per day creating just about everything garlic: whole roasted Garlic Cloves, Garlic Spinach Salad, Garlic Soup, Garlic Avocado Ahi appetizer, Escargot, Ahi in a Garlic-Ginger sauce, Pasta with creamy Garlic-tomato sauce spiked with king crab, and Angus steaks served on a sizzling hot stone with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Finish it off with Sorbet with light Garlic sauce. Anything without garlic? The Blueberry Martini, ahhhh.... Open since 1976 on Waialae Ave near Chaminade University, this little gem features indoor and outside seating, and casual dress code (where do you have to dress up in Honolulu, anyway?). We split the filet, escargot, spinach salad, avocado ahi pupu with a side of roasted garlic and were pleasantly stuffed.





Cost of Date: Most appetizers $12-16; Filet $38; Roasted Garlic $8; Blueberry Martini $8

Do's and Don'ts on the date: Do get there early to find parking. Don't expect anyone down wind (for the next 2 days) to not wonder where you've been.


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ART AFTER DARK – DRAGON THUNDER – Bhutan Exhibit

ART AFTER DARK – DRAGON THUNDER – Bhutan Exhibit

Big applause to the Honolulu Academy of Arts PR folks; they sure know how to put on a good event. ARTafterDARK, a premier event happening from 6 to 9 p.m. on most last Friday’s of the month draws attention to the Academy and its featured exhibits. We’ve never not had a good time at ARTafterDARK.

Show up, get food, get drink, see the exhibit and usually a lot of friends, and wander the beautiful grounds to see what is set up in every corner to entertain you. Then, dance to popular music in the open air courtyard at the Academy. The strict ending time of 9 p.m. is perfect—time to go off and hit the town, or, if you’re tired after a work day, head home.

This particular ARTafterDARK, entitled Dragon Thunder, featured the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and exhibits from the region. The monks, in colorful robes, helped out with the event—painting surfboards with regional designs, demonstrating Mandala sand painting, and ancient Buddhist dances.

Cost of date: $10 cover charge (free for members), $4-7 per plate of food, $4-6 drinks

Do’s and Don’ts on this date: Plan to be surprised and entertained. Stay near the main courtyard at the start of the event if you want a good view of the entertainment. Or—hit the food booths while everyone else crowds to see the entertainment. Don’t fret the early closing time; this is a great ice breaker for the start of your evening.

Website: http://www.honoluluacademy.org

WAKEBOARDING DATE—HAWAII WATER SPORTS CENTER

WAKEBOARDING DATE—HAWAII WATER SPORTS CENTER

(In Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai)

There’s no better place to learn to wakeboard than the placid (okay, sometimes) water of East Oahu’s Hawaii Kai Marina. And there’s no better teacher than Cormac and his protégé’s at Hawaii Water sports Center at Koko Marina.

This is a great date if you don’t mind making a fool of yourself in front of your date. Although wipe outs can give you something to talk about and Cormac promises you will stand and succeed at wakeboarding (we did)!

If you can’t stand the thought of a “face plant” or manage to schedule a massage for the following day, you might want to try banana boat or tube riding—getting pulled and bounced around behind the boat. Many happy dates knock their heads together this way (a recent survey suggests they survive longer relationships).

This date isn’t complete without a stop at one of Koko Marina’s restaurants. We recommend Kona Brewing, where you can watch others about to partake in water play. And where you can watch a full moon rise above Koko Head on the right nights.

Cost of date: Wakeboarding $49

Do’s and Don’ts on this date: Board shorts might be nice. Don’t worry about big fish; there aren’t any. Take a change of clothes if you plan to dine in Koko Marina afterwards.

To see the full on board wakeboarding lesson go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0nHR3ubdmo

Phone: (808) 395-3773 • FAX: (808) 375-1433

E-mail: info@hawaiiwatersportscenter.com

Hours:
Open 8:30am - 5:30pm Daily

Web Site: http://www.hawaiiwatersportscenter.com/

OKONOMIYAKI CHIBO

OKONOMIYAKI CHIBO
(In the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki)


If you want to freak someone out by showing them fish flakes that move around and look alive on top of pizza, this is the place to go. Your date may be impressed.


A traditional pizza-like dish originating from the Kansai region of Japan—specifically Osaka—Okonimiyaki consists of a fried batter and cabbage cake along with various ingredients. In this case—lots of garlic, shrimp, fish, and vegatables. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want," and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked"; thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like."


You’ll feel like you’re in Japan as your chef—no matter what ethnicity—speaks Japanese and artfully handles knives as he/she makes your pizza to your liking. Side dishes like tofu spinach or bacon corn round out the meal in a tasty way.






Cost of Date: Okonomiyaki $14, Teppanyaki filet $23

Do’s and Don’ts on this date: Do order extra extra fried garlic. Yum! Do have mouth wash on you if you expect to meet or keep your date that night. Or the next day, for that matter.

Website(Japanese): http://www.chibo.com/shop/shop_detail.php