ON SCENE IN OAHU, HAWAII
ON SCENE IN OAHU, HAWAII
By Gerrye Wong February 26, 2023
SHAVE ICE, ANYONE?
Whenever one goes to any Hawaiian Island, the locals will tell you which place is the best for certain local products. In Maui, THE favorite shave ice spot is Ululani’s Hawaii Shave Ice, according to my personal friend, Hawaii born and bred locals, Rodney & Marvie Pang, which they claimed was undisputedly the top choice for anyone who visits Maui. Luckily for me, on January 20, Ululani came to Oahu, so of course, we had to go there during opening week when owner David Yamashiro was there to welcome newcomers to his shop. A very charismatic fellow, so typical of Islanders, he greeted everyone as they lined up to enter the shop, and welcomed all enthusiastically as they told him they had been waiting for a long time for him to open on their island. We, true tourists, said we were here on recommendations so immediately he proceeded to lead us in to explain the success of his shaved ice.
On a prominent sign inside says “Not all shave ice is created equally” and that, David says, is their trademark to success. As he said, “Our Maui customers always raved abut our pillowy soft ice, mouthwatering flavors and our unlimited assortment of add-ons, like ube ice cream, vegan haupia cream and mochi balls. Our popularity of differences of unique flavors is what propelled us to expand to Hawaii Big Island and then Oahu, “ added David. Entering the attractive shop, just across from the famous Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue, we are greeted with signs of all of the different varieties of flavors, with colorful bottles lining the front counter. A newcomer to the varieties of shave ice, it is hard to decide what to try, but the friendly help gave us suggestions of favorites and different combinations we might want to try. Owner Yamashiro told us that Ululani’s Hawaii Shave Ice will be coming to California this year, with proposed locations coming to San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Livermore. Seeing the lines of eager buyers in Maui and Oahu for Ululani’s products, I can imagine how Californians will be rushing to its new locations on the Mainland. My mouth is watering already…..ready for its special flavors and ice texture to enjoy.
HAWAII IS GOLF PARADISE
Besides lazing on the beach and eating exotic South Pacific and Hawaiian local food, the next favorite thing to do in Hawaii is to play golf, according to travel agents and vacation guides. So my next destination upon arriving is to drive out to the Pearl Country Club where noted golf coach Ed Kageyama is the General Manager. Ed is well known in the golf industry in Hawaii from his experience managing and promoting different golf venues, but you can tell when he talks about working with kids, that his true love is guiding kids to a love for the game and gaining prowess through coaching. A gleam comes in his eyes when he talks about coaching for Hawaii Pacific University, and said, “I love working with the young golfers in helping them achieve their aspirations not only in golf but life in general. I like to instill good habits and be a positive influence on them as young adults. Traits like strong work ethic, dedication, perseverance, hard work and a positive constructive competitive mindset are what I like to instill in our team golfers.”
Meeting him at his Pearl Country Club is always a special pleasure, but to play at his Pearl Golf Course is even more special. Challenging for its different ground levels of play, the course is beautiful to play in with its tropical landscape and well manicured fairways . What better life for any golfer is there than playing surrounded by palm trees swaying in gentle ocean breezes and colorful Hawaiian flowers. To Ed, he feels the best part of Pearl Country Club is that it is owned by Kamehameha Schools, a large trust founded by Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a direct descendent of King Kamehameha, for the betterment of the native Hawaiian children. As Ed explained, “We manage the golf course directly for Kamehameha Schools, so the profits generated by the golf course goes to the trust to fund programs for the school’s native Hawaiian kids population.”
The golf shop at Pearl Country Club, I found, was by far one of the best with a wide variety of equipment and clothes for men AND women. So many other courses have large amounts of men’s attire to sell, leaving only a small corner of offerings for us women, so good job, whoever handles the Pearl golf shop. The front desk persons, I found, very cordial typical of Island hospitality, as were the cart and grounds people who took care of all our needs on the course. That’s what good course management is for visitors, and Pearl CC does a good job in welcoming newcomers and guests. When I asked how had covid impacted the golf industry, Ed replied, “I think Covid has brought more people to the game because it’s an outdoor activity and relatively safe. We are seeing new golfers and a new type of golfer, which is good for the game. We are seeing people who are wanting to play golf for the sake of recreation and to be social, as opposed to playing for competitive reasons which I think is a good thing.” So on your next visit to Oahu, plan an afternoon of enjoyable golf at Pearl Country Club by reserving at www.pearlcc.com
