Hawaii

The Big Island's Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, an iconic destination on the Kohala Coast since 1994, is presently completing a $50 million dollar renovation. The resort's public relations director, Vicky Kometani, talks with correspondent Tom Wilmer about the resort and its historic connection with developer and environmentalist Laurence Rockefeller. 

Dolphin Quest at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii’s Kohala Coast serves as a memorable educational experience for resort guests. But Dolphin Quest’s unsung program is educational field trips for Hawaii’s school children. 

The Hilton Hawaiian Village has been an iconic anchor of Waikiki since 1955 when industrialist Henry Kaiser opened the resort on the grounds of circa-1928 Cressaty’s Court thatched cottages. Join correspondent Molly Blaisdell for an exploration of the Hilton (3,386 guest-rooms), its world-renowned beach, and why the resort remains as a revered 22-acre waterfront destination for vacationers from around the world.

The story of how Las Vegas became the 9th Hawaiian Island.  

Bill Boyd, chairman of Boyd Gaming Group in Las Vegas, shares his family’s intimate involvement in the gaming industry Bill Boyd's father, Sam Boyd (born in 1910), moved the family to Oahu when Bill was in first and second grade.

In the heart of Honolulu Harbor, directly across from the container port, there’s a large, utilitarian, metal building adjacent to the docks at Pier 38 where the long line Tuna boats tie up. 

It’s five a.m., and we’re waiting outside for the 5:30 bell that announces the commencement of United Fishing Agency’s daily wholesale auction— it’s the only one of its kind between Tokyo and the East Coast.

Just a short hop down the road from the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa is Kona Historical Society’s, Kona Coffee Living History farm, the onetime home of the Uchida Coffee farm founded in 1913.While staying at the Sheraton Kona, one of the most memorable nearby explorations was discovering how Kona coffee was grown and harvested by the pioneering Japanese farmers on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu on the island of Oahu first opened its doors back in 1891. The museum is Hawaii’s preeminent place to discover and learn about Hawaii and Polynesia’s cultural past. There are also engaging, cool hands-on interactive experiences at the museum’s Science Adventure Center.

Correspondent, Tom Wilmer explores the world of fresh ocean seafood with Morro Bay Commercial fisherman and restaurant owner, Mark Tognazzini, who talks about just what constitutes “fresh”, and the local fishermen who travel as far as 1,000 miles out to sea to catch pelagic fish such as Tuna and swordfish.