Featured Restaurant: Sushi Sam
Sushi Sam’s features Sushi Chef Sam Segawa. Chef Sam was born in Osaka Japan and has more than 30 years of experience in many of the island’s favorite sushi restaurants. Tucked away in the Kamehameha Mall (75-5626 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua Kona), this small restaurant offers a quality menu of traditional sushi, sashimi and Japanese cuisine using only the highest grade rice and freshest ingredients from Japan and locally sourced. Nigiri, rolls and sashimi are featured, as well as a line-up of island favorites. Reservations are suggested. Call (808) 796-3535. Sushi Sam’s is open for Lunch Tuesday to Friday: 11:30AM – 2:00PM and Dinner Monday to Saturday: 5:00PM – 9:00PM. Closed on Sunday.
Featured Restaurant: Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve
Discover one of Hawaiʻi Island’s rare and remarkable native landscapes at Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve, a 275-acre sanctuary on the slopes above the Kohala Coast, protecting some of the last remaining lowland dry forest in the region. With an average annual rainfall of just 12 inches, this rugged landscape is among the driest places in Hawaiʻi and is home to ancient wiliwili trees, some hundreds of years old.
The preserve’s varied lava flows create unique habitats for native plants, while ongoing restoration efforts are helping return the forest to a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem. Volunteers and conservationists remove invasive weeds and plant native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers, while large-scale native seeding projects are helping establish new growth across challenging pāhoehoe terrain.
Learn more about the preserve’s native forest, restoration work, and conservation efforts on a guided hike offered the first Friday of each month. Hikes begin at 5:00 p.m. (or 4:30 p.m. November through January) and offer an opportunity to experience this special landscape while learning about the plants, geology, and ongoing efforts to protect Waikōloa’s dry forest for generations to come.
For information on how to take a guided hike, visit waikoloadryforest.org.
