Rainforest Weddings

Sand as white as snow

2012-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

Who has never had a deserted island fantasy? Imagine yourself on this beach. The sand so white, the sunlight a mellow 85 degrees. The only footprints are yours.

This is a beach in Hawaii that is on the Big Island. You can drive in with four wheel drive, if your vehicle is high enough to manage the deep deep ruts and you are willing to take the time to creep along. You can hike in, with whatever you can carry. Or, what about a helicopter drop? This is where it can become one of life's ultimate adventures ...

Here is how it could work. You are visiting Hawaii. Your amazing life partner is with you. You are moved to do something to honor this person. What about a helicopter tour over the active volcano, then touch down here? You have with you a picnic lunch prepared to match your palates. Perhaps something like this: Tiny island greens, a cold bottle of wine. Opakpaka prepared with wasabi and flying fish eggs. Quinoa with Hamakua mushrooms sautéed lightly in a sherry sauce. A desert of dried starfruit dipped in Hawaiian chocolate.

You bring this along in a basket with a lounging cloth for the beach, and a couple of folding chairs, cloth napkins, bottled water and calamansi.

You are the only two people on this beach. The helicopter will return in 3 hours. Meanwhile, leave behind all the constraints of civilization and let yourself become as a Hawaiian of days so far gone by ... and there can even be music.

We can arrange this ... are you ready?

Rainforest Romance ~ Intimate Supper

2012-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

From time to time we romantics ponder what might be the ultimate romantic dinner.

There is a scene in the movie Out of Africa where Robert Redford sets up a table on the desert sand, wooing Meryl Streep. It is a swooningly lovely scene, with the white table cloth and the elegant setting in the middle of the wildness.

The original idea of the romantic supper in the rainforest pavilion was to offer an alternative to bridal couples to going out to eat at a restaurant. The romance of the setting is somewhat conveyed in the photo above. What is missing is the fragrance of the forest, of the orchids and perhaps the tuberose bouquet across the floor on the altar/tiki bar. You cannot hear the music. And of course, there is no food showing!

If you are planning on coming to the Big Island to become engaged, or celebrate an anniversary, or if you simply would love to surprise your partner with what could well be the most memorable and most idyllic dining experience you have ever had, consider this. We can arrange a private and festive supper for you, with the menu of your choice. We work with some of the most outstanding private chefs on the island. The ingredients are sourced locally insofar as possible. We encourage you to try seasonal island cuisine, prepared healthfully, and presented magnificently.

You may have music via iPod or go all out and have a local guitar player. Island music or flamenco.

With enough notice, you may have the choice of finishing your evening at the treehouse, or enjoying the main residence on the same grounds as the pavilion.

If you wonder how you get to this spot, it is very near the main entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The pavilion itself is up a curvy forest path, interplanted with heart shaped anthurium, orchids, and fragrant ginger. The path is lit with tiki torches.

For more photos and an introduction to the treehouse, you may visit our website:

http://www.mahinui.com

Aloha!

It's been a long time coming...

2012-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

Renee and Francine celebrated their 24th anniversary together and at long last achieved recognition of their life partner status by the State of Hawaii on Friday January 13, becoming one of the first couples in the state to be joined under the new civil union law that went into effect January 1.

We were honored to be chosen by them to officiate and perform the music.

They elected an oceanside celebration above Honoli'i Beach, just outside Hilo, at a private home on the pali overlooking the ocean. Francine performed a hula for Renee. Such beauty, grace, elegance...

Following a certain zeitgeist that has dictated the word "marriage" be reserved for heterosexual couples, the "civil union" in Hawaii is everything that marriage is, under a separate but equal doctrine that would make Martin Luther King Jr shake his head. Today is Martin Luther King Day, so it is difficult not to think of him and the fight for equal recognition in all ways under the law for those of us who are not society's top dog elites.

None of that was on anyone's mind on Friday when this joyous occasion was celebrated in Hawaii. It is a little like caviar - even if the dollop on your toast is not beluga from the Caspian Sea, if your best friends are there and the champagne is flowing, the blue ocean is stretching endlessly beneath you, a celebration such as this is still one of the best days in anyone's life. There was so much joy we could have been drinking apple juice and eating popcorn and it would have been all perfect. It was a great, great day.

We celebrate Renee and Francine, and we celebrate Hawaii, forward thinking and guided by the spirit of aloha and living pono. Huzzah.

Dressing for a Hawaii Rainforest Wedding

2012-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Whatever your preference in attire for your wedding, you can adapt it to a Hawaii Island wedding in the rainforest. The climate is comfortably cool rather than beach hot, and the pavilion at Mahinui Na Lani provides shelter. The surrounding forest captures the mountain winds, such that you experience them under all but the most stormy circumstances as gentle swaying of the ohia trees.

Having chosen Hawaii as a wedding locale, it does fit the environment to wear Hawaiian style attire. Particularly on the Big Island, that is casual. Casual with flair. The pavilion is open to the forest, and you will walk through the forest on the way to the ceremony. A dress that trails on the ground will need to be lifted. The path is not so difficult that you cannot do this. For a freer, looser feel. a shorter dress is very nice. The look and feel of natural fabrics, especially woven linens and light cotton and rayon is particularly fitting to the forest setting.

The dress above is by Gina Mastio and can be purchased from her Etsy shop. It is designed to be a wedding dress for a forest wedding, and is made of woven organic silk with an inner layer of soft merino wool. Etsy is a very different way of shopping for your wedding gown. You will not try it on until it comes to you, so you may want to shop around and find a similar style before you order, just to make sure. The bonus for you is there is no pressure from the wedding store vendor, and you buy direct from the artisan.

Ivory is the color of choice for most of the brides who have come to us. However, convention does not rule and any and all colors are suitable. Reds and greens in particular echo the colors of the forest. Remember you will be adding lei, and in doing so will add green for the groom and oft times purple for the bride.

This aloha shirt is by Reyn Spooner. The classic aloha shirt is made of rayon, and has a beautiful drape and feel. It will last for decades, and retain both shape and color with machine washing in cold water. When selecting an aloha shirt, one detail to look for is the pocket match on the fabric. As in the shirt above, the fabric design is an exact match where the pocket is set onto the rest of the shirt.

The search for a great aloha shirt can happen on line, or you can work it into your Hawaii travels. By far the best all around selection of shirts is found at Bailey's in Honolulu. With over 15,000 new, used, specialty and vintage shirts you are certain to find your favorite, a shirt for life. If Honolulu is not a stopover for you, Hilo's bay front offers several shops where you can find aloha wear. The "Most Irresistible Shop" has a small but tasteful selection of shirts and some dresses too. Of course Hilo Hattie's is also in town, and there you can even purchase white aloha wear especially for weddings.

The slacks above are linen. These too can be purchased online, and that is often your best bet as there is no guarantee you will find linen slacks on this island when you need them. This is one of the drawbacks of living in the middle of the ocean. Everything you need or want is not always at hand. Some grooms choose shorts, but most prefer slacks, and linen goes best with aloha shirts. Denim is too heavy for island wear.

As for footwear, it is completely possible to find stylish shoes that adapt well to island wear. Remember your photos are likely to show your feet whenever the scene around you is also brought into the picture. The right footwear may take the better part of a day to locate, or a couple of hours online. This is something to take care of before you come to the island. As with the slacks, you cannot count on finding what you are looking for here. The guys have it easier, as flip flops or slippahs as they are called on island are readily available in a huge variety. The girls can go this way too, but the female styled slippahs rarely are quit as engineered as the male styles, and the feet slip off them as easily as into them. We like crocs. Consider for example the sleek example shown here. A white orchid tied to the thong instantly transforms this into a wedding shoe. We will provide the orchids and the raffia ties. Crocs come in

a variety of colors and designs. Many are surprisingly nice looking on the foot - not the clogs you usually associate with the brand.
The big advantage to this shoe choice is that you will find it is good for beach wear, whether a lava or sand beach. We used to suggest hiking sandals, but styles have all gone into a rugged look designed for protection of the feet over style. Great for hiking though!

While you can choose a more conventional pump to wear for your ceremony, remember that you will walk through the forest. Some brides change into their fancy shoes after entering the pavilion, and change back to walk back down the path. Some couples are married barefoot.

Whatever shoe choice you make, take your time with it, and you are likely to end up with some footwear that will become your favorite casual shoe choice for months to come.

Aloha!

Destination Wedding, Mahinui Style

2011-11-30T17:06:00.001-08:00

The pros and cons of a destination wedding make their way to many a wedding blog. We cannot remark on what they are for you, but we can talk about how they play out from our end.

The couples who come to us are usually looking for a wedding experience that mirrors the excitement they have for their relationship. The idea of being married on top of a volcano has a zing and a zest that appeals. They quickly pick up on the feeling that the goddess Pele is hovering in the wings, unpredictable and endowed with an ultimate feminine power. Emotional chords are strummed. There is some contemplation of being present as the earth itself is forming, while beginning a new phase of life. It's potent and exciting.

Once the decision is made to go ahead with a wedding at our pavilion, the dreams and wishes begin to spill out. Sometimes it is a poetic, surreal set of wishes. Sometimes, the couple likes the idea of the rainforest but wants the ocean to figure into it somehow. This is where the fact that this is an island in the middle of the ocean with almost every climate found on the globe comes in. We can do the wedding in the rainforest and go down to the ocean for photos. You want the blue ocean around your toes? Let's go!

Because the weather is unpredictable, it is nice to be able to offer protection from the wind and rain at the same time as the experience of the full out of doors. The rainforest is all around, and the pavilion lets everyone stay comfortable. Then the photo sessions can bring it all on, and in that part of the drama accepting whatever the island offers up in the way of weather is more fun.

On the practical side, we make it easy. Whatever is uppermost in the bride and groom's mindset is what drives how it all unfolds. Sometimes it is budget, sometimes fulfilling a fantasy. We try to ask the right questions so it all comes together in the most beautiful way possible, and exciting in all good ways.

Somehow, this is not so hard to do when your props include a fiery volcano, an emerald green rain forest, and a treehouse.

Fantasy Wedding - chapter 5

2011-11-16T20:48:00.001-08:00

The day after the wedding is the photo shoot.

Morning begins with coffee that tastes almost like chocolate, sliced papaya with a squeeze of lime, and croissants with lilikoi butter and macadamia nut butter. They sit on the treehouse lanai and watch the cardinals flitting from limb to limb at their eye level.

They call their hosts when they are ready, and within minutes are picked up for their island photo adventure. The couple feels like celebrities everywhere they are taken around the island, from private lagoons where the waters are pristine aquamarine and clear as jewels to beaches studded with flowering trees where sea turtles come out to sun themselves.

The island around them feels alive and interactive, playing with them with mist and sun, soft breezes, offering up flowers and colors in the most unexpected of places.

Throughout the day the colors of the sky change around them, as if a kaleidoscope had been on order just for their wedding photography.

A feeling of playfulness that began in the treehouse spills over throughout the day, as they clown for the camera and each other.

There is a stop at the rim of the volcano, where from a hole in the caldera a white plume rises and wafts upward and away in the breeze. They will be back at dusk, after sunset at the ocean on a deserted beach, to watch the orange red glow begin, the lava lake rising and falling in the caldera of Halema'uma'u.

Fantasy Wedding ~ the Honeymoon - chapter 4

2011-11-13T13:13:00.001-08:00

It had been friends of theirs who told them about the treehouse. Someone they knew had stayed there, come back and told all their friends. Another friend said they thought it was on Facebook. Finally they had located the website from which they had launched their wedding plans: mahinui.com.

And now they were on their way to their honeymoon at the treehouse.

The Land Rover arrived, and they walked together through the moongate. It was like entering another world, a forest from eons ago. Hungry pitcher plants hung down from giant ferns. The air was so different, it was as it if had the color of the ginger flowers that permeated it.

As they stepped around a curve in the path and began the ascent to the house, a trail of orchids marked the way. The orchids led them up and up to the bedroom. Candles surrounded by orchids lined the window sills. A bottle of champagne was chilling on the bedside table. Next to it were two champagne flutes etched with heliconia flowers. This would be for later.

For now, it was time to celebrate the blessing of their marriage.
The candlelight was reflected in the stained glass windows that surrounded the bed. The music of the moment was the night sounds of the rainforest. The vaulted ceiling overhead was lined with woven bamboo, over which black bamboo purlins supported the roof overhead. Outside, a light mist turned suddenly to rain, dancing on the metal roof overhead. The magic was just beginning.

Fantasy Rainforest Wedding part 3

2011-11-10T16:06:00.001-08:00

During the ceremony, the wedding cake has been on display on this white draped table in the pavilion. The couple have decided for their wedding it will be dessert first. There is great fanfare as they remove a slice of cake and first tenderly accept morsels from each other before playfully drawing frosting designs across each other's lips. The cake is then served to the guests, and a thick slice removed for later...

As the light of the day fades into dusk, the songs of birds also begin to quiet. The guests bid a fond farewell to the newlyweds and a caterer whisks away the cake plates and sets two place settings at the table. Dinner music replaces the festive slack key, a jazzy accompaniment to the very private wedding meal about to be served. The bride slips away to the house below to change into a slinky dinner gown and cozy cashmere wrap while the dressing assistant carefully puts away her jeweled wedding dress. When she re-enters the pavilion, the groom touches his lips to her neck and removes pins from her hair so it cascades down onto her shoulders.

A bottle of 20 year old Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, a nice library selection, sits on the table, uncorked and breathing, as it has throughout the ceremony. The groom has prepared the menu with the caterer. He chose her favorite wine to accompany island lobster tails and a delicate array of barely heated through julienned island vegetables tossed lightly with miso and a variety of sea vegetables. The greens are both tender and crisp in the mouth. The buttery dip for the lobster has been made delectable by fresh lilikoi and tiny slices of hot pepper. There is root vegetable puree that perfectly complements the rest of the meal. Water with ice and thin cucumber slices accompanies the food.

The entire scene is now lit by candles and strands of tiny lights embedded in strands of crystals strung across the tall Balinese ceiling. Firebowls add both light and heat. Natalie and Nat King Cole sing "Unforgettable" and the groom sweeps the bride into the dance. As Frank Sinatra begins "The Way You Look Tonight", they head arm in arm down the path along the tiki torch lit way, where the driver meets them.

Opening the rear door of the Land Rover, he helps them in, the canopy of stars winking above, and within minutes they are at their honeymoon destination.

Fantasy Wedding ~ chapter 2

2011-11-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

The deep sounding of the conch announced the groom's arrival. He fairly sprints up the forest path along the tiki torch lit way, so eager for his first glimpse of his bride.

In a reversal of the standard order, she awaits him, glowing in the center of a circle of flickering candles, blushing orchids and fern tendrils. The entire scene is lit by hundreds of candles, the forest outside a brilliant emerald green in the late day light. The scent of puakinikini and tuberose mingles with the sweet air of the forest, and hundreds of birds sing, chirp, call, filling the air with the song of the forest.

The groom steps into the circle of candlelight as if in a dream, the pu sounds once more, and the music of the marriage begins.

Gentle Hawaiian slack key guitar mingles with the bird song, the artist a reknowned musician whose art has appeared in movies and who has been awarded small statues of excellence.

The couple face the altar, draped with ferns braided together, and topped with a bouquet of island orchids, tuberose, bird of paradise, and palm. Smiling, selves entwined such that they feel each within the other, they have eyes only for each other, as the ceremony that celebrates the joining of their hearts and beings commences. They have studied the words, but as they experience what is happening, it is more than words and feelings. A nearly supernatural sense is all around, as if unseen beings carrying blessings were in attendance. When the part of the ceremony arrives where they exchange lei and rings and share the sacred breath; the ha, the joy of the extended moment becomes a part of all there is. Now and forever, both timeless and ephemeral...

The music of the guitar, the birds, laughter becomes jubilation and celebration. The candles of the blessing circle are moved to the bases of the fire bowls. The soft short phhffft of a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne being uncorked is all but lost in the song of knowing love. Antique hollow stem champagne glasses are passed to the couple and their guests, and the toast to the marriage is made. Out in the forest a pair of bright red honeycreepers known by their Hawaiian name apapane flit and play as if to echo the heart song of the couple in the pavilion, who see them and raise a toast to the birds, guests in their wooded mountain abode. Then from the darkening jungle comes rhythmic ipu drumming and a Hawaiian chant, as if the forest itself had raised a voice, the words calling down blessings of the ancestors on the couple. The chanting halau enters the pavilion, completes the chant, and bestows more lei on the couple, then disappears back into the ferns and ohia. The mystical magical sense is much like the ancestors had heard them and made an appearance.

... to be continued...

Fantasy Wedding!

2011-11-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Imagine an ultimate romantic fantasy, set on an island in the middle of the ocean. Your plane lands in a lava field, the blackest black you can imagine, with the bluest ocean beyond. A short conveyor belt deposits your luggage, and you are greeted by a smiling island guy with lei.

Your luggage is stowed in the back of the Land Rover and wreathed in fragrant soft petals, you are transported to a sandy beachfront for cocktails and small plates of delectable treats, while you watch the sky change color at sunset.

Now rested from your transoceanic flight, you settle in to being transported up the volcano. Through the darkness the headlights reveal a canopy of giant ferns you travel beneath, to the first night in your adventure. Your bags are carried into the house, where bouquets of orchids, birds of paradise, heart shaped anthurium, and other tropical flowers greet you. A bottle of your favorite beverage is at hand, with appropriate glassware, and plenty of ice, should you need it.

The driver leaves, and you settle into the steaming hot tub, glasses in hand, Hawaiian slack key guitar music in the background and candlelight making dancing shadows around you and your favorite person.

Your day begins with the best coffee you have ever had, an array of delectable fruits, creme fraiche, and delicate pastry. Granola and yogurt are also at hand. A note on the table lets you know your massage for two is scheduled for 11. You enjoy your breakfast while sitting on the level of the lower canopy.

During the massage, the trade winds gently caress your skin as the last of the weariness of life before is rubbed away. Another languid soak in the tub, and it is time to ready yourself for the wedding event itself. The smiling island guy returns to take the groom off to the treehouse to prepare himself, and a dressing assistant helps the bride into her gown covered with faintly aquamarine tinted sequins and jewels, and a headpiece of white orchids and tuberose, accented with tendrils of fern.

There is the sound of the conch, like the horn of an ocean liner, and a torchbearer ascends the path, lighting tiki torches and adding the element of fire to the path.

In a switch from tradition, the bride secretly ascends a forested path adorned with living orchids and lined with anthurium to a chorus of birdsong. Meanwhile, the groom has been readying not only himself but also preparing the boudoir in the trees for his bride.

Another sound of the conch, and the groom walks the path through the flickering flames, and enters the pavilion, where the bride awaits in a circle of candles and lavish white orchids. An award winning island musician is playing. The conch sounds again, and the ceremony begins!

... to be continued! ...

Treehouse honeymoon and beachfront wedding

2011-09-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

We are lucky enough at the moment to have access to a home with a lanai directly across from this beautiful spot. We love our pavilion in the rainforest, and those who have chosen vow renewals and weddings there have been delighted with every detail. We are aware that there are those who think Hawaii -> wedding -> beach. There are those who specialize in beach weddings. And there is our lanai. It overlooks a pond with koi and local fishes. Today I floated orchids in it. It is a dreamy, special place.

The photo below shows one of the ponds, and a small table set up on the lawn. The lanai is to the right, over the pond. We have set aside a single weekend in September for a wedding on the lanai. The package will include two nights in the treehouse and photography at Leleiwi, the beaches and ponds in the area.

The two days are September 23 and 24 2011. The wedding date would be September 23. We may be reached through the blog information or our website, www.mahinui.com. Cost will be $1500 inclusive.

Tropical Mahinui Treehouse on MTV Extreme Cribs

2011-08-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

And here we are. Hoping the MTV website will eventually post the episode online. It might be repeated Sunday August 28.

The show, MTV Extreme Cribs, featured our daughter Stephanie touring the treehouse, with some commentary from us, and a quick view of the pavilion. If you saw the show, you got a look at everything about the place. I think they showed the bed, and maybe not the upper lanai. You didn't get the view from the upper lanai into the canopy either, but you can see and hear the amazing forest.

What wasn't mentioned is that you can honeymoon at the treehouse, and have a marriage ceremony or other celebration in the pavilion. The way to do that is to contact us through our website, www.mahinui.com

Meantime, it was fun to do the show, especially so for daughter Steph. We all love seeing ourselves on TV especially when it's all good.

Aloha from Mahinui Na Lani! A hui hou!

2011-08-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Aloha from the Volcano.

Madam Pele has been dancing up a show these last several days. There was a perched lake at Pu'u O'o that collapsed, sending lava streaming down the mountain in multiple flows.

The perched lake was very much like a above ground swimming pool. Hardened lava sides built up and the interior drained, then began filling. When the volume had sufficiently increased, it blew out a hole in the side or opened a crack and the wall came down, releasing the flow.

Views from helicopters have been amazing. Here is a link to movie clip on the usgs site. http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/archive/2011/Mar/Overflight_20110808b.mov

Slowly we are being discovered, mainly via the treehouse. The Today show had a clip featuring the treehouse, but didn't say where it was beyond "Hawaii". Some people did find us. MTV Cribs has filmed the treehouse and the wedding pavilion for an upcoming episode of Extreme Cribs, their new show that premiered August 1. Keola Magazine featured the treehouse in an article, and it may be seen online: http://keolamagazine.com/the-life-at-home/volcano-tree-house/

The house at Volcano where the pavilion rests has now been converted to use for the wedding parties as well as for other guests when no weddings are scheduled. This makes it convenient and easy to stage catering, and offer a place for guests to stay after the party is over and the bride and groom have gone over to the treehouse.

Our wedding packages now can include both treehouse and conventional house stays along with the weddings at the pavilion.

The orchids and anthuriums at the pavilion are looking particularly lovely this summer. The ginger came into bloom early, perfuming the forest by day. The datura adds its rich notes at dusk. Summer evenings are cool without being chilly. The firebowls add light, warmth, and the element of fire that matches the spirit of the volcano.

There is still availability for summer weddings, as well as deep fall and winter.

Treehouse Weddings

2011-02-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

The treehouse and grounds are a potential wedding location in addition to the rainforest pavilion. While the pavilion is a setting protected from the rain, the grotto at the treehouse is open and bathed in dappled light. The hammock comes down and the bride and groom stand amidst fragrant orchids and gardenias, ginger if in season.

The treehouse lanai is another spot where a ceremony can take place.

Standing in the grotto, you are below the treehouse, and across from the lava tube. The tree ferns or hapu'u that form the mid canopy of the rainforest wave gently ovehead. Above them, the red flowered ohia trees reach into the sky.

The orchids are epiphytes, and like the nepenthes pitcher plants, grow directly in the tree ferns and on the trees. Exotic island mosses drape the tree branches and grow along the paths.

From the moment you arrive until you depart, you can choose to stay in the magical forest, never setting foot back in a car. Personal catering is available, and your wedding photography can all be done in the treehouse and around the grounds.

To see more photos, look through the blog. You may reach us through www.mahinui.com. aloha!

Weddings at the Volcano

2010-12-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here is the pavilion at dusk ready for the bride and groom to arrive.

Their ceremony began with the blowing of the pu, a giant triton shell. They wanted rain, and there was rain. They wanted thunder and lightning, and they were blessed with a clap of thunder during their nuptial kiss.

The sacred heiau at the secluded beach had intrigued them, so near sunset the next day we had a photo shoot there. There was a rainbow and glorious sunset.

Magic is something that is difficult to convey. The magic of the island, of the setting, waits to be discovered. During the day of the photo shoot, the couple talked about how much more exotic, romantic, and amazing the pavilion had been than they had expected. They were so very happy, and ready for the magic to happen.

In this emerald forest, on top of the volcano, the sense of the sacred is as present as the mist. You feel kissed by the air, and blessed by an intangible presence.

When we set up the blessing circle, it turned out to be an invitation to Lono to offer blessings. He presented the drama desired. The prayer is in the wish, readily granted where the gods have always walked amongst the people of Hawaii.

We consider this place to be sacred, and to belong to no one. Hawaii, the Big Island, has bridges in time and space that allow for the most scientific of minds to wander into dreamscapes. It can be like crossing into your personal fairy tale. I think that is what this couple discovered here in the emerald forest.

Rainforest at the Volcano - How is the air?

2010-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here we are, on top of the volcano. You get in your car and drive for a few minutes, and there is its gaping maw, a great plume of sulfur dioxide rising into the sky and floating off towards Kona or perhaps out to sea. You might expect the air to be heavily laden with fumes, breathing to be difficult, and your stay at this amazing place to be short.

The reality we have experienced, having lived here now for about a year and a half of this eruption, is that on the vast majority of days, there is no odor from the volcano once you are as far away as the visitor's center in the park. Our gate, as you see it on the left, is about three or four times farther from the eruption than the visitor center. The park measures air quality, and it is measured all around the volcano continuously. Here is a link to see those measurements: http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/havoso2alert/havoalert.cfm

Today as I write this, there are 0 emissions of sulfur dioxide evident here. That is the way it is most days, and in fact the way it has been all year, in my memory. The trade winds blow the fumes and plume away from here. The air has the fragrance of whatever is in bloom. Ginger in summer and early fall, orchids year round. Datura as dusk arrives. Certain orchids have such powerful perfumes that you can smell them from yards away. Indoors, they perfume the house with their (usually) subtle tropical ambience. It is not like designer scents that hover like a formidable cloud around a person, but scents like a smile that beckon you to come and begin a conversation.

One of the most delightful parts of living in these islands is the fragrance of the air. Even here at the volcano, in our forest.

What is it about a rainforest wedding?

2010-10-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a one night stay at the treehouse ~ newlyweds passing through volcano. When the bride asked how we had happened to build the treehouse, I told her it was the companion to the wedding business. She then told me how difficult their wedding planning had been, for their Kauai ceremony.

There is no reason a wedding in Hawaii should be difficult, or the process annoying. The reason it becomes difficult is sometimes because of the island ways of doing things - slow. Unresponsive. And of course there are the details. You can spend hours searching for something on the internet that someone on the island knows about already, but perhaps you don't have a contact on the island. At Mahinui Na Lani, your experience will likely be smooth as a pina colada and pleasant as an afternoon on a beach hammock stretched between two palms. In other words, we want your wedding to be a good time for you (and for us) from the moment you contact us until you drive away into the rest of your life.

Here's how we do that. First, once you contact us, you will hear back from us right away. Best ways to reach us are through our website, www.mahinui.com or by phone 510-965-7367. We like email, and we text. We try to keep communications as easy as possible.

We offer a simple wedding plan. Call it our off the rack party. It comes with the full service Hawaiian style ceremony in our private pavilion, set among the tree ferns and ohias on top of Kilauea Volcano. The setting is serene and spiritual, a rainforest jungle with bird song and exotic flowers. The wedding includes the ceremony, photographs, music, cake, leis, and a wedding toast. If you would prefer a beach ceremony, we can arrange that as well.

Our treehouse was built as a honeymoon cottage, and our second tier pricing includes two nights there. If you would like a small party with a few friends and family, we arrange catering at the pavilion. For a sit down supper, we will help you arrange that at a local restaurant. Special leis, custom flowers, live music, a custom cake can all be taken care of as a part of our wedding service.

We are conscientious about pricing. If you give us a wish list and a budget, we will let you know right away if you are dreaming or if it can be done. Chances are very good we will be able to get you what you are looking for within your budget. If you would rather plan as you go, and add to the basic charges as need be, we can do that.

When you make your plans for a Big Island wedding, it helps to remember a few basic things. You will be stopping in Hilo to get your marriage license. If your flight gets in too late to do that, you may drive back down the mountain the next day, about 40 minutes, or choose to spend your first night on the island in Hilo. If you are arriving in Kona, the drive to Hilo is two to two and a half hours.

Hawaiian prices can be higher than you may be used to because so much is shipped to this island from thousands of miles away. When you are here, you will have the opportunity to experience local flavor in every sense of the word. We are careful to use locally grown and produced products as much as possible. You will experience this in any catering you order through us, and in all that we provide for you.

We'd love comments on the blog, and welcome questions. We'd love to make your wedding day as special, as magical, as you imagine it can be.

Fantasy in the Forest

2010-08-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

When you go searching for weddings in Hawaii online, what comes up first are the big commercial establishments. Hotels and resorts with big budgets and lots of visitors get the front page. This turns out to be a challenge for us with our private spot here next to the volcano. How will people discover us?

We have considered ads in wedding magazines, and going to wedding fairs, but our sense of those sorts of spots is they are dedicated to big splashy weddings, and that is opposite what we are about.

A wedding here at our pavilion has several unique characteristics:

it is truly private. You look out, and see the rainforest. No tourists will wander by, and if you are rich and famous, as long as you keep it a secret, so will we.
we are cost conscious. We think you don't need to spend as much on a wedding as you would buying a luxury car.
when you buy a package here, it is not just a ceremony and a bottle of sparkling cider. It is a full on Hawaiian style ceremony.
if you choose to add a treehouse stay, we will transport you to the pavilion and back from the treehouse in our sexy land rover
there is a spiritual and magical essence to this rainforest, and you will feel it immediately. It is like stepping into a romantic poem or a fairy tale.
should you want more than a basic package, that's easy. we publish some ideas on our website, and are happy to work with you.
we will help you keep your wedding stress free

To give you a sense of how we work, consider wedding flowers. In a traditional wedding, there will be flowers everywhere. The bride carries the bouquet, and everywhere you look, there is an abundance of flowers, cut and arranged in vases, perhaps tied to pillars and posts and trellises.

At a pavilion wedding, there are flowers growing along the forest path. There are orchids and other tropical epiphytes actually growing in the trees. There are tree ferns and ginger all around the pavilion. We place living orchids at the entrance as you walk up. And there are leis for a lei exchange. All this is at no additional cost beyond the basic price.

Depending on how much tradition you may want, or simply on your personal desires, we offer wedding bouquets. These will be fashioned from ferns, orchids, and perhaps gardenias or proteas. You specify the colors and whether you prefer a tight traditional "ball" or a flowing drape of flowers, and the colors of the ribbons. The cost? Usually $50.

In Hawaii, the head lei is often worn by the bride. Here in the sacred forest of Pele, a head lei made from the buds of the forest trees is what is worn for ceremonies and occasions. Or a head lei of white orchids or other flowers may be worn.

Altar flowers may be desired. Bouquets range in price from $20 to $75. If you choose to have a celebration feast, flowers for each table are included in the package. Those will be anthuriums. If more elaborate flowers are desired, or something special, we'll figure it out.

Leis are a part of the Hawaiian wedding. The leis are included in our basic package. If you want something in particular rather than what we offer, we will have them waiting for you.

One of the attractions of the Hawaiian islands is the sense that here, you lose your cares. The stresses of every day life fall away. Your wedding can be stress free as well, and we are dedicated to helping create an environment for your celebration that is a reflection of the love you share. We can do that for a beach wedding too.

So where do we show ourselves such that couples looking for this sort of romantic place for a ceremony can find us?

A different sort of Hawaiian Honeymoon

2010-08-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

The treehouse was built with honeymoons in mind, as a part of our full wedding business.

We began with a section of rainforest with a lavatube bubble protruding from the very center. Sturdy trees grew from the bubble, their roots naturally aerated by the configuration of lava beneath, with its tunnels and air currents. Kilauea Volcano has created a vast underground network of tunnels where lava once flowed to the sea. As the lava flows decreased in serial eruptions, the tubes were left behind. A large one in the park, Thurston Lava Tube, is one you can walk through.

We brought in a treehouse designer and builder, Roderick Romero. Roderick studied the features and called in an arborist to test the trees for strength, health, and hardness, and designed this small two story structure to fit the existing tree space.

Experienced treehouse builders came in and using garnier limbs, suspended the structure from the trees as they built it.

Building materials used are mostly recycled floor and siding from a church on Oahu that was demolished, and bamboo, an ultimately sustainable building material that regrows rapidly. The only trees lost in the process were dead ones and a couple of straggly saplings. We moved a few giant hapu'u ferns to more suitable locations. The doors and clear windows are all recycled. The stained glass windows were commissioned from a local artist, Seneca Lalonde. Inside, the plates and cups are all made by either local artists or were part of our collection of hand made pottery from before we moved to Hawaii.

We were unable to locate a wooden soaking tub on the island. Here, the traditional soaking tubs are built of stone or concrete, dug into the ground. That was not to be a part of a treehouse, so we brought over a cedar hot tub from Alaska, and sunk it in the first deck.

The house has two rooms, a sitting/eating/food prep room with soft chairs, an ottoman, a built in window table looking out over the forest with stools, a flat screen for viewing movies, and a small food prep area with sink, stovetop, refrigerator, microwave, and cooking and eating utensils. Outdoors there is a grill.
Upstairs through a trap door is the bedroom, with a queensize memory foam mattress & down comforter, a couple of nightstands with drawers for clothes and such, and a corner dedicated to clothing storage on hooks. The shape of the room is irregular with multiple walls, and the clothes corner is an angle recessed next to the bed in such a way that the contents re mostly hidden from view. The shape of the room is what the trees said. Since it can get chilly at night here on the mountaintop, there is a Jotul propane heating stove inside that looks like a fireplace, as you can watch the flames. But it's a lot easier to use - no wood to carry, and no smoke in the little house.

Bathroom facilities include a composting toilet and sink in their own little room behind bamboo glass doors, bought on resale and then finished to fit, and an outdoor shower surrounded by bamboo, on the same level as the bathroom and living area and hot tub.

Access to the treehouse is up a forest path, a series of lava boulders set into the side of the lava tube, and then a ladder constructed of heavy beams that were once part of a parking structure. It is an entry that involves the use of hands, so when bringing things into the treehouse, backpacks are preferable. We offer daypacks to our guests to use.

So here it is, a small haven in the trees up where the birds fly, to celebrate love & romance. Just a few minutes away, Pele puts on her show at Halema'uma'u, the crater inside Kilauea Volcano, where in the dusk of the day, the glow of lava rising and falling in a vast pool becomes apparent in the darkening sky.

Fragrant cedar hot tub on treehouse lanai

10-10-10 A lucky day for a wedding

2010-08-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

We got married in the rainforest of Hawaii. We stood out on the lanai, surrounded by giant tree ferns and the gentle whisper of evening tropical misty rain. It was as if we had been blessed directly. It was unplanned, and from idea to inception a matter of an afternoon.

When we decided to change our lives, we wanted to do something that would bring happiness to other people. The plan evolved to put up a pavilion in the rainforest for weddings and other celebrations. As the pavilion plan took shape, the plan needed something more - a beautiful and private honeymoon spot.

For the honeymoon cottage, a treehouse. A fantasy suspended from the trees, complete with cedar hot tub.

Our goal is to offer a runaway wedding spot, an elopement destination drenched in romance, intimate, enchanting, unforgettable.

It turns out to be easy to rent a treehouse. Even disguised among condo vacation rentals, people do happily stumble upon it.

As for the wedding business, this is another story. Everyone knows about Las Vegas, and everyone knows about getting married in Hawaii. There are thousands of websites, and hundreds of bridal sites, magazines, shows --- but --- we are not all about the production wedding. We are about the romance of the mountaintop, the volcano, the magic of it all.

Now the magical date of 10-10-10 approaches. We've set aside the 10th and 11th at the treehouse. We're putting it out there - we are here, we are available, and we are far from expensive. Hawaiian Airlines lowered their prices today, and round trip from the Bay Area is under $333 on selected dates that encompass 10-10-10. We can do the ceremony on the beach, at a waterfall, or in our pavilion in a private rainforest.

Our website is http://www.mahinui.com.

Come take a look. We'd love to have some celebrations.

Twilight at the Pavilion

2010-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Twilight is a popular time at the pavilion for celebrations. Even though there is no sunset visible because we are hidden in the forest, the changing light from daylight to starlight evokes romance.

As darkness fills in the forest, the pavilion glows softly golden in the flickering candlelight, with a minimum of reflected light from the celebratory tiny lights wound with crystal beads along a roof beam.

Full Moon Over the Volcano

2010-06-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Full moon in June over the Volcano ay Kilauea, and early on in the evening the moonlight illuminated the plume at Halema'uma'u from the side. A few clouds lingered on the horizon, and as twilight grew into darkness, the stars began to emerge.

The full moon in the pictures looked like a single headlight beam. Looking toward the plume, the double illumination from the lava lake below and moon above made for some spectacular viewing. There were plenty of onlookers.

This view is a drive of six or seven minutes from our treehouse location, into the park and down to Jaggar Museum. On a full moon night, you don't need a flashlight to light the path.

Kalapana talk story

2010-05-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, lava spilling out of Pu'u O'o once again flowed over the roadway at Kalapana. A stream of visitors arrived via tour caddies and in their cars, many taking precious hours from their cruise stop-over hoping for a sight of glowing hot lava spilling on asphalt, overtaking the traces of human occupation. The visitor viewing platform was closed off, and as close as anyone was allowed was too far to even recognize the lava in view was still hotter than the inside of a pizza oven. So the crowds ebbed and flowed like disappointed waves on the shore. They had to be aboard their ship before nightfall or be left behind. Best lava viewing is in the darkness of dawn or dusk, when the lava glows orange red; the frantic fiery foaming bloodstream of the earth herself.

It is not such a romance for the people of Kalapana. Once not too long ago, Kalapana was a sweet village on a remote Puna shore. In 1990, the lava flowed inexorably over houses and streets, over Walter's Kalapana Store and Drive In, over the black sand beach. The slow moving pahoehoe lava would take days and weeks in its inexorable path to the sea. There are still houses in Kalapana that survived, resting in serene green foliage. There are new houses erected on the black lava. There is a new black sand beach, with a red cinder path crossing it down to the ocean. The beach and path are planted with coconut palms laying human claim again to the ocean front. The ocean laps in wild splendor at the black black sand, tossing up lava rocks rolled and swirled from the churning lava entering the ocean just down the coastline, there, where the plumes of steam rise like clouds off the ocean edge.

And now here comes the lava flow again, edging toward yet another house in Kalapana.

This lava tiki stands along the roadway guarding a house in Kalapana. Tikis and ti leaves are protection here on the Big Island. When you live with a jealous goddess you become respectful and find ways to show your respect. This imposing tiki is carved from lava. The watchful eyes are much more prominent than the devouring mouth, forever in a clench that is unlikely to yaw open and munch up the land over which it watches.

Aloha from the land of Pele, Ka wahine 'ai honua, the woman who devours the land.

Alternative Wedding Venues

2010-04-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

When we created Rainforest Weddings, our goal was to offer an alternative to the expense of a production wedding that is ultimately romantic and yet not costly nor stressful. Many couples who come to Hawaii to get married are looking for a beach wedding. We can do those too.

The Big Island has more miles of coastline than any of the other Hawaiian islands, and the beaches come in a fabulous array. This is a photo of a black sand beach on a blue sky day, and as you can see, there is no one around. The stack of rocks is part of a heiau wall. Hawaiians built heiaus for spiritual reasons, many as hula platforms, before western influences came into the islands. Today, hula halaus use this heiau from time to time, and much of the time, it sits in solitude overlooking the ocean. The way into this beach is a short rocky road, accessible by four wheel drive, or on foot.

South of here is the green sand beach. That beach is off the main road by about fifteen miles of paved road, then a couple of miles of dirt road. Some use four wheel drive, others walk. Once at the beach, there is a hike down that must be made on foot. It is a special place. If you choose it for a wedding, you will have many onlookers. A white dress might not make it down the footpath without some Hawaiian volcanic soil attaching itself along the way.

There are some white sand beaches accessible only by four wheel drive where if you should choose a weekday in the spring for your wedding, you just might have the place all to yourself.

The Sacred Pu

2010-03-29T19:40:00.001-07:00

The blowing of the sacred Pu or triton shell announces the start of a Hawaiian ceremony, such as a wedding, or seasonal celebration. The deep sound is reminiscent of a ship's horn, and can be heard throughout the forest, across land or water.

Some Hawaiian ceremonies use a conch shell rather than a triton, but it was the triton shell that was found in these waters, and used from ancient times forward.

Here the triton shell is being blown by Robert near the start of the path up to the rainforest wedding pavilion. The tone is clear and pure, and will definitely inform your being from the inside out that something special is going on. The lei po'o or head lei he is wearing is traditional, made from the native plants that grow in this forest.

The direction in which the shell is blown is meaningful, as is the number of times it is blown. Our celebrations are derived from Hawaiian culture and honor Hawaiian culture, and are adapted to western culture and custom.

Finding the Perfect Shirt for Kane Rainforest Celebration

2010-03-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tommy Bahama has aloha shirts. Hilo Hattie has aloha shirts. Walmart and Long's Drugs have aloha shirts. Aloha Friday means aloha shirts, and that means the aloha shirt has a spot in a great many closets.

But what if you want to find something vintage, a shirt that recalls the days when you visited Hawai'i via steamship. If you want to stop in Honolulu, there is the venerable Bailey's, a shop you can spend the kind of time in you'd usually set aside for a bookstore with comfy sofas. But if you prefer to line up your wardrobe from the comfort of your computer seat, there is the Hana Shirt Company.

Their on-line selection of shirts is ultimately gratifying. You can be a facebook fan and be treated to tiki talk and the appreciation of their friends. You can browse their shirts endlessly, and will surely see classics that appeal.

A Kitchen in a Treehouse??!!!

2010-03-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

As we planned the treehouse, we knew there had to be a place to prepare food. As wonderful as it is to eat out, it can be equally delicious to relax in your own private little space, especially when that place is so different than anything you are accustomed to.

Since the space was so limited, we opted to scale everything down. The stove: a two burner propane cooktop. The sink: slightly larger than a wet bar. The refrigerator: for now, it is electric, but will likely be changed to propane as well since we are off grid. Being off grid is a constant challenge. The refrigerator is a major energy eater. We began with the pots on a shelf, but moved them to a tree branch pot hanger. The microwave was an afterthought, as the farmer's market here has vendors with wonderful pre-made meals.

We added the backsplash, using glass tiles, some of which are fused glass from an artist in Benicia California, where we once lived.

All the dishes and cups and glasses, the eating utensils, and the drinking water are all there under the counter top. The tray on top of the microwave holds coffee and tea, sugar, salt, honey and snacks. When it is finished, there will be a hanging tiered fruit and vegetable basket over on the right. Even the garbage and recycling fits below the counter.

If we were truly dedicated to living easily and frugally, we would give up the refrigerator altogether, and along with it, ice on demand. Instead, there would be a built-in food cooler, where air would circulate through from outside, and fruits, vegetable, eggs, cheese, and cultured milk products would stay edible for days at a time. For now, we are dedicated to the comfort of our guests, so the refrigerator stays. For now!

New Mango Tabletop at Treehouse

2010-03-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

This week we put in a tabletop supported on a tree branch inside at the treehouse. Before, there was an outside table and chairs you could pull in if al fresco dining was not your thing. Since it does rain in the rainforest, even though the table is on the covered lanai, it can still feel a bit too close to nature out there of an evening.

The new tabletop seats two comfortably, and can double as a desk. It is conversation height, so you can stand if you'd rather not sit. We're pretty fond of the view - it's a true window table.

So How Does One Get Up Into the Treehouse?

2010-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

In the dreaming-about-it phase of the treehouse, we had multiple ways up. There was especially a rope net ladder - very piratey. There was a fireman's pole; a big brass post for sliding down.

The reality became what you see on the right. The trees in the rainforest grow slowly. Unlike other parts of the island that are very warm, the temperature is cool here on top of the volcano. These trees are about 200 years old, but their girth is not sufficient to prop up a house in their upper branches. The treehouse gains almost twenty feet of loft from the bubble of lava in the lava tube over which it is built. The trees grow directly out of the bubble, and are the largest trees in the area. To get into the treehouse, you first ascend the lava tube.

Our rock designer Tony brought in massive chunks of lava rock that he moved by leverage. He studied the rise and absorbed the feeling of the structure. He said prayers to Akua and moved the stones into place.

Our builder wanted steep steps up to the first platform. He said that people entering the treehouse should know by the way up that they are entering a treehouse and not a ground house. So as you walk up, you must hold onto the railing. Even in the slippery wetness of the rain, there are good firm handholds, as you grip behind the bamboo posts. You are glad you are not trying to bring too much in with you.

Whether you are staying at the treehouse or elsewhere in the rainforest of Kilauea, consider bringing along a waterproof lightweight jacket, closed-toed shoes that easily slip on and off but fit your foot snugly, pants that roll up and stay up, sleeveless shirt and long sleeved tee shirt, and socks or indoor slippers. A hat with a brim. A microfiber jacket or vest or sweatshirt will be welcome. You will not need bug spray, and the hat and jacket take the place of the umbrella.

Rain in the rainforest: like snow to the Inuits is rain to the Hawaiians. We have lots of different types of rain. Here at 4000 feet, we frequently have pineapple rain. The tiniest misty droplets fall. You can barely feel it on your skin. You can be outside in it for several minutes and not get wet. It comes and goes so subtly you may not be sure you are in mist or in a cloud. Some call this area the cloud forest. When the raindrops are more formed, you may be tempted to treat it as if it is pineapple rain and linger outside, probably trying to get some outside work done. After awhile, you notice you are getting wet. You feel the rain in your face, and may be tempted to tip your head back with your mouth open and drink directly from the sky, but realize there is not all that much water coming down. The varying stages of rain continue, all the way to monsoon, where the sky opens and sheds water in such quantities that you are not sure you want to see what walking in that downpour would feel like. You will get drenched no matter what you are wearing, and the feeling may be like being under a waterfall. As you contemplate it, you wonder if you have ever seen such rain before, and if you ever will again. It is seldom, and it does happen, and you marvel.

We Invite You to Celebrate Your Life Together

2010-03-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have known each other since 7th grade, and it feels as if your destiny together was as certain as the four seasons. Or did you meet later in life, a happy surprise, a miracle even, the discovery of a life partner mid-way through it all.

However it was and whenever it was, chances are fate has intervened in a dozen different ways. You have weathered storms and even tsunamis, experienced ultimate joy, and held on to each other when the life boat felt fragile and the seas rough.

Is it time to set aside a few days, and celebrate being together? What might it be like to wake up in the rainforest, a chorus of birdsong welcoming the new day? You throw open the doors to the lanai, and outside there are flashes of red as the birds flirt in the treetops, at eye level, because you are in a treehouse in the rainforest.

Perhaps your day out will begin with a walk through an ancient forest, where trees have grown new roots from the branches down into the ground. A drive down to the black sand beach may bring you face to face with sea turtles. You are returning to the rainforest and a party in the pavilion for two, a celebration of what has made your lives meaningful in the years you have been together. Or perhaps you would like your children there, your best friends. Whether it is just the two of you, or up to 24 people, it can happen in the rainforest pavilion. The day may be blessed with rain, and you may be dancing and having a toast to all that has gone before, and all that is still ahead.

At the end of the festivities, step into our Land Rover and be transported back to the romance of the treehouse. If you have not already done so, you may want to look through the back pages here and see the pavilion and the treehouse. We invite you to an adventure in romance, and a celebration of being together in this life, in one of the most beautiful and serene places on earth. Aloha!

Rainforest Wedding Attire

2010-03-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

When you choose to get married in the rainforest, maybe the image that comes to mind is a frothy cinderella like gown with all that white contrasting with the deep green of the forest. The image is lovely, and there is nothing that says you can't do it.

If on the other hand you are not one for necessarily following all the rules, the forest suggests a playful palette of colors, particularly the colors of the forest birds. This ensemble by URU is one example of the way you can think about bending the traditions as to wedding attire.

Today, the sun is brilliant and the sky blue. Two days ago, it was raining. The pavilion shields you from the weather, but you are still out in the forest, sheltered, serene. Like life itself, the weather is unpredictable and even capricious.

Just some ideas for a rainforest wedding. Your tradition may say white, and tradition is one note in the symphony. It may be a note you must keep, or the lure of a less traditional look may be irresistible.

photo is from the URU clothing site: http://www.promaxdigital.com/uruclothing/index.htm

great timeless designs that suit the rainforest

Lounging about in the Treehouse

2010-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Take a teeny tiny interior and add a ships ladder so you can walk indoors to the second level, and there will be much pondering as to how to set up a sitting area.

The glass door to the left goes to the outdoor shower. By the time we knew the builder/designer had the doorway in mind, it was too late to arrange a full walkway from the deck that stops at the hobbit door you see by the lamp across to the shower deck on the left. I had been visualizing a built in lounge taking up that full corner, a place where ten year olds could sleep or full grown adults could stretch out with their feet on a pair of those black ottoman squares you can see there between the red chairs.

A drive around the island to Kona netted us these versatile chairs at Costco. Living in a place such as this island in the middle of the ocean, you quickly learn that there are few sources for furniture. We have a couple of teak importers, an upscale place with truly lovely and somewhat pricey things, and less than a handful of other sources, one being Costco. These chairs were perfect. Leather does well in this climate, and stands up to heavy use. Red is fun, and brings the color of the lehua and anthurium flowers into the house. The little seats can be pushed together for snuggling. The ottoman can be a table or foot rest. Here, the chairs are oriented for watching movies on the small wall TV, looking out the french doors, and watching the fireplace. That fluffy patch of white is a sheepskin in front of the fire.

We are finding it cozy and sweet, especially when the rainforest is receiving its rain - sitting inside with some slack key music playing and the fire going, conversation, some hot cocoa.

Treehouse Eats

2010-02-26T18:07:00.000-08:00

In contemplating how other people would use the treehouse, I imagined most guests would choose to eat out most meals, and perhaps have breakfast in. Now that a few people have stayed there, it turns out to be different than anticipated.

First, let me say that there are restaurants right in Volcano that do great dinners. And those who stay more than three nights are generally ranging all over at least the east side of the island. Nevertheless, eating in and up in the trees seems to be fairly frequent. Toward that end, here are some uses of local produce and more that work fine in the treehouse food prep area, which is quite petite.

The flowers on the right are nasturtiums. These are from the side of the road near the golf course in Volcano. They are quite edible, and add a tang like arugula to salads and sandwiches. I also use them to prepare potatoes in the skillet. And they are pretty on the plate, as a garnish. Skillet potatoes, made with all local ingredients, use local potatoes - red or purple or yellow or white, maui onions, shallots, mushrooms, nasturtiums, spinach, sliced yellow squash. The olive oil comes from far away. The salt is local. Potatoes are cooked first in the microwave, as if baked. Then chopped. Saute over medium heat with chopped everything else. This meal is done when the potatoes have golden crispiness to them, and everything else is unrecognizable. This is very tasty. If you like, you can add some of Farmer Market Ron's kalua pork for protein.

Small segue to the Farmer's Market - this happens every Sunday morning very early. Suggested buys: Lisa's Kau coffee, the vegetarian lasagne, local spinach and other greens, including gardener Grant's arugula and basil. Tangerines, papayas, mangoes, lilikoi, pineapple. Locally ranched grass fed beef. Fish if the fish guy is there - an iffy thing. Ron's Hawaiian foods are all scrumptious. His haupia in the tiny container is a perfect serving for one - and for a dollar, how can you go wrong? Sometimes there is lilikoi haupia, and that is amazing. The bread from the guys who make the breakfast sandwiches is the very best. The pastries ... mmmmm. The fresh fruit and vegetables here are pretty much as good as it gets, anywhere. They are so good you don't need fancy preparation - just saute or grill, or just slice and eat.

Soup: Here on the mountain, soup is a great thing to come home to. You can make it before, and get it out and warm it up when you come in. The vegetables from the Farmer's Market include delicious roots for a great soup base. The herb guy sells fresh bundles for a dollar. His parsley is like a bouquet. Saute diced parsley and mushrooms with maui onions and shallots for your base. Add water, and diced root veggies. When those are soft, add the greens. Salt and serve. For something more robust, add some barley. You may be able to find flat toasted barley in the health food store. Or your favorite beans. If you eat meat, chicken is a good addition. We have variations on the soup theme year round here. Very very good after a day at the volcano.

Fish: Local fish is extremely good. There is a store in Hilo that sells just fish - Suisun. If it is daunting to look at the scales, eyes and tail, try one of our markets: KTA in Hilo, or in Keau'u, Foodland. Ahi and tombo tuna are frequently found at great prices, and taste great sliced with shoyu, some sliced ginger, wasabi, mae ploy, and sambal oelek. No cooking needed - this local treat is called poke. It's the Hawaiian version of sashimi. You can find seaweed too that can be chopped and tossed with this. It's great served with sliced avocado and papaya, and a pile of rice. For fish you saute, nothing is better than opakapaka. This is a pink snapper, and as tasty and delectable as lobster. Other local fishes that are easily prepared in the little saute pan in the treehouse are ono and mahi mahi.

These suggestions are just for starts - the food on this island is delightfully delicious, without much seasoning at all. Your mouth will be happy. Coming up one of these days: island pastas! yummy yum yum.

Orchids in the Trees

2010-02-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about living here in the rainforest is that orchids of various kinds grow right in the trees.

There are also ground orchids, growing in clusters, some with big showy spikes of flowers, that have a delicious scent.

These lovely flowers prefer a cool climate and just a little morning sun. They seem to like the rain. There are several plants in the trees, and they re-bloom beautifully.

Others that are glorious are miltoniopsis. Also fragrant, with many strands of flowers that fall in graceful arcs from the plants. They also rebloom, year after year, sometimes twice a year.

There are only a couple of orchids that are indigenous to this island, but many varieties are grown and developed here. Akatsuka Orchids in Volcano is a grower with such fame that tour buses actually make a stop going to or from Kilauea Volcano at their greenhouse showplace. They keep a basket of orchid flowers by the door with hairpins so you can pin them in your hair, or take home a few for your tiki drinks.

A plethora of orchids - does this phrase not have a lovely ring?

Dining al fresco at the Treehouse

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One thing about a treehouse is the trees determine a lot about the shape and size of the space you have to work with. It is possible to bring this table and chairs inside, and also easy enough to sit on the red chairs inside to share a meal, perhaps while watching a lava film from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the small screen. The trees wouldn't let us put a dining room under the indoor roof. The trees know what the trees want.

But for a room with a view. there is not another like this lanai in the treetops, where you sit above the hapu'u ferns and watch the honeycreepers. Of an afternoon the weather is often mild enough to sit out in light weight clothes, your meal accompanied by birdsong. Even in the evening, with the stars all around and house lights shining like lanterns in the forest, a hoodie or sweater will keep you cozy in the tropical night.

There is a gas grill out there for preparing your meal. We like to use large kaffir lime leaves between the food and the grill. Whether you have some local fish or delicious vegetables from the organic farms nearby, the leaves impart their citrus oils to the food, help keep it moist as it grills, and add flavor and fragrance to such a degree that you may need no other seasoning, not even salt. Enjoy with a bottle of Volcano wine from the winery a couple miles the other side of the park gates, and you are enjoying the taste of Volcano as if this was your home.

The Aloha Gate

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The Aloha gate welcomes you to the pavilion in the rainforest. This is the driveway onto the grounds.

After you enter the gate, you pass beneath a canopy of graceful hapu'u ferns. Soaring over them is the forest of ohias. The sounds you hear are the birds.

Below the hapu'u are anthuriums and a carpet of moss. Orchids adorn the hapu'u, spilling their cascades of blooms and wafting fragrance along the pathway.

When the wedding celebration includes a treehouse stay, we transport the couple back and forth in our foresty Big Island Land Rover. There will be photographs.

This is the part of the rainforest where romance blooms. It is said that when Pele honors your choice of each other, the red and yellow lehua blossoms are forever united on a single tree, any tears will dissolve into laughter, and the Ha or breath between you will be forever sweet.

The Outdoor Shower

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Part of the fun of Hawaii is being able to shower out of doors. The shower at the treehouse is on the first level up, so you look down at the mid canopy and tops of the tree ferns while you shower.

The cable that you see in the photo on the left is part of the Garnier Limb structure that holds the house up in the trees.

This shower is comfortably big enough for two, and has a door back into the house so if there happened to be a drenching downpour of rain in addition to your shower water, you can quickly return to the comfort of dry. Usually storms with heavy downpours do not last so long that you would be forced to shower in one, although it might be worth trying just to feel the different temperatures and textures of the water hitting your skin at the same time.

The Wedding Bed

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This is the sweet little bedroom viewed from its lanai, through the french doors. On the rights, next to the wall, is the trap door. The trap door is about two feet by two feet, and goes under a very large support beam that effectively reduces that dimension somewhat. This matters when you want to bring anything bulky to the second level. Of course, having to heft anything bulky up into the treehouse to begin with can be daunting. And of course where it really mattered in terms of our honeymoon suite was the bed - how do you fit a queen sized bed through a hole like that?

During the building process, we anticipated hoisting the bed over the lanai, and left railing off the side for a long time to make that a bit easier. I'd go stand on the lanai and stare down at the trees, and wonder how the bed was ever going to make it into the bedroom.

One of our friends suggested an airbed, and we tried it for a bit. The airbed is easy to bring in and set up, but air naturally wants to find a way out. I have never met an airbed yet that kept its air. Being offgrid, the idea of having to keep the bed plugged in felt just plain wrong.

The kind of bed I really wanted up there was a memory foam kind, with a nice solid base. The memory foam folds and rolls so it readily brought through the trap door, but how to get a solid base in there? Would we build it in situ?

Looking at beds online, I found a modular bed. It came in segments that fit together, with a mattress cover zipped around the whole thing. Eureka! It for sure seemed worth ordering, as the memory foam would forgive whatever lacked in the modular system. Then from an entirely different source came the bedframe that doubled as a box spring that you assemble yourself.

And that is how we fit a queen sized bed with a nearly conventional underpinning through the trap door.

Honeymoon in a Treehouse

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There is a romance to intimate spaces. Their very smallness brings people closer. When the small space is lifted into the trees, it becomes a human nest.

The treehouse is not the same as a ground house lifted as if by levitation into the trees, but a structure built into the trees themselves. Support elements called Garnier Limbs are bolts designed specifically to make the structure a part of the living trees themselves. The trees continue to grow around the bolts.

This treehouse is built over a lava tube, where centuries past, the liquid lava poured out of Kilauea Volcano, and bubbled up. Sometime during the cooling process, the bubble collapsed, and trees grew where their roots had aeration. Mosses and ferns cling to the sides, where water drips down from the misty rainforest atmosphere.

A cedar hot tub is seated on a platform settled on the lava tube, and rising into the first deck. This hot tub is perfect for two. In the day time, you are surrounded by birds. At night, the stars wink through the canopy not just overhead, but all around you, up high on the mountain.

This small space has a lot of built in romance, and even a hammock for two out the front, down below.

Hula on the Big Island

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April 4 - 10 2010 is the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo. The central event is the hula competition, taking place over Friday and Saturday nights.

This is a rare opportunity to watch performances by hula halaus from all over the United States. The kumus or hula teachers are each from a particular lineage, where they pass along the style and stories from their teachers, who learned it from theirs, and so on. A kumu can trace her or his history back for generations.

The halau is more than a dance studio. It is a repository of Hawaiian culture and practice, where the old Hawaiian culture is perpetuated and practiced through arts and crafts, language, story telling, and the dance that is hula.

There are two Hawaiian styles of hula: traditional kahik0 that includes chanting and drums, and 'auana, the more modern hula accompanied by song and slack key guitar and other instruments.

If you are thinking of planning a trip to the Big Island, and Hawaiian culture interests you, you may wish to include this festival in your itinerary, along with a stay in or near Hilo for the event.

http://www.merriemonarchfestival.org/event_info.html

What is different about an Eco-stay?

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If the greenest thing about the hotel you choose is the little sign on the bed that suggests they can skip laundering your sheets and towels each night, chances are you have not experienced a truly green vacation stay.

Getting away from life as you know it can involve opportunities to experience regular day to day living in a whole different way, at the same time as you relax and renew your spirit.

At the treehouse in the rainforest, we have built your experience from the ground up, using green technology. You will be aware of the difference from the moment you repack your bags into backpacks to walk through the rainforest and up into the treehouse: roller bags are great for airports, but not so for the forest.

The ascent would require an elevator if this was a hotel, but you will climb up. It isn't particularly arduous, but if you do it several times a day while you are here, you might find yourself tightening your belt a notch or even two.

Water is not piped in or out - rather than a sewer system or a septic system that has destroyed a swimming pool sized section of the forest, there is a composting toilet and rainwater catchment.

The hot tub is heated by a chofu. Electricity is from a battery bank, solar panels, and a generator.

The treehouse itself is built using treehouse technology. State of the art garnier limbs support the structure within the trees. The building materials are recycled from a church that was torn down and are sustainably farmed bamboo.

If you are interested in booking a treehouse stay, contact us at leleimua@yahoo.com.

A Wedding Plus the Rest of your Dreams

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A quick and easy wedding doesn't have to have all the romance of a dinner out of the frozen food case.

Your wedding doesn't have to cost more than the car you wish you had.

If you have ever thought about whether you could get away with an elopement wedding, this is what you can have at Rainforest Weddings. Romance, a triple digit price tag, privacy, photographs of yourselves in glorious natural settings, and a ceremony befitting a storybook couple. You will end up believing in happily ever after.

If you want some of your friends along, there is room in the pavilion for up to 24 people. If you'd prefer a simple intimate supper for two with a guitar player and candlelight, we will arrange it, with the cuisine of your choice.

We even have packages: two nights in the treehouse, transportation back and forth, two to three hours of photography in locations nearby, your ceremony complete with cake and wedding toast, and dinner for two at your choice of locations: the rainforest pavilion or Kilauea Lodge.

If you want something special, just ask. We are not about production weddings, and we are about romance and adventure, and offering you the opportunity to have a stress-free wedding in a location that is a natural sanctuary.

For more photographs, see our facebook pages and become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Volcano-HI/Rainforest-Weddings/267649672893?v=wall

mahalo nui loa!

Through the Moongate

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To reach the treehouse, walk through the moon gate

Follow the forest path to the ascent over the ancient lave flow, up the lava tube. Hold tight to the bamboo rails and climb to the first level.

The moongate is the answer to our vision of a portal to a magical place. The treehouse in Pele's forest is built in the trees growing out of a lavatube. It began as our fantasy, and then grew into the expression of the designer and architect, Roderick Romero.

Roderick incorporated the elements we brought over to the project - the stained glass windows, the carved doors. The builders adapted his design to fit the trees, and what was to have been two rooms connected by an outdoor stairway became two stories of the same structure with an interior ladder.

Bamboo entered the picture. We were excited to use a sustainable material, in addition to the recycled lumber that eventually became the floors and siding. Bamboo is time consuming to work with, due to its curvy irregularities.

Once the structure itself was in place, we took over the project and its thousand and one finish necessities. Although we are here in Hawaii, we are at significant elevation, in the forest, and it can be chilly. It was when we finally put in the heating stove that the little house in the trees really felt like a cozy sweet place.

E komo mai, we invite you through the portal of the moongate, into the treehouse, available for romance!

E Komo Mai

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E Komo Mai

Aloha and welcome to Rainforest Weddings.

The photo above is of our pavilion in the rainforest near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The pavilion can be the location for your ceremony and celebration, if you keep it intimate.

We also offer a honeymoon cottage in the trees, a playhouse complete with cedar hot tub and memory foam bed, down a secret path in an old growth forest of ohia and giant hapu'u ferns.

You can choose to have a wedding, another sort of celebration, a celebration and a treehouse stay, or just a treehouse stay.

The pavilion holds up to 24 people for the celebration, and the treehouse sleeps two.

Our concept is simple: An ultra romantic place to get married and honeymoon, with adventure all around. The costs are simple too: $750 will cover the celebration, including orchids leis for the celebratory couple, the ceremony, blowing of the triton shell, music, photographs on a disc, cake and a wedding toast. $1000 covers two nights in the treehouse, transportation to and from the pavilion from the treehouse, and the celebration as described.

For those who want a catered supper, we will help you arrange that.

Extra flowers are available, but they are redundant, as orchids and other epiphytes grow in the trees around the pavilion. Special leis, including maile and head leis are available. Live music is available.

If you are interested, please contact us through this blog, or for more information, visit our facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Volcano-HI/Rainforest-Weddings/267649672893?v=wall