Island to Island

What a great night! Amazing food, fantastic drinks, and wonderful company. We were so excited to see you all come together to support the Hokule'a's voyage and to celebrate the Polynesian community here in New York City.

​Kalepa Baybayan even sent us a special message from the Hokule'a's stop in Cuba:

​Missed the event? Or just want to learn more about the vendors and donors? Here's everyone who participated!

The food and drinks

Noreetuh provided the incredible food. From giant bowls of truffle taro chips around the room to crowd favorites kalua pig and poke, big scoops of rice, ono teriyaki chicken, veggie lo mein, and kim chee, there was no shortage of delicious food. Noreetuh staff lovingly hovered over the food all night, offering explanations to the uninitiated and comraderie with those excited to see the foods they miss from home.  (We're also proud to have the distinction of being their first event which such enthusiasm for the spam musubis.)

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Julie Reiner designed our two all-you-can-drink signature cocktails, and Tom, our wonderful bartender, batched them up and garnished each one. Here are the recipes:

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Island to Island
2 oz white rum
.5 oz pineapple
.75 oz ginger
.75 oz lime
Dash Ango
Lime wheel ginger candy

Pacific Swizzle
2 oz vodka infused w/ herbal tea (rosehip, hibiscus, lemongrass).
.5 Lime juice
.75 Simple Syrup
.25 Passion fruit puree
Garnish: orchid

Koloa Rum Company donated the rum in the Island to Island. Their award-winning, premium, single-batch Hawaiian rum is produced at their distillery near Kalaheo, Kaua`i.

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OCEAN Organic Vodka donated the vodka in the Pacific Swizzle. Their superior organic, value-added agricultural product supports the local economy, and raises awareness for ocean conservation.

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The entertainment

Andy Wang and Jason Poole originally planned to play for a bit each, but so enjoy playing together, they spent the whole night as a duo. And lucky for us! Between Andy's nahenahe slack key and Jason's soulful singing, we had a beautiful night of Hawaiian classics to remind us of home and bring the tropics to a midtown lounge.

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Ori Manea Tahitian Dance School brought the crowd to their feet with a lovely aparima and an exciting ote'a. Catch videos of their performance here! They offer classes, so if you've been thinking of dusting off some rusty hips or learning something brand new, come join them. 

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The silent auction

Mark Cunningham donated this signed sculpture called "Go Surf Now," with a special Hokule'a shout out on the back. It's going to look great hung up in someone's home. 

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All the ladies in the house were admiring Raimana Cowan's Kakura silk gown. And the lucky lady who picked it up has two even luckier daughters who'll get to fight over who'll wear it first.

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Curb Your Aloha sent these awesome hats and t-shirts to spread a little aloha to the Big Apple. 

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Kulani Fernandez who opened the the first Waikiki pick-a-pearl stand in 1976 went on to own many jewelry shops before retiring last year. She sent us these beautiful pieces, which we're looking forward to seeing on the ears, necks, and wrists of attendees at our future events!

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MiNei Designs' Katye Killibrew sent us a stunning freshwater pearl with Tahitian pearl drop necklace in handwoven taupe silk. She makes each of her pieces by hand, and we were excited to see this one of a kind piece go to a good home at silent auction. 

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Cultivate Hawai'i donated these gorgeous sets of dishtowels. We don't know how anyone's going to bring themselves to wipe anything with them. 

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Chef Ed Kenney of TOWN, Kaimuki Superette, and Mud Hen Water sent over these gift certificates to his awesome restaurants. Someone's going to have a few great meals when they get back to Hawaii.

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Pacifica donated baskets full of cosmetics, candles, and other luxuries. They generously sent us enough that we could make a few!

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We also want to send a special shout out to Amanda Romero our photographer at the event! Check out more of her images of this great event:

And we want to thank YOU ALL for being there! New York City is a busy place, and we're honored you chose to spend the night with us. Your donations will help us get the word out about the Hokule'a's arrival here in June and help make the arrival a memorable event for everyone. 

If you weren't able to attend, but still want to support our efforts, you can donate and find other ways to get involved at our Hokule'a in NYC resource center.