The lovely Nat Dunn is in this week for The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot. We also head out for a day in the mountains to one of the best boutique festivals Queensland has to offer, the Red Deer Festival. It offers BYO booze, free onsite camping and you can even bring your whole lounge suite in to plonk on the hill and watch the show! The versatile local line up included The Grates, Kingswood, Chance Waters, The Kite String Tangle and Bec Laughton. See the highlight photos below.
Check it all out in this week’s issue of The Music #005.
Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets or read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane
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Red Deer Festival
Complete gallery here and here.
Dame Reggaeton rolled back through town again last month, selected shots from Dame Reggaeton here.
This week for The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot we have a beats maker with a name that conjures up the same woeful heartbreak as “single balloon floating away” and “lone infant sock”, The Kite String Tangle <\3! Collect yourself and read about him in this week's issue of The Music #004.
Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets or read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane
For most, the main reason to head over to the East coast aka the Windward shore is the Kualoa Ranch movie site tour, which is a famous location for movies such as Jurassic Park and 50 First Dates. While some of the off road activities are appealing, its essentially just rain forest and grass with a few pieces of memorabilia, a far cry from a working production set some may be hoping for. There are however, plenty of other things to see and do, along with kilometers of beaches fair less busy than those on the west coast.
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Nuuanu Pali lookout
On the way to the east coast via the winding forest roads of the cross country Pali Highway, take a quick stop at the Nuuanu Pali lookout. This will help you understand why they call it the Windward shore, windward being a severe understatement! Even on an otherwise quite warm day of mid to high 20s weather it was quite cold thanks to the wind chill factor dropping temps easily by 10-15C! Needless to say, a jacket is a must, ideally a softshell will give you the most comfort and protection.
The view however is worth a short bit of discomfort overlooking the valleys towards Kaneohe and the ocean.
There is no cost for entry but there is also no free parking for tourists (locals just need to show proof of residency). The $3 fee apparently has only come about in the last couple years, its a bit of a greedyy since there’s no facilities or anything else justifying the cost for a short 15-30min visit but worth it none the less.
If you have time to kill there is a hiking path leading down from the lookout point or to make a day of it, head to near by Manoa Falls. Just be warned that the falls aren’t really falls any more after a landslide a couple years back but terrain may have once again changed since this was written.
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Byodo-in Temple
The Byodo-in Temple is a little north of Kaneohe nestled in lush rolling foothills. It is a commemorative replica of the same temple in Japan and features Japanese gardens, bridge and koi pond with literally thousands of koi carp. The place also lays its claims to fame with appearances in Hawaii 5-0 and Lost.
The grounds aren’t overly big so you wont need more than an hour of slow strolling to cover it.
Entrance fee is $3 for adults but at least here you know that money is going to the maintenance of the grounds and not pocket lining!
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Windward mall
Image courtesy of Oahu Paradise Homes
Windward mall
On the way down to Sealife park the only major shopping stop is the Windward mall. While quite sizable, there is little variation in the stores and probably for the most part can be skipped over if you already hit the big centers on the west coast. One store however that made the stop more than worthy was Sears. Normally it falls into the “killing time” category for us with its Myer/David Jones assortment of stock but this particular store was more like an outlet version with almost everything on sale or at clearance prices. Brands and content read more like parts of a Karmaloop catalogue with Dickies, Southpole, Zoo York, Levis, Lee, Carhartt and a bunch of business attire basics undoubtedly from their incorporated chain, KMart. A great stop for the ladies as well with heavily discounted underwear and swimwear.
Oh, I lied when I said there was no reason to stop.. they have a Wetzel’s Pretzels 😉
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Sea Life Park
Sea Life Park made the list for two main reasons, swimming with the dolphins and the Chief’s Luau.
The almost obligatory claim to fame is 50 First Dates – seriously that movie is like a walking billboard for Tourism Hawaii! There were no penguins in Hawaiian shirts but the dolphin we swam with was in the movie! Real down to earth guy too, you wouldn’t pick it from the obnoxious character he plays on screen 😉
– Dolphin swimming
Want to mingle with celebrities? Well you know you gotta drop some coin to let them know how you roll! Luckily costs are available on their website and you don’t need to leave a Benjamin for the “help”. Take your swim wear, cos, you know, you’ll be swimming (more like wading and fighting the powerful currents stirred up from the dophin’s wake). There are a couple change room areas, there’s even one in the briefing area so you don’t have to arrive in your swim gear. The staff along with a short video will explain everything pretty clearly and there’s really not much else to it.
Travel tip: A note to those with piercings, you will be asked to remove them so if you have a face full of metal you may want to get a start on that before hand. Girls, if you have something like a belly button ring, wearing a one piece may help you avoid having to remove it, but they are very strict and rightly so to protect ocean friends.
Photo tip: since you cant take anything into the pool, let alone a camera, photos are taken by staff and sold at the usual exuberant theme park prices. The shots look like they’re taken on full auto, with no colour correction which leaves you looking a nice shade of sea sick green! So its best to get someone in your group that isn’t swimming to snap some shots for you (or maybe sweet talk a stranger into emailing some to you). Spectators are free to move around outside of the barrier so a good angle wont be too hard to find.
The rest of the park houses the usual aquatic life from small tanked fish and sea life to large compounds with seals and penguins.
If you purchased one of the value combo deals which includes the Chief’s Luau, its just a short walk from the gift shop. Those hip shaking good times are up next!
As always, if you have any questions about our adventures or where to buy something, just hit us up on the Soulbridge Media facebook page.
Hawaii 2012 part #1 – Arrival
Hawaii 2012 part #2 – Waikiki
Hawaii 2012 part #3 – Honolulu shopping – Part A
Hawaii 2012 part #4 – The Big Island – Volcano tour
Hawaii 2012 part #5 – Shopping Honolulu – part B
Hawaii 2012 part #6 – Tattoo Honolulu / Boardshorts: A Perfect Fit art exhibits
Hawaii 2012 part #7 – Pearl City area
Hawaii 2012 part #8 – Swap meets and Made in Hawaii festival
Hawaii 2012 part #9 – Cook offs and Car shows
Hawaii 2012 part #10 – North shore
Hawaii 2012 part #11 – Windward shore and Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #12 – Chief’s Luau at Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #13 – South shore – Diamondhead crater, Hanauma bay
Rising roots superstar and all round nice guy, Bobby Alu, brings his uke’ and island vibes to our The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot this week.
Read about him in this week’s issue of The Music #003.
Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets or read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane
We have polarising opposites this week with Darkc3ll bringing the number of the dark beast in for The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section cover shoot and then we go all the way to the other end of the scale for Clare Bowditch @ The Hifi with her special brand of acoustic folk mixed with a spot of stand up! More photos from her gig below.
Check them both out in this week’s issue of The Music #002.
Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets or read current and back issues online @ The Music magazine – Brisbane
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Clare Bowditch @ The Hifi
Home to any number of clichés, movies, tv shows and the stereotypical surfer lifestyle is Hawaii’s North shore with rolling waves on one side and lush rainforests on the other.
Getting there
Its not particularly a long drive with an average car run taking under an hour but it really depends on the traffic which can go from “Sunday drive” to “LA peak hour” depending on the time of day/year.
There’s a couple different routes you can take which are about the same travel time.
The H2 to route 803 is the gps choice, you could try the 99 on the way back but you may get stuck with some local traffic on the smaller roads. Take the 750 if you’re up for the scenic route.
Travel tip: If you’re venturing up during the cooler months when the surfing comps are on, be prepared for ultimate chaos and getting no where fast..slowly!
North Shore Locale
Haleiwa – Is the major town in the area which you’ll see coming over the mountain range. Its pretty much a blip on the map but hosts more than enough amenities for tourists and locals alike with food, souvenir and surf stores dominating the landscape. This however isn’t the only stop for services, there are plenty of other places and road side vendors along the coast line.
Waimea
Bay – One of the most popular beaches in the area which means parking can sometimes be a pain during the day. Later in the afternoon sees the crowds die off
Falls Park – Is the national park home to gardens, hiking paths and even craft demos. Cost is $24 and opening/closing times vary from day to day so check the website
Valley – If you’re lucky enough to catch a sunset with some drama, this is the place to be. Sadly not the case for us!
Pupukea beach, Sunset beach, Turtle bay beach, Laniakea beach and Sharks Cove are all roughly linked together and continue up the coast line so there’s plenty to choose from when you are looking for a spot to beach, relax or swim/surf. Plenty of rock pools crop up at low tide as well which will help with interesting photos (if you have the sky to match).
Travel tip: Don’t let the scheduled daily afternoon sun showers deter you, they clear as quickly as they come, just keep a brolly handy or be within dashing distance to your car if you’ve set up a picnic.
As always, if you have any questions about our adventures or where to buy something, just hit us up on the Soulbridge Media facebook page.
Hawaii 2012 part #1 – Arrival
Hawaii 2012 part #2 – Waikiki
Hawaii 2012 part #3 – Honolulu shopping – Part A
Hawaii 2012 part #4 – The Big Island – Volcano tour
Hawaii 2012 part #5 – Shopping Honolulu – part B
Hawaii 2012 part #6 – Tattoo Honolulu / Boardshorts: A Perfect Fit art exhibits
Hawaii 2012 part #7 – Pearl City area
Hawaii 2012 part #8 – Swap meets and Made in Hawaii festival
Hawaii 2012 part #9 – Cook offs and Car shows
Hawaii 2012 part #10 – North shore
Hawaii 2012 part #11 – Windward shore and Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #12 – Chief’s Luau at Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #13 – South shore – Diamondhead crater, Hanauma bay
With celebrations well underway around the world for Casio G Shock’s 30th anniversary, we thought we’d have our own little shindig and share our love of the chunky wonders with 30 Days of G Shockin* over on our Soulbridge Media facebook page. We’ll knock up a variety of photos with colour blocking and various other items from sneakers to clothes to toys and more so check back regularly. If you haven’t liked the page yet, get over there and clicky clicky!
Happy dirty thirty you tough bastards!
* – give or take and as time permits 😉
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The Trouble with Templeton christen the very first issue of The Music Magazine’s (Brisbane) – “The Guide” section from our cover shoot this week.
We also caught Adalita of Aussie rock band Magic Dirt doing her solo thing, her sound may have mellowed but she seriously hasn’t aged at all and is still quite the fox! More photos from her gig below.
Check them both out in the inaugral issue of The Music this week issue #01 and just in case you’re having a little bit of withdrawl from Time Off, they kept the back over as a Time Off memorial, issue #1640.
Get it FREE from all the usual street press outlets or read current and back issues online @ Time Off magazine – Brisbane
Adalita @ Black Bear Lodge
Change is comin’….
Sounds of Blackness said it best, even with all the talkboxing, “Hold on, change is comin, don’t worry about a thing”. We’ve got some big changes in the works including a complete revamped of the site! We even finally got around to knocking up a new logo for the occassion 😀 Keep your peepers peeled, exciting times ahead!
