Christine Hitt

Los Angeles

Freelance Writer and Editor at Freelance

Contributor at SFGate

Hawaiian writer from Oʻahu. Former EIC of Mana and Hawaiʻi magazines. Hawaiʻi contributing editor for @sfgate. Kamehameha and UH grad. IG: @hwnroots

Articles

Hawaiian Airlines aims to eliminate its GDS booking surcharge

6 days ago | travelweekly.com | Christine Hitt

"We are committed to making all content available without surcharges," Hawaiian CEO Joe Sprague said at the Travel Weekly Hawaii Leadership Forum on April 15. "We are working with the GDSs on this, and we'll have more to share soon.
Hawaii travel executive: 'Tourism as we have known it is over'

1 week ago | travelweekly.com | Christine Hitt

Sala was hired last September, coming to the HVCB as a business entrepreneur and educator. As president and CEO of Gravitas Pasifika, he led a boutique firm dedicated to advancing Native Hawaiian talent. Sala's hire is in line with Hawaii tourism's movement toward prioritizing the well-being of Native Hawaiians (including tourism workers), environmental protection and cultural preservation, while de-emphasizing growth in visitor numbers.
How to catch Kilauea's episodic eruptions: Travel Weekly

1 week ago | travelweekly.com | Christine Hitt

I didn't think a future trip to Kilauea would be as memorable or could possibly surpass that. But now the volcano presents another rare occasion. Since December, Kilauea has been erupting episodically — starting and stopping for a period — inside Halemaumau Crater within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The last such episode was the 17th, and the next one will likely happen soon. Episodic eruptions are uncommon; the last time the volcano did this was in 1986.
Hawaii residents fight development at famous black sand beach

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Christine Hitt

At one of Hawaii’s famous black sand beaches in Punaluu, the fight between Hawaii residents and the Punaluu Village developer continues on the southeast side of the island of Hawaii. In 2020, the developer Black Sand Beach LLC bought 434 acres of land.
Halepuna Waikiki unveils summer perks

1 week ago | travelweekly.com | Christine Hitt

Available now until Aug. 31, the program features complimentary daily experiences for every day of the week. Among the experiences are various yoga sessions as well as servings of shave ice on Tuesdays, wine on Thursdays and homemade ice cream on Fridays. "We're so excited to debut our new Sunshine Perks program, reflecting Halepuna's dedication to offering guests genuine island experiences that refresh both the body and spirit," Jay Kitashima, director of operations, said in a news release.
Hawaii volcano's fountains are rising higher as eruption continues

2 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Christine Hitt

The Island of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is wowing visitors with fountain heights not seen in over 50 years. Last month, the lava fountain reached a height of over 1,000 feet, and it could potentially do it again. Unlike some of the volcano’s past eruptions in the rift zones, the eruption is confined within the summit caldera in Halemaumau Crater, and so it’s easily viewable at different spots within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. “It’s amazing.
Hawaii volcano’s unusual eruption is reaching heights of over 1,000 feet

2 weeks ago | sacbee.com | Christine Hitt

The Island of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is wowing visitors with fountain heights not seen in over 50 years. Last month, the lava fountain reached a height of over 1,000 feet, and it could potentially do it again. Unlike some of the volcano's past eruptions in the rift zones, the eruption is confined within the summit caldera in Halemaumau Crater, and so it's easily viewable at different spots within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. "It's amazing.
After years of decline, Hawaii's population is on the rise

2 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Christine Hitt

After steadily declining since 2020, Hawaii’s population shifted in a positive direction, breaking the longtime trend, according to the United States Census Bureau’s Vintage 2024 population estimates. The estimates program provides a look at how the population is changing between decennial census years. It’s not a big increase. From July 2023 to July 2024, the state’s population increased from 1.441 million to 1.446 million — an addition of 4,759 people.
New experiences on Kauai, Maui and Oahu: Travel Weekly

2 weeks ago | travelweekly.com | Christine Hitt

Waipa Cultural Food and Farm Tours: The Kauai nonprofit Waipa Foundation is offering three new weekly tours on the island's north shore that teach guests about the land and its history. On Tuesdays, visitors on the tour, Introduction to the Ahupuaa, Its Food Systems and Waterways, spend time at Waipa's gardens and fishponds, learning about the waterways and Waipa's restoration projects.
The Hawaii food truck serving gourmet comfort food on Kauai

3 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Christine Hitt

Parked on a side street in Kapaa, Kauai, the Musubi Truck is a simple white food truck flanked by picnic tables. It honors one of Hawaii’s favorite comfort foods: the Spam musubi. While musubi are sold at countless other places, it’s unusual to see a food truck develop a full menu around it. “The idea was simple: a simple comfort food we all grew up on,” Nicolette Aguinaldo, a Kauai local and the co-owner of the Musubi Truck, told SFGATE.