Four Seasons Resort Hualālai at Historic Ka‘ūpūlehu, the first and only AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five-Star resort on Hawai‘i Island, has partnered with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods in planting up to 500,000 legacy koa trees in the native Hawaiian forest. This initiative is part of global effort of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to plant 10 Million Trees around the world, launched on the company’s 50th Birthday.

These trees, to be planted over the next few years, will significantly contribute to the reforestation of this depleted species. As “legacy” trees, they will not be harvested, and will live out their natural life in the forest. Located 34 miles (55 kilometres) north of Hilo above historic Umikoa Village, this 2,700 acre sustainable forest was once home to the koa forest of King Kamehameha I, marking a historic and sacred place on the Island.

“This important initiative shows our continued commitment to doing the right thing,” says Robert Whitfield, general manager of Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. “Our partnership will allow our employees, our guests and clients to be a part of this effort in bettering our environment and Island in particular, whether by planting one tree, or a forest of trees.”

Interested guests can visit the on-property learning kiosk called Hale o Kan u (house where planting begins) adjacent to the Resort’s Cultural Center, during their stay to meet with a representative of Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods and learn the details of the program and plant their seedling into a small tray. Guests will receive a certificate with a unique code, allowing them to follow their tree via GPS signal once it is planted in the forest. Participation fee is USD 40.00 per tree, which goes toward the planting and care of their koa seedling through the partnership with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, which supports The Nature Conservancy with a USD 1.00 contribution per tree sponsorship to support global reforestation.

The Nature Conservancy of Hawai’i, as well as the Boy Scouts Aloha Council and various government agencies, are involved in this important and valuable environmental initiative.

“Hawaii has lost over half of its native forests since human contact,” says John Henshaw, The Nature Conservancy of Hawai’i. “This partnership between Four Seasons Resort Hualālai and Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods is a step in the right direction to return the Hawaiian Forest to its former abundance.”

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Honolulu.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Honolulu.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.