Sunday, October 29, 2017

Visiting the North Shore Soap Factory: Everything local, organic and hand-made with Aloha

Courtesy: NSSF

Nested midst the majestic Waianae mountains, on the North Shore of Oahu lies the sleepy town of Wailua. It is located just a few miles from the historic town of Haleiwa and was famous for the Waialua Sugar Mills.

Waialua Sugar Mills were established about 1898 by William Hooper and accounted for nearly 8% of sugar produced in Hawaii. But the old sugar mill complex was abandoned when operations stopped in 1996, and is now home to Waialua coffee plantation and North Shore Soap factory and many other local artisan people displaying variety of local products.




The old sugar mill gear 

The North Shore Soap Factory is located in the Bagasse bin and houses the Hawaiian Bath & Body works, selling a wide array of home products- bath-body and skin care range. The unique company was started by Debora & Jerry Driscoll some 20 plus years back when they started making soaps from their home in Pupukea and eventually moved into the old sugar mill building in 2004 as the business boomed and the products acclaimed international and national fame.


Debora & Jerry Driscoll family



Courtesy:NSSF

The products are organic, natural and locally sourced and have the tropical scents such as pineapple, coconut cream, kukui nut, mango, Hawaiian coffee, Pupukea tangerines, Waikane ginger root, Maui sugar and Big Island honey and guava. Kukui Nut and Macadamia Nut oils are carefully blended with essential oil and tropical island flavors creating bars that are skin and ocean friendly.



Kukui Nut


Once in the parking lot, follow the little painted rubber duckies to the entrance.

The entire set-up has a rustic, old-world charm, with giant deserted gears from the old mill at the entrance to the soap factory. As soon as you step into the open warehouse like area of the soap factory, you are surrounded by the tropical smells of soap and the aroma is so tempting you will want to eat it.

Get other Hawaiian bath and body products


The rubber duckies

The Waiting area 

Old sugar mill 

The Bagasse Bin

The entrance to the soap room

you can stamp the soap 

The old sugar mill and ocean 


As you sniff your way through the shop,you stumble upon loads of bars of soap bars in various sizes, color and aroma tastefully displayed.

The visitors also see a collection of historic artifacts and photos with a soap stamping station and amazing number of rubber duckies in all shapes, sizes and color.

To the left of the display is a glass partition and visitors can see the soap being mixed, swirled, cut and boxed through the glass panel. There are  many rows of brightly colored soaps in various stages of drying and huge slabs of soaps ready to be cut into custom sizes.

Customers can choose from $1 slivers to fancy gift-packs and other bath products like lip balms, scrubs, oils, body mists, bath salts, body lotions and soap stands. Customers can get their soaps stamped into any island style logos of their choice after purchase. They can save money by buying the unboxed soaps.

The Lip Balms with macadamia and kukui nut oils, organic coconut oil and just the right amount of locally sourced organic beeswax from Big Island are huge customers favorite. They help protect and moisturize your lips. You can choose from eight varieties to soothe, soften, and protect delicate tissue from the harsh elements.

Visitors can also buy a variety of chocolates produced in Hawaii, drinks produced in Hawaii, t-shirts, and beach bags.


coffee at the soap factory 

The company also produces special soaps and lip balms for weddings. Visitors can sometimes watch the artist through the window hand stamping these products with special logos. Visitors can also sometimes watch artists creating special artwork to be stamped onto these bars and balms.
They have a sink at the back of the store to try the different soaps and scrubs.

Visitors can also get a customized, behind the Behind-the-Scenes tour from Tuesday through Friday to learn more about the soap making and it’s also a great family activity. The duration of the tour is 20-30 minutes, and accommodates Min: 2 people; Max: 15 people and costs $12 per person; well behaved kids 4 & under are free.



variety of soaps 

variety of soaps 

The soap bar 

Bath tiles 

soaps 

soaps

the rainbow soap and duckies

soaps 

Bath accessories

stamping the soap

customized stamping of soap

Loofah 

Hours:
 Open daily (except for New Year's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day
Monday - Friday: 9am - 6pm
Saturday: 8:30am - 6pm
Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Address: 67-106 Kealohanui St, Waialua, HI 96791
Phone: 808-637-8400



Directions to North Shore Soap Factory


Sunday, October 22, 2017

Halawa Xeriscape Garden: A place for lovers of unthirsty plants


The Halawa Xeriscape Garden displays a group of plants collectively called as Xeric or dry in a residential scale setting. It was opened in September 1989, after several years of effort by the Board of Water Supply (BWS), to educate Oahu residents on ways to conserve water and still have a beautiful garden and landscaped areas.

The term Xeriscaping was coined in the American Southwest and describes a creative and new way of saving water by planning your garden accordingly.

This unique demonstration garden is situated in Aiea, on the island of Oahu. People can familiarize themselves with kinds of plants that require less water and irrigation techniques, landscaping ideas  to make more efficient use of water.




The term Xeriscaping is based on seven fundamental principles that can guide you to plant and maintain a xeriscape garden.

Seven Principles of Xeriscaping

1. Planning and Design
 Plan and design landscapes for water conservation
 Work with existing surroundings and utilize plants that are appropriate for the area.

2. Limit Turf Areas
 Minimize unnecessary turf areas which require more water and maintenance.
 In the areas where turf is utilized, use the appropriate grass for the area.

3. Soil Improvements
 Improve the quality of your soil by adding organic matter such as compost or manures.
 Soil amendments improve water absorption and the water-holding capacity of the soil.

4. Mulching
 Mulches protect the soil from direct sunlight which can dry out the soil.
 They minimize evaporation, inhibit weed growth and slow erosion.
 Some mulches such as wood chips break down over time and add organic matter which enriches the top soil.

5. Efficient Irrigation
 Plants should be watered early in the morning or in the evening to prevent moisture loss due to evaporation.
 Drip irrigation is one example of an efficient irrigation system.

6. Appropriate Maintenance
 Keep your plants healthy by practicing routine basic maintenance, such as proper pruning and regular pest control.
 Pests are attracted to weak or dying plants.

7. Appropriate Plant Selection
Select plants that are suited for the area to minimize water use and maintenance efforts.
Group plants that have similar water requirements
 In general, native plants require less water and maintenance.

Among the water-efficient irrigation systems demonstrated in the Halawa Xeriscape Garden are automatic timers, moisture sensors, rain shutdown devices, and low output irrigation equipment such as spray sprinkler heads, micro-spray sprinkler heads, emitters and dripper lines.

It also includes zoning the landscapes making the best use of natural climate conditions, creating microclimate zones and dividing the garden into water zones.

There is a wide range of unthirsty plants and hence the garden in divided into different sections to display the entire range.

The Hawaiian Garden showcases native Hawaiian plants that are adapted to hot and dry climate and includes attractive and readily grown species that requires far less water than the native exotics. Some of the native Hawaiian drought resistant plants are Ä€wikiwiki, Hinahina, Pohinahina, Uki ‘Uki , ‘A‘ali‘I, ‘Ilima, Naio, Koa and Lama.

Hinahina--Heliotropium anomalum

‘A‘ali‘i--Dodonaea viscosa

Kokio ke‘oke‘o--Hibiscus arnottianus

‘Ilima--Sida fallax

ÅŒhi‘a --Metrosideros spp

Koa tree 

Naio--Myoporum sandwicense


The International Garden boasts a collection of plants from the world's dry tropics. It includes newly-introduced experimental species whose reaction to varying levels of drought will be evaluated over the next several years. The introduction and evaluation program is an important aspect of the xeriscape project.

The Indian Curry leaves tree

The Cotton tree

Aakada or Calotropis gigantea

The Bromeliad Garden features a collection of "less thirsty" pineapple relatives from the tropics of the New World. This garden presents a kaleidoscopic palette of species of widely varying forms and sized for both sun and shade in the Xeriscape.




The Tree Garden is a collection of drought-tolerant tree species, including several experimental species from all over the globe.








The garden is located at 99-1268 Iwaena Street, Aiea HI 96701. Admission is free and is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Self-guided tours can be taken at any time while guided tours are offered by appointments.

The garden also holds lot of workshops throughout the year. The workshops includes instruction on how to xeriscape, efficient irrigation, propagating native plants that save water, soil improvement/mulching, lei-making with xeriscape plants, and wreath-making with xeriscape plants, among others.  You can call on (808) 748-5041 to get more information.

Driving directions to Hlawa Xeriscape Garden





The garden also holds regular events like Garden Open House and Unthirsty Plant Sale. Less-thirsty plants for sale included the Hoya, Talinum, Resnova, Stephanotis and many other drought-tolerant succulents. Keikiscapes are snapshots of activities done by Hawaiian keiki on open house day.


Free Xeriscape Seeds
Every first Wednesday of the month, Halawa Xeriscape Garden offers free xeriscape seeds. The packets can be picked up on Wednesdays or Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m



The Friends of Halawa Xeriscape Garden (FOHXG) is a non-profit community organization dedicated to educational programs that promote water conservation on the landscape. Established in 1989, the Friends have continued to provide support through volunteers and educational activities for the Garden's landscape water conservation program.




The Cacti 

Unthirsty trees