Surf’s up on North Shore — so is the excitement

The waves fell short of the threshold to trigger an Eddie Aikau surf competition at Waimea Bay yesterday, but the potential is said to be there for the next six weeks. That has not deterred surfers from hanging around and testing waves exceeding 20 feet (the Eddie-prompter if consistently occurring), hoping Mother Nature will get them together.

Some 20,000 people watched the competition at the Eddie Aikau surf event last winter, 25 years after Aikau, a lifeguard at Waimea Bay, died in his attempt in 1978 to paddle his surfboard toward Lanai to rescue fellow Hokulea crew members. The crew was saved after being spotted by a Hawaiian Airlines pilot — and though Eddie was lost at sea, his spirit lives on in the big waves.

Get away, stay awhile in a lovely Hawaii hotel

The report from Hotwire.com about Honolulu hotels posting the largest increase in January room rates came as no surprise to those watching how rates have been kept down so visitor counts could be kept up.

But Hawaii had a reputation as a high-cost destination, it seems. Travel + Leisure Magazine’s annual America’s Favorite Cities list places Honolulu 33rd of 35 as an "affordable getaway" and 24th for room rates specifically.

Good thing we’re No. 1 for "romantic escape," "relaxing retreat" and, less predictably, as a "spring break" spot. Pricey but worth it, that’s us.