New Zealanders see bright side

The luxurious ocean liners that normally dock next to Aloha Tower have been replaced temporarily by military vessels. The two warships are part of the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises, and belong to New Zealand.

The vessels are expected to remain at Aloha Tower until July 11 — the only foreign contingent barred from berthing at Pearl Harbor due to a port-denial incident between the U.S. and New Zealand nearly 30 years ago.

"We’re not complaining," one New Zealand sailor said of being closer in town. "This is the biggest thing we’ve done in a long time."

Waikiki, here they come.

No. 7 comes with mitigating factors

Let’s put the best face on this, shall we?

Hawaii placed seventh best in a list of 30 coastal states for the water quality at its beaches, a report issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council said. Considering the premium we put on idyllic surroundings, beauty, purity and the like — all great attributes for tourism posters — that could be seen as a disappointing grade. Of the country’s 200 most popular beaches, for example, 12 received the council’s five-star rating. And none were in Hawaii.

But remember, this is about water quality. Nearly 400 public beaches were tested, and 4 percent of water samples exceeded national standards for pollutants.

The up side: It’s lower than the 9 percent measured in 2007. And what happened the year before? Sewage spilling into the Ala Wai. This is also the state where rubbish and medical waste overflowed to the sea.

No. 7 is starting to look OK, considering.