Since 2012, we’ve chased the first sunset of every new year. It’s our tradition. This year, we were able to share the first sunset of 2019 with our Little Dude.
The First Hawaiian Sunset of 2019

Since 2012, we’ve chased the first sunset of every new year. It’s our tradition. This year, we were able to share the first sunset of 2019 with our Little Dude.
Every year we set out to capture the first sunset of the new year. This year was no different. The first sunset of 2018 was cool, calm, and collected.
The Exploration: Hawaii tradition of capturing the first sunset of the new year has been going strong since 2012. 2017’s first sunset was probably the clearest of the past 5 years, with no rain or heavy clouds in sight.
Traditions are a great thing to have and to keep. Photographing the first sunset of the year has become an Exploration: Hawaii tradition that I’ve kept going since 2013.
I guess that if you do one thing enough times, it becomes a tradition. It has become a tradition for Exploration: Hawaii to capture the first Hawaiian sunset of every new year. In 2012, we said hello to the new year at Waimea Bay. In 2013, we found ourselves on an empty beach in Maile. In 2014, we caught a beautiful sunset at Ko Olina. And in 2015, we ushered in the new year by driving the farthest west that we could, to Keawaula Beach on the Waianae Coast.
Lanai is closing. Sort of. On January 5, The Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele, will be closing its doors for about a year. The second major resort on the island, Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay, will also be closed for about 5 months starting June 2015.
Shooting the sunset on the first day of the new year has become somewhat of a tradition. The tradition has been around for almost as long as Exploration: Hawaii has been online. In 2012, Joel, Ryan, and I went to world famous Waimea Bay to watch the waves and the surfers riding them. In 2013, we drove out to Waianae. Heavy rains kept us away from Kaena Point, but, we did find an empty beach just on the side of Farrington Highway. This year, we decided to end the first day of the new year at Ko Olina’s Lagoon 1, located just next to the JW Marriot Ihilani Resort and Spa. The first sunset of 2014 was a wonderful sight. Here’s to hoping that everyone has a prosperous year filled with adventure and exploration.
She swept me away to Maui’s luxurious Grand Wailea. The Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is known for its winding paths, world-renown collection of art, and open-air architecture.
We arrived in Maui late in the evening, and by the time we reached the the Grand Wailea, it was already dark. The first thing that catches your eye is a large sweeping waterfall to the right of the main lobby. To the left, is a large statue of King Kamehameha by local legend, Herb Kane. Both of us were eager to jump out of our Dodge Charger to check out what the resort had to offer. I was especially excited to see what our room looked like.