ABOUT US...

WHO ARE WE AND HOW DID WE GET TO HAWAII?

Aloha, we are Mike and Kim Crinella. We have been taken in by Hawaii’s unique history, people, and environment since we visited the islands on our honeymoon in June 1989. We made the 6,000 mile move from Massachusetts to Oahu in April 1993 and immediately took advantage of our new surroundings by becoming avid hikers and snorkelers. We find exploring the unique marine and rainforest environments fascinating and we are always striving to learn more about what we were looking at.

WHY DID WE START "A FRIEND IN THE ISLANDS"?

In 1998 we first started off with alohafriends.com which hosted information about Hawaii as well as information on things to do. We created it for our friends and family to use when planning their visits to see us and to learn about our lives in Hawaii. We started getting emails from a lot of people that found our web site who were visiting Hawaii or wanting to move to Hawaii or had a Hawaii related question. We began to expand our resource pages to include more information based on what people were sending us emails seeking.

HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HAWAII?

Since our move to the islands we have enjoyed learning about Hawaii's history through books, people we meet, and visiting historical sites around all the islands. Since moving to the Hawaiian Islands in 1993 we have explored each island: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and the Big Island of Hawaii, some only once and some many times. In 1998 we enrolled in the State of Hawaii Tour Guide Certification course at Kapiolani Community College and passed with very high marks. This course covered Hawaii’s unique cultural and natural history. Our studies covered from the time the first island was formed to modern times. We found it so enlightening to understand why places were given a certain name, what Hawaii was like prior to human arrival, what life was like for ancient Hawaiians, the history of the Royal Family, and lots of other interesting information. We are both State certified Tour Guides. We really enjoyed this class and found the information we learned useful.
We also were both weekly volunteers at the Waikiki Aquarium, Kim for over 7 years and Mike for over 5 years. We learned a lot about Hawaii's unique marine life through classes and literature provided by the Aquarium. We both worked in interactive exhibit called "Edge of the Reef" where we could show and tell visitors more about what lives in different parts of the reef.
We both have the philosophy that learning is something you do your entire life so we are always looking to learn more about the things we are passionate about, like Hawaii. We enjoy reading books about Hawaii flowers, plants, trees, birds, insects, legends, cultural information, hiking trails, vacation hot spots, etc.

HOW DID WE BEING OUR ISLAND GIFT SHOP?
We would often get emails from people visited our web site who wanted something from Hawaii or who wants to send a gift from Hawaii to someone. We decided to start an online Island Gift Shop where we could assist people in enjoying or sharing treasures from Hawaii. We registered our business name as "A Friend in the Islands" in January 1999. We have assisted thousands of people in all 50 states and all over the world enjoy and share treats and treasures from Hawaii. Our Island Gift Shop is the sole sponsor of the free Hawaii related information you find on the web site you are on right now. We have chosen not to sell ad space or pop up window advertising because we feel it is too distracting. We rely on our web site users to support our free resources by utilizing our online Island Gift Shop.

We hope you enjoy the Hawaii related information and find it entertaining and useful. It would be our pleasure to assist you in enjoying or sharing treasures from our Island Gift Shop. We ship anywhere in the USA.  Aloha~ Mike & Kim

This web site filled with FREE Hawaii theme information and resources is sponsored by our online Island Gift Shop at www.alohafriendsshop.com where you can enjoy or share treasures from Hawaii anytime and add authentic touches of Hawaii to your celebration. If you enjoy or web site and find the information useful please support our site by buying something from our online Island Gift Shop!

Disclaimer : This page was created by and is maintained by Mike & Kim Crinella. All information, graphics, and photos contained in this web site are property of Mike & Kim Crinella. If you would like to contact us with questions, orders, or to notify us of any problems while navigating through our site please email us at islandfriends@aol.com

We are NOT affiliated with any activity provider or services! We are concerned with the quality of our suggestions and welcome positive and negative feedback about our suggestions and our web site. We, Mike and Kim Crinella, and our company, "A Friend in the Islands", will not be held responsible for any accidents, loss of property, or any other misfortunes associated with information provided on this web site. 

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