Random Acts Of Aloha

Hawaii is well known for its kind people and culture of Aloha. If you’ve been to Hawaii, you most likely have heard the word “Aloha” spoken. But, Aloha isn’t just a greeting, it’s a way of life. Whether for a short or long time spent in Hawaii on vacation, visitors experience what we at Aloha Vacation Cottages like to refer to as, Random Acts of Aloha. These are small gestures by people here in which they express their Aloha.

Have you been struck by random acts of Aloha during your Hawaii vacation or while living as a Hawaii resident?

We have, and some of our guests have told us their experiences. I’ll start this thread off with a couple of small, true stories about how I was struck by my first random “Acts Of Aloha” when I first arrived here.

Tell us your story — we’d love to add more to this page.

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I moved to Hawaii, Big Island, in 2006. I didn’t know a soul here and I arrived alone. A couple of days after, there was a tap at my back door…and a voice calling out, “Aloha”. One of my “new” neighbors came over to welcome me to Hawaii. This person immediately became my “Angel”…and friend when I most needed one. She was always thinking of me. She took me out to help me familiarize with Hawaii. We did errands together, shopping tours, sightseeing, orientation and even brought me food to try from the markets that she thought I would like. She made it her mission to make me feel welcomed and at home, in my new home.

Anete – Hawaii Island

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Shortly after moving to Hawaii, I went to the local supermarket to pick up a few items. There were 2 people ahead of me on the check out line….and one woman behind me. I didn’t notice her until I glanced at her items on the counter…she had 6 of the largest bottles of Heinz ketchup I’d ever seen [I was thinking…wow, that person must have a big family]. The petite, senior woman [Japanese] tapped me on the arm and said, “Good sale on ketchup!…Very good price for three!” I smiled at her and nodded. Then….the woman said, “Wait, I go”….and off she went. A minute later, the woman is back at my side, beaming, with 3 [very] large bottles of Heinz ketchup…for ME! She wanted me to benefit from the good deal. Of course, I accepted and thanked her…she hugged me! That was it. I felt struck again by a random act of Aloha. I paid for my items and rode away on my bicycle [basket full of ketchup].

Anete – Hawaii Island.

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At Aloha Vacation Cottages, I was staying in the Plumeria unit with my wife in February. We wanted to buy some fish for our BBQ. I went to the local fish monger, but arrived too late….it was closed and the owner was packing up her car to leave. I needed to pick up something for dinner and she told me that there was a “mini market” just across the road. The mini market didn’t have much but I found canned soup and a box of rice. Standing at the cashier, I turned around and saw the fish-monger owner was also waiting on line. She glanced at my items. I told her that I found something for dinner. Then, she said, “Wait…don’t pay, yet.” She left the mini market. Retuning a minute later, she handed me a sealed container that felt cold. She told me it was fresh made Ahi poke [Hawaiian tuna] made with citrus, sesame and herbs. She said, “It will be better with rice. Better than the soup!” She wanted nothing in return…just told me to enjoy the dinner. I was amazed by this kindness and didn’t know what to think. When I got back “home” to Plumeria, Anete told me that I had just been struck by a random “Act Of Aloha”.

Linda and Tom – Canada

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We were walking to the trail head at Polulu Valley when a guy in parked pick up truck called to us. My husband and I went over to him [thinking he needed help]. He told us that he was just “enjoying the view and would probably be there when we came back up”…so we could use the walking sticks he had in the truck. Turned out they were really useful on the steep and rocky trail. When we came back up from the hike, we thanked him and all he said was, “Aloha”.

Holly and Charles – USA/CA

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We stopped to gaze at the view along the road. Another car came a few minutes later and parked behind us. The fellow poked his head out to see if we needed any help. We said that we were okay…just enjoying being in Hawaii. He gave us the “shaka” sign, said “Aloha”…and drove off. We just thought that was very considerate to see if we were alright.

Petra and Wolf – Germany/Hamburg

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It was getting too hot to sit by the water so we decided to walk a little bit where there were some houses by the coastline. There was low hanging fruit hanging over some private fences but we didn’t want to take anything, but we stopped to admire and take a few photos. We continued walking and when we turned around to go back, we came to the house again with the fruit trees. And, there was a man who gave us an empty bag, to help ourselves. He said, “Aloha. Share my fruits. There are avocado, oranges and mangoes. Enjoy.”, and he walked back to his house.

Anita and Simon – Toronto/Canada

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Tell us your story — we’d love to add more to this page.