Pau Hana
A
ROAR OF CONVERSATION,
laughter and live music spills from
Duke’s Barefoot Bar, an ocean-side
joint that opens onto the sand at Lihue’s
Kalapaki Beach. From the polished koa wood
bar near the front to the tropical waterfall
at the back, people fill all 100 seats, indulging
in happy-hour drinks and pupus (snacks)
like dollops of silky ahi poke (raw tuna salad)
on wonton chips, while a baby-faced guitarist-
singer covers the Eagles’ Take it easy.
At 5.30 on a Monday afternoon, it’s pau hana –
“finished work time” – at the Barefoot Bar.
Travellers to the islands often equate pau
hana with happy hour. Who wouldn’t with
all the bars and restaurants touting pau hana
specials? But the term includes far more than
bargain mai tais. “When you clock out, you’re
pau hana,” says Keala Wann, a Barefoot Bar
server and Kaua‘i native who has just ended
a shift and now sips a glass of chilled white
wine. “It’s a lifestyle thing. It’s your time to do
what you want, whether it’s going to the beach,
having a cold one or just hanging with friends.”
Wann gazes at the beach and the water beyond
where, sure enough, kama‘āina are arriving
with surfboards and coolers. A spirited
volleyball game has started, and an outrigger
club is out for a pau hana paddle.
Astheguitaristplayshislastset,Ihoistmy
maitaiandtakeasip.It’spauhanaforme,too.
Alohaandahuihou,Hawaii.
(www.dukeskauai.com;Duke’smaitai:`895)christopher hall is a San Francisco-based
freelance journalist who reports on food,
architecture and travel. His trip was
supported by GoHawaii.com.TRAVEL FOR ISLANDS HAWAII