Meet Our Team
Our storytellers are born-and-raised locals, cultural practitioners, and seasoned adventurers dedicated to sharing the real Hawaiʻi with you.
Jim Owen
Hawaii Tourism Expert & Adventure Park Founder
Jim Owen has worked in Hawaii tourism since 1998 as a guide, concierge, tour operator and founder of Coral Crater Adventure Park. He has sailed to every main Hawaiian Island, backpacked every multi-day trail in the state and been on hundreds of tours, so when VisitHawaii.us recommends something, odds are he has done it.
Leilani Ako
Writer & Cultural Expert
The sound of trade winds rustling through coconut palms and the distant rhythm of waves breaking on reef—these are the melodies that have shaped Leilani's life on O'ahu.
Jade Kawanui
Adventure Photographer & Food Enthusiast
Picture this: sunrise breaking over Haleakalā crater while the iron-rich mud squishes like chocolate cake beneath Jade's hiking boots... That's her office.