The Collaboration I Didn’t Know I Needed
Of course I did not see this one coming, but now that it’s been announced, I do believe I need one.
Zippy’s
Kahala aloha shirt
Together. Available starting mid April.
hawaii
Making a Melin Collection
And… we’re off! A collection of Melin hats is now building, starting with this Odysea Hydro from the Yellow Jacket collection. Since this is a collaboration, the cost of the hat is $10 higher, but Hawaii residents are in luck.
If you shop at a Melin store in Waikiki, Maui, or Kauai, Hawaii residents get a kamaaina discount of 10%. Looks like I’ll be frequenting Waikiki a little more often now…
Melin Supports Hawaii
Melin definitely has some love for Hawaii. On a bigger scale, they’re supporting relief efforts from recent flooding with direct donations and also proceeds of sales from the Islands Collection.
On a smaller, personal scale, the local Melin stores offer kamaaina discounts of 10%. Since prices online and in-store are the same, this is a solid discount if you can make it to one of the locations in Waikiki, Maui, or Kauai.
Melin Limited Islands Collection
Melin has publicly released their Islands Collection hats in the sand camo color way. This limited edition collection is in support of Hawaii communities affected by the recent erratic Kona Low weather conditions that led to flooding across the state. A portion of each sale from the Islands Collection will go to the Lahui Foundation and Hawai’i Foodbank.
With the Limited lines, once the inventory is gone, that’s it. Usually, there won’t be any restocks or reprints so get yours today!
Help Send UH Pickleball to the 2026 Collegiate Nationals
The Pickleball Club at the University of Hawaii has qualified to play at the 2026 Collegiate National Championships in Georgia but needs your help. This is a school club, not an officially sanctioned (and funded) team so all expenses are out of the players’ own pockets.
To help with the costs, fans can donate to their GoFund me asking for $8000.
My Best Recent Investment
No, it’s not the Enhance Turbo MPP pickleball paddle, but a Tesla PowerWall system that’s been my best recent investment. We’ve been plagued with short-term and medium-term power outages quite frequently over the years, but 2025 and so far, 2026 has been even worse. The power outages typically have been lasting hours.
But all of this anxiety is now alleviated with a PowerWall battery system. Our refrigerator stays cool and the basic electrical necessities are taken care of. And this Storm Watch mode that charges the battery ahead of bad weather is a very smart feature.
Optimizing the Enhance Turbo Cost to Hawaii
So yes, the Enhance Turbo MPP is a must have paddle for the price. But like I mentioned before, that cost for Hawaii is higher due to $30 shipping. Discount codes will knock the Turbo price down from $119.99 to $99.99 with free shipping in the continental US. But Hawaii being Hawaii, getting goods here simply costs more.
However, if you order multiple Turbos (MPP or EPP models), it looks like the shipping is still $30 for the entire order. However, the $20 code discount applies only once, not to each paddle.
Here’s a quick cost breakdown of ordering various quantities of paddles. Regardless, even at this cost, these paddles are so worth it!
| Qty | Cost | Shipping | Total Cost | Cost Per Paddle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99.99 | 29.99 | 129.98 | $129.98 |
| 2 | 219.98 | 29.99 | 249.97 | $124.99 |
| 3 | 339.97 | 29.99 | 369.96 | $123.32 |
| 4 | 459.96 | 29.99 | 489.95 | $122.49 |
| 5 | 579.95 | 29.99 | 609.94 | $121.99 |
Boo, Target, Boo!
Not exactly sure when this happened, but apparently Target no longer ships Pokemon cards to Hawaii. If you check the product description like this one, you’ll see this blurb in the Shipping & Returns section.
I vaguely recall several years ago that this shipping embargo happened as well, at least for sports cards. Not sure how long that lasted but eventually Target did start shipping cards to Hawaii again. Hopefully, this is temporary or does Target want to drive more in-store foot traffic?
Either way, boo, Target, boooooo!
I Am a Melon Head
…and maybe a future Melin head. After hearing the Pickleball Studio mention their love of hats by Melin, I went online to research. They sure have a lot of variations, models, and design combinations – almost overwhelmingly too many.
I literally stopped looking through their web site after seeing all the products. It would be easier if I could see their hats in real life to help figure out which shape would work best for my melon. Then this melon head wondered where Melin was sold. I used the Melin store locator and found a bunch of vendors in Hawaii, including a brand store in Waikiki. Even HIC and Nordstrom sells some Melin products, so I’ll be making a visit to see what makes Melins so good.
Liking these color designs but $80+.
Pickleball Vandalism
Had heard stories about a neighbor complaining about the pickleball noise coming from the Manoa Valley District Park, but this is extreme… and sad.
Oahu Power Outage Map
Mainly posting as a reference for the next time (or even later today), but here’s the Hawaiian Electric power outage map for Oahu.
All this wind is causing major disruptions. An outage that was supposed to be two hours long went on for at least five hours.
