Kuhio Avenue stepping out

As the new kid on the block, the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach is getting a lot of buzz.

The Kuhio Avenue property, which opened Monday, used to be the Ohana Waikiki West — but under new ownership, rebranding and an extensive $115 million renovation, it’s gone upscale. Among its features: a living-room style lobby featuring classic Hawaiian design and high wooden ceilings, and 623 guest rooms with the brand’s signature bedding.

Expect more Kuhio Avenue buzz soon: The once-kitschy International Market Place is due to reopen in August as a multi-level shopping, dining and recreational mecca. Judging from architectural renderings, the only remnant of what once was will be the iconic, majestic banyan tree.

Hiking can be fun, but also perilous

The tragic death of Kristi Takanishi, 19, who was hiking Wednesday above Manoa Falls when she plunged to the pool below, shows just how fragile life can be. Takanishi, a premed student at the University of Washington, died Friday.

Just weeks earlier, an 18-year-old Ewa Beach man died after collapsing on Manana Trail in Pearl City. Their deaths are reminders of how dangerous Hawaii’s hiking trails can be, and that no matter how skilled the hiker, extra care and caution must be exercised.

Takanishi was Kaiser High School’s 2015 top valedictorian and in an address urged her fellow students to look beyond themselves: “We cannot let our desire for individual success alone dictate our future. We must also consider the success of the world as a whole.”