Auliʻi Cravalho is on a lifelong mission to give back to her native Hawaiian community. Having grown up in Hawaii – in Kohala, a region on the Big Island – “I have this chord in me that says this island home that I love so much has given me so much that that is simply what is right,” she says.
It’s why she continues to be vocal about spreading awareness and raising funds to help build back Lahaina after the Maui wildfires, and why she recently teamed up with Sheba, a cat food brand, and Kuleana, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring coral reefs in Hawaii. A three-part film series, the first of which released on July 15, follows Cravalho in Hawaii, hanging out with her cat Rocco and embarking on a dive in which she highlights coral and explains why saving reefs is so close to her heart.
“I also think coral is really cool. I graduated with a heck of a lot of science under my belt,” she says, adding that her interest in marine biology stems from her upbringing. In fact, she planned on pursuing that line of work until “Disney called and I pivoted really hard.” (In 2016, Cravalho booked her first role as Disney’s Moana at age 14.)
“Hawaii is beautiful, and to deny anyone from seeing a beautiful place is sad.”
But the actor isn’t just passionate about preserving the waters. As Hawaii continues to rebuild its infrastructure following the Maui wildfires in 2023 and the COVID pandemic of years prior, she emphasizes the importance of traveling responsibly to the Aloha State – and anywhere you visit, for that matter.
“Hawaii is beautiful, and to deny anyone from seeing a beautiful place is sad,” Cravalho says. “And yet, it is also so real that Hawaii’s main income is driven by tourism.” The “Moana” actor believes the state needs to diversify how native Hawaiians can continue living on the islands without getting “priced out of paradise.” But there are also ways you can be a more conscious tourist.
Her number one piece of advice? “Respect, or mālama, the land,” she says. She urges kuleana, which is the Hawaiian word for personal responsibility. “Something that my partner and I do while we’re here in Los Angeles is we pick up trash anytime we go to the beach. Consider it the same way,” she says. “If you are taking your family there, pack out what you pack in. Use reef-safe sunscreen. Use reusable water bottles. These are small things that make an impact.”
Showing respect not only applies to the land, but also to folks who live and work in Hawaii. “My family [in Hawaii] either works in hospitality or hospitals, and they are still trying to find rest, so understand that when you are entering these spaces expecting to be waited on, they are people, first and foremost,” she says. “Kindness, or the aloha spirit, as we call it, goes a long way. Everyone needs a break. Everyone needs a vacation. But you’re vacationing in my home, so treat me with respect as well.”
Cravalho also recommends supporting local businesses while visiting. As for her favorite spots, she loves Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, a craft store with pieces made locally or by artisans with Polynesian ties. “It’s these small choices that make an impact for us, for the kamaʻāina, the people who really live there and will be there after you leave.” Foodland, the largest local supermarket chain in Hawaii, is also one of her go-tos. “If anyone wants the best poke, go to the grocery store,” she says. “We don’t put mango, we do not put cucumbers, we do not put ginger, no nothing in our poke bowls, but it will be the best poke bowl you will ever have. They also have really good fried chicken.”
For her next trip back home, Cravalho is looking forward to eating, spending time with her family, and getting into the ocean. Since filming her docuseries with Sheba and Kuleana, she’s now a certified scuba diver and is excited to go on her next dive. “I have to say, I thought that scuba and snorkeling were tourist activities, but I have fully done a 180,” she says. “I love it now. I now look at it as such a beautiful educational tool to really see what’s going on at the bottom of our oceans.” Watch the first part of the video series below.
Yerin Kim is the features editor at POPSUGAR, where she helps shape the vision for special features and packages across the network. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, she has over five years of experience in the pop culture and women’s lifestyle spaces. She’s passionate about spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, entertainment, and style.
