Mahina

Winter 2025

FOR MISS APRIL MAHINA FLORENCE, EVERY DAY AT HOME IN HER NATIVE HAWAII IS A RITUAL.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEGAN BATSON

“When you get off the plane, the air smells sweet and salty but not fishy. It’s a big hug for your nostrils,” Mahina says, laughing, describing the sensory embrace of returning home to Hawaii. For the 31-year-old Oahu native, that olfactory greeting represents ancestry calling.

Mahina hails from the Mahi ’Ohana, direct...