With the recent release of the fictional biography Barbarian Princess, controversy surrounding the legacy of Princess Victoria Kaiulani has swirled in Hawaii. Many groups have taken issue with aspects of the film ranging historical inaccuracies about the time surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, its depiction of Hawaiian leadership as ineffectual, and even the title itself.
A beautiful and tragic figure, Kaiulani died at the tender age of 23. Educated in England and an accomplished speaker, Kaiulani fought for the rights of the Hawaiian monarchy to which she was heir. She spoke with US Presidents and influential lawmakers and businessmen in English, French and German about her desire to look after her people. And while much can be made about the social and political intrigues of her time, Kaiulani and her estate at Ainahau in Waikiki (now the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel) remain shining examples of the sophistication she embodied then and represents now.
The ten-acre estate of Ainahau was deeded to Kaiulani by Princess Ruth Keelikolani, a direct descendant of King Kamehaeha the Great. Kailuani’s father and former Royal Governor of Oahu, Archibald Cleghorn, built a two-story home on the estate and furnished it with elaborate ornaments and two grand pianos. Kaiulani’s family often entertained prestigious social circles and became friends with the author Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed periodically at Ainahau during Kaiulani’s childhood.
Archibald Cleghorn was an avid horticulturalist, and brought plants and flowers from all over the world to Ainahau for study and for pure enjoyment. The first banyan tree to come to Hawaii was planted at Ainahau. Kaiulani was known to ride her pony frequently at Ainahau, presumably when she wasn’t tending to her many peacocks, a hobby that earned her the knickname of the Peacock Princess.
When Archibald Cleghorn died in 1910, the Territory of Hawaii refused his gift of Ainahau for use as a public park. Reasons for that refusal are still debated today, but eventually the estate was subdivided and sold to real estate developers. Matson Navigation Company purchased some of the property, and in 1955 cleared the land to build the Princess Kaiulani Hotel (the famous banyan tree was cut down, but clippings were taken and transplanted to another site on Oahu). The Princess Kaiulani Hotel now sits on land that was once the entrance for the storied parcel of land at Ainahau.
A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to meet a gentleman by the name of Joseph Correa. Among other things, he’s been very active in restoring Hawaii’s shoreline and seawalls using native Hawaiian plant species. That’s an interesting enough subject in itself, however, as we were talking, we got off into a very interesting topic about the Duke Kahanumoku statue. It turns out he knows a lot of interesting things about this famous memorial to the legendary surfer. In fact, he was actually the person that delivered the statue where it currently rests today.
He pointed out to me that it’s common knowledge that Duke is not facing the ocean but instead the hotels across the street. This was done so that when people took pictures the ocean would be behind the statue. What a lot of folks don’t know is there are some unusual irregularities with statue that most people won’t notice.
The first thing is the actual shape of the surfboard itself. Joseph says the curvature is going the wrong way and should be the opposite direction. Some say there should be no curvature at all because the boards Duke used were made of balsa wood and had no curves in the first surboards.
Another interesting observation that Joseph makes, is that in the early days, there was no wax to keep surfers on their boards. To solve the problem of slipping off the board, surfers would carve scratches into the balsa wood which would allow for a better grip for the feet when riding waves. If you look closely at the Duke, Kahanumoku Statue you’ll see the scratches on the bottom of the board. If Joe’s observations are correct, that means that the surfboard is actually backwards and the scratches are on the wrong side of the board.
While this is hardly earth shattering news you may want to take a look at at it yourself when you visit Wakiki. The statue sits right across the street from the Hyatt Hotel and if you want to have some fun you can actually wave at a camera which is broadcasting live 24/7 in front of the statue. People from all over the world call up their friends on their cell phones and wave at the camera.
If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, you should really think about bringing something unique back to remember your trip. In previous posts we’ve discussed what not to bring back as keepsakes such as lava rock or black sand from any of the beaches (strictly forbidden and brings bad luck). So let’s talk about something that you can bring back that will provide wonderful memories of your Hawaiian vacation.
So what is Hawaiian memorabilia? For the most part these are antique items that come from Hawaii, such as dolls, posters, quilts and the ever popular aloha shirts. There is one place on Oahu that has Hawaiian memorabilia and souvenirs that goes way beyond anything you could ever find at the typical souvenir shops. It’s called Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts. The store opened over 30 years ago and has a huge selection of vintage items from Hawaii going back to the early 50s. Bailey’s has paper goods that go even farther back to the late 20s and 30s.
We found lots of great stuff there and couldn’t resist taking home an antique "nodder" (ironically made in Japan) that is similar to "bobble head." The difference is the spring mechanism is located toward the bottom of the nodder that allows the hula skirt to move rather than the head as in the bobble head. Most nodders have magnets on the bottom which were placed on cars in the 50s that had metal dashboards; even I am too young to remember them!!
Bailey’s is located on 517 Kapahulu Avenue just outside of Waikiki, not too far from the Rainbow Drive-In which is famous for great Hawaii plate lunches. If you go to Bailey’s it’s truly a trip back in time and a reminder of the Hawaii of old. Go there on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday after 1PM and you’ll meet a wonderful woman named Suzie Coleman who works at the store. A resident of Hawaii for 48 years, Suzie has a wealth of information and love for anything and everything having to do with Hawaiian memorabilia.
If you are interested in learning more and you happen to be on Oahu during July 17-18, 2009, you can check out the 19th Annual Hawaii Collectors Show. There will be a huge selection of Hawaiian memorabilia that may be a treasure someday. Every other year (it happens this year) there surf auction at the same time in which vintage Hawaiian surf memorabilia will go to the highest bidder. All this will all take place at the Neil Blaisdell Concert Exhibition Hall. For more information please go to Ukulele.com.
When you come to Hawaii probably the last thing on your mind is finding any really good deals, especially when it comes to shopping for clothes and accessories. Sure you can imagine finding some inexpensive T-shirts or some souvenirs on sale but for the most part Hawaii isn’t considered a fashion mecca for deals on those kind of items.
Last week my in-laws from Taiwan wanted to do something almost immediately when they arrived. They wanted to go shopping. Not just any place, they wanted to go to the Waikele Premium Outlet stores. Apparently the bargains that they found were so terrific they couldn’t wait to get back. The big draw for them on they’re last visit was the "Coach" factory outlet. They bought several bags for their friends and family back home which cost twice as much and they would’ve had to pay it back in Taiwan.
This time it was no exception. We hopped in the car and headed for a long ride to Waikele. And you guessed it, they made a beeline for the coach factory outlet. In a matter of about a half an hour they came out with several shopping bags with deals that they could not believe they found. Apparently they weren’t alone this store was filled with people on the Monday afternoon all bargain hunters and most of them from either Japan or somewhere in Asia.
The deals don’t just stop there with the coach factory. There is a wonderful Armani exchange store which we’ve been shopping at for years. For example, I needed some new board shorts and the best price I could find at anywhere was
$38-$61, at the Armani exchange I got a pair of high quality shorts for only $29. I know this store has great prices because I’ve also shopped at the outlet malls in Las Vegas and don’t find the same deals that I can get here in Hawaii.
My wife who loves shoes, has found many great deals at nine West, and some nice designer dresses at Saks Fifth Ave. There is a great Tumi outlet where I found an amazing deal on a computer tote that I’ve always wanted.
If you have a rental car it’s a nice drive but there are other options including shuttles and trolleys that take you directly there from your hotel in Waikiki. It’s a long ride, but you get to see some of the scenery of Oahu on your way
there. If you’re a shopaholic it’s perfect for you, they even have a VIP shopping club which gets you even more discounts if you’re serious about this kind of activity.
So the next time you come to Oahu you may want to think twice about the shopping thing, there is actually a great place where you can find bargains on designer clothing and accessories. For more information or to book a trip there just give
us a call or visit our website at Hawaii-Aloha.com.
It isn’t exactly the nation’s capital or Philadelphia that you’ll be touring here. In the first place, most of Hawaii’s history is oral – passed along from generation to generation and only recently committed to book and electronic recording.
Hawaii has been a state for just 50 years. Almost half the country was alive when Hawaii became a state.
Our monuments are natural ones. In contrast to the Washington Monument, the Seattle Space Needle, the St. Louis Arch and Independence Hall, we offer Diamond Head, Haleakala, the Na Pali Coast and Kilauea Volcano.
But there is a Historic Honolulu to see. It’s more than worthwhile, and it doesn’t take very long to cover – half a day should do it.
The area is on the Waikiki side of Downtown Honolulu. A good place to start is at the statue of Kamehameha, on King Street across from Iolani Palace. It’s a favorite photographic attraction, commemorating King Kamehameha I, who was the warrior who united (some would say conquered) all the islands. The statue is draped with dozens of 30-foot lei in June to celebrate his birthday, which is a state holiday.
Across the street, Iolani Palace is the only royal residence in the United States. It was built in 1822 by King David Kalakaua and was last occupied in 1893 by Queen Lilioukalani, who was deposed. The grounds are pleasant and welcoming, and inside tours can be arranged during which you can witness the furnishings and amenities that prevailed at the time.
In the same area, the Hawaii State Capitol is worth a look, if only for its non-traditional architectural approach. The Hawaii State Art Museum is a beautiful and rewarding stop, and, on the other side of the palace, Honolulu Hale (City Hall) and Kawaiahao Church are eye-catching landmarks.
The Mission Houses, next to the church, were the original headquarters of the Sandwich Islands Mission, are the oldest structures in Honolulu and provide a link to an era of significant cultural change in the islands. Built between 1821 and 1841, the three mission houses that make up the MissionHawaii Vacation Blog - Hawaii Travel Guide, Hawaii News › Edit — WordPress Houses Museum served as homes and workplaces for the first Christian missionaries to travel to the Hawaiian Islands. The Frame House was shipped around Cape Horn from Boston in 1820 and is the oldest wood house in Hawaii. The Chamberlain House, built of coral blocks, was both a family home and storehouse for mission supplies. The third building today functions as the Printing Office. A working replica of the first printing press to be brought to Hawaii is demonstrated there on a regular basis.
You might consider beginning or finishing your tour of the area at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Aloha Tower once was the tallest structure in the islands and served as a welcoming beacon to the visitors who first reached island shores on luxurious passenger liners. The marketplace features lots of unique shops with international labels, Hawaii-made fashions and crafts, some great restaurants and free attractions – right on the water.
It’s not the most exciting history you’ll ever re-live, but it is unique and enjoyable. If you’d like us to help you work a tour into your vacation plans, pick an agent at Hawaii-Aloha.Com, or call 1-800-843-8771.
It happens. The old standby gets accused of being trite, boring, no longer fashionable.
Compared to the other islands, Oahu is still holding its own, but now it seems to be cool to downgrade it. Waikiki is too “touristy.” Honolulu is a big city now, with the inevitable traffic, industrialization and loss of the Aloha Spirit.
Okay. Maui has been called “the world’s greatest island.” It has the amazing Haleakala, the charm of Hana, the history of Lahaina, the lure of the Iou Needle and the resorts of Kaanapali.
Kauai has an abundance of natural wonders and great resorts. The Big Island has its volcanic action, enormous variety and even greater resorts. Molokai and Lanai have their intimacy and peace.
They’re all terrific. But never shortchange Oahu. Oahu is a big island, too, stretching ‘way beyond Waikiki and Honolulu. And Waikiki and Honolulu embody most of the things you envision when you first consider Hawaii for a vacation.
Waikiki is where the action is. The entertainment is first-class. A lot of the acts have been at it for a quarter of a century; newer ones are laced with high tech and imagination. World-class performers appear in Waikiki or Honolulu regularly. The beaches in Waikiki are everything you’ve seen and read about. The shopping is top-drawer.
Honolulu is almost as historical as (and perhaps more interesting than) Boston or Philadelphia. Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial should not be missed if you’re going to come to Hawaii.
The outer areas — the North Shore, Windward Oahu, East Oahu and the emerging West Coast with its “Second City” of Kapolei are all worth your time.
Seasoned visitors to Hawaii would offer you a suggestion like this:
On your first visit, do Oahu. If you have time, then take in a neighbor island or two. On your next visit, do a day or two in Waikiki to see what’s new, then do the neighbor islands.
When you consider the entire picture, spending your entire vacation on a neighbor island can be restricting. Think of a smorgasbord and spending the entire evening at the salad bar. However much you might love salads, there’s a whole lot more for your table.
The fact that Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian Hotel is reopening is big news this month. After $85 million in renovations, the iconic "Pink Palace" is a shade pinker on the outside and a lot more modern on the inside. There are new and more modern amenities that demanding high-end travelers now expect: granite-and-glass bathrooms, flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations, for example.
The makeover closed the hotel for seven months. The Royal has welcomed about 50 guests since Decemcer 31 to ease it through its "soft opening" period while finishing touches were added. The next official opening date is January 20, for a ball to celebrate the presidential inauguration of Hawaii-born Barack Obama. The actual grand opening will be on March 7, when the hotel opens all its rooms.
The history of the venerable hotel is generally considered to begin in February of 1927, after it had been built in its present location. Actually, the hotel dates back to February 29, 1872, when it opened in Downtown Honolulu — as the "Hawaiian Hotel" (the "Royal" was added some years later) with a grand ball. It was located diagonally across from the Iolani Palace grounds. At the time it was considered to be " …sufficient to accommodate all travelers that we may expect this way for some time." Apparently it was, at least for about 30 years. In 1901, the Moana hotel was opened on Kalakaua Avenue to accommodate the increasing number of vacationers who preferred Waikiki to Downtown Honolulu.
The Royal Hawaiian saw its heyday during the reign of King Kalakaua, who maintained a suite there and entertained distinguished guests.
In 1917, the land and building were purchased to become the first home of the Honolulu Army and Navy YMCA. Eventually, age, termites and heavy use led to its being razed in 1926. When plans were made in the 1920s for for a magnificent new hotel in Waikiki, it was decided to use the name of the old one. The "new" Royal Hawaiian was acclaimed to be one of the finest hotels in the world, a reputation it has maintained.
The Royal had surrendered its role only once before the recent renovations. It was taken over by the government as a rest and recreation center during WWII for submarine crews and marine fliers. It was refurbished and reopened in January, 1947 with a week of glamor, gaiety and nostalgia.
A lot of people who come to Hawaii expect to see rare, tropical birds cruising the malls, hovering in the trees and swooping from the ridges. Sorry. You may have seen that in a movie, but it doesn’t actually ever happen here. There are “bird guys” wandering around in Waikiki and stationed in the International Market Place who have exotic birds on their shoulders and on perches with whom you can have your picture taken, but don’t expect a wild parrot to land on your towel on the beach.
Eagles, hawks and owls are around and can be seen occasionally, if you happen to be looking in the right direction. (You will be looking around a lot while you’re here because there’s so much to see.)
Yes, we have our parrots and cockatoos, but they generally hang out where you aren’t likely to spot them and you surely won’t be able to get up close and personal. Some arboretums and reserves keep them available for your at-a-distance scrutiny, and there actually are guided birding tours on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. The state bird, the Nene Goose, likes the Volcano area on the Big Island, and you can see one there, maybe. (It’s a goose.)
Most of the birds we see every day are pretty ordinary.
And we have our pests, as you do. Pigeons and doves hang out where visitors accumulate, especially around the food concessions, and THEY WANT YOU TO FEED THEM! It’s okay if you feed them, but that’s why they’re pests. Lots of our homes are on the water. Ducks have learned that kids like to feed ducks. We discourage our kids from feeding ducks because it’s hard to get rid of them (the ducks) after they’re fed. Duck are real pests with the noise they make and the deposits they leave behind when they finally leave.
Egrets are white and pretty. They look a little like small swans. They hang out on the backs of cattle – horses and cows. They also make their ways into residential neighborhoods and pick at newly-mowed lawns and common areas for the bugs their cousins are plucking from the backs of horses and cows.
All in all, we don’t get too excited about birds in Hawaii. If you’re a birder and would be excited by the 300 or so species we have doing their things on our islands, give us a call (1-800-843-8771) or pick an agent on our Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com). We’ll fix you up with experts who will take you to where you can see and film or tape the ones that fascinate you most.
By the way. No robins. We don’t need them to tell us when spring is here. Spring feels a whole lot like winter and summer and fall in Hawaii.
When you vacation on Oahu, the center of attraction is Waikiki. Even if you stay in a remote resort area such as Turtle Bay or Ko Olina, you expect to see some action in Waikiki before you go home. That’s where the glitter and the glamour are.
Downtown gets bypassed way too much, except to perhaps check out the “historic” section on the way to or from Pearl Harbor. Too often you hear remarks such as, “There’s nothing downtown,” and “Don’t go downtown at night.”
It’s a bad rap that originated (with justification) after WWII, when martial law was lifted and military personnel with passes were free to prowl Honolulu streets and businesses sprang up everywhere to satiate their appetites. In the mid-sixties, even though prostitution was illegal by then, lots of shady goings on were tolerated to accommodate the military, the growing merchant marine force and the workers from the plantations. It was a good place for vacationers to avoid.
That’s all changed.
Today, in a tight 12-block area surrounding the Honolulu business district, you can find more than two dozen arts-related businesses and galleries, three live-performance theatres, two performance art venues, an alternative movie theater, and some of Honolulu’s trendiest nightclubs and restaurants. More than 75 ethnic restaurants — the variety is indescribable — dot the surrounding neighborhood. Most of the buildings were built at the end of the19th century.
The linchpin of this renaissance probably has been the Hawaii Theatre Center. The theater itself was built in 1922 as a venue for theater, popular entertainment, and film. In the mid-1930s, it became predominately a popular grand movie palace, and remained such until television arrived in the 1950s. From then it degenerated into what was essentially a foreign porn theater until its closing was announced in 1984. A group of local citizens, with additional funding provided by the Honolulu City & County, raised the funds for the theater’s purchase along with several adjoining properties. In 1986, the center was closed for massive renovation until it was rededicated and re-opened in1996. Now the Hawaii has once again become a popular venue for national touring shows, theater, concerts, film, television; and it’s attracted hundreds of thousands of patrons back through its doors to witness its resurgence as Honolulu’s preeminent venue. Restaurateurs, storeowners, artists, patrons of the arts and Oahu’s residents have caught on and the resurgence is amazing.
Downtown Honolulu has become an experience to plan for.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Your Blogger’s Side Bar
When we first moved to Honolulu in 1972, my wife Mary and I had business at the downtown courthouse. We knew nothing about Hawaii. I had visited my father here for a few weekends in the 60’s, but had spent most of my time visiting with him at his home, not taking in the sights.
It was mid-afternoon and we wandered through town, poking our heads into shops and sleazy bars, not seeing anything worth lingering to explore. We came across a large corner bar called Bill Lederer’s. Hey, we’d heard of William Lederer! He and Eugene Burdick had written that controversial bestseller, "The Ugly American," about our country’s shoddy diplomacy in Southeast Asia. This place should be pretty classy.
It wasn’t. It was filthy. It smelled of stale beer and urine. For some reason we went to the bar and ordered a couple of beers anyhow. Mary asked for a wet napkin and wiped the sticky space right in front of us. Apparently curious about the suddenly clean surface, a cockroach the size of a half-smoked cigar with six hairy legs skittered to the center of it and seemed to size Mary up. Before I could slap down a five-dollar bill, Mary had made it to the bus stop. Once back at our new apartment, she implored me to move us back to Philadelphia. I promised I would if I ever raised the airfare.
Although most of the offices where I worked were in downtown office buildings, Mary and I avoided entertaining ourselves downtown until well into the 1980s.
Narrowing down your Hawaii vacation destination is even more difficult than it may seem to be at first. Most people try to decide which island – or islands – they think would appeal to them most.
The problem is that, except for little Molokai and Lanai, each of the islands actually has three or more distinctly different areas within their beaches.
On Oahu, Waikiki – on the south shore – is where the action is, and it’s close to most of the island’s other attractions. On the north shore, Turtle Bay is a full-blown resort near “Old Hawaii,” those humongous winter waves and the quaint little town of Haleiwa. Ko Olina is a newer, sprawling, self-contained resort area well west of Honolulu in leeward Oahu.
On the north shore of Kauai, the beautiful Hanalei and Princeville area is quiet and scenic with nice resorts. The south shore has Poipu and a whole bunch of ritzy resorts with all kinds of things to do. On the east shore, the town of Lihue is the island’s business and population center, with good accommodations that are convenient to most of Kauai’s spectacular attractions.
Maui is said to be two islands. West Maui has Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua and those spectacular resorts. The island’s larger portion contains the rustic Upcountry, the mammoth Haleakala crater and the Waimea resort area. Way to the east, the fantastic Hana area is an isolated destination unto itself.
The Big Island is generally divided into the Hilo side – the east – and the Kona side – the west. But it’s far more than that. On the Kona side, the coast is lined with one spectacular resort after another, and farther inland is ranch country in the rural areas of Waimea and Kamuela, the majestic Mauna Kea and the world’s most powerful telescopes. The Hilo side is far less touristy, but that’s where you’ll find Volcanoes National Park and the amazing lava flows.
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider beyond a choice of islands. The best thing to do is pick an agent from our website and begin a relationship (No obligation, of course). Our agents all are experts in Hawaii – have lived here and can guide you with passion and professionalism. Or, if you prefer, call 1-800-843-8771.
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