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The Island of O'ahu may be the most diverse and exciting resort destination in the world. It has all the glamour and pulse of a cosmopolitan city, coupled with what may well be natures most scenic and romantic getaway. O'ahu is a promise kept. This is the island where aloha begins.
A rich matrix of museums, art galleries, live theater, orchestra, an opera company, colleges, universities and research centers enhances Honolulu. As does shopping, an assortment of retail malls, treasured boutiques, discount centers, international haute couture salons and made in Hawaii souvenir shops. HistoryWaikiki means spouting water and is the place name for about six square miles of the City of Honolulu, stretching from Ala Moana Park to Diamond Head crater, bordered by Kaka`ako, Mo`ili`ili, Kapahulu and Kahala neighborhoods.Most histories of O`ahu tell us that Waikiki was a favorite recreation area for ali`i (Hawaiian royalty) and also say that it was a swamp that had to be drained to build the roads and buildings that are there today. These two facts have confused me, and probably others. Why would ali`i hang out in a swamp? Was it just for the great surfing? Turns out there are some gaps in the history that were documented in a 1994 video production: Taking Waikiki. The transcript and photos have been posted online and it will require about a half an hour to read through this eight-part account of how Waikiki changed from a productive agricultural area with an extensive man-made irrigation system to the concrete and steel tourist destination that exists today, built around the world's most famous beach. |
