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THE SONG "ALOHA
`OE"
The song "Aloha 'Oe that starts this show is performed by
George Kahumoku
Jr.. Please visit his website where you'll find
recordings
on CD as well as his
current tour
schedule.
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Interested in planning your vacation to Hawaii? Start your trip at Expedia.com/ Oahu or Kauai. |
INTRODUCTION
I’m Rudy Maxa on the
island of Oahu. Now, you know about the sunset, the waving palms…secluded
beaches. But did you know a royal palace exists in the
50th state? Or that Kauai has its own Grand Canyon? Stay
with us. Next, it’s the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai on Smart
Travels.
Hawaii’s “aloha” means the joyful sharing of life energy. It’s a spirit that prevails--from urban, complex Honolulu to the pristine island of Kauai. “Aloha” is a traveler’s welcome to adventure, daydreams, and soaking up tradition along with sunshine. Once you’ve taken in the islands, Queen Liliokalani’s words in Aloha oe ring true—“One fond embrace until we meet again.”
Hawaii includes a
1500-mile chain of islands and reefs, but 99 percent of the land is on a
group of eight islands. We’ll visit
Oahu, the third largest island, then we’ll hop north to explore
Kauai, the exquisite Garden Island.
TIP The
Go Hawaii Card gives you free admission to Oahu attractions and tours
for one low price.
THE PINK PALACE
Our first stop is
Honolulu, where I’ve settled in at one of the “grand dames” of Oahu—the
Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
She’s been a treasured landmark for eighty years. The “Pink Palace” still retains her Spanish Moor style of the 1920s—when wealthy tourists strolled into the lobby with servants and steamer trunks and, they partied—big time.
But before
we ‘party’ let’s take a look around the capitol of this 50th
state of ours.
HONOLULU
It’s popular to
discount
Honolulu as too touristy, nothing except glitzy high-rises. But linger
here long enough and you’ll see for yourself why “Oahu” has come to mean
“the Gathering Place”— gathering together the most diverse peoples in the
Pacific. You’ll see, also, why more than 80 percent of the million
residents in Hawaii live on this island.
WAIKIKI BEACH / OUTRIGGERS
For visitors to Oahu,
water rules —getting in it, on it, under it—or soaking up the sun next to
it. And fabled
Waikiki Beach, a frenzied galaxy unto itself, still lures visitors to
the water’s edge—to the sublime white-sand shores, rolling surf, and the
dramatic backdrop of the extinct volcano that is symbolic of Waikiki,
Diamond Head.
Getting out to observe the island from the water is a must. A catamaran with an expert in charge was our best way to go. Outriggers have spent 30,000-years in the survival and transport of Pacific Rim peoples. Best guess is that Hawaiians first came ashore between 300 and 500 AD. That’s 1500 years of seafaring history.
HAWAII MARITIME CENTER
The Hawaii Maritime Center brings that history alive with displays from
ancient canoes to modern ships. Tales unfold of the volcanic birth of the
islands, and the voyages of
Polynesian sailors and European explorers.
You can imagine yourself on board the Falls of Clyde, tooling along in full sail as this vessel last did in 1921. It’s the only surviving original fully-rigged, four-masted ship left in the world.
The British merchant who breezed into this port in the late 1700s aptly named the tiny village “Fair Haven”, later translated in Hawaiian to “Honolulu”. Behind me is the port and over there is downtown Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii for over 150 years. No longer a tiny village, Honolulu is a perfect repository of Island history.
IOLANI PALACE
Prominent in the
capital district is
Iolani Palace, the only official state palace in the United States.
Lovingly built in 1882 by
King Kalakaua, the Palace stood as Hawaii’s royal residence and center
of government. From the Palace grounds, islanders watched their national
flag come down eleven years later. When
Queen Liliuokalani tried to create a new Constitution that gave more
power to Hawaiians, a “committee” of American businessmen staged a coup
d’etat. They overthrew the Queen and eventually imprisoned her in the
palace for eight months. In 1900, the Hawaiian Islands officially became a
Territory of the US, and in 1959 our fiftieth state.
RESTAURANTS
When you’re hungry in
Oahu, the world is yours. Where else can one find a better mix of
multi-cultural cuisine? Besides the Polynesians, for more than 80 years
immigrants have brought their specialty foods--from China, Japan, Portugal,
Puerto Rico, to name a few.
On a tip from a local, we stopped at the
Irifune Japanese Restaurant, a short drive from Waikiki Beach.
It’s no secret that
Hawaii’s cost of living is one of America’s highest, but the per capita
income is below average. So, if you explore off the beaten track, you will
find a reasonably priced, delicious authentic meal. In fact, I think
sushi and sashimi are the hamburgers and French fries of the islands.
soundbite: “Okay, here’s the ahi sashimi…this is spicy almond sushi…and this is the ahi avocado tartar with wasabe sauce.”
BISHOP MUSEUM
A complex past shaped
the core of this island state, and in the last hundred years, there’s been a
rebirth of appreciation for Hawaiian tradition and
values.
The Bishop Museum is THE place to study early Hawaiian culture, which
ends in 1820 with the
arrival of American missionaries. It’s believed that
Polynesians from the Marquesas first came to Hawaii between 300 and 500
AD, followed centuries later by Tahitians who conquered the islands. It’s
all here—25
million artifacts to bring alive the peoples of the Pacific and the
story of migration to these islands.
TIP You’ll find visitor information at www.bishopmuseum.org.
SURFING
We’ve returned to the
madcap beach scene of Waikiki.
Surfing was called the Sport of Kings because for generations only
Hawaiian royalty were allowed to play.
Duke Kahanomoku changed all that. In 1908, the first Hawaiian Olympics
swimming champion organized an amateur surfing club. There was no turning
back. Now the Duke is revered for bringing this once elite sport to the
world. Today every one, except me, wants to be king of the surf...and for
that they turn to the
beach boys.
Didi Robello comes
naturally to his beach boy career.
His father started as a beach boy here in 1932 and his mother is related
to the Duke.
Didi: “The
ocean is dangerous anywhere. …Out here we have a sandbar…some people,
they figure they can’t swim so they’ll walk out to the sandbar…so they take
a step and the current moves you sideways and the next thing you know you’re
screaming for help on a calm day.”
Rudy:
“What do you tell, maybe, a first time visitor to Hawaii? How should
they make the most of their vacation here?”
Didi:
“My advice would be
to
do the beach first. The shopping, the restaurants …that’s all open at
night and during bad weather. Over here you can have a beautiful day like it
is today and tomorrow it can be stormy. So, do the beach stuff first, don’t
wait for your last day.”
HULA DANCING
And save time for
Waikiki’s ‘grand dames.’
Stroll past
the Royal Hawaiian, to the elegant
Sheraton Moana Surfrider built in 1901. Beyond her is the
Halekulani Hotel, also a luxury old-timer. We’ve arrived for her sunset
hour show.
We’re here to experience and learn about the hula dance from Kanoe Miller who reigned as Miss Hawaii in 1973.
Kanoe: “The kind of dancing that I do is called Hula Auana which is modern hula meaning that I dance in a movement that goes back and forth from right to left; in the ancient dancing it was very static. Originally it was danced by men and it was used as a warm-up for warfare.
The hula originated in the Marquesas Islands, and according to legend, was brought here by the goddess Loka. Once the Christian missionaries came to Hawaii, hula was considered a pagan thing, so it was hidden and danced in secret. In the late 19th century, King Kalakaua declared that his people must renew their culture and invited them to dance again.
Kanoe:
“Hula is Hawaii; it is
the dance of Hawaii.
It describes our environment. Hula is what one
sees, what they feel, what they smell, taste, and hear. It is the dance of
our culture.”
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PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL
It was Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 when the Japanese Navy bombed the base and catapulted America into World War Two. The Memorial is built over remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona. Daniel Martinez: ”The ship is a tomb for over 900 sailors that died aboard the vessel. The ship itself in going to last a long time, perhaps 600 to 800 years.” The Memorial brings home the impact of loss. There are the personal effects of a sailor—and the wall of names. The December 7th attack on Oahu’s coast took the lives of 2000 people, nearly half of them from the USS Arizona. Rudy:
“How did the attack change the island of Oahu generally speaking?"
TIP The Memorial is
accessible only by
National Park Service
boat from the Visitor Center. SPECIAL WEB EXCLUSIVE BROADBAND VIDEO: |
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© Copyright 2006 Small World Productions, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
PALI OUTLOOK
Hawaii is no stranger
to attack. Two hundred years ago, the islands were united only after a
series of battles led by warrior and future king---Kamehameha
the First.
It was 1795 when King Kamehameha tossed his enemies over the Pali. He had landed his huge armada of 1200 war canoes and 10,000 soldiers at Waikiki.
No wonder Oahu troops
headed for the hills. Kamehameha sent his best warriors up, and over the
cliffs went his enemy. In 1810, the Hawaiian Islands accepted the reign of
King Kamehameha the Great, and his family dynasty ruled for 60 years. You’d
never guess the Pali was once a battlefield.
The view is magic.
KAILUA BEACH PARK
Over there is
Kailua Beach Park…our final romp by the sea before we fly to Kauai.
For a break from the crowds of Waikiki, check out Kailua only a 30-minute drive from Honolulu. It offers a stunning, peaceful scene without a high-rise in sight. Here, you can take a lesson in boogie boarding and kayaking. One word of caution---when the winds are high, see if lifeguards have posted signs warning of Portuguese-man-of-war, the stinging jellyfish. All clear? Then in no time, you’ll see why Kailua has been called the “Best Beach in the World”!
And what a way to go! The island of Oahu is gorgeous, the quiet beaches are there waiting for you to explore, and you can drive clear around the island in an easy afternoon. Paradise? You bet. And there’s more. Kauai, here we come!
KAUAI
Kauai’s natural beauty has earned it the title of
“The Garden Island”. And though it offers plenty of attractions for its
steady stream of visitors, it still holds onto a local, small-town, rural
ambience. For those who discover it, one trip is never enough.
Kauai is the farthest
north of the
Hawaiian Islands. We’re concentrating on the southern part of the
island, checking out areas around the main town of
Lihue, the ancient center at
Wailua Valley, and the
Waimea Canyon area.
WAIMEA CANYON
A truly spectacular
introduction to the island is
Waimea Canyon, the place
Mark Twain dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Buses now bring up
day-trippers, but if you’ve got the time and your own wheels this spot
deserves some extra attention. Although most visitors opt for just the
view,
trails into the canyon can turn the trip into something special.
Three-thousand feet deep and 10 miles long, the gorge definitely brings up the question, how did this stunner get made. Well, you have to go way back in geologic time. It started when a gigantic earthquake almost split Kauai in two. The newly-created volcanic island was moving and shaking. Then the island settled into a steady cycle of erosion, ever deepening and widening the split—a process continuing today.
Scientists tell us the Hawaiian islands are drifting north—very slowly. A hot spot of magma is breaking through the earth’s crust; and each island has started off sitting on that spot. Over eons, the islands have drifted off the hot spot and continued north. Kauai was the first; it’s the oldest--and the farthest north. The Big Island, the youngest, is still over the spot, spewing up lava.
As the oldest of the islands, Kauai’s had plenty of time for mother nature to grind up fine sand for its many beaches.
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
From these shores, you
can look out over the waters where, in 1778, the Hawaiians first sighted the
ships of
Captain James Cook.
Imagine the scene as the excited islanders, who had never seen such huge
ships, crowded the shore--wailing and shouting. Cook only stayed a few days
this time, but his visit forever
changed life on the islands.
WAILUA VALLEY
To get a feel for how
those early Hawaiians lived we’re heading north to the
Wailua valley. As the only navigable river on the island, the Wailua is
usually full of pleasure boats.
Kayaks and canoes get you down close and personal. Or you can take one
of the
tour boats and along the way pick up a little insight into Kauai’s
past.
Here was the traditional
political center of the island. From this valley the paramount chief exercised
his authority over some 30,000 people. Along the riverside, you can
visit
Kamokila, a
re-creation of one of the many villages that once filled this valley.
Although small by ancient standards you can get an understanding of how
large extended families shared their thatched leaf homes as well as their
daily tasks.
The early Hawaiians were
skilled artisans, diligent farmers and fishermen, but they had no
concept of private property. Rather, the chiefs oversaw a system of
reciprocity that led to a sharing of all products.
TIP For more information about visiting Kamokila, go to kamokila.com.
KILOHANA PLANTATION
But, of course,
outside influences changed all that. A plantation system grew up that
introduced private ownership and international trade. The profits from that
trade produced some very gracious living. A remnant from that time is the
Kilohana Plantation.
It’s outside the main
town of
Lihue and features a mansion built in the 1930’s by one of the island’s
big sugar families, the Wilcox’s. The estate’s been lovingly restored as a
commercial enterprise--filled with
art galleries and boutiques. Original furniture still graces the
hallways of the 16,000 square-foot mansion. Its
restaurant calls to mind garden parties back when sugar was king around
here. And to top it off,
carriage rides take you farther afield into the days of bygone
elegance.
KOLOA
The little town of
Koloa opens up more of the sugar story. Here’s where the
very first plantation in the islands was established. The picturesque
little town has put together a
self-guided tour that fills in some of the history. You can pick-up a
copy and check out the points that interest you—from the
abandoned mill on the edge of town to the
statue honoring waves of
immigrant workers. The Chinese were the first, arriving around 1850 to
be followed by Japanese, Portuguese, Filipinos, Norwegians, Koreans, Puerto
Ricans, Spaniards, and Russians. These laborers provided the ethic mix that
characterizes Hawaii today. With them came their culture—their music, their
food, their religion. All contributed to the
unique culture of Hawaii.
WAIMEA PLANTATION COTTAGES
The sugar
plantations are mostly gone now, but visitors who go in for nostalgia can
satisfy ourselves by staying at the
Waimea Plantation Cottages.
Each cottage is a renovated home of former plantation workers—most
dating from the early 1900’s—and many were moved here from now defunct
plantations around the island. The 27-acre site on Waimea Bay offers
tranquility incarnate—here’s where you hide away to write that great novel.
TIP
To make life even more easy for you, Waimea Plantation Cottages offers
complimentary wireless internet access.
And oh how easy it is to forget how the laborers who lived in these cottages
spent their days doing back breaking, hot, and dirty jobs.
LUAU
But workers and
tourists alike need a night out, and in Kauai it could be
Smith’s Luau. Run by a
local Hawaiian family, it demonstrates an authentic respect for things
Hawaiian. It’s a memorable evening in a dramatic setting.
MCBRYDE
GARDENS
Comes morning, we’re
taking a quick trip to the
McBryde Gardens.
Plantings began here in the late 1900’s when Queen Emma used these
grounds as a summer palace. As the
National Tropical Botanical Garden, its 252 acres provide a peaceful
place to remind us of why Kauai has been dubbed the
Garden Island.
ALOHA
Well, it’s time to
say
aloha. That’s an interesting word. It’s an expression of affection and
a greeting, a kind of hello and farewell all in one. It is not a good-by,
but rather a trust we’ll meet again. So, in true Polynesian tradition I
wish you aloha and
mahalo—that’s thank you—for joining us.