The city of Honolulu is approximately 68.4 square miles and is defined by its census designated place to include Pearl Harbour in the west, the Pali Lookout in the northeast above Nu'uanu valley, it's south shores along Ala Moana and Waikiki, all the way to it's farthest southeast point of Makapu'u.
It is the remotest largest city in the world. It's population density is roughly 1.5 times denser than Auckland's, albeit having a lower total population of approximately 360,000 versus Auckland's 1.57 million. Land is scarce, as most of the island mass is dominated by two imposing mountain ranges, the Ko'olau and Wai'anae ranges.
The Hawaiian islands are made up of a single ridge known as the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount which stretches from the Aleutian Trench in the Northwest Pacific to the Lo'ihi Seamount, currently the youngest volcano in the chain, about 22 miles southeast of Hawai'i. Underneath the seamount is a hot spot, and as the force of the tectonic plates drive the island chain northwesterly, it leaves a wake of eroded volcanoes and seamounts over time. As a result, the geologic feature of Kauai is slightly older and more eroded than the Big Island of Hawai'i. Oahu is somewhere in between. These mountains restricts most of the Honolulans to the valleys and coastal areas. The state of Hawai'i is the biggest landowner with the Federal government coming in as second. Honolulu is ranked 37th most livable city by the 2019 Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking. The Honolulu city-scape is best viewed from atop the neighboring Koolau mountains. One can see the city density, with its tall buildings concentrated in downtown Honolulu, Kakaako and Waikiki.
The islands were first settled by Polynesians, dating as far back as 400 C.E. There are several more recent research that contradict this date. Although this represents a long time period, there isn't very much documented and many of it's remaining artifacts have been scattered. This is primarily because the early Hawaiians did not have formal writing and therefore, most of their history was handed down orally. Many of the early historical sites within the city of Honolulu have since been built over, leaving only the royal artifacts housed at Bishop Museum and the royal colonial buildings around it's capital and the neighboring suburb of Nu'uanu.
A large section of the museum holds many Hawaiian artifacts, the largest being the skeletal remains of a whale hanging precariously from the ceiling. This definitely makes for a good conversational piece!
Not too far from downtown Honolulu, located within the lush suburb of Nu'uanu, lays the historical remains of King Kamehameha III's summer palace called Kaniakapupu. Built in 1845, it was used to entertain many international dignitaries and celebrities alike.
Within the capital, there were many colonial buildings built in the 1800's. Those surviving till today were primarily built by the ali'i or royalty of that time. Imagine these exact buildings at a time when horses and carriages were the main mode of transportation.
Today, the same streets still exists but its surroundings are truly different!
Take a walk and you will see these historical gems among the many high rises of downtown.
Downtown Honolulu is a compact area of high rises, bordered by Chinatown and Capitol Place. It is very active during the day, but it quickly becomes deserted with a few wayward stragglers at night.
Due to the strict city building codes, the tallest building in downtown Honolulu is the First Hawaiian Center (FHC) building; standing at 429 feet. It was built by Kohn Pedersen Fox in 1996.
Not too far from the FHC building is the Iolani Palace and the statue of King Kamehameha. Iolani Palace is the only palace in the entire U.S.A. It was here that Queen Lilioukalani surrendered peacefully to the U.S. Marines during the overthrow of the Hawaiian royalty; that signified the start of the annexation of the Hawaiian islands to the United States of America.
The King Kamehameha I statue is quite a popular spot for tourists. There are several of his bronze statues erected throughout the island; with one lost at sea when the ship transporting it to Honolulu from England sank to the bottom of the sea. There was also an occasion (or two) where someone made off with his iron spear! The newest erected statue of King Kamehameha III, the longest reigning monarch, can be seen at Thomas Square.
Just east of the palace is another historical building called Honolulu Hale. This is the seat of the city and county of Honolulu where the Mayor's office is located. During the Christmas season, it becomes a lighted wonderland with Mr. and Mrs. Clause gracing it's footsteps.
Heading east from downtown is the up and coming neighborhood called Kaka'ako. Once a place of odds and ends businesses (e.g., independent car repair shops and godowns), it is currently being rezoned and gentrified with modern luxurious condominiums and high-end retail spaces. It is the fastest growing neighborhood in all of Honolulu. Due to its proximity to the beach and parks, this area has become the hot spot for foreign investors. Howard Hughes Corporation and its current development over what used to be Ward Center and Warehouse is making a big buzz locally and internationally.
The city of Honolulu is also home to the great historical national monument of Pearl Harbor. It must have been a frightening sight to see as the bombs landed and the fires raged. Today, the memorial includes many historical sights at Ford Island, including the Mighty Mo, the USS Utah, and the USS Arizona.
Directly makai (mountain side) from Pearl Harbor is the Aloha Stadium. It primarily hosts the University of Hawai'i football games during the NCAA Division I College Football season. On the weekends, the car park is turned into a frenzy of swap meets and flea markets.
And then there's Waikiki, which is probably the first place that comes to mind when one mentions Hawai'i. Waikiki is a 1-mile stretch of hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and apartments. It is also where most of the tourists go to hang out.
(Side note: One of the photos featured above was picked by Hawaii Magazine as the winner for it's 2017 Photo Contest https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/winners-2017-hawaii-magazine-photo-contest )
Although the old school tiki bars are long gone, Waikiki is still full of glitz as it reinvents itself over the years. In fact, the tiki and gaudy aloha shirts were the creations of Californians who developed their own ideas of what they thought Hawai'i should be. Today it is a mix of local Polynesian history with the revitalization of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, a line up of luxury stores for our Japanese visitors, as well as lux hotels that can charge $5K a night!
(Side note: One of the above photos was published in the Pacific Business News 2020-2021 on page 150.)
And yet, Waikiki is also the Beach Boys' hangout and is not spared from our island's homelessness. As a super compact city with exorbitant rental and home prices, most Honolulans live in high rises and apartments. Many older homes in older neighborhoods convert their homes into multi level buildings with many rooms to meet the shortage of housing. This led to some being over built and often referred to as 'monster homes'. The city would give these owners a chance to tear them down or face hefty fines.
A trip to Honolulu is never complete without paying a visit to the most eastern side of the island. It is at this tip where you can see the remnants of two tuff cones from the Honolulu Volcanic Series. Koko Crater and Koko Head are both hike-able and very popular with tourists and locals alike.
As you round the tip of the eastern shore, you will be rewarded with a grand view of the Ka'iwi Shoreline with its spectacular jaw dropping cliffs, sandy beaches and the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean. On a clear day, you can see the neighboring islands of Lanai, Molokai and a hint of Maui. It is also here where one can walk up a paved bitumen road to the top of Makapu'u Point which ends with a view of it's lighthouse and the windward coast.
Honolulu, and Hawai'i, is synonymous to surfing. Kids as young as 6 or 7 would start to learn the art of surfing. The south shores around Waikiki and Ala Moana are a perfect place to learn, as the waves hardly get any bigger than 3 or 4 feet. On Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, you will find a statue of Duke Kahanamoku, a local born Hawaiian, an ex-Olympian gold medalist, who is fondly known as the 'father of surfing', welcoming you. Aloha.
ความคิดเห็น