Hawaiian Island of Oahu

Discover the Beauty and History of Oahu

Excerpt from the book I Need to Get Lei'd from the Teresa the Traveler series of books. There is nothing better than waking up on a tropical island. The sun peaked through the dark curtains coaxing me out of bed. I opened the sundeck doors and breathed in the warm humid air. My hotel was located near the Ala Wai Canal, a manmade canal that serves as the northern boundary of the tourist district of Waikiki. The canal was dug in 1928 to drain the rice paddies and swamps in order to develop the area. It also serves as the primary drainage corridor for central Honolulu.
    I threw on some shorts and my black backpack and then went for a walk along the canal. The water was pretty murky and I could see why people are warned not to swim in the water or eat fish caught from it. The canal is a popular recreation area and the number of people paddling canoes was proof of that. However back in March of 2006 the canal was void of any paddlers after 48 million gallons of untreated sewage was diverted into the canal on the orders of Mayor Mufi Hannemann in an effort to prevent the sewage from backing up into the hotels and residences after heavy rains overwhelmed the sewers around the canal causing a pressurized sewage line to break. The sewage tainted the nearby beaches causing them to close and one person died of septic shock after falling into the Ala Wai Yacht Harbour. What a shitty way to die – pun intended!
    I marvelled at all the sea creatures living in the canal. I saw jellyfish, tilapia and small crabs. If this was what the canal was like I could just imagine what it was like to snorkel in the ocean. I decided to make my way to famous Waikiki beach. I could hardly believe I was really in Waikiki, I had dreamed of visiting Oahu since I was a young child after hearing stories of my friend’s family vacations to Hawaii.

Waikiki Beach
    Waikiki, meaning spouting waters in Hawaiian, was named for the duck ponds, rice paddies and taro patches that were drained by the canal to make room for development. Once a playground for Hawaiian royalty, the 1830’s brought visits from foreigners and in the 1860’s a road was constructed along with a tramway and tram cars.
    It did not become a popular tourist destination until 1901 when wealthy Honolulu landowner Walter Chamberlain Peacock built the luxurious beach front Moana Hotel. Boasting 75 spacious guest rooms with telephones and private baths, the hotel also had a billiard room, parlour, library, salon and the first electric-powered elevator in the area.       Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and Amelia Earhart frequented the luxury hotel which was often referred to as the “First Lady of Waikiki”. Now called the Moana Surfrider, the hotel remains an important Waikiki landmark.
    Waikiki’s pristine beach has not been without problems. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, in an effort to save the beach from erosion, sand from Manhattan Beach in California was brought in. Groins were also built to interrupt the flow of water and prevent sediment from being washed away by longshore drilling.
  In the 1930’s Hawaiian music became popular worldwide when a radio show called Hawaii Calls was broadcast from the courtyard of the Moana Hotel from 1935 – 1975. This put Hawaii in the international spotlight attracting such celebrities as Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple and Clark Gable. The flow of tourists was interrupted by the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour, during which time the Moana Hotel became a relaxing stop over for soldiers heading off to battle.
    Regularly scheduled flights from the United States West Coast brought tourists back after the war and with them the King of Rock and Roll– Elvis Presley who shot three films on location in Oahu and on Waikiki Beach.
    As the resort area grew, attractions such as the Waikiki Aquarium, the Honolulu Zoo, the 500-acre Kapiolani Park and the International Marketplace were added along with numerous high-rises, hotels, nightclubs and fine restaurants making Waikiki the premier tourist destination it is today.
     I arrived at Waikiki Beach and noticed the white sandy beach was a flurry of activity. Little shacks lined the waterfront offering tourists anything from surfboards rentals and sea canoes to beach lounge chairs.  Large brightly painted Catamarans offered day cruises for as little as $20.00 while surfing schools advertised lessons for the beginner surfer complete with pictures and videos of the experience.
    I dipped my foot in the warm water and watched it sink into the sand. It felt so good that I left my shoes off and continued walking along the water’s edge letting the tide splash onto my calves. I watched the body surfers ride the waves into the shore and wished I had brought my bathing suit. I left it in the hotel as this was strictly a recognisance mission. As my troubles seemed to drift out with the tide, I started to hum the song Escape (The Piña Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes

If you like Piña Coladas
And getting caught in the rain
If you're not into yoga
If you have half-a-brain
If you like making love at midnight
In the dunes of the cape
I'm the lady you've looked for
Write to me, and escape

Hanauma Bay is one of the best snorkelling beaches in Ohau

Go snorkelling with a giant turtle

You can take surfing lessons on Waikiki beach

From my hotel room balcony in Waikiki I could see the canal

Top Ten Things to See and Do in the Hawaiian Island of Oahu

1. Shark Cage Diving
2. Climb to the top of Diamond Head Volcano
3. Visit Pearl Harbour and learn about WWII history.
4. Go on a turtle and dolphin snorkelling tour.
5. Visit the Dole Plantation and learn about different types of pineapples.
6. Spend the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center
7. Learn how to surf
8. Go snorkelling in Hanauma Bay
9. Ride in a tourist submarine
10. Get L'eid

Click on the pictures below for more information on the following activities.