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Pearl Harbor Area Map

This map has the roads plus; Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial, Ford Island, Pearl City, and more.  By clicking on the map, you can see a magnified version of this map.

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Windward Oahu Map

This map shore the Windward roads and; Hanauma Bay, Kaneohe, Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, Pale Lookout, and more.

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North Shore Oahu Map

The North Shore of Oahu is “The Place” to go for surfing during the winter months.  In this map, you can see the surf areas as well as the roads to get there.

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New – Map of Central Oahu

In this map you can see the area and roads found in Central Oahu, Hawaii.  As before, simply click on the map for a bigger view.

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Map of Honolulu and the HNL Airport

Here, we have posted a map of the City of Honolulu, the Honolulu Airport, and the area around them.  As with the other maps, just click on it to view a larger image.

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Map of the Waikiki Area

Here is a map of Waikiki   You can find most of the local hotels, the various beaches in this area, and the streets in Waikiki.  Just click on the map for a larger view of this area.

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Map of The Island for Oahu, Hawaii

This is a new category we have just added.  We will be posting helpful maps that you can view.  We have several of these maps that we have found in free publications and will continue to post more.  We are starting with a map of the Island of Oahu.  To see a larger view, simply click on the map to the right.

A Look At The Ala Wai Canal

The Hawaiian name translates to “fresh water way”.  The canals story gives me a chance to talk about the rain here.  In the Honolulu and Waikīkī area’s, the annual rainfall will average about 12 inches.  If you look to the far distance, you will see the Koolau Mountains.

These mountains can average up to 200 inches of rain each year. With all that rain coming out of the mountains, threw Manoa Valley, and ending in Waikiki it’s easy to understand that Waikīkī use to be an agricultural wetland.  A hundred years ago all you would have found in Waikīkī was rice, taro, and fish ponds.

The canal was part of the Waikīkī Reclamation Project and was completed by the Dillingham family and their company in the late 1920′s.  The purpose of the canal is to divert all that rainwater into the ocean and, at 2.5 miles by 150 feet, that’s exactly what it does.  The canal is the reason that all the hotels and everything else you see in Waikīkī can exist.  The canal was originally going to empty into the ocean at each end but due to a lack of funds, the second outlet was never completed.

As you cross over the bridge at the Ala Wai Canal, take a look to the left.  Ever seen this view before?  If you are, or have ever been a fan of the TV series “Gilligan’s Island” you should remember the SS Minnow leaving from this harbor.

Ala Wai Boat Harbor.  Ala Wai Boat Harbor was dredged during the late 1940′s and contains about 700 mooring slips.  There is an extremely long waiting list of over 2,000 boat owners who would like to dock here.  The entrance of the harbor or channel is dredged to 22 feet but the interior depth of the harbor may vary from 8 to 20 feet deep.  All sailboats are warned not to enter the harbor under wind power because the winds in the harbor are effected by the tall buildings surrounding it.  Because of these buildings the winds frequently tend to change direction and velocity.

The off shore area is very popular with surfers.  The coral beds formation causes the waves to break in certain ways forming different wave shapes.  Because of the coral formation the depths will vary from 3 feet to 42 feet just a few hundred feet off shore.

The Hawaiian Village was built by Henry J. Kaiser in 1955. He had moved here and loved everything about paradise.  Everything except all the hotels that were just like every other city he had visited.  He wanted something different, so he built it! If you’ve visited here before you may remember seeing “The Dome.”  The Dome, where Don Ho once performed, was designed then built in 1959 by Buckminster Fuller.  This was the first dome built in the United Statesand was entirely constructed in 20 hours.  With the 1961 purchase by Conrad Hilton the property became the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  If you look to the far end of the property, you can see the Rainbow Tower.  The rainbow that you see is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the worlds largest ceramic tile mosaic.  There is another on the opposite side of the building.  Several years ago the hotel underwent a 2 1/2 year renovation at a cost of over $100 million.  In May 2001 the new Kalia Towerwas opened on the former site of The Dome and a new Hilton sign, pool and fountain were added to the property.  The Hilton has received awards, naming it the most beautiful hotel in Waikīkī.

Ilikai Hotel.

The Ilikai Hotel with its 800 rooms was built in the mid 1960′s and is considered to be the first large high-rise hotel built in the rush to accommodate the arriving visitors.

This hotel may be the most recognized hotels in Hawai’i.  During the filming of the television series Hawaii 5-O, 1968-1980, this hotel was used in many of the episodes as the backdrop. Jack Lord, in the opening sequence of each episode, stood on the top floor balcony of this hotel.  Hawaii 5-O was produced from 1968 to the final episode in 1980.  During the 12 year production of the television series the show was eventually shown in 88 different countries and translated into 111 different languages.  The builder of the hotel was a man named Chin Ho.  Perhaps you can remember that name.  It was the character name of Steve McGarret’s Hawaiian (Chinese) side-kick.

Sheraton Moana (open sea) Surfrider Hotel,

The Sheraton Moana, which opened in 1901, was the first large tourist hotel in Waikīkī.  The site of the hotel was originally known as Ulukou (kou-tree grove) until the 1860s.

Next, we’ll continue on to The Ala Wai.

Arround the Hawaii State Capitol

Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959. The capital was completed in 1969 at a cost of $25 million.  As you can guess, the building serves as the center of our state government, but it’s the architecture of the building that I want to talk about.  The building is surrounded by water – this is symbolic of the Pacific Ocean surrounding Hawaii.  Look at the base of the building both left and right – the base looks like a volcano which is how the islands were formed.  Next you see eight pillars – these symbolize the eight major islands of Hawaii plus at the top they form what looks like palm tree’s.  At 7,500 pounds and 15 feet in diameter – the State Seal is in the middle of the building’s face.  On the seal you will find the State Motto “Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono” which means “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”.  The state motto is from King Kamehameha III’s words upon receiving the throne of Hawaii back from England in 1843.  Also, inside the building there is a mosaic in the middle of the floor – called “Aquarius” its different shades of blue represent the Pacific Ocean.

Father Damien Statue.

Located directly in front of the state capital building, most people are familiar with Father Damien Joseph DeVeuster. Ordained a Catholic priest in Our Lady of Peace Cathedral (just down the street on the left) in 1864, he moved to the island of Molokai in 1873.  There he established a colony, at Kalaupapa, for the victims of Hansens Disease (leprosy).  In 1889, Father Damien fell victim to the disease himself and died.  If you remember Statutory Hall in the U.S. Capital Building, Father Damien is the second statue representing Hawai’i.

Royal Palms.

Notice the color and smooth trunks of these Royal Palm tree’s.  This is their natural color and the tree’s are called self cleaning, that is, they shed their leaves naturally which gives them the smooth trunks.

Eternal Flame.

Everyone asks what the flame is behind the Royal Palms.  This is the Eternal Flame, a monument dedicated to all the men and women who served in the Armed Forces.  If you look directly behind the memorial to the far distance (what looks like a mountain), this is Punchbowl, where we honor those who died in the Armed Forces.  It’s official name is The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and we’ll visit there in a another article.

Our next article looks at Waikiki Hotels.