Return to Hawaii: From the Boom Box

18 June 1985

I’m sure there is a real name for the small space in the tail of the KC-135 that the boom operator uses to refuel aircraft in flight.  I don’t know what it is, so to me it will forever be the “boom box.”  Let me tell you — it’s a tight fit in that small bay.  Hopefully the re-fueling operation doesn’t take long, or it could get quite claustrophobic down there.

The photo above was taken well after we were flying across the Pacific.  Mui didn’t wait that long to check out the boom bay — he jumped down into the space as soon as we were in the air so he could grab some aerial shots of Oahu.

The arrow points to the Ala Wai Canal, which was created in 1928 for the
purpose of draining the rice paddies and swamps that would eventually become
the tourist resort area of Waikiki (the area to the left of the canal).
Diamond Head Crater is framed by the clouds.

L to R: Hanauma Bay, Koko Crater, and Koko Head (the land that juts out into the ocean).
(you’ll have to forgive our early attempts at stitching photos.)

So far we’ve flown twice to Hawaii; both times on an aircraft designed to refuel other aircraft.  Maybe someday we’ll actually fly there on a passenger jet!

Return to Hawaii: Pineapples and Falls

17 June 1985

Our second day on Oahu was spent drive-by-seeing through Central Oahu to the North Shore and back.  Along the way we made a few stops at places of interest, starting with the Dole Pineapple Plantation, near the town of Wahiawa, and Waimea Falls Park on the North Shore.

[click the map for a larger version]

Here’s a bit of history on the delicious fruit that many know in one form — a big, sweet ring with a hole in the middle (from the Dole Plantation website — click the image below visit the website).

The pineapple—fierce on the outside, sweet on the inside—was given its English name for its resemblance to a pine cone.  Christopher Columbus brought this native of South America back to Europe as one of the exotic prizes of the New World.  In later centuries, sailors brought the pineapple home to New England, where a fresh pineapple displayed on the porch meant that the sailor was home from foreign ports and ready to welcome visitors.  Pineapples were the crowning glory of lavish American banquets, and were considered the height of extravagant hospitality.  Even George Washington grew them in his Mount Vernon hothouse.

No one knows when the first pineapple (“halakahiki,” or foreign fruit, in Hawaiian) arrived in Hawai‘i.  Francisco de Paula Marin, a Spanish adventurer who became a trusted advisor to King Kamehameha the Great, successfully raised pineapples in the early 1800s.  A sailor, Captain John Kidwell, is credited with founding Hawaii’s pineapple industry, importing and testing a number of varieties in the 1800s for commercial crop potential.  But it wasn’t until James Drummond Dole arrived in the islands that the pineapple was transformed from an American symbol of friendship and exotic locales into an American household staple.

After touring the plantation and tasting some pineapple — produce seems to always taste better when it is fresh from the fields — we continued our drive to Waimea Falls Park, where we spent most of our day.  Some visitors were diving off the 45-foot (14 m) high jagged cliff into the pool at the base of the falls; others were swimming in the refreshing water.  We opted to sit and enjoy the scenery and the action from a dry perch on the rocks.  Before leaving the park we toured a historic site located on the grounds, as well as the botanical gardens.

Heliconia — this variety is commonly called “lobster’s claw.”

Giant Lily Pads

On the way back to Honolulu, we took the road that follows the coast.  When we came across a sign for the Hawaii Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Laie, we had to make a detour.  After all, we live in the state that the LDS settled when they were forced to leave Illinois in the mid-1800s.  Here’s some information (source unidentified) that I found in my photo album.

With so many native Hawaiians joining the Church, it was deemed wise to provide a gathering place for the Saints so that they could better develop their own community.  A Latter-Day settlement was attempted at Lanai, but was later abandoned.

In 1865, the Church purchased 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) of land at Laie and designated the site as a new gathering place for the Saints.  Believing that the Lord had sent them to this location, early Church members struggled to improve the land until, many years later, a garden paradise emerged.  King Kalakaua visited the village in 1874, saying that there he felt, “perfectly at home.”

Along with the growth of the Church in Hawaii and the Pacific came the need for a temple.  On June 1, 1915, Church president Joseph Smith visited the islands and dedicated the site for the temple.  Construction began in 1916.  Built from pulverized lava and reinforced concrete, the temple became one of the earliest examples of architectural concrete in America.  The temple was completed in 1919 at a cost of more than $250,000.  (Click the collage of photos above to visit the temple website.)

And so we wrapped up our second visit to Hawaii.  We hope to return to the islands someday for a visit that’s longer than just a day or two.

Return to Hawaii: In and Around Honolulu

16 June 1985

When we visited Hawaii in 1984, we had a specific goal for our one day on the island — to visit the USS Arizona Memorial (click here to read the post).  With no set plans this time, we spent the first day seeing the sights in and around Honolulu.  So here goes … (the notes are from my photo album; no source was noted).

Iolani Palace was built by three architects.  The “only royal palace built on American soil,” was completed in 1882.  King David Kalakaua, known as the “Merry Monarch,” was the first to take up residence in the building.  After his death, the palace fell to his sister, Queen Lili’uokalani, who lived there until she was deposed in 1893.  She continued to live in the palace as a semi-prisoner until 1895.

The palace is a somewhat overly-rococo style better known as American Florentine.

The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii adorns the palace gate.
”Ua mau ke ea o ka`aina i ka pono"
"The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"

Left: Chinese Banyan Tree; Right: Bandstand on the palace grounds.

The Iolani Barracks are a replica of a Scottish baronial castle.

The State Capitol is a massive structure with cantilevered concrete ribs separated by glass mosaic tiles that manage to suggest the form of a volcano and the rhythm of the ocean.  Koa wood from the Big Island lines most of the interior, and in the Senate and House chambers, many pieces of art are patterned after tapa designs.  None of these, however, is quite so riveting, or as meaningful as the squat bronze figure of the immortal Father Damien.

The coat of arms and motto of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Replica of the Liberty Bell, presented to the State of Hawaii on 4 July 1950.

Queen Lili'uokalani ruled Hawaii between 1891-1893.

Father Damien was a Catholic priest much revered in the islands.  Born a farmer’s son in Tremeloo, Belgium, he joined the missionary congregation of the Sacred Hearts in 1840.  He was ordained a Catholic priest at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in 1864.  In 1873, he volunteered to serve alone at the leprosy settlement on the island of Molokai.  For 16 years, he ministered to doomed bodies, and by his presence, gave them the reassurance they so desperately needed that they had not been forsaken either by God or Man.  On April 15, 1889, Damien died of leprosy.

The inscription on the statue reads:
“Greater love has no man than this that a man may lay down his life for his friend.”

The Punchbowl is the site of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  The ancient Hawaiians called the crater “Puowaina,” or the Hill of Sacrifice.  The name rings true today as well.  More than 22,000 American servicemen and servicewomen are buried here; among them 22 recipients of the Medal of Honor.  In addition, over 26,000 names of servicemen missing in action are listed on marble walls called the Court of the Missing.

The inscription reads: "The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid
so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.”

Located just below the Koko Head Crater, the Halona Blow Hole is a natural sea geyser that spouts water through a submerged lava tube.

Not far from the Halona Blow Hole is the beach that was ...
[scanned from postcard]

… made famous by this scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.
[click the photo for the story of the movie]

The Nuuanu Pali Lookout offers a spectacular view of windward Oahu.  Legend has it that King Kamehameha the Great fought a battle here during his conquest of Oahu and sent hundreds of island warriors tumbling down the pali (cliff) to their deaths when they chose to perish rather than submit.  Their bones, the legend continues, lie by the thousands in the valleys below.  Historians, however, have failed to verify the incident and the sounds heard here are likely not the wail of the glorious dead, but the wind.

And a few more photos taken here and there during our day of sightseeing in and around Honolulu …

The inscription on the World War II Memorial reads:
“In honor of all Americans of Hawaii who died in this world war that the
beauty and freedom of our land might be preserved for all humanity.”

This memorial is dedicated to the men and women of the State of Hawaii
who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Downtown Honolulu from an overlook.

The State Capitol from an overlook.

Honolulu from an overlook — Waikiki is to the left.

Diamond Head Crater from an overlook.
(the black  arrow points to the ala Wai Canal.)

Return to Hawaii: Hale Koa

15 June 1985

We so enjoyed our “taste” of Hawaii in 1984 that we decided to take another bite out of the 50th state of the US.  (Click here for the story of our first trip.)  As was the case the first time around, the trip was short, but this time we had an extra day for a grand total of two — that’s not a typo — days on Oahu.

Again, our mode of transport was a KC-135 air refueling plane operated by the Utah Air National Guard.  This time, however, we traveled in comfort.  Instead of web-seats rimming the fuselage, there were regular passenger seats.  The same kind you’d find on a passenger jetliner, but a lot fewer of them.  We still shared the cabin with cargo, but the temperature was a great deal more comfortable.  Rumor had it that the commanding officer was flying the training mission, so perhaps that was the reason for the improved conditions.  Regardless, we weren’t complaining.

We took advantage of another military perk on this short trip to Hawaii — we stayed at Hale Koa, a military resort overlooking a stretch of beach in Waikiki.  I’m sure the rates have gone up considerably since 1985, but I remember we paid a ridiculously low nightly rate at the time.  And for an ocean-view room no less!

In 1906, a parcel of land that was deemed “undesirable” was sold to the military and became Fort DeRussy.  It was the fort’s Armed Forces Recreation Center that later became the 187-room Hale Koa (House of the Warrior) — a favorite R&R destination for military personnel.

[Click the picture to visit the Hale Koa website]

You know what my lasting memory of Hale Koa is?  Breakfast on the terrace.  And not breakfast in total — just the papaya … served on the shell with wedges of lime.  That was the first time I’d eaten papaya; I still remember how good it tasted as we sat there, overlooking the ocean, light breezes fanning over us.

Lagoon: It’s What Fun Is

1 June 1985

"It's What Fun Is" may well be the logo for Lagoon, but we're not amusement-park people. We don't do the rides; we don't play the games. So I’m not really sure what took us there. I certainly wasn’t dressed for the occasion. And the photos Mui took would make one think that I was putting together a modeling portfolio — which I most certainly wasn’t. All I can surmise is that Mui wanted to practice his portrait photography and he somehow convinced me to model for him.