Come walk beside me through a Honolulu History tour. Your presence is required and with mind, heart and soul front and center you'll experience a history unfolding right before your very eyes.
Iolani Palace- A National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historical Places, Iolani Palace is the only royal palace used as an official residence by a reigning monarch in the United States. The original palace was built in 1845 during the reign of Kamehameha III, You can visit the palace and see the magnificent feather cloak of Kiwala'o, the Crown Jewels, the Chamberlain's Office and other treasures of the Monarchy period.
Waimea was given the title of the "Valley of the Priests" around the year 1090 and erected two of the Heiau's or ancient temples (pronounced hay ee ow) around this area. Puu O Mahuka Heiau is on the bluffs of Pupukea and above Waimea (first picture taken from this heiau) and is the largest heiau on the island of Oahu covering 5 acres of land. It is also a national landmark and registered historical site.
Heiau Kupopolo was built during the reign of Kahahana and in one legend he asks his priest (Kaopulupulu) to ask the gods if they approve of him and whether the island of Kauai would surrender if he invaded their shores. It was built right off the beach of Waimea Bay but when High Priest Kaopulupulu used the heiau he received no answer from Kauai. (they believed that thoughts are little gods and travel in space and fly freely as soaring birds) There's more to it than this ....which I surely will cover in another post!
Hale o Lono Heiau (pictured below) is a temple that was excavated and dates between 1470 A.D and 1700 A.D. and located in Waimea Falls Park.
The King Kamehameha Statue was cast in Paris by an American artist T.R. Gould and located in front of Ali' Iolani Hale (currently the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court). King Kamehameha unified the Hawaiian Islands. Even under strong Western influence Kamehameha's government kept peace and the traditional Hawaiian values in place. The statue was dedicated in 1893 as part of King Kalakaua's coronation ceremony.
The Kahuku Sugar Mill was built in 1890 on the North Shore of Oahu in a town called Kahuku. Many different immigrants came to Hawaii to work this plantation and did so for eight decades. Everyone in this tiny little town grew up around this mill and everyone seemed to have a connection to it. The Mormons are the ones who started the cultivation of sugar when they settled there in the mid 1800's. After 81 years of operation, the sugar mill closed in 1971. The remaining majority of people in Kahuku had relatives who once labored in the fields or worked in the mill.
The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on this site, propelling the U.S. into World War II. This floating memorial in Pearl Harbor is the resting place for many of the 1,177 crew members killed on the USS Arizona battleship.
Oh, Hawaii. So rich in history....so rich in diversity with so many different ethnic groups that settled in our islands from the beginning of time.
The mysteries surround us on this tropical island paradise.
We embrace it.
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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com
