Honolulu

Dearest Rachel –

For all that this trip is meant for me to visit a whole, erm, boatload of places that I’ve never been to before (and most likely, never will again – it’s nothing personal, after all, as the opportunity doesn’t arise that often. I’m still kind of surprised to find myself on my way back to places like Tokyo and Busan barely a year after having been there last time), there are, of course, places that I’ve visited in the past, however distantly, that I’m just now getting the chance to return to. This is the first of those places.

Ironically, this is one of the few places that I’d been to before we got together – twice, even – and we never got the chance to go as a couple. Considering your taste for transoceanic travel, it would have been nice to have had that opportunity. It’s doubly ironic insofar as there had been plans for us to go with the SeaBronies in 2020 (after the blast we had in December of 2019 in the Western Caribbean), only for that – and really, that entire community – to fall apart when the world shut down due to Covid.

It doesn’t help that, traditionally, Honolulu is thought of as a honeymoon destination, from both sides of the Pacific. For someone like myself, suffering from what the Naval personnel used to refer to as “the old Hawaiian disease” (or ‘lakanuki’ – sound it out, and you’ll get it, honey. You might even find it amusing), it’s a bit galling. Well, it could have been worse, I suppose; we could have arrived here last Wednesday, to really rub the salt in.

Anyway, let’s get into the usual details of the place:

Honolulu (‘sheltered harbor’ or ‘calm port’ in the native tongue) is the capital and largest city of Hawaii. It covers an area of approximately 68.4 square miles (177.2 square kilometers), and with a population of a little more than 350 thousand, it houses nearly a quarter of the state’s entire population. When you include the entirety of Honolulu County, which is technically the smallest regional governmental unit in Hawaii (the city of Honolulu, as with Hilo and Kailua-Kona, is actually unincorporated – in fact, Hawaii is unique among all the states in not having any incorporated cities) and encompasses the whole island of Oahu and the Leeward Islands beyond Niihau, the population of Honolulu (over 800 thousand in all) amounts to over 55% of all Hawaiians.

As we were preparing to disembark for Hilo yesterday, I mentioned some of my own past experiences in Honolulu to a fellow passenger who has apparently been to most of the islands numerous times. He dismissed the place as “Los Angeles with teriyaki sauce,” which I thought funny enough to write down and relate to you – although I mentioned to him that, until last weekend, I hadn’t really been to Los Angeles (and technically, I still haven’t, particularly when you consider that even the airport is in Hawthorne), so it’s almost more exotic to me than Honolulu. In any event, though, his point was that he didn’t see the place as the “real” Hawaii; although, by that metric, you could say Chicago isn’t the real Illinois, either (after all, it only represents only about twenty percent of Illinoisans), and yet it’s undoubtedly an integral part of it, all things considered.

Frankly, the cultural combination of East and West – plus the very strong native influence (despite the fact that pure-blooded native Hawaiians are extremely rare, even in their homeland – the most recent census suggests that only five thousand remain throughout the entire world, although there are plenty of “hapas” that proudly claim to be at least part Hawaiian) – should count for something in terms of Honolulu’s culture. Sure, being urban makes it vastly different from the rest of the state, but again, that’s no different from the relationship of Chicago (and its suburbs, roughly comparable to the rest of Oahu) to Illinois. Who those people are is no less Hawaiian than any other – and considering there’s more of them, they ought to have a say as to what is “real” Hawaii.

Wow, that really went off the rails, didn’t it? I thought what the guy said was cute and funny, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed a little unfair to the city that basically represents Hawaii to the rest of the world. At least it still makes people want to come here, unlike our representative city.

And it isn’t as if its urbanity is particularly off-putting. The ‘city’ is only about a quarter more dense than our home suburb (not the city we’re connected to, the suburb itself), and the county/island as a whole is less than half so. Granted, as a volcanic island like the rest of the archipelago, there are places where you simply can’t build (and, thanks to certain insistences on the part of the native population, others where one is not allowed to build, due to their cultural and religious significance), so that should be expected.

As for tomorrow’s excursion, I can expect to see a few beaches, particularly Makapu’u; a picturesque stretch of coastline known for its golden sands and turquoise waters. Evidently the beach itself is not suitable for swimming due to its rough surf and strong currents – although that literally sounds like it would call out to surfers – but it is a popular spot for sunbathing, picnicking, and beachcombing. The plans also speak of visiting Halona Beach Cove, also known as Halona Blowhole Lookout. The eponymous blowhole is formed by underwater lava tubes that extend from the coastline into the ocean. When waves crash into the rocky shoreline, water is forced into the lava tubes and channels. As the water surges upward and reaches the surface, it creates a powerful spout or geyser-like spray that can shoot high into the air, especially during periods of high surf, hence the name.

I’m told we’ll also visit the Pali Cliffs, situated along the Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside, and rising dramatically from the valley floor, reaching heights of up to 1,200 feet (366 meters) above sea level. In ancient times, the cliffs served as a natural barrier, providing protection for the Hawaiian aliʻi (chiefs) and their subjects from invasions (and I just realized that the main street in Kailua-Kona, Ali’i Drive, translates to ‘Chief Drive’ – basically, it’s just ‘Main Street’ in Hawaiian). The Battle of Nu’uanu, a significant conflict in Hawaiian history, took place near the Pali Cliffs in 1795 when King Kamehameha I defeated the forces of Oahu’s chief, Kalanikūpule, leading to the unification of the Hawaiian Islands. Kalanikūpule retreated to the Koʻolau Mountains on the eastern side of Oahu, seeking refuge. However, he was pursued by Kamehameha’s forces, ultimately being caught and presumably executed, although the records aren’t clear on the specifics.

But while Kamehameha, as initially the ali’i of Hawai’i, unified the islands under the banner of Hawaii as opposed to Oahu, the fact that Oahu and Honolulu have been the ones to thrive and make Hawaii as a whole what it is needs to count for something. Sure, much of that is from the influence of everyone flowing into it – us haoles (including the English, the Portuguese and us Americans), of course, but also various Asian cultures. It may be less “pure” Hawaiian, but considering how little of them there are, that can’t be held against it.

Anyway, I’ve got a lot of work to do this evening, and dinner is calling soon enough. I’ll be in touch; until then, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.