Jan 20-21, 2024 – Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii – World Cruise

We arrived in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, on the morning of Jan 20, 2024. Honolulu is the capital of the State of Hawaii and a major metropolis in the islands. It has a population of over 1 million people. Immediately outside the pier where we were docked was the Aloha Tower. It is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the State of Hawaii. The Aloha Tower opened in 1926 at a then astronomical cost of $160,000. It is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet of height topped with 40 feet of flag mast, for decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It has since been eclipsed by many taller skyscrapers/office buildings in the sprawling city.

We went on an excursion in the morning that initially took us to Kailua Beach, located on the windward side of Oahu. It is a favorite spot for beachgoers, windsurfers, kayakers, and paddleboarders.

Then we went to the Missionary House settlement where the initial missionaries settled. and saw how these early settlers lived in the environment of the local Hawaiians. They were very involved in the early education of many of the native population. At the time, the Hawaiians already had their own language and alphabet, and were quite advanced and learned quickly. The king and members of his kingdom were very supportive of the missionaries in their efforts, including a requirement for education of all children and adults.

We then went to Iolani Palace, which is a living restoration of a proud Hawaiian national identity and is recognized as the spiritual and physical epicenter of Hawaii. Hawaii has an interesting history. The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawai’i, was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands (formerly the Sandwich Islands). The country was formed in 1795 when the warrior chief, Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island of Hawai’i, conquered the islands of O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i and unified them under one government. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kaua’i and Ni’ihua joined the Hawaiian Kingdom voluntarily.

King Kamehameha I or his sons and nephews (Kings Kamehameha II through V) ruled the monarchy through 1886. The sixth monarch was King Kalakaua who was forced to accept a new constitution in 1887 by an anti-monarchist militia. He was succeeded by Queen Lili’uokalani in 1891. She was overthrown in 1893 by a group of Hawaiian subjects and resident nationals from American, British and German descent. Hawaii was briefly an independent republic until the United States annexed it in 1898 and created the Territory of Hawai’i. In 1959 Hawaii was granted statehood as the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, The United States in the Apology Resolution acknowledged that “the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States” and also “that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their territorial lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawai’i or through a plebiscite or referendum.”

Built in 1882 by King Kalakaua, Iolani Palace was the home of Hawai’i’s last reigning monarchs and served as the official residence of the Kingdom’s political and social life until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.

On the evening of Jan 20, we went to a traditional Hawaiian luau at the Paradise Cove. The luau was a lot of fun with traditional food, including a roasted pig, dancing and entertainment, and a beautiful sunset.

On Jun 21 we were still in Honolulu with no excursions scheduled, so we decided to take an Uber out of the city and visit the Disney Aulani Resort on Oahu. It is about 40 minutes out of the city center and is a beautiful resort with all things Disney and Oahu have to offer — beautiful beach, lazy river and waterslides, nice outdoor places to eat, and a very large hotel that was constructed to look like a Polynesian village. It was a nice way to just relax for the day.