Walking In Waikiki with Cloudia Charters -"A New Year at the Beach"

Community website by MBC/Ernest Abrams. Call 808-739-9797 for advertising/sponsorship#KaimukiHawaii Community website by MBC/Ernest Abrams. Call 808-739-9797 for advertising/sponsorship#KaimukiHawaii

Kaimuki, Hawaii
News Item
Powered by MBC NewsMaker
Walking In Waikiki with Cloudia Charters -"A New Year at the Beach"
Tweet

Courtesy of Cloudia Charters Author of Aloha Where You Like To Go?

Walking in Waikiki
With Cloudia Charters
"A New Year at the Beach"

Aloha and welcome to another year of Walking in Waikiki. E Komo Mai! Thanks for strolling along with us. . . It's been a glorious Holiday Season at life's greatest beach, so here's your rundown of what's been going on, and a "heads up" for some cool events. In case you've been wondering, the number of visitors to Waikiki has dropped recently. But our tropical beauty and amenities are undiminished! In fact, the less crowded beaches and lowered room-rates (not to mention frigid temps elsewhere!) might just make this YOUR winter to dig your toes in our sand . . .. Whale season is in full swing, with no downturn in their numbers, quite the opposite. It's a banner year! In fact whale-watching cruises from Honolulu actually GUARANTEE that you WILL see whales. In the unlikely event that none are spotted during your cruise, you will be invited back FREE, until you have that magic experience you dream about. . . Did you know that Historic Lahaina Maui, whale watching Mecca & one-time capitol of Hawaii, is also infamous as the battlefield of the 19th Century "Whaler-Missionary War?" Missionaries were none too pleased when rough & ready sailor-men ("wooden ships, iron men") followed valuable oil - whale oil, that is - to these rich winter calving grounds of the humpback. These guys were no choir boys, and their hard-drinking, two-fisted, profane activities ashore clashed seriously with the hymn singing, religious instruction, and "useful" labor that the folks with the monopoly on God were trying to impose, er, offer the "benighted" Hawaiians. That "war" must have been some brawl! Imagine obscene pirates trading "licks" with fire & brimstone preachers wielding axes, and egged on by their indignant, hatchet-faced wives! Today we lack the rectitude of the missionaries, and the pure spit-into-the-wind brio of the whaling men, but the whales still favor leeward Maui. Today they are protected and admired. Yet small boats of gutsy people still occasionally chase them. These pursuers are not whale-hunters but whale-HELPERS. In response to reports of a whale entangled with discarded fishing line, a team mobilizes to search for the giant in distress. The gaffs, hooks, and blades they carry are all designed for the purpose of freeing the intelligent mammal to pursue its hemispheric ramblings unencumbered. This delicate water ballet would have baffled the whalers of old, don't you think? Experts estimate that 1700 humpback whales are currently wintering here. . .

On December 19th I made my way to the Royal Palm Grove of Helumoa in the center of Waikiki to join the celebration of a royal birthday. It was Princess Bernice Pauahi Paki Bishop's 177th. Hauoli La Hanau, Princess! Attending the party were members of several Royal Societies, including the Daughters of Hawaii, in their antique regalia. Hula was performed, and the Kupuna Kane (senior men) of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Glee Club sang some rousing numbers in perfect Hawaiian. Helumoa is the site of today's Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, and mature palm trees still grace this resort of high chiefs and Hawaiian Royalty. The neighboring Royal Hawaiian Hotel reopens next week after a multi-million dollar fix-up. . . I have a confession to make: today is sunny, balmy and delightful. Many of you currently have blizzard warnings - we have lizards warming! You say: "ski mask" I say: "sunblock." Waikiki received not just a bounty of beautiful weather this holiday season, but the birth of 3 delightful Sumatran Tiger Cubs at the Honolulu Zoo. TOO CUTE! . . . You may have heard that we here on the island of O`ahu lost our electric power after rare tropic lightning strike. (Or five!) A festive December Friday night turned into an adventure as folks walked the sidewalks and actually spoke to strangers from all over the world. Street artists on battery power like caricaturist Bill McQ in front of the International Marketplace were the only show in town! Emergency generators kept hotel elevators available, and many local people enjoyed the respite from their frenetic holiday schedules just to be together. Vacationing "local guy" Obama reportedly went to bed early, as usual, while government generators hummed efficiently nearby, maintaining communications and security infrastructure fit for a President-Elect. It was a night to stroll Waikiki Beach by torchlight. The Hilton launched their weekly fireworks right on time, all the brighter for the dark skies and new moon above. And O`ahu motorists waved each other through unattended intersections with true Aloha. . . The Cazimero Brother' Christmas Show at the Hawaii Theatre was a high point of the Holiday season. You can read more about it on my blog:
http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2008/12/caz-christmas-show.html. . . . As I deepen my friendship with this place that I love, it becomes increasingly natural to me to feel kinship with our "animate" nature, and not just the whales. The inert "stuff" of our modern view increasingly reveals a delightful persona. Just look at that surf: Playful! The green Ko`olau Mountains are a constant cathedral above the town, inducing reverence and perspective whenever I raise my eyes "unto" them. The sea's a ceaseless chorus. Birds are clearly messengers from high places, and sky gazing is grazing in a library of light and wisdom . . . Oh yeah, just lay on that beach and look up! . . . Lucky folks with reservations enjoyed a memorable Jazz New Years Eve at Top of Waikiki restaurant. Chef Sean Priester has created a menu & ambiance that appears to be impervious to any dining-downturn. The spinning restaurant finally boasts food and service that fully live up to the amazing view. Look for me eating Pupu at the bar! Last week we celebrated the birthday of cultural icon Elvis. He loved Hawaii, made movies here, and raised much of the funding for the moving Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Some claim that the king never died; they say he is living here in the Isles unnoticed. Perhaps he has lunch with Ann Margaret who is known to visit regularly. Time has changed her to the point where she can stand outside her hotel in Waikiki and not be recognized. (Barack, on the other hand, can no longer stroll Waikiki anonymously as he did before the primary elections. But WE can!) Alive or immortal, Elvis is seen every night from Waikiki when the lights of Saint Louis Heights come on. There, many of us see the likeness of the king in the lights on the side of the dark mountain. One particular row of streetlights makes for a dandy guitar strap. Remember the swinging 70's? Well our Waikiki Tony Roma's hasn't changed a hair since. The food is savory, Manager Grace and her staff are true purveyors of Aloha, and the d cor is lots of fun. Good place for lunch! . . . Watching the film Blue Hawaii (1962) on TCM I was struck by all the changes in Waikiki and our island in the past 47 years . What a hoot! . . . Gung Hee Fat Choy! Happy Chinese (lunar) New Year of the OX! All this month cultural events are being held in our wonderful Chinatown. The 24th will see parades, lion dances, wandering dragons, plenty of food, lots of music and noise as streets are closed for a major festival. I NEVER miss it. What an antidote for post-holiday blahs! So take a quick look out the window, and then call your travel agent or William Shatner and BE HERE! I'll watch for you when I'm out and about, strolling our "Paris in Flip Flops". . . Just walking in Waikiki. . . ALOHA!

Questions? Ready for an appointment?

Like Our Facebook

Kaimuki, Hawaii News Item

Kaimuki, Hawaii
News Item