Walking around Honolulu

Yesterday I took a walking tour of Honolulu while my fiancé's car was being serviced at Honda.

 

The exact site of the Bank of Hawaii tower was supposed to be where an ulumaika field was located that King Kamehameha is said to have enjoyed playing at. In the center of their courtyard are some peculiar stones. Were they taken here or were they always here? My image is blurry because at the exact moment of me taking this picture. A security guard came running at me to tell me not to do so.

 

I worked my way to the Iolani Palace where repairs are being done to it right now. I managed to get a close up of one of the flag posts on the ground level, awaiting to be reinstalled on the roof.

 

 In the ewa-makai section of the Iolani Palace grounds. You will see a silver leafed kukui nut tree standing out from the rest of the trees on the property. It was planted by FDR. As he was the first American President to visit the islands.

 

 

On the opposite side of the grounds just outside of the old archives building you will find a large pohaku behind these ti plants. It has a plaque on it in memorial of Capt. Cook but nothing is told about the stone itself. Which is very large compared to anything other stone on the property.

In front of the ti plants is a house stone that was once located in Waipio Valley on the island of Hawaii. Said to have been the stone Umi stood on before entering his father Liloa's home. To claim his royal descent. 

The Kamehameha and Kalakaua lines are descendants of the Umi line. He eventually became the King of Hawaii island and of Maui as well. Umi is accredited for building many heiau and lo'i in the island of Hawaii and their society grew with abundance in his time. Kalakaua is said to have brought this stone from the former residence of Umi's father Liloa. To be a part of the original wooden Iolani Palace structure. Other stones in this type of straight cut construction were also brought here. Some were eventually taken away to help in the construction of streets in Honolulu. Like those found below...

 

After Iolani Palace I visited the library. I could easily spend hours at a time here or at the archives building. Looking up random facts and stories about our local history.

I found an old city planning proposal for the Kakaako district. One has a bike plan from 1983 that still has no improvements in that area to date. Another is a proposal for the convention center being located in Kakaako. Instead of it's actual location on the edge of Waikiki on the Ala Wai Canal. It's main page has a font similar to that of the Pow Wow design. Even matching colors...

 

An old image of the Pohukaina Elementary School...

 

The major theory of Hawaii's settling...

 

As mentioned in last week's post of Nuuanu revisited. I contacted Kaumakapili Church about information of the structure that was found at Maemae Cemetery on Wyllie Ave. The secretary of the church referred me to the grounds keeper of the church, Bud. He told me by phone yesterday that Maemae was originally a church congregation under the stewardship of Kaumakapili Church. The main church was originally at the intersection of Smith and Beretania. It was the peoples church. Besides Kawaiahao Church reserved for royalty and the upper class. I visited the church and said hello to the staff and thanked them for the information that day. Before heading across the street to buy a fish to cook for dinner...

 

Kaumakapili Church also oversaw another congregation based up in Pauoa Valley. This Cemetery also housed a church structure in the front of the property. Which like that at Maemae came to disuse and was taken down. Kaumakapili Church planned to reconstruct the Maemae Church but in that same year of planning. While being used as a music room my Maemae Elemantary, the church collapsed. Luckily while no one was inside. They decided to keep the surrounding base of the structure to mark the only place where a building could exist in the future. If plans were renewed to make a structure there, Without desecrating any graves. Bud told me the sidewalk in Maemae cemetery was already covering some grave and like many other old cemeteries. Once the headstones are gone and the people that remember the location of their loved ones are also gone. those graves are lost to history. Sadly until disturbed by new developments. Wyllie and Pauoa have deeper roots in history that have yet to be revealed to me before I can even try to share it with you.