Honolulu

Honolulu is the state capital, and the largest metropolis in Hawaii. It has a population of nearly 400,000, representing such ethnically diverse groups as Hawaiians, Caucasians, Chinese, Japanese and Filipinos. The city is filled with high rise buildings and shopping centers and fed by multi-laned freeways, not unlike other major cities in the US. It is also a city rich in history, with scores of historic monuments and buildings - many of them dating from the mid 1800s, when Honolulu first became the capital of Hawaii - and ancient temples and other relics, as well as the country’s only royal palace.

The city of Honolulu itself is situated along the southern end of the island, overlooking Mamala Bay. It is backed by the lush, northwest-southeast Ko’olau mountains, with historic Pearl Harbor to its northwest and Diamond Head Crater, Oahu’s most prominent landmark, to the southeast.

Downtown Honolulu: Iolani Palace

An exploration of downtown Honolulu is like a romp through Hawaiian history. At the heart of it stands the 19th-century, Italian Renaissance-style Iolani Palace, home of Hawaiian royalty for decades, and the only royal palace in the U.S. It is a treasure trove of relics from the Hawaiian monarchy era. On the palace grounds, too, are the Iolani Barracks, Royal Bandstand, statues of Hawaiian monarchs Kamehameha I and Queen Liliuokalani, and Ali’iolani Hale which once housed the Hawaiian parliament and courts.

Also in downtown Honolulu are the Kawaiahao Church, the kingdom’s first Christian church, established in 1820; Lunalilo Mausoleum, the final resting place of King Lunalilo; the Mission Houses Museum, comprising three historic buildings that date from the early missionary era; and Washington Place, a splendid, white, 19th-century colonial mansion. Among others, you can visit the 20th century State Capitol, Hawaii State Library, and Honolulu Hale (City Hall). Another place of supreme interest here is the Academy of Arts, which houses a remarkable collection of both contemporary and ancient art.

Honolulu's Chinatown

Honolulu’s Chinatown adjoins to the west of downtown Honolulu, encompassing an area of approximately 38 acres, bounded by Nu’uanu Avenue and North Beretania, North King and River streets. This is a lively quarter with bustling sidewalk markets, scores of Chinese restaurants and eateries, noodle factories, fabric outlets, handicrafts emporiums, souvenir shops, and also a red light district along North Hotel Street, dotted with gambling dens, porn shops, dance clubs, pool halls and dingy bars. Among the principal places of interest here are the colorful, outdoor Oahu Market that dates from 1904, historic Wo Fat Restaurant, the River Street Pedestrian Mall, and the dozen or so lei shops on Beretania Street. The Izumo Taisha Shrine, a traditional Japanese shrine, and the 19th century Chinese Kuan Yin Temple with its green roof and red beams, offer additional interest.

The Waterfront

Honolulu’s Waterfront comprises largely the section from Aina Moana Beach Park - which lies just to the west of Waikiki - northwestward to the Honolulu Harbor. The chief attractions here are the landmark 10-story Aloha Tower located at Pier 9, and the Hawaii Maritime Center at Pier 7, which has exhibits of canoes, replica ships, and sailing vessels. Also along the waterfront on Ala Moana Boulevard is the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Hawaii’s largest shopping mall, with over 200 shops, including major department stores such as Sears and Liberty House, scores of boutiques, and a food court with an assortment of ethnic fast-food restaurants. The shopping center fronts on the 77-acre Ala Moana Beach Park, visited by nearly 4 million people each year.

Punchbowl

The Punchbowl Crater is a 75,000-year-old extinct volcano, situated directly north of the city center. Located in it, occupying more than 112 acres on the crater floor, is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Dedicated in 1949, the cemetery has 28,000 graves of military personnel killed in the Pacific theater during World War II and the Korean War. The memorial includes a marble-walled monument, the “Garden of the Missing,” inscribed with the names of more than 28,000 men and women who served in the South Pacific, with a sweeping flight of steps leading up to it.

Other Places of Interest

Just outside Honolulu’s city center, and well worth seeing, are the Royal Mausoleum, a historic state monument, built between 1863 and 1865, that houses the remains of Hawaiian Kings Kamehameha II, III, IV, V and Kalakaua, as well as Queen Liliuokalani, and their families; the Foster Botanical Gardens, a 20-acre tropical botanical garden with more than 4,000 species of tropical plants, flowers and trees from all over the world, originally established in 1855; and the Bishop Museum, Hawaii’s most famous museum, referred to as the “Smithsonian of the Pacific,” which houses one of the world’s greatest collections of Hawaiian cultural and natural history artifacts. Also of interest, in nearby Tantalus and Manoa Valley, respectively, are the Contemporary Art Museum which houses a small, permanent collection of modern, post World War II art, and the 124-acre Lyon Arboretum, featuring over 5,000 species of indigenous plants, flowers and trees