WAIKIKI:
"LIFE'S GREATEST BEACH"
by
Bruce Burnett
Gentle
trade winds waft palm fronds silhouetted against the after sunset flush.
Along the three kilometer (two miles) golden strand of Waikiki lovers
stroll hand in hand, serenaded by Hawaiian guitars from poolside bars.
This is Waikiki, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Once a spa for the
privileged it is now a playground for holidaymakers of all budgets,
over seven million of them a year.
Fitness minded tourists join the joggers along the Ala Wai Canal at
sunset. The more sedentary challenge the chess and checkers aficionados
at the outdoor tables on the Diamond Head end of the beach. Nearby is
Sans Souci Beach, once a hangout of Robert Louis Stevenson and now a
rendezvous for the young and fiancé-free.
Diamond Head is Waikiki's most distinctive landmark. Formed between
50,000 and 100,000 years ago, it is a tuff cone, created by the violent
explosion that occurred when hot lava erupting from the earth's core
met cold ocean water.
The Polynesians, who arrived on the island of Oahu about 500AD, called
the extinct volcano Lae'hi, or brow of the yellowfin tuna, after its
distinctive western slope. Later they shortened the name to Leahi, or
place of fire. The Hawaiians believed that the fire goddess Pele stopped
at the mountain and on this sacred ground they built a heiau, or temple.
From here the Oahu chiefs used to toss prisoners of war as sacrificial
offerings into the crater.
Early in the 19th century British sailors found calcite crystals on
the mountain and mistook them for diamonds, naming the volcanic formation
Diamond Head.
During the two world wars Diamond Head was commandeered by the military
as an observation post. The grassy, 69-hectare (170 acres) crater floor
has been the stage for festivals in recent years.
There have been various proposals to convert it into a golf course,
a stadium and a hotel site. However in 1968 Diamond Head was designated
a national landmark and thus Hawaiians were successful in protecting
Leahi, their unadorned silent sentinel, from commercial development.
A 1.6-kilometer (one mile) long hiking trail begins in the crater and
winds its way up to the summit. Hikers climb some concrete and metal
stairways (one of which has 99 steps) and are rewarded with a spectacular
360-degree view of the Pacific Ocean and downtown Honolulu.
The island of Oahu - Hawaiian for "The Gathering Place" -
was once the meeting ground for Hawaii's kings. It is now home to over
869,000 people, representing over 70 per cent of the state's population.
WAIKIKI:
"LIFE'S GREATEST BEACH"
was first published by The Vancouver Sun
