Take a walk in Waikiki and awaken your imagination. It's the early 1800s: Waikiki is all sand and coconut trees. Three rivers tumble down from the inland mountains, emptying into the ocean. The monarchy frolics in the ocean, rinsing off in the fresh waters of the rivers. Taro fields and duck ponds abound.
The last part of the 19th century: It is the end of the monarchy. Princes Kaiulani and poet Robert Louis Stevenson read under banyan trees. The last reigning monarch, Queen Lili`uokalani, sets up two homes in Waikiki: Hamohamo, upstream, and Kealohilani on the waterfront.
The first half of the 20th century: The earliest major hotels spring up along the beachfront: the Moana Hotel opens in 1901, followed by the Royal Hawaiian in 1927 and the Halekulani in 1931. In the 1920s the Ala Wai Canal is dug out, diverting the three streams, blocking up the rice fields and duck ponds and forever altering the landscape of Waikiki.
Today, the beginning of the 21st century: Waikiki teems with towering hotels; however, a stroll along the beach and tours through these hotels reveal the vibrant history of a long-gone Hawai`i. Walk along with Waikiki: Nine Walks Through Time as the hidden history of Waikiki is revealed to you!
