| 2008-05-02 | by and photo by Ed Rampell |
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 Hawaii
Summary
Native son covers culture to the west
Article
A common lament among travelers is: “Hawaii’s too expensive!” As an ex-resident, I’m akamai (“in the know”) about what one can find free or discounted at Oahu, from nature to culture to rapture.
Arrive at Honolulu International Airport during daylight sitting portside to enjoy jaw-dropping views above Earth’s most far-flung archipelago, as Big Island, Maui and Molokai glisten like jade jewels set in sun sparkled seas. During final approach, Oahu’s verdant Waianae Coast, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Koko Head craters beckon to the world wearisome.
Entered the art designed Wyland Waikiki Hotel which incorporates the marine life sculptures and graphics of Robert Wyland, a scuba diver-cum-painter internationally renowned for 100ish “whaling wall” murals depicting cavorting humpbacks, orcas, manatees, dolphins at Honolulu, Hollywood, New Zealand, Japan, etc. Each modern unit is a suite, but you don’t have to be a guest to enjoy the artwork outdoors and in the lobby, where the Wy-Bar and Kimobean Coffee bar serve the public.
With its maritime subjects the recently opened Wyland is perfect for Hawaii, setting the stage for whale watching, an ideal cure for the blahs and blues; even the most jaded humans “ooh” and “ahh” at these leviathans. At a ton per foot, beholding the sometimes 50-foot mammals is a breathtaking, awesome, almost religious experience, as they snake in and out of waves and, if you’re really lucky, breach. During winter months the humpbacks’ make their annual 10,000-mile Alaska-Hawaii migration to mate, give birth and nurse their calves. Whaling cruises take place aboard the Star of Honolulu and twin-hulled Navatek. But one doesn’t have to spend gold doubloons to hear cries of “Thar she blows!” and see the behemoths of the deep. Landlubbers often watch pods from ashore because whales prefer shallow waters no deeper than 600 feet.
Whale watching requires perseverance, as the creatures frequently submerge, reappearing on the surface for air only after minutes that make time stand still. Spotting techniques include patiently scanning low on the horizon for spouts, flukes, dorsal humps, etc., visible with binoculars or the naked eye. Plumes of water indicate they are on or near the surface and probably readying to emerge, perhaps even breach – a spectacular skyward leaping that makes Nureyev pale in comparison.
Hawaii is a maritime society, and whether swimming, boogie boarding, surfing, paddling an outrigger, or crisscrossing the archipelago on Norwegian Cruise Line, the Pacific Ocean is a quintessential element of the Island experience. Partaking of Hawaii from the sea is like experiencing the isles as the primordial Polynesians did.
Atlantis Submarine transports passengers beneath the waves. The world’s largest privately owned submersible dives around 120 feet off Waikiki, revealing airplane and shipwrecks, manmade and natural reefs – a panoply of sea life. At the seabed, superb visibility in crystal clear waters revealed white tipped sharks at repose, tuna, floating stingrays, rare spotted eagle rays, etc. The thrilling expedition is like being transported to another world; the perfect way to celebrate the Year of the Coral Reef
Waikiki may have Manhattan-like skyscrapers, but Waikiki Beach itself is a stunning urban oceanfront crowned by Diamond Head. To beat the maddening crowd, rent a car, chart your own course and circumnavigate Oahu at your own pace. (This is Hawaii, so “hang loose, mongoose!”) Most of the 500-square mile isle can be traversed in several leisurely daylong jaunts; the price of gas and vehicle rental is probably less expensive than guided tours moving at their own speed. The public bus is also an option.
Remarkably, there’s no charge for the 50th State’s top attraction: the visitor center and launch transporting passengers to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, where Japan struck Dec. 7, 1941.
The Hawaii State Art Museum displays multimedia works by local artists such as an oil painting depicting a traditional indigenous drummer by Jean Charlot, who’d taught Mexico’s Diego Rivera how to paint fresco murals. The collection is located in Downtown Honolulu -- opposite the volcano-shaped State Capitol Building and the Iolani Palace -- in the 1928-built Spanish Mission-style Armed Forces YMCA. Admission: free.
The new Waikiki Beach Walk is a two-story open-air plaza featuring upscale eateries and shops selling $110 Aloha Shirts. As it involves the locally owned Outrigger Hotels, the promenade has a Polynesian ambiance. Working with the State’s Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Outrigger provides lease assistance for Mana Hawaii, a Kanaka collaboration of five indigenous-themed enterprises including Native Books and Ukulele House. The “bou-tiki” offers Hawaiian products from literature to musical instruments to less pricey Aloha Shirts, in addition to complimentary cultural activities, such as lei making, plus ukulele and hula lessons. A recommended gift is the new book Don Ho, My Music, My Life, co-written by Ho and Jerry Hopkins shortly before the musical legend’s 2007 death.
These free Hawaiiana happenings include the Na Mele No Na Pua (“Music for the Generations”) Hawaiian Music Heritage Program, which is presenting a weekly “Sunday Showcase” of up and coming musicians at the Waikiki Beach Walk Plaza’s Stage. Na Mele extends to the adjacent Embassy Suites Hotel, which exhibits a 50-foot long display case with artifacts highlighting Hawaii’s musical legacy in an oceanside hallway. In the mountainside corridor the recently unveiled Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame display honors Hawaiian composers, lyricists, singers and musicians.
Upstairs, in the Embassy Suites’ Grand Lanai, periodic concerts featuring Hawaii’s award winning musicians are held, emceed by Hawaii’s top hosts, Kimo Kahoano and Brickwood Galuteria. I enjoyed slack key guitar maestro Ledward Kaapana there; as the endorphins released by the Hawaiian music becalmed me, I faced an existential dilemma. I could close my eyes and surrender to the serenity inducing strumming and crooning or observe the showman’s deft finger work as Kaapana adroitly placed his hands on the guitar’s frets, strings and neck to produce mellifluous melodies. What’s a reporter to do? It’s a good thing the news never sleeps; otherwise I would’ve missed a dozen wahines spontaneously rising to hula during the Grand Lanai’s grand finale. Hula-la! Locals and tourists attend these complimentary concerts featuring top talents.
Free breakfast buffets, including a cook-to-order omelet station, are part of the package for Embassy Suites guests, as are poolside manager’s receptions offering pupus and tropical drinks. All accommodations are, as the name implies, en suite. Just a block from Waikiki Beach my rooms offered an ocean view, flat screen TVs, wet bar, fridge, microwave, comp cable high-speed Internet, local and domestic long distance calls and business center.
Across from the Embassy Suites and directly on Waikiki Beach is the Outrigger Reef, currently undergoing $100 million worth of renovations. The Reef’s classy lobby ranks among the world’s most aesthetic and is free to behold. Filled with maritime-themed artwork, there’s Herb Kane’s paintings depicting ancient Hawaiian mariners plus Melanesian artifacts, such as the ultimate hood ornament: a Papua New Guinea crocodile head for attachment to a canoe prow. Classic Pacificana books are in the sitting area for browsing.
The luxurious Reef Suite I stayed in included three lanais with spectacular unobstructed panoramic views stretching from Diamond Head to the Waianae Mountains. With lanai doors open, Waikiki’s waves played a lyrical lullaby. Creature comforts include a whirlpool, two plasma flat screen TVs, gigantic king-size bed, fridge, wet bar and a glass wall shower with dead ahead Diamond Head view. (During construction, Reef accommodations are steeply discounted.)
The Reef’s surfside Shore Bird provides a sumptuous breakfast buffet with delicious tropical fruits. Coupons make dining just feet from the sand very reasonable. For supper, diners grill their own meat, fowl and fish on a barbecue, accompanied by a salad bar and live Hawaiian music followed by karaoke.
Waikiki Beach strollers are frequently serenaded by Hawaiian music, from the Shore Bird to the Royal Hawaiian to Duke’s at the Outrigger Waikiki to the Moana’s Banyan Tree courtyard. On Monday and Thursday evenings beachside promenaders can revel in the sights and sounds of a Polynesian revue during the Royal’s luau. Dancers garbed in grass skirts and sarongs perform the “hip-notizing” Hawaiian hula and Tahitian tamure -- a frenzied pagan blur of swaying hips, swirling coconut bra-clad breasts and thrusting thighs -- with a Diamond Head backdrop.
Towards the end of my recent Oahu sojourn, I saw an arched rainbow stretching over Waikiki like a sublime barrier reef. Price of the rainbow: like most of the best things in enchanting Oahu, such as whale watching, ethereal sunsets or catching waves -- completely free. Best and freest of all is Oahu’s Aloha Spirit, the loving, welcoming, hospitable, caring fond embrace that’s the hallmark of what James Michener called Hawaii’s “golden people.”
For more information, please see the contact information listed below.
Wyland Waikiki Hotel -- 877/WYLAND; www.thewylandwaikikihotel.com.
Embassy Suites Waikiki -- 800/EMBASSY; www.embassysuiteswaikiki.com.
Outrigger Reef – 866/733-6420; www.outriggerreef-onthebeach.com.
Star of Honolulu – 800/334-6191; info@starofhonolulu.com; www.starofhonolulu.com.
Navatek – 800/548-6262; ores@atlantisadventures.com; www.atlantisadventures.com.
Atlantis Submarines – 800/548-6262; ores@atlantisadventures.com; www.atlantissubmarines.com.
Hawaii State Art Museum – 808/586-0300; www.hawaii.gov/sfca.
Mana Hawaii – 808/923-2220; www.manahawaiinei.com.
Waikiki Beach Walk Cultural Activities -- www.waikikibeachwalk.com.
Also by and photo by Ed Rampell
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Hawaii
A common lament among travelers is: ...
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