We visited Oahu for the second time in November, 2003 while aboard the cruise ship Infinity. We docked at the port of Honolulu, probably our least favorite place in Hawaii, simply because it is a large metropolitan area. 

We took a long walk from the cruise port to the center of the city. It was a long walk on a hot day so we were constantly in search of shade. But on our way, we happened by the court house where there stands a large statue of King Kamehameha. The justice building is a great example of the old colonial style architecture found throughout this area.

King Kamehameha is the best known of Hawaii’s chiefs, credited for the uniting of the 8 major islands of Hawaii under one rule. Further, he is considered responsible for changing the spiritual, social and economic destiny of Hawaii and its people. As such, he is greatly revered by the Hawaiians and many buildings and parks across the country bear his name. 

As we got into the city center, we found a canal that provided us with a quiet walking path in the shade. What we found interesting was the proliferation of high rise towers near this quiet canal area lined with native trees and shrubbery. On our side of the canal were a row of older apartments, clearly not high density and not modern. It was an interesting juxtaposition in this urban area.

Of course, one of the major attractions in Honolulu is the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We didn’t visit it this time as we had visited it when we came here some 15 years ago. We would highly recommend it if you have never been there.

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