Visitors to Hawaii soon find that the island state has more to offer than its beautiful beaches and tropical breezes. Hawaii has been a historic Pacific crossroads for centuries, and the top five historical sites in Hawaii tell the stories of these encounters.
1. Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Moloka i
Among the tragedies of Hawaiian history, two events stand out: episodes in 1865 and 1895 when indigenous Hawaiians were removed from their own lands, and the ongoing forced isolation of people suffering from Hansen s disease, known then as leprosy. Kalaupapa was established in 1980 as a setting to tell these two heartbreaking stories of Hawaiian history. Forced removal broke Hawaiians 900 year old ties with their land, a connection that figures prominently in Hawaiian religion and culture. The enforced isolation of lepers on Molokai broke apart families and condemned sufferers to pain and loneliness until the arrival of Father Damien (Joseph De Veuster). Father Damien is now revered as a saint who saw the sufferers of Hansen s disease as people who deserve to be treated with dignity and caring.
2. Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park, Kona Coast, Hawai i
Set along the magnificent Kona coast of the Big Island (Hawai i), this park s mission is to interpret and preserve Hawaiian culture and traditions. Throughout its 1,160 acres, visitors to Kaloko Honokvhau NHP can see how Hawaiians lived and learn something of how they structured their culture. The park includes an ancient Hawaiian settlement, featuring examples of kahua (house site platforms), ki`i pvhaku (petroglyphs), heiau (a religious site), and hvlua (a stone slide). Some 45,000 guests have visited the park annually since it was established in 1978.
3. Royal Hawaiian residences, Oahu.
Hawaiian legends long had claimed that a great king would unite its splintered tribes. That king was Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great, who established the Kingdom of Hawai i in 1810, which lasted until overthrown in 1895. Two buildings, Queen Emma s Summer Palace and Iolani Palace State Monument& #8232;in Honolulu, remain today as reminders of this royal past. Queen Emma s Summer Palace was the Victorian style residence of the wife of Kamehameha IV. Emma inherited the house from her uncle, John Young II. The home has been restored to its 19th century style and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Iolani Palace was the official residence of Hawaii s last two monarchs, King Kalakaua, who built the palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili uokalani, who was deposed by her rebellious subjects in 1893.
4. Battleship Missouri Memorial, Oahu.
Few ships of the U.S. Navy have carried as much history on their decks as the battleship USS Missouri, nicknamed The Mighty Mo. The Missouri was built and commissioned in 1944, the last year of World War II. The last of the huge Iowa class battleships, Mighty Mo was built for firepower. Her massive guns thundered in the battles of Iowa Jima and Okinawa and later during the Korean War. The Missouri was the site of the Japanese surrender to the United States Sept. 2, 1945. Decommissioned in 1955, the Mighty Mo was refurbished and came out of retirement in 1986. She went to war again in 1991, serving as a floating launcher for Tomahawk missiles during Operation Desert Storm. Her last mission was to lead a ship contingent into Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1991, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack. She was retired a second time in 1996 and turned over to the private association that now maintains her as a historical site.
5. USS Arizona Memorial, Honolulu, Oahu
Many people alive today still remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that brought America into World War II. To commemorate that event, the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu was built over the site where the battleship went down with its crew. The visitors center offers a documentary film about the attack along with other interpretive programs before a boat takes visits out into Pearl Harbor, including a boat trip out to the memorial in the harbor. The site was dedicated in 1962 and became part of the U.S. National Park Service in 1980.
Author Resource:
Many things can be considered truly Hawaiian. Author Sam Kanakanui and creator of Truly Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce is just such a person. Born on Oahu, Sam has brought his families 100 year old teriyaki sauce recipe to share with his extended ohana. He can be contacted at http://www.trulyhawaiian.com
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