The Rotterdam docked under the giant clock face of the Aloha Tower, a familiar landmark for Honolulu Harbour. Honolulu is home to nearly one million residents, 80% of Hawaii State polupation, and as such is a bustling metropolis with glass office towers, ample boulevards, numerous upscale shopping centres, traffic jams - but with a difference. It is bordered at seaside by famous Waikiki Beach, has Diamond Head as iconic backdrop, and green volcanic slopes inland.
The city has grown a lot over the past decades, and new suburbs have crept up the mountainsides, where multimillion dollar residences overlook the endless sea and the ever present surf.
I had opted for the Waikiki Trolley as my mode of transport, and took the "GREEN" line, which made its way along through Waikiki, past the statue of Duke Kahanamoku (multiple Olympic Goldmedal winner in swimming and father of surfing in USA and Australia), to a cliff side vista of rolling surf and dozens of intrepid surfers in the waters below and finally to the inside of the crater of Diamond Head. By now, temperatures had increased to unbearable (at least for me) and I skipped the climb to the summit of Diamond Head.
Back in Honolulu I strolled along Waikiki Beach, checked out the old pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel, took in a Polynesian Cultural performance staged in the gardens of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, and contemplated the rolling surf of Waikiki.
I took advantage of the "RED" line to trundle me through the historic district of Honolulu, past the grand Iolani Palace (the only Royal Palace in the USA and past home to Queen Liliuokalani) amd the State Capitol. The latter is designed around the number Eight, in reference to the eight largest islands of the Hawaiian Island chain, albeit the archipelago contains more than 130 islands. There are groups of columns of eight, shaped like stylized palmtrees, rising from shallow pools representing the ocean, and surrounding a volcano shaped cone - quite an architectural attraction.
I discovered - a little too late to take advantage of it - that a very good public transport route takes one around the entire island of Ohau, a journey of four hours if uninterrupted by stop-overs, for the princely sum of two dollars. Next time!!
Dress code in Honolulu is diverse and casual. People stroll in and out of restaurants clad in nothing more than a bikini or shorts, except of course for the strictly elegant beach side hotels such as the traditional Surf Rider, with its neo classical columns and an air of past decorum and elegance.
A large city, but with plenty of walking opportunties along the beach and along streets lined with internationally renown shops, restaurants, hotels and numerous galleries, some of them selling 'surf art', such as painted surfboards depicting Hawaiian Scenes.
Homelessness, as in so many other temperate climes, seems to be an issue here as well. Many 'personal open air camps' with a look of semi permanency of tents, lawn furniture, stacks of green garbage bags dotted the lush lawns under the flowering trees in Ala Moana Park and adjoining Magic Island. Quite a contrast to the luxurious mansions south of Honolulu, where the 'cheap' houses with a view of the ocean fetch at leat a million dollars, and the more expensive ones surrounded by small parks and enjoying spectacular exposure to ocean and mountain views not only fetch small fortunes, but considerably large ones.
For many aboard the Rotterdam a visit to Honolulu represented a pilgrimage to a revered shrine. Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial evoke memories of the world changing attack by Japanese Forces in 1941. I did not make it to that part of Honolulu, but quite a few US veterans travelling on the Rotterdam went there to pay tribute to their fallen comrades.
What is the translation of the word Honolulu? 'Hono' means 'bay' and 'lulu' means 'sheltered' in Hawaiian language.
Captain Cook landed in nearby Kauai in 1778, and named the archipelago the Sandwich Islands to honor his sponsor Lord Sandwich, the very same lord, who gave his name to our snackfood, the 'sandwich'.
Cook unfortunately had not the most happy experience in the Hawaiian archipelago. He was killed by native Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay (Big Island of Hawaii) on Valantine's Day in 1779.
