Oahu-Sights Seen & Sights Missed

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On previous visits to Oahu I have been to the “tourist traps” and enjoyed all of them. Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona, Hanauma Bay, North Shore and the Polynesian Culture Center. One historical site that is an absolute MUST is our National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. One of the most moving experiences of my life was attending the military funeral of US Navy LT CMDR Joseph William Maguire at the “Punch Bowl” He was a WWII and Korean War Vet. While we were there we saw the military practicing a 21 gun salute for his service and his daughter was gracious enough to let us attend the ceremony. What an honor that was! I’ll never forget it, that’s for sure. Later that day we visited St Andrew’s Catholic Church and there was a wedding taking place. How lucky is that? Then we were off to lunch at Coconut Willie’s in the International Marketplace. Great food, great music, great souvenirs!

Next on our to do list was Da Kine Bail Bonds. I am a huge fan of the Bounty Hunters, Dog & Beth. We went to their office, but they weren’t in. We did however; see Leland driving in the area. Couldn’t get close enough for a picture, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Anyway, their office is near the police department and I didn’t know it then, but have since learned that the “Wizard Stones” are across the street from the police station. These 4 stones are considered sacred and believed to have healing powers. I really would have liked to see them. When I looked up the Wizard Stones, I learned of another ancient site that can be easily reached from Waikiki. Nu’uanu Petroglyph Park, located on the western side Nu’uanu Memorial Park. Nu’uanu Valley is where King KamehamehaI conquered Oahu warriors and unified Hawaii. The Oahu warriors were caught between the Hawaiian army and the 1000 foot cliffs at Nu’uanu Pali. Over 400 of them were pushed or jumped to their death. I wish I would have known about these 2 places. One ancient place I did get to see was the Kukaniloko Birthing Stones in central Oahu. This is a place where Hawaiian Royalty gave birth to their children. The chiefs would wait for the baby to be born and they would ceremoniously cut the umbilical cord and take the baby away. The mother would not be reunited with her child until it was grown. This was to protect the children from being murdered by rival chiefs. There are some interesting stories from visitors to this place. It was getting dark so my pictures did not come out. I’ll be sure to go in the daylight next time and do more research on ancient Hawaii before I leave home. My husband teases me about trying to see too much at one time and he’s right, but he doesn’t like to take the same road twice so it’s a catch-22. I guess I’d rather get a glimpse of something on my list rather than skipping it and regretting that I missed it. So, although we missed some important sites, we did see most of the popular attractions and it was a memorable day for all of us. Even my cousin, Kathy, who lives in Miliani, had a great time being a “tourist”.

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Photos

The Wizard Stones of Kapaemahu at Waikiki
Photo by Luke Gordon1