King David Kalākaua was the seventh monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, 1874-1891. King Kalākaua was the first elected monarch following the death of King Lunalilo who left no heir; the Hawaiian Legislature elected him over Queen Emma Kalanikaumaka’amano Kaleleonālani, who was the queen consort of former King Kamehameha IV, who died in 1863. This election was seen as a tug of war between the two ruling dynastic houses, Kamehameha and Kalākaua, in which the House of Kalākaua eventually won out. The conventional wisdom was that King Kalākaua would be more conciliatory to the American oligarchic interests over Queen Emma, who was staunchly in favor of Hawaiian sovereignty.

However, King Kalākaua’s reign was a study in contrasts. While he modernized Hawaiian culture and the city of Honolulu, he also signed the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, which ensured prosperity from American aid in exchange for the U.S. military’s use of Pearl Harbor. This led to a disproportionately heavy American influence on his reign. All of his advisors were American businessmen aligned with East Coast interests that sought to make Hawai’i a part of an American empire. However, he generally became more opposed to American influence as his reign progressed. He named his sister, Lydia Lili’uokalani, as his heir, and she assumed the throne upon his death in 1891. Queen Lili’uokalani was seen as more militant in her opposition to American influence and a forceful advocate of Hawaiian sovereignty.

Kalākaua Avenue is named in his honor.

Waikīkī is synonymous with Honolulu when tourists come to visit Hawai’i.

View of Waikīkī Beach, with Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the center

Warm sand, high-rise hotels, surfers and swimmers, and soft blue waters of the Pacific Ocean are what most tourists see when visiting this famous beach. However, in the time of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, Waikīkī was marshland, unsuitable for inhabitation. Although King Kamehameha I made it the capital of the newly united Kingdom of Hawai’i in 1804, he quickly moved the capital due to the marshy conditions caused by the freshwater drainage of the Pauoa, Mānoa, and Nu’uanu streams. It was not until 1928 when the swamps were drained through the construction of the Ala Wai Canal. Today, Ala Wai Canal forms the northern boundary of the Waikīkī Beach.

We are off to the 50^th state, Hawai’i, and specifically its capital and largest city, Honolulu.

Map of Honolulu

Honolulu is both the westernmost and southernmost state capital, and the only state capital not in the continental U.S.  It sits on the South Shore of the island of O’ahu, the third largest of the Hawaiian islands.  Honolulu holds the double distinction of being being a state capital, as well as being only one of two state capitals that were once national capitals, sharing the distinction with Austin, Texas.  Honolulu has a population of 402,500 (2019), and a metropolitan area population of 955,000, which encompasses the entire island of O’ahu.  Since the entire population of the state of Hawai’i is 1,412,600 people, the Honolulu metro area makes up 67% of the state’s population.

Honolulu, has a rich and storied history.  As evidence of the first Polynesian settlements where Honolulu currently sits sometime in the 11^th century, making Honolulu the oldest continuous city in the U.S.  Polynesians from the current islands of Tahiti first explored, then inhabited, the Hawaiian islands, including O’ahu and what is now Honolulu.  Because the Hawaiian language (Ōlelo Hawai’i) was traditionally an oral language, and not written, the history of the early Polynesian settlers in O’ahu is not clear.  Contact with Europeans and Asians was limited due to the vastness of the Pacific and difficulty to travel the long distances (Polynesians excepted).  During the 12^th century, a chief from O’ahu, Pau’makau, made several voyages throughout the Pacific.  Records, however, are scant and not well-documented.  In 1555, the undisputed first contact with Europeans occurred when a Spanish ship led by Juan Gaetano, explored the islands.

Popular history refers to the British explorer, Captain James Cook, who verifiably landed in O’ahu and Kaua’i in January 1778.  At the time, O’ahu had been conquered by the king of Mau’i, Kahekili, which included the village of Honolulu.  After Captain Cook’s death on the Big Island, and the unification of the Big Island by Kamehameha, in 1790, Captain George Vancouver, dropped anchor in Lahaina, Mau’i in 1791.  He made three more trips to the Hawaiian islands, and traded with Kamehameha, which included plants, cattle, and guns.  The introduction of modern artillery enabled Kamehameha to defeat Kahekili’s forces in O’ahu and unify the Hawaiian islands in 1798.  Now King Kamehameha I, he moved the Hawaiian capital from Kona on the Big Island to Waikīkī in 1804, and moved again to what is now downtown Honolulu in 1809.  Upon a change back to Kona in 1812, King Kamehameha III moved the capital from Lahaina, Mau’i to Honolulu in 1845, where it has remained as the capital.

Kamehameha III, and his successors, King Kamehameha IV and King Kamehameha V, made numerous modernizations to the city of Honolulu, including construction of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in 1862, the Ali’iōlani Hale in 1874, and the modern ‘Iolani Palace, the royal residence in 1879.  Honolulu thrived as the center of Hawaiian culture, commerce, and government. This modernization, however, was countered by the fact the European settlers brought their diseases which the local Hawaiian population had no natural immunity; as a result, the native population was decimated, from 1,000,000 in 1800 to 53,000 in 1880, or a 90% decrease.

The growth of Honolulu in the late 1800s coincided with the growth of immigration from East Asia.  By royal decree in 1848, Hawaiian lands, originally owned by the royal king and administered by the chiefs, was institutionalized for private ownership in a process called Mahele.  Mahele divided up previously royal land and leased to large mainland corporations, primarily agriculture companies interested in developing the rich soil for growing pineapple and sugar.  This redistribution of land and wealth, with the corporate base in Honolulu, made the city the center of business for the entire Hawaiian islands.  Because the Native Hawaiian population could not be accommodated by working these sugar and pineapple plantations, immigrants from China and Japan were sought.  Immigrants from China first arrived in 1852, then Japan in 1885.

In the early 1900s, the fledgling tourism industry started with the opening of the Moana Surfrider Hotel in 1901, and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927.  Honolulu, naturally, was the base of the tourist industry.  However, it was not until after World War II when the tourist industry began a boom in Hawai’i, beginning with the mass redevelopment of Waikīkī, with the mass construction of the hotels along the main avenues, Kalākaua Avenue and Kūhiō Avenue.  The tourist industry brings in $10 billion annually to the Hawaiian economy.

Today, the main tourist attractions are Pearl Harbor, Waikīkī beaches, and the numerous outdoor attractions including surfing, hiking, and swimming.

Aloha to Honolulu!