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View from Elvis' 14th floor: one of several pools on the property,
Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and Beach, and former helipad site in the background. |
From a lodging perspective, this is a solid four star, highly trafficked
22 acre resort property from which to experience Waikiki. There is more
than one of everything (in many cases, several more) - pools, shops,
eateries, chapels, towers, floors to the spa - and a firework show every
Friday evening.
What you can leave here multiple times without
ever hearing is that Duke Kahanamoku (1) grew up on the land under this
sprawling resort in a green cottage near the intersection of Kālia and
Ena roads.
The story goes that over three acres of land in Kālia
was given to his mother's family, the Paoas, in the early 1800s by
Queen Ka'ahumanu. The Paoas claimed this land in 1847 (1848?) under the
Great Mahele.
The Paoa tract is marked on an
1881 map (PDF) as
adjacent to Pi'inaio Stream (the stream is not there anymore, probably
thanks to Dillingham's Ala Wai Canal). By 1897, the tract is under
someone else's name, and by 1920 the tract appears to have been absorbed
by the neighboring landowner John Ena (however, the new exhibit at the
hotel says the Kahanamokus held out for years, leasing the land to
Kaiser instead of selling).
The Niumalu Hotel opened here in
1928. Burns and Kaiser purchased the hotel and eight acres of the John
Ena Estate (of which I believe the Paoa tract was a part of, but have
not endeavored to overlay old and current maps to verify) in 1954 and
began developing the Hawaiian Village, twenty-four thatched guest houses
with hotel amenities. Elvis Presley filmed "Blue Hawaii" here and held a
benefit concert for construction of the Arizona Memorial in 1961; he
stayed on the 14th floor of the Ali'i Tower, which at the time was the
penthouse, and would return in later years. (2)
The geodesic dome
Buckminster Fuller designed, Long House, and other structures were
built and demolished over the years. The oldest area left is near the
banyan tree in the Rainbow Bazaar.
Alfred Apaka, a local
musician, was discovered in 1952 by Bob Hope after years of performing
across the country. He eventually returned to Hawaii to work for Kaiser,
who considered him a son, at the hotel and recorded under Kaiser's
record label. Here him sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAe3HlIrQd4
(1)
Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) was named after his father, who was named
after the Duke of Edinburgh (son of Queen Victoria), Alfred Ernest
Albert, in commemoration of Albert's visit to Honolulu in 1869, the year
Duke's father was born. He won three Olympic gold medals (six total)
for swimming at a time when the sport had few Olympic events and despite
the occurrence of WWI during his prime. His distinctive swimming style
revolutionized the sport. His brother Sam was also an Olympic swimmer.
He is considered the father of surfing and "Ambassador of Aloha". He
taught Prince (of Wales) Edward to surf in 1920 at a time when
surfboards were literally finless wooden boards weighing over a hundred
pounds, and also shaped boards. Doris Duke was among the guests at his
quiet wedding to Nadine Alexander. Full Hawaiian, he was distantly
related to Hawaiian royalty, yet struggled at times gaining entrance to
restaurants (and probably Hollywood roles) on the mainland because of
his dark skin. He and his brothers and friends hung out under a hau tree
in front of where the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is now, and founded Hui Nalu
("surf gathering") there in 1911 after Duke was rejected by an existing
club. He appeared in several movies alongside some of the biggest stars
of the time, shook the hands of kings, and traveled the world, but did
not amass wealth. His less glamorous jobs included stints as water meter
reader, drafter at 'Iolani Palace, janitor, gas station operator, and
Honolulu Sheriff, the latter a position he held for twenty-five years.
He later lived in Kahala. Over 6000 people attended his 77th birthday
party not long before he died. The landmark statue of him in Waikiki was
commissioned in 1990 for his 100th birthday, but was not the first
statue of him ever erected in his honor. (Source: Primarily "Duke: The
Story of Duke Kahanamoku" by Joseph L. Brennan.)
More about Duke:
(2)
HHV history; also, do not miss the new exhibit near the Tapa Tower about the Hotel's history, which has many great photos and lots of information.
