Hawaii Pearl of the Pacific

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 318, 31 March 1928, Page 24

Hawaii Pearl of the Pacific

The Aloha Tower Honolulu (Written for THE SUN by ANNE RUTLEDGE.)

BSaaAWAH, pearl of the Paci|l fic, land of sunshine and JjoLI P j emerald loveliness, rises KfM \\ from the sparkling sapsjJL phire waters to meet her GmrJ visitors from all parts of the world. Since the old sandalwood and whaling days, these enchanting “crossroads” have ever been a happy rendezvous for wanderers, and even in this wonder age of “floating palaces” there is the same thrill of expectancy glowing in the breast of the malihini (newcomer) as the steamer draws near Honolulu. Perhaps the first welcome received is the call of the siren from Aloha Tower, on the harbour front of Honolulu. “Aloha!” This lovely word, the symbol of goodwill and peace, is the epitome of the life lived there by people breathing the salt-tinged trades. And from many lips—everybody knows everybody else on steamer day —this ennobling greeting fails, casting its spell, even as the tropics, from the moment of setting foot off the gangplank. To the plaintive strains of “Aloha oe’” played by the Hawaiian Band, the malihini is swept along through a sea of smiling faces, sunshine and colour, and bedecked with leis (floral garlands of welcome), is soon melted by the feeling of Hawaiian hospitality. Surely in no other port in the world is more kindness shown by residents than in Honolulu, and because of their pride in all that is to be seen the visitor is enabled to do the rounds of the island to his heart’s content. Pleasant days of languorous golden sunshine, and subtle perfumed nights drift by, filled with the social activities that are so charming in Honolulu. Friendships develop rapidly in this atmosphere, perhaps because people are so dependent upon each other for their amusement. Because of the favourable climate, entertainment is planned to take place out of doors as much as possible. The mystic allurements of the Hawaiian moon bring out many evening parties, and a moonlight drive of 90 miles around the island of Oahu is frequently enjoyed. Waikiki, with its individual charm, is the' rendezvous a la mode of Honolulu. Here palatial hotels, cool bungalows, gardens banked with gay hibiscus blossoms and oleander bushes, a yellow beach, curved as an archer’s bow, nestle beside the tall swaying coconut palms. With velvety warm sea water almost at front doors, as it is in Honolulu, bathing is possible at any hour of the dayeven by moonlight—and the visitor is naturally drawn to the beaches, where the fashionable Hawaiian tan must be acquired. At Waikiki exhibitions of surf-riding by fearless Hawaiian swimmers delight the newcomer. These statuesque natives breast the crest of the wave with boards often 10 feet long, riding to shore with graceful easy confidence. The delight of gliding through the waters in an outrigger canoe is a rich one to the malihini. A party of about five people paddle the canoe some distance from shore, and there await the first or second break on the reef, when the signal is given to paddle for dear life. If the wave is "caught” successfully, the occupants of the canoe are car-

ried to shore with exhilarating speed. The thrill of “riding the waves” is unforgettable. Failure to "catch” the wave at the psychological moment means that the canoe may be swamped and everybody turned into the water —in itself quite an exciting experience.

At Waikiki, too, Hawaiian music is heard with the glamour of its true setting. At the Moana Hotel is a large banyan tree, facing the liquid sapphire of the Pacific, and illuminated in the evening with gay lights. Around the tree is a courtyard banked with shrubs and flowers, and partly surrounded by the broad lanai (verandah) of the hotel. With this tropical background, it is possible to enjoy some of the old Hawaiian life that is all too rapidly passing. The sweet, haunting sadness of Hawaiian melodies stirs a, long forgotten “something” in the breast of the most hardened being. With the touch of steel guitar, the rich, melancholy notes of songs such as “Old Plantation” and “Sweet Lei Lehua” carry tile listener to another world. The far-famed hula causes the malihini’s eye to glow, and his pulse to beat, when enjoyed in this appropriate setting. Girls, native-born, graceful and sweet, whose “lashes lie like silken fans upon the cheek,” dance to the rhythmic lilt of beaten gourd and drum. Only those with Hawaiian blood in their veins master the art of the hula, but it is not difficult to divine the source of their inspiration. The Hawaiians have a secret language with Dature, and their sincere desire to interpret the sentiments and beauties that move them lends grace and charm to their movements.

Malihini and kamaaina (old-timer) alike enjoy jazzing in this colourful setting. Beautiful women in gay evening gowns predominate, and, looking back from the little Moana pier, jutting into the waters of the Pacific, the eye embraces an enchanting scene. Golf is one of the favourite outdoor forms of sport in. Hawaii. One country club has a course modelled after some of the world-famous holes, and laid out with finest Bermuda grass. Inter-island polo is enjoyed free by all in Kapiolani Park, and tennis and yachting.

The Little I’heatre movement is meeting with much success in Honolulu, and first-class plays are frequently staged by the well organised amateur company known as ‘The Footlights.” With such a small white population, it is difficult for Honolulu to support a professional mainland company, although the younger Orientals in Hawaii are fast developing a taste for Occidental drama.

So that if the malihini does become more easy-going ill this sunny clime, he need not vegetate or drift. Tales of beachcombers and demoralising influences are told in most of the Pacific Islands, but it is as simple to lead a healthy normal existence in Hawaii as in the old home town. Despite prohibition, “fermented beverage” flows freely in some parts of the city, but it js not the “staff of life” as in so many other tropical parts. Perhaps the reason for this is that moonshine liquor is all too ruthless in its demands upon the human body. Many a visitor, curious to taste okolehao, (native drink) has not given it a second trial.

Shopping tours in the native quarters are a novelty in Hawaii. The Oriental shops are colourful and bizarre, and display irresistible treasures of art, which have been fashioned by much skill and labour. The Oriental food stores sell bright sugary concoctions jumbled together with strings of dried fish, and dank smelly boxes of all shapes and sizes. Here may be found many of the quaint customs and traditions of the Land of the Lotus and the Cherry Blossom, reflected anew. East meets West in true Oriental setting to-day, but already the writing is on the wall. Unlike the Hawaiian race, which still clings to native custom —even to the wearing of the holoku trailing Mother Hubbards introduced by missionaries to substitute the graceful tapa shawl) —the next generation of Orientals in Hawaii will have cast aside all national costume and traditions in the desire to appear really American.