PRIVATE OUTINGS

I STARTED CONDUCTING EXCURSIONS at age thirty-one as a part time venture in 1962 with a single offering, “The Honolulu Church & Temple Tour,” and by now I’m The Aloha State’s oldest and only individual personally escorting twenty-one original sightseeing outings on five different islands.

My limited rambles are available for individuals or couples and small groups interested in visiting some of my favorite scenic and historic sites on O’ahu, also occasional fly-drive trips to the neighbor islands of Moloka’i or Lāna’i or Kaua’i or The Big Island, featuring special places which are ideal spots for single-day visits.

The presentation of any tour — regardless of the number of participants — requires a single honorarium to pay for ONE of The Clean Air Team’s antipollution ads to be published in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at its prevailing insertion fee, plus any transportation expenses or associated costs.

OAHU ISLAND

MOST OF MY OUTINGS are pleasant strolls through beautiful and interesting areas I’ve known for over fifty years.

TOUR #1: THE HEART OF HONOLULU

We visit every major historic place in The Capitol District and Civic Center. Even long-time residents of Honolulu are amazed at how much they discover on this one mile walk.

TOUR #2: UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I & EAST-WEST CENTER

We ramble around selected highlights of these twin institutions located in the lower Mdnoa Valley. I’ve been attending classes at the University since the mid-1950s, longer than any student or faculty member on campus, and I still audit one course every semester. This tour includes only my favorite spots at both facilities, but it takes much longer than the official tours conducted by either the University or the East-West Center.

TOUR #3: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S NEIGHBORHOOD

Lasting over two hours, this highly informative walking tour is a chronological narration about the unusual life of the most famous person born in the Hawaiian Islands, with special emphasis on the decade of the 1970s. It’s a respectful retrospective for people sincerely interested in knowing biographic details from the “Honolulu years” of Barack Obama, pointing out places in the neighborhood where he resided during his late boyhood and most of his teen-age days.

TOUR #4: THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUM & TWO ASIAN TEMPLES

Sacred to Hawaiian people, Mauna’ala (“fragrant mountain”) in Nu’uanu Valley is the focal point of this presentation. Next we visit the colorful Hsu Yun Chinese Buddhist Temple. Our final stop is the Japanese style Tenri-kyo Worship Hall that was constructed in Japan, then dismantled, crated and shipped to Honolulu. Craftsmen traveled here from Kyoto to reassemble the elegant structure.

TOUR #5: THE DIAMOND HEAD STORY

This two mile walking tour is ideal for small groups on their way to climb The Summit Trail to the lookout atop the famous volcanic crater. We start near the entrance of Honolulu Zoo and finish two hours later at the cone’s main access tunnel. At significant viewpoints along our way, facts are told about the geology and history and military period of this frequently photographed landmark — the Aloha State’s traditional icon.

TOUR #6: WALK TO DIAMOND HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

We meander through the entire length of beautiful Kapi’olani Park and past The Gold Coast to the picturesque 55-foot tower on the Kuilei Cliffs. Nearby stands a marker commemorating Amelia Earhart’s 1935 flight when the aviatrix became the first person to fly alone from Honolulu to North America.

TOUR #7: LANDMARKS ALONG LEGENDARY WAIKĪKĪ BEACH

Begun in 1986, this was the original walking tour featuring the most valuable strand of surfside land in The 50th State. Nostalgic tales of yesteryear are narrated about the costly strip of real estate, together with choice tidbits of trivia.

TOUR #8: ALA MOANA WATERFRONT

Participants learn lots of local lore and certain surprising facts not widely known about one of the city’s most popular recreational areas. We see impressive sail boats moored at the Waikīkī Yacht Club and the Hawai’i Yacht Club on our way to a rocky point where the Ala Wai Canal flows into the sea. There’s a pristine beach and swimming lagoon at the tip of Magic Island, a manmade peninsula. We visit McCoy Pavilion that has lily pools and a pair of Hawaiian murals painted by Robert Lee Eskridge in the “Art Deco” style of the mid-1930s.

TOUR #9: SCENIC & HISTORIC NU’UANU VALLEY

Starting from the grounds of Queen Emma’s Summer Cottage, we proceed along quiet avenues of graceful homes and gardens in The Dowsett District, the city’s second oldest subdivision dating from 1916 when an extensive property was parceled into lots for private homes. The landscape still retains remnants of Hawaiian ‘auwai irrigation channels.

TOUR #10: OUTSTANDING RESIDENTIAL SECTIONS OF HONOLULU

This four hour outing requires a vehicle and driver so you may select any type you prefer. Local residents may use a private car or van. Visitors will need to rent a vehicle to be driven by themselves, or they can hire a taxi by the hour. Buses and limousines are not suitable for the narrow streets and steep inclines in some parts of the eight neighborhoods we visit, beginning with the lower slopes of Diamond Head, then going to Pu’u Pānini, Pāpū Circle, Kaiko’o Place, Wai’alae-Kāhala, Kai Nani, ’Āinakoa and The Dowsett District.

TOUR #11: RURAL RAMBLE THROUGH SCENIC SPLENDORS

Here’s a half day excursion that needs a vehicle. MWR military units and other groups may use their own vans or buses. Driving to the breezy Pali Lookout, we enjoy a panoramic view dominated by 2,000-foot cliffs of the Ko’olau Mountain Range, after which we ride alongside Kāne’ohe Bay to Kahana Beach with its idyllic South Seas atmosphere. Our final stop is Pounders Beach located beside Pali Kilo I’a (“fish spotter’s cliff”) with a short trail leading up to the edge of an overhang where people occasionally see large Green Sea Turtles swimming in the water below.

TOUR #12: KAHANA NATURE TREK

Ahupua’a ‘O Kahana is the largest of our 50th State Parks, and we can get there either by private vehicle or city bus. The park extends from the majestic curve of Kahana Bay’s crescent beach all the way to the extended ridges of the spectacular mountains that enclose Kahana Valley. We walk along upland roadways to some Hawaiian lo’i agricultural terraces.

FLY-DRIVE EXCURSIONS TO NEIGHBOR ISLES

THESE FULL DAY OUTINGS require round trip airfare for the group and myself, plus the cost of ground transportation and admission fees to any recommended attractions — which are optional.

TOUR #13: HILO HIGHLIGHTS

Years ago a lady traveler from England made the observation, “What Honolulu tries to be, Hilo is without effort.” You’ll find that statement still holds true when we enter the Waiākea Peninsula’s Banyan Drive, stopping at The Ice Pond on our way to Coconut Island and Lili’uōkalani Park. Next we tour Wailoa State Park before following the Hāmākua Coast Road to Onomea Bay and ‘Akaka Falls, after which we return to Hilo and see Rainbow Falls, the Lyman Missionary House and Haili Church. Our day ends with a ride through the Puna District.

TOUR #14: HAWAIIAN VOLCANOLAND

This comfortable adventure offers a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the major attractions of Kīlauea which is the world’s most active volcano. We go first to the Visitors’ Center of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park to check on current volcanic activity, then stroll to a viewpoint overlooking the vast Kīlauea Caldera. From there we walk to the Sulphur Banks and back to our vehicle for a ride along Crater Rim Drive to a succession of interesting sites: Steaming Bluff, the Volcano Observatory & Museum, Halema’uma’u Fire Pit, Thurston Lava Tube and Waldron Ledge. Next we proceed down the Chain Of Craters Road which descends 4,000 feet along the mountain’s east flank to sea level. When we reach the point where recent lava flows have covered the pavement, we turn around and go back up the same scenic road and head for the airport.

TOUR #15: KĪLAUEA VOLCANO SUMMIT STROLL

A closer look at the environment atop this “drive-in volcano” will require some hiking. Six miles are covered in four hours at an easy pace, following a special route that combines parts of seven different trails which dovetail to include excellent examples of all the major types of terrain at the summit area.

TOUR #16: THE REMOTE KONA COAST

From Keāhole Airport we drive to an elevation of 1,000 feet on Hualalai Volcano, then follow a serpentine road southward through “coffee country” to Honaunau where we descend to sea level for a walk around a restored site of Hawaiian cultural importance called Pu’uhonua (“place of refuge”). Next we ride northward to Ali’i Drive and follow this shoreline road to the tourist haven of Kailua Village. On the waterfront here we’ll see a restoration of Ahu’ena Heiau, formerly a sacred temple, and from there we walk alongside a harbor seawall to Hulihe’e Palace, summer playground of Hawaiian royalty. Right across the street we enter Moku’aikaua Church built of stone as the first Christian sanctuary in The Hawaiian Chain.

TOUR #17: EXOTIC SPOTS ON KAUA’I

The Garden Isle is a popular destination for travelers seeking a romantic Polynesian Paradise. Our quick trip features the coastal lowlands on the windward side, also venturing onto the lovely Wailua Plateau on our way to Hanalei Bay where we stop at the old Mission House that ranks high on my list of “Uncle Jack’s Most Cherished Spots In The Hawaiian Islands.” We’ll continue along the super-scenic shoreline road to where it ends at fabled Ha’ena, then return to the airport.

TOUR #18: RUSTIC MOLOKA’I

There’s a 45-mph speed limit throughout this island, helping people maintain the relaxed pace of an old-fashioned Hawaiian lifestyle. First we drive upland past verdant homesteads to the brink of the world’s highest sea cliffs overlooking the Kalaupapa (“flat leaf”) Peninsula where Father Damien worked and died at the isolated leper colony. A walk into a forest brings us to a gigantic phallic rock which most guide books refrain from mentioning. Next we drive through the island’s only town center, Kaunakakai, before following a coastal road alongside Kalohi Channel, across which we see Lāna’i Island. Presently the peaks of West Maui come into view, rising beyond Pailolo Channel. Our destination is Hālawa Valley and its bay at the eastern end of Moloka’i where two waterfalls cascade from jungle-clad cliffs in the headlands.

TOUR #19: LITTLE LĀNAI’ ISLE

Few outsiders venture to this privately owned jewel with no traffic lights or fast food outlets. We drive first to the windward side for sweeping vistas toward Moloka’i and Maui, the most magnificent inter-island viewpoint in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bring swimming gear if you’d like to take a dip at Hulopo’e Beach, a superb snorkeling spot. There’s also an optional 30-minute guided stroll along a rugged shoreline of natural wonders, to see the red cinder islet of Pu’u Pehe.

TOUR #20: HIKE TO KAUNOLŪ RUINS

This is a full day’s trek from the Lana’i Airport. No ground transportation is required. But permission must be obtained in order to amble along dirt roads and trails to the remains of a former fishing village known as Kaunolū, once a sporting retreat where King Kamehameha The Great required his warriors to show their bravery by jumping from a cliff into the sea.