Oahu - Hawaii with Kids - page 118

and green sea turtle. Recently added: a rotating biodiversity exhibit and interac-
tive displays focusing on corals and coral reefs.
2777 Kalakaua Ave. (across from Kapiolani Park). & 808/923-9741. www.waquarium.org. Admission $7
adults; $5 active military, seniors, and college students; $3.50 children 13-17; children under 12 free. Daily
9am-5pm. Bus: 2.
HISTORIC HONOLULU & OTHER CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS
The Waikiki you see today bears no resemblance to the Waikiki of yesteryear, a
place of vast taro fields extending from the ocean deep into Manoa Valley, dot-
ted with numerous fishponds and gardens tended by thousands of people. This
picture of old Waikiki can be recaptured by following the emerging Waikiki
Historic Trail , a meandering 2-mile walk with 20 bronze surfboard markers
(standing 6 ft., 5 in. tall—you can't miss 'em), complete with descriptions and
archive photos of the historic sites. It's an easy stroll through Waikiki that all ages
will enjoy. Let the kids hunt for each surfboard marker, which notes everything
from the ancient fishponds to the history of the Ala Wai Canal. The trail begins
at Kuhio Beach and ends at the King Kalakaua statue, at the intersection of
Kuhio and Kalakaua avenues. Free 90-minute walking tours are given Monday
through Friday at 9am and on Saturday at 4:30pm; meet at the beachside surf-
board marker (“The Beaches of Waikiki”) at the entrance to Kapiolani Park, on
Kalakaua Avenue, across from the Honolulu Zoo. For more information, call
& 808/841-6442.
A hula performance is a popular way for visitors to get a taste of traditional
Hawaiian culture. Unfortunately, the Kodak Hula Show at the Waikiki Band
Shell at Kapiolani Park closed in 2002. For a more genuine Hawaiian hula expe-
rience, catch the hula halau performed at the Bishop Museum (p. 111).
Iolani Palace Ages 5 and up. If you want to really understand Hawaii,
this 45-minute tour is well worth the time. The kids will love seeing a royal
palace and you'll love the history of the Iolani Palace, by King David Kalakaua,
who spared no expense. The 4-year project, completed in 1882, cost
$360,000—and nearly bankrupted the Hawaiian kingdom. This four-story Ital-
ian Renaissance palace was the first electrified building in Honolulu (it had elec-
tricity before the White House and Buckingham Palace). Royals lived here for
11 years, until Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and the Hawaiian monarchy fell
forever, in a palace coup led by U.S. Marines on January 17, 1893, at the
demand of sugar planters and missionary descendants. Allow at least an hour for
a self-guided tour of the 10-room palace (reservations are a must!); or go for the
comprehensive Grand Tour , which is 90 minutes long and covers the palace
history, the grounds, and the palace itself. Everyone must don denim booties to
scoot across the royal floors.
At S. King and Richards sts. & 800/532-1051 or 808/522-0832. www.iolanipalace.org. Admission Grand
Tour $20 adults, $5 children 5-17; Galleries Tour $6 adults, $3 children 5-17. Tues-Sat 8:30am-2pm; call
ahead to reserve the Grand Tour. Children under 5 not permitted. Extremely limited parking on palace
grounds, try off-street metered parking. Bus: 2.
JUST BEYOND PEARL HARBOR
Hawaiian Railway All ages. All aboard! The kids will get a kick out of this
train ride back into history. Between 1890 and 1947, the chief mode of trans-
portation for Oahu's sugar mills was the Oahu Railway and Land Co.'s narrow-
gauge trains. The line carried not only equipment, raw sugar, and supplies, but
also passengers from one side of the island to the other. You can relive those days
every Sunday with a 1 1 ⁄ 2 -hour narrated ride through Ko Olina Resort and out to