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OAHU HAWAIIAN ISLANDS Honolulu HawaiiRer From tiki bars to tropical shirts and the sweet sound of the ukulele, Hawaii’s aloha spirit is alive and well

WORDS CARRIE HUTCHINSON

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Stl te bs fn o wtr Explore I HAWAII

wave I have my beach boys picks watch all your people up the on the shore?” The Hui canoe Nalu canoe club became and Waikiki Beach Services plummetsA it towards the in 1955, and still operates shore. The riders squeal from the Royal Hawaiian. and whoop, but there’s no Step back in time cause for concern. “Even Today, Ted and his if it fills up with water it team of 101 beach boys will never sink,” says Ted also offer surf, stand- Bush, owner of Waikiki up paddleboard and Beach Services. “It’s the swimming lessons, only vessel in the entire and operate the Royal US Coast Guard fleet Hawaiian’s pool services. that doesn’t require life The days when Ted could jackets. look back from the water “This is the highlight and see an unobstructed of everyone’s trip,” he view of the lush mountain continues, as another range behind Honolulu Clsi four people and boat crew are now a fond memory. push an outrigger into the But even a slightly Haain 89 water. “People feel a sense intrepid visitor willing of history.” It’s no wonder. to stray beyond the glitz The first outrigger and glamour will discover canoes, which seated up there’s still a little of the to 80 people and all their original aloha spirit to supplies, were thought to be found. have reached the Aloha Of course, there’s the islands in about 200AD. Royal Hawaiian, also “Dudie Miller, who known as the ‘Pink Palace was the captain of the of the Pacific’, celebrating Hui Nalu canoe club, its 90th birthday this recognised the only real year. While it now boasts TOP TO BOTTOM: The ‘Pink Palace water men were the canoe WiFi, mod cons and a of the Pacific’, decor at the Surf Jack guys,” says Ted of the Hotel, Luau at the Royal Hawaiian. newer tower building, LEFT: Waikiki Beach Services’ canoe. precursors to the Waikiki its level of service and Beach Services. Back in palm-groved charm the 1920s and ’30s there remain the gold standard were just two hotels on on the island. On Monday Waikiki’s sands, including evenings, it also hosts the freshly minted, the only beachfront luau Spanish-style Royal on Waikiki. On any other Hawaiian, both owned night, go next door to by the Matson company. Duke’s Waikiki – named As Ted tells it, every day after monster-wave surfer Dudie’s team rescued Duke Kahanamoku – and guests from the ocean, so order the signature mai he approached the owners tai for a little taste of old and proposed: “Why don’t SURF JACK HOTEL, THE ROYAL HAWAIIAN HAWAIIAN ROYAL THE HOTEL, JACK SURF PHOTOGRAPHY Oahu. Explore I HAWAII

The cocktail hour Eventually they graduate For the first-time visitor to a concert ukulele, to Honolulu it can seem and my daughter got a as though tiki style is a fancy tenor one for her long-distant memory. graduation.” You can Head off the main drag take home one of the in Waikiki though, and Ler t fine instruments, formed you’ll discover Arnold’s pa using a local acacia wood 90 Beach Bar and Grill. called koa, although it Plant yourself on a stool will set you back at least and choose from the list US$995. of mai tais, tiki teas and Wear it well margaritas, all just US$6 Of all the artefacts of during a happy hour Hawaii’s past, the one which conveniently spans My kids Hawaii for the free factory most people associate 10am to 6pm. Need an all have to tour (Tuesdays to Fridays with the islands is the alcohol-free refresher? at 10.30am). Founded aloha shirt. First designed Head to Waiolo Shave take ukulele by Sam Kamaka in 1916, in the mid-1930s, they are Ice’s original outlet, lessons the company is still a experiencing a revival. which opened in 1940, family affair, with a fourth Retro retailers Tin Can and try the delicious generation now creating Mailman and Barrio haupia (coconut), a local sashimi, ahi (tuna) poke the distinctive pineapple Vintage stock the finest favourite. and tako (octopus) poke, ukulele, with its oval body preloved Hawaiian shirts Located in an unlikely are excellent (and served and rich sound, as well as and dresses in their industrial zone and in huge portions). the more easily identified Chinatown store, and a founded in 1957, La Sweet sounds pinch-waisted ukes. new wave of designers Mariana Sailing Club is Depending on your point “My kids all have to is reinventing the attire the last of Honolulu’s of view, the ukulele take ukulele lessons,” says for a new age. Roberta original tiki bars, with a is either a cherished Fred Kamaka Jr, who’s Oaks, who also has her fountain, locals propped stringed instrument running the tour today shopfront in Chinatown, up at the bar, a man or a torture device. because his 92-year-old arrived in Hawaii from playing classic tunes on These days, thanks to father, Fred Sr, is feeling Missouri and started her a keyboard and vintage muscians such as Jake a little under the weather. business after buying Hawaiiana decor. The Shimabukuro, many folks “When they’re five, they a sewing machine in a food, including classic realise it’s the former. get a Pineapple because garage sale. Inspired Hawaiian dishes pupu You’ll find these fans that’s the ukulele my by nature, architecture

(appetisers), salmon lining up at Kamaka grandfather created. and artists such as & WATERSPORTS HAWAIIAN MARCO GARCIA, THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHY Explore I HAWAII

Diggin’ the scene: retro Hawaii on screen • In his time as a movie star, Elvis was the leading man in a string of movies set on the Hawaiian islands. Blue Hawaii, filmed in 1961, was the first and, depending on your point of view, the best of the bunch. Check it out today and you will see Waikiki Beach the way it used to be. • In the same year, Deborah Walley stepped into Sandra Dee’s espadrilles to film Gidget Goes Hawaiian on location at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Between bouts of teenaged romantic confusion, Gidget puts everyone to shame with her surfing prowess. • An instant hit when it was released in 1953 and still loved today, From Here to Eternity follows three American soldiers (played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra) Pegge Hopper and Georgia based in Hawaii before the bombing of Pearl O’Keeffe, she designs some Harbor. The classic scene of Burt Lancaster and of her own fabrics to create a Deborah Kerr entangled on the shoreline was shot at Halona Cove on Oahu’s southeast coast. different style of aloha shirt. “I was the first to do a • Before Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan became Steve and Danno in 2010, Hawaii Five-0 played 92 modern take,” she says. “I on small screens around the world for 12 years refined the cut and brought from 1968. During its time, the series starring a fashionable and youthful Jack Lord and James MacArthur was one of feel to something that had the first TV series to be shot mainly on location (rather than a sound stage). become an old man’s shirt. They were fun in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and then they the retro-cool design of the got really bad. We made women’s staff uniform. As A young Elvis in Blue them fun again.” well as providing guests Hawaii. TOP LEFT: Browsing with a sense of the aloha the racks at Roberta Oaks. Sleep in style INSET: Hawaiian kitsch spirit – there’s live music in Roberta has also collaborated from Tin Can Mailman. Mahini & Sun’s restaurant with another venture and bar, classes in making bringing style to the retro floral crowns and excursions scene, the Surfack Hotel to nearby farms – the hotel’s & Swim Club. The 1960s open-air, surf-shack vibe motel was completely gutted lobby area has become a hub and, under the guidance for the local creative scene, of Honolulu-based design ensuring the true sense of company The Vanguard Hawaii is set to endure. Theory, has been fitted out with local art, mid-century furniture and retro detailing Travel info by Hawaiian designers. Matthew Tapia’s ‘Wish You Jetstar has great low fares Were Here’ mural on the to Hawaii from Brisbane, bottom of the pool is a stand- Sydney and Melbourne. out, and one of Waikiki’s To book, visit most Instagrammed sights. JETSTAR.COM

Roberta is responsible for MARCO GARCIA ALAMY, PHOTOGRAPHY